Jigster Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I've seen these advertised in Express Music - does anyone know much about them and their quality? I seem to remember reading somewhere that they're made by someone else and that Anniversary is a brand tag? Any info appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Hookys6stringbass bought one of those - he didn't think much of the bridge pickup. It's almost certainly an importer's brand, like most of the other brands on far eastern instruments that pop up seemingly over night. I've no idea of the factory though, or even the country of origin. Maybe Hooky can enlighten us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorick Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 [quote name='Jigster' post='623467' date='Oct 11 2009, 09:06 PM']I've seen these advertised in Express Music - does anyone know much about them and their quality? I seem to remember reading somewhere that they're made by someone else and that Anniversary is a brand tag? Any info appreciated. [/quote] Saw the Ric copy in Solihull. Superficially they look great, but get up close and they're not brilliant, nowhere near as good as the INDIE brand and definately over priced. Didn't get to plug it in as they didn't do a lefty. The neck seemed rather clumpy as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 No experience of them myself but from what I gather these are the best of the current copies, certainly as they come out of the box. Not entirely certain but they might well be made by Shine. Drop hooky6stringbass (Ian) a PM - or failing that he'll probably see this thread & fill you in. I got the impression he was very pleased with his, on the whole. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 [quote name='yorick' post='623488' date='Oct 11 2009, 09:31 PM']nowhere near as good as the INDIE brand and definately over priced.[/quote] I played an Indie a few years ago and it was pretty horrible considering the list was £499. Vile melted-looking headstock too. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deksawyer Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I believe they're made in the Epiphone factory in Korea. D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hookys6stringbass Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 [quote name='yorick' post='623488' date='Oct 11 2009, 09:31 PM']Saw the Ric copy in Solihull. Superficially they look great, but get up close and they're not brilliant, nowhere near as good as the INDIE brand and definately over priced. Didn't get to plug it in as they didn't do a lefty. The neck seemed rather clumpy as well.[/quote] I don't know I'm sitting here enjoying a beer and I see this 'Superficially they look great, but get up close and they're not brilliant, nowhere near as good as the INDIE brand' and spit said beer over my laptop!!!! I've had the misfortune to play an INDIE recently and it's a pile of old sh1te, funkin orrible- the worst of the Rickenfakers... yes i'd rather have a Kay than an INDIE!!! I have the Jetglo version and I think it's a stunnnnnning bass to look at even up close - The neck is superb to play , quite thin and deffo not clumpy and the extra frets are a bonus. The size and shape remind me of my old Hondo II .. maybe just a bit longer. As i've said the build quality is superb but I feel the electrics let it down a tad- don't get me wrong, straight out of the box it sounds great, but with a bit of tweaking it'll sound brilliant. May be that's just me i'm very fussy when it comes to the sound... so far i've changed the stock pick ups to Ricky pick ups.... what a difference, i've not had a chance to change the pots yet ...... was it worth the money before I started modding it...... I'd have to say yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorick Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Must be the one i saw, cuz it was awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 (edited) Def a case of one man's meat is another man's ceiling, horses for courses, etc., etc. Saw the exact same bass that Yorick saw in the Solihull shop. Looked rather nice - even close up - and felt OK. Being picky, there was a noticeable gap around each neck inlay and a hint of brown in the fireglo. On the whole it seemed like a reasonable bass - nice headstock shape, hardware pretty close to the original, compared to other clones. Now, you could maybe spend £500 on a better 'all-round' bass, but what you're paying for here is the look and some lawyers' fees. Clearly, it's not the same quality as a Rick, but it was as good looking a clone as I've seen in a long while. Ideal for tributes and (my opinion only) looks better than anything else that's available at the moment, particularly the risible Rockinbetters. Anyhow, looks-wise, I'll leave you all to make your own minds up - here's the Anniversary I saw in Express Music: [attachment=34354:annivers...ric_copy.jpg] And here's the Indie: Edited October 12, 2009 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigster Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 thanks for all the feedback guys - pretty sure I won't be buying this (am gassing for a MM right now) but was curious as hell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 That Anniversary looks pretty convincing. The bridge kinda makes me think of the Hipshot replacement bridge for Rics. The bridge pickup cover looks tinny and fragile though, like it will bend as soon as you rest your wrist on it for pick playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacker Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Rick copies - I just don't get them. Not these days, anyway. They just look sh**t. And when you think of the effort that goes into some Fender knock-offs why don't these comapnies make something that looks like a 'backer, no matter how litigious John Hall is. It's the old adge of 'If you can't do it properly, don't do it at all'! Better off picking up an old Ibanez Rick than waste money on cak like Indie, [i]ad nauseam[/i]. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 The really good copy is the Tokai "Rockinsbetter" model. They are excellent basses if you can track one down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacker Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='624718' date='Oct 13 2009, 09:16 AM']The really good copy is the Tokai "Rockinsbetter" model. They are excellent basses if you can track one down.[/quote] D'you reckon? I can't help think how guff that rear pup looks. Tokai are pretty good at everything but the jury's out for me on this one, on looks, at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='624718' date='Oct 13 2009, 09:16 AM']The really good copy is the Tokai "Rockinsbetter" model. They are excellent basses if you can track one down.[/quote] Again - over to hooky6stringbass on this, he had a Rockinbetter & as far as I can tell subsequently judged his Anniversary to be a better bass. I have no experience of either but based on hardware it would appear the Anniversary is a more accurate copy - realistically the Rockinbetter is just a bass with a Rick-shaped body & headstock. There's a special mystery prize, by the way, for anyone who can find solid & indisputable evidence of a link between these basses & Tokai. And I don't just mean retailers' website listings. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hookys6stringbass Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 [quote name='LeftyJ' post='623782' date='Oct 12 2009, 10:04 AM']That Anniversary looks pretty convincing. The bridge kinda makes me think of the Hipshot replacement bridge for Rics. The bridge pickup cover looks tinny and fragile though, like it will bend as soon as you rest your wrist on it for pick playing.[/quote] Just had a look at the bridge pup cover that was on mine - it's quite sturdy, just doesn't look right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hookys6stringbass Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 [quote name='Bassassin' post='625224' date='Oct 13 2009, 04:58 PM']Again - over to hooky6stringbass on this, he had a Rockinbetter & as far as I can tell subsequently judged his Anniversary to be a better bass. I have no experience of either but based on hardware it would appear the Anniversary is a more accurate copy - realistically the Rockinbetter is just a bass with a Rick-shaped body & headstock. There's a special mystery prize, by the way, for anyone who can find solid & indisputable evidence of a link between these basses & Tokai. And I don't just mean retailers' website listings. Jon.[/quote] Yep I had a Tokai... which I modded. Again it's a well built bass, but the stock pups are a bit weak. I modded that one as well totally transformed it into a snarling growly beast!!! The neck is a bit thicker than the Anniversay's but still a pleasure to play ( well for me anyway) but the Anniversary just feels erm ... right. My Anniversary is in stealth mode i.e. it's all black and the chrome hardware really sets it off. Love it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 I also quite like Fernandes' take on the RIC. Not quite sure how old this is though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 [quote name='Bassassin' post='625224' date='Oct 13 2009, 04:58 PM']There's a special mystery prize, by the way, for anyone who can find solid & indisputable evidence of a link between these basses & Tokai. And I don't just mean retailers' website listings.[/quote] Er ... that there was an incredibly sh*te Tokai EB3 hung up next to the Anniversary in Express music? Someone had slapped some clear mastic along the fretboard edge where the binding had stripped off. Sundry other MF-ing faults. Quite put me off my tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigster Posted October 14, 2009 Author Share Posted October 14, 2009 Have been reading some intresting feedback about the Chinese Gibson/Rickenbacker/Fender headstock branded guitars on this site.. I guess you don't need Anniversary or Tokai and the like when yu can get the 'real' thing with a Made In Usa stamp to boot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 [quote name='LeftyJ' post='625841' date='Oct 14 2009, 11:28 AM']I also quite like Fernandes' take on the RIC. Not quite sure how old this is though. [/quote] Early 80s, Japan-only unless you can find a dodgy import! Fwiw like most MIJ brands, Fernandes isn't an actual manufacturer, these would have been made by Kawai or Tokai. Happily Fernandes still produce Rickenbacker copies, not exactly accurate but I'd make a few allowances for the paintjob: [url="http://www.rakuten.co.jp/gakki-genki/674604/838925/899155/"]Fernandes Sw***y Spider[/url] (can we PLEASE sort out the fukking autocensor?? ) [quote name='Jigster' post='626146' date='Oct 14 2009, 04:25 PM']Have been reading some intresting feedback about the Chinese Gibson/Rickenbacker/Fender headstock branded guitars on this site.. I guess you don't need Anniversary or Tokai and the like when yu can get the 'real' thing with a Made In Usa stamp to boot [/quote] [url="http://www.dhgate.com/original-rickenbacker-4003-in-nature-electric/p-ff8080812295ac8a01229655464d1f23.html"]They're stunningly realistic![/url] J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 [quote name='Bassassin' post='626200' date='Oct 14 2009, 06:19 PM'][url="http://www.dhgate.com/original-rickenbacker-4003-in-nature-electric/p-ff8080812295ac8a01229655464d1f23.html"]They're stunningly realistic![/url] [/quote] LOL, lovely! They didn't even TRY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkstrike Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 I have a Shine one, that I really like, quite similar to the Anniversary one, different headstock and dosen't have the binding, it does have that thin looking bridge pickup cover, but its more than sturdy, just looks thin. Oh pickups are different too, the Shine has Duncans stock. I'd hazard a guess that they come from the one factory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacker Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 [quote name='Bassassin' post='626200' date='Oct 14 2009, 05:19 PM']Early 80s, Japan-only unless you can find a dodgy import! Fwiw like most MIJ brands, Fernandes isn't an actual manufacturer, these would have been made by Kawai or Tokai. Happily Fernandes still produce Rickenbacker copies, not exactly accurate but I'd make a few allowances for the paintjob: [url="http://www.rakuten.co.jp/gakki-genki/674604/838925/899155/"]Fernandes Sw***y Spider[/url] (can we PLEASE sort out the fukking autocensor?? ) [url="http://www.dhgate.com/original-rickenbacker-4003-in-nature-electric/p-ff8080812295ac8a01229655464d1f23.html"]They're stunningly realistic![/url] J.[/quote] Now [b]that's[/b] the best I've ever seen! I never knew about this? Blows the ships off the Ibanez ones. '80s, yeh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacker Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 [quote name='Bassassin' post='626200' date='Oct 14 2009, 05:19 PM']Early 80s, Japan-only unless you can find a dodgy import! Fwiw like most MIJ brands, Fernandes isn't an actual manufacturer, these would have been made by Kawai or Tokai. Happily Fernandes still produce Rickenbacker copies, not exactly accurate but I'd make a few allowances for the paintjob: [url="http://www.rakuten.co.jp/gakki-genki/674604/838925/899155/"]Fernandes Sw***y Spider[/url] (can we PLEASE sort out the fukking autocensor?? ) [url="http://www.dhgate.com/original-rickenbacker-4003-in-nature-electric/p-ff8080812295ac8a01229655464d1f23.html"]They're stunningly realistic![/url] J.[/quote] [i]HOW[/i] did you find that?? jeez, what a site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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