Rick bass copies?

Anyone have an old MIJ Rick copy? Or info on them?

I have one and I really like it. I don't know how it holds up to a real one but it pretty much cured me of my Bass GAS. check it out here http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=374544782586296&set=a.374544245919683.87315.219852048055571&type=3&theater It's green. Sadly no Teles in the shot, but I'm working on introducing single-coil goodness into our little band ^^

There were several companies and factories that made Rick copies during the seventies and it can be pretty confusing, but the gist of it is that some were much better/more desirable than others and none of those that survived are very expensive.

What kind is yours

It's a mid 70s (I guess, no way to be sure) Matsumoku with a bolt-on neck and binding on the body.

One of my bandmates has an El degas Rick copy - its super nice. At the time he bought it there was a real Rick for sale at the same time and I wouldn't go so far to say that the Degas was as nice but it was a quarter of the price and at least 70% as nice.

I imagine if you put real rick pickups in one of those copies, you would get pretty close to the real deal. There are some pretty good new copies out there overseas. I will stay out of Rickenbackers copyright policy and what I think.

There are surely excellent Japanese Rick copies of the 1970s and early 1980s.

But you should also have a look at NEW copies ...

The Career Rick Copy CB-RIK-400 BK (here the link to a German seller: http://www.musik-schmidt.de/Career-CB-RIK-400-BK.html ) is a very good copy! I don't know about the Japanese Rick copy prices in America, but in Germany / Europe, these copies are very expensive. You get a brand new Career Copy for the same price - with guarantee ...

The pickups are not bad, but could be better. Well; there are SD and other replacement PUs ...

Rockinbetter. Lol

When a girl with a Rick is a "Rick Chick" ...
What's a boy/man with a Rick? a "Rick Di ..."? ... :lol: :oops:

Color Dosent matter

I imagine if you put real rick pickups in one of those copies, you would get pretty close to the real deal. There are some pretty good new copies out there overseas. I will stay out of Rickenbackers copyright policy and what I think.

Real Rick pickups in a bolt-on copy won't make it sound like the real deal. There have been a few neck-through copies, though.

Real Rick pickups in a bolt-on copy won't make it sound like the real deal. There have been a few neck-through copies, though.

I have seen a few set neck copies, and I thought Ric made a bolt neck version of their bass?

I have seen a few set neck copies, and I thought Ric made a bolt neck version of their bass?

IIRC the bolt neck is the short scale 3000 which was RICs answer to the Fender Music Master, Gibson EBo etc. Intersting bass, hard to find and because of that some what expensive when they do turn up. I have only ever seen one, in all my years of haunting guitar shops.

I have had both a real 4001 and a Aria copy, the copy was OK for ocassional use, and with a RIC pickups (installed by the previous owner)it sounded reasonably close to the 4001.
The problem is that by the time you track down a copy and put decent pickups and tuners in it, you are looking at @ $500 + and with the single truss rod you are still probably not going to have the action of the original, especially 30 + years down the line
You can buy some pretty nice basses for $500..Unless you score a copy cheep, I wouldn't expend too much time or energy on this.

IIRC the bolt neck is the short scale 3000 which was RICs answer to the Fender Music Master, Gibson EBo etc. Intersting bass, hard to find and because of that some what expensive when they do turn up. I have only ever seen one, in all my years of haunting guitar shops.

I have had both a real 4001 and a Aria copy, the copy was OK for ocassional use, and with a RIC pickups (installed by the previous owner)it sounded reasonably close to the 4001.
The problem is that by the time you track down a copy and put decent pickups and tuners in it, you are looking at @ $500 + and with the single truss rod you are still probably not going to have the action of the original, especially 30 + years down the line
You can buy some pretty nice basses for $500..Unless you score a copy cheep, I wouldn't expend too much time or energy on this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJLOr8S2d2E
Lou's Rick has a bolt neck.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJLOr8S2d2E
Lou's Rick has a bolt neck.

And no Ric 0 Sound so it's one of the many copies..perhaps fitted with a "modified" truss rod cover.

Not to say that the copies haven't seen some use, Rick Buckler used a Ibanez during the early Jam days,and Peter Hook used a Hondo in Joy Division...
But neither lasted long after better gear became available..
To be honest I find most of the early 70s MIJ stuff to be overpriced, I thinks it's a trickle down effect, high end MIJ stuff like the better Fender Japan, later Ibanez and the Springy Sound era Tokai is getting pricy, and so people with 3 to 500 dollars to spend are hyping on Matsumoke and some of the other stenciled brands.
I find them to be fun 1-$200 guitars and you sometimes can find them for that, alas the RIC copies have unique pressures determining their pricing, and have goten way out of hand.

That would explain it. How was the neck on the Aria?

That would explain it. How was the neck on the Aria?

Umm..flexible.... lol
This is a problem with vintage 4000 series also, the 4003 seems to have it sussed.

I have an 'Anniversary' 4003 copy. Its not a bolt on neck but dont know if its one piece of wood or not. The neck pickup is great (which i use 9 times out of 10) but the bridge is terrible (which i hope to be able to upgrade at some point). I don't know where they are made, someone told me they were newer Tokai's which I don't think is right. Either way it sounds how I want it to and looks great so I'm happy.