Is Rickenbacker a dirty word..........?

[Chewie]

You never see anything on here about Rickenbacker......... well, I don't.

What's that about?

[Bridgehouse]

[Dad3353]

12 minutes ago, Chewie said:

...What's that about?

There's no problem with discussion about Rickies, but they are not permitted to be offered for sale in the Marketplace, as this site has been threatened with potentially damaging legal action if any ads are of fakes. As it's impossible to know if any bass offered is pukka or not, no Rickies at all are allowed. The owners of the make are to be thanked for that. That said, discussion, photos, praise or criticism; all that is fine, but no commerce of 'em (nor their copies, naturally...).

[Bridgehouse]

There’s a big thread on them that’s been going for some time as well - they can be quite an emotive topic

[NancyJohnson]

If we're going the gif route:

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, Chewie said:

You never see anything on here about Rickenbacker......... well, I don't.

What's that about?

Really??

[kyuuga]

1 hour ago, Dad3353 said:

There's no problem with discussion about Rickies, but they are not permitted to be offered for sale in the Marketplace, as this site has been threatened with potentially damaging legal action if any ads are of fakes. As it's impossible to know if any bass offered is pukka or not, no Rickies at all are allowed. The owners of the make are to be thanked for that. That said, discussion, photos, praise or criticism; all that is fine, but no commerce of 'em (nor their copies, naturally...).

Wow, what the hell, I didn't know that! That's some next level of bigotry.

[Dad3353]

8 minutes ago, kyuuga said:

Wow, what the hell, I didn't know that! That's some next level of bigotry.

I don't suppose you'd care to expand on that at all..? 

[kyuuga]

10 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

I don't suppose you'd care to expand on that at all..? 

Maybe I didn't word it correctly. All I'm saying is that I find that a very odd policy for a company. 

[Dad3353]

4 minutes ago, kyuuga said:

Maybe I didn't word it correctly. All I'm saying is that I find that a very odd policy for a company. 

Ah, I see, and I think we all agree. Things are what they are, though, and get dealt with as best we can. It's a shame, certainly, but the threats were quite real enough to require this action. Never mind; there's plenty of other basses to be drooled over in the marketplace. 

Edited July 25, 2018 by Dad3353

[kyuuga]

22 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

Ah, I see, and I think we all agree. Things are what they are, though, and get dealt with as best we can. It's a shame, certainly, but the threats were quite real enough to require this action. Never mind; there's plenty of other basses to be drooled over in the marketplace. 

For sure. In the long run, the only losers in this trade is the Rickenbacker company, not you guys who have done an outstanding job in providing a real hub for the people. Bless you all, keep up the good work.

[Passinwind]

4 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

There's no problem with discussion about Rickies, but they are not permitted to be offered for sale in the Marketplace, as this site has been threatened with potentially damaging legal action if any ads are of fakes. As it's impossible to know if any bass offered is pukka or not, no Rickies at all are allowed. The owners of the make are to be thanked for that.

Which is doubly bizarre given that Talkbass is chock full of ads for used ones.

[SpondonBassed]

8 hours ago, Chewie said:

You never see anything on here about Rickenbacker......... well, I don't.

What's that about?

Oh boy!

 

7 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

There's no problem with discussion about Rickies, but they are not permitted to be offered for sale in the Marketplace, as this site has been threatened with potentially damaging legal action if any ads are of fakes. As it's impossible to know if any bass offered is pukka or not, no Rickies at all are allowed. The owners of the make are to be thanked for that. That said, discussion, photos, praise or criticism; all that is fine, but no commerce of 'em (nor their copies, naturally...).

Litigious sentries are poised at strategic locations all  around the civilised world and are ready to pounce on any attempt to undermine the total domination of the bass guitar market by WickenKnacker Bass Inc.

Nah... It's cool.  Just some legal action by a zealous corporate entity.  Corporate entities are really nice though when you meet them on a night out and share a pint or seven.

Edited July 25, 2018 by SpondonBassed

[bazzbass]

One day they'll realise that a young kid hankering for a Ric, would buy a Ric copy to start with and would dream of a real Ric when he gets better/older/richer. But he can't buy a fake Ric so he buys a Squier P bass, then when he gets better/older/richer....he buys an Am Stnd Fender P bass.....

[uk_lefty]

I agree with Bazzbass here. I would like to own a Rik... But at nearly three grand and no budget option? Not in my lifetime.

 

Oh yeah, and they're poorly built one trick ponies. It's a good trick but it just is not worth the money, not even half that.

[Skybone]

48 minutes ago, bazzbass said:

One day they'll realise that a young kid hankering for a Ric, would buy a Ric copy to start with and would dream of a real Ric when he gets better/older/richer. But he can't buy a fake Ric so he buys a Squier P bass, then when he gets better/older/richer....he buys an Am Stnd Fender P bass.....

And that includes older kids with mortgages & other responsibilities too.

The discussion of Ric's AND RickenFakers is fine (see the "All New RickenFaker" thread ).

Thing is, Ric's (and Fakers) are "Marmite" bass. Unfortunately, most seem to hate them.

Edited July 25, 2018 by Skybone

[Wolverinebass]

1 hour ago, uk_lefty said:

I agree with Bazzbass here. I would like to own a Rik... But at nearly three grand and no budget option? Not in my lifetime.

 

Oh yeah, and they're poorly built one trick ponies. It's a good trick but it just is not worth the money, not even half that.

Unless you're left handed, they're about £2100 new. Go second hand then they don't get your money and you can flog it probably for what you paid for it if you hate it.

[uk_lefty]

2 minutes ago, Wolverinebass said:

Unless you're left handed, they're about £2100 new. Go second hand then they don't get your money and you can flog it probably for what you paid for it if you hate it.

Lefty premium, looking at about £2,800 for a bass that was around half that just five years ago. Second hand with lefties is pot luck whether you will sell at a decent price or not, very limited market. Looks like a blue one is going for £900 on fleabay... If it were any other colour I may have gone for it at £900 but not a penny more. And not a blue one.

[Barking Spiders]

I have a weird prejudice against Rickies, basses and guitars . Viz the basses it's partly their appearance but more to do with the fact they're rubbish for playing funk on. Then many of my least fave bass players are often Ricky players. As for the guitars it's largely to due with their association with godawful jingly jangly Byrds influenced bands wot I detest.

[NancyJohnson]

2 hours ago, uk_lefty said:

I agree with Bazzbass here. I would like to own a Rik... But at nearly three grand and no budget option? Not in my lifetime.

Oh yeah, and they're poorly built one trick ponies. It's a good trick but it just is not worth the money, not even half that.

They're expensive new, but secondhand they're way more reasonable and owners seem to take care of them, so it's not difficult to find a good one.

Insofar as them being poorly made or being one trick ponies, well nah on both counts.  OK, they're a two pickup bass with independent volume and tones for each pickup, plus the ability to select either pickup via a switch, plus the newer ones have an additional tone circuit, so far from one trick.

Build quality on mine was fine...robust even.  The only bad bit was the bridge, which IMO was worse than a three-pointer, if that was feasibly possible.

The worst thing about a 4003?  It was a thief-magnet.  These b'stards know what it is and I had two occasions where someone tried to steal it.

 

[martthebass]

1 hour ago, uk_lefty said:

Lefty premium, looking at about £2,800 for a bass that was around half that just five years ago. Second hand with lefties is pot luck whether you will sell at a decent price or not, very limited market. Looks like a blue one is going for £900 on fleabay... If it were any other colour I may have gone for it at £900 but not a penny more. And not a blue one.

But you could argue that on much of what comes out of the USofA there has been a similar escalation on RRPs coming into the UK - look at the recent prices on Fender and Musicman basses?

[martthebass]

17 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

They're expensive new, but secondhand they're way more reasonable and owners seem to take care of them, so it's not difficult to find a good one.

Insofar as them being poorly made or being one trick ponies, well nah on both counts.  OK, they're a two pickup bass with independent volume and tones for each pickup, plus the ability to select either pickup via a switch, plus the newer ones have an additional tone circuit, so far from one trick.

Build quality on mine was fine...robust even.  The only bad bit was the bridge, which IMO was worse than a three-pointer, if that was feasibly possible.

The worst thing about a 4003?  It was a thief-magnet.  These b'stards know what it is and I had two occasions where someone tried to steal it.

 

I think that Ric had some QC issues (anyone remember the paint finish problems of 2010?) and they were not the best at dealing with these issues if you weren't based in the US but I think they are past that now.  If you got a good one though - happy days, my 2010 4003 is well built and plays well, certainly in the same quality bracket as my MM basses. 

I'm with you regarding the 'one-trick pony' bit, anyone who says that hasn't spent any time with one, it's no more a one trick pony than a Jazz.

I'm also with you on the thief magnet bit - it's the only bass I've ever had in 30+ years that someone has tried to nick during a gig!

[PaulWarning]

5 minutes ago, martthebass said:

 

I'm with you regarding the 'one-trick pony' bit, anyone who says that hasn't spent any time with one, it's no more a one trick pony than a Jazz.

 

I used to think that whenever I heard one it was clank clank clank, but recently I've heard a couple that sounded suburb, Duncan Reid (of the Boys fame) and Paul Gray on the Damned tour

[yorks5stringer]

Dirty word: does 'crack bier ken' work for you?

[The Guitar Weasel]

I've always had a love/hate relationship with Ricks: I'm primarily a guitar player ... so I've never had to live with one on a day to day basis for playing. My experience comes from playing one occasionally, and in spending 40 years repairing instruments and six years rewinding numerous Rick pickups. I adore the look, and the mid range growl and clang, but ergonomically as a player I couldn't use one all the time. The Issue I see over and over again are dead Rick pickups, ones that have mysteriously just stopped working. When  I rewound my first Rick bass pickup I discovered the design fault that leads to failure.

Dead centre of the image is a sawn off brass screw that is driven through the bobbin and ....

The super delicate 44awg wire is soldered directly to that screw ... no insolation, no strain relief. If the screw gets loose ... which the original soldering can make it ... it twists and breaks the wire.

The simple fix is a short insulated 'pig tail' that has the core wire soldered to that ... a kink is put in the wire to allow for a bit of movement ... and the whole shooting mach is taped before winding.

 

Problem solved ... but why oh why can't Rickenbacker do something about it themselves?