Why So Many Rics On Ebay Lately?

[Telenator]

Originally Posted by BAW4742

Uhm .......... That's creative writing.

I must not be getting the whole Ric thing. Mine is in a stand right beside my amp so that I can grab it anytime and rip off a few Tom Petty or REM licks. Well actually anything that I feel like playing.

And besides that - I don't smoke.

You sir are in a prestigeous minority! Smoking is bad for your health!

No, really, I'm just poking a little fun because of the reference to the IRHC. That was creative!

[beep.click]

Played a used 4003 last night -- I'm not sure I ever played one before. The neck was NOTICEABLY chunkier than my 4001. Felt very different!

I may have to go back and try it again today. Something about them Rics just draws me in...

[BAW4742]

Originally Posted by Telenator

:

No, really, I'm just poking a little fun because of the reference to the IRHC. That was creative!

I did get that. I thought your story was hilarious.

I guess my reply lacked the satirical wit of your post.

[63dot]

Originally Posted by Oster

4000 series basses are my dream bass so for years now I've checked out ebay to see what was selling.

It seems that in the last year or so there's suddenly a lot more 4001 and 4003 basses (many with 'buy it now') than there ever were.

Anyone else notice this?

rickys (bass and guitars) are like gretsch and mosrite

they go through really hot times and lulls

us fender folk never see lulls like that so it seems strange

but i have had the ricky, gretsch, and silvertone fetish in the past and while none of these guitars attained the legendary status of the stratocaster, they are actually more fun to me

i want so much to try and airline guitar but have never had that chance

[Telenator]

Originally Posted by BAW4742

I did get that. I thought your story was hilarious.

I guess my reply lacked the satirical wit of your post.

Bwah ha ha! No, I got it. It's all good!

[63dot]

Originally Posted by TelZilla

Hey, boy- You do know this here is a Telecaster board? You better watch yerself.

Seriously, I can't think of a guitar with more "character" than a Tele.

i think the perception of a fender not having character is that the word fender is more synonymous with the term electric guitar than any other brand

fender is to electics as kleenex is to facial tissue...it's the standard

and almost every major electric guitar maker has a stratocaster type guitar in their lineup (including second place gibson/epiphone and third place ibanez)

for many non guitar players i hear them say that person has a fender les paul, but i have never heard anybody say gibson stratocaster or gibson telecaster

and though there are many great amps, fender also has the most coverage in that market

so if i have to talk about character within the fender world, the telecaster certainly has more of that mojo than the stratocaster

[freshmattyp]

Fenders are the PCs of the world, and Rickenbackers are the Macs.

Take that however you want, from a guy who plays both frequently.

[Dave W]

Originally Posted by Telenator

But, I do picture Ric fanatics sitting in their bedrooms wearing silk pajamas so they don't mark their precious accessory. The shades are drawn and the case is carefully removed from the back of the closet so as not to scratch it. Then, slowly, with the ferverance of a fine cork sniffer, the latches are unleashed and the lid is slowly opened filling the area with the sweet aroma of polishing compound that lasts for years and years if you're careful NOT to leave the case open or keep the guitar outside the case for too long.

The instrument is gazed upon for a long moment and their eyes become moist as it is removed from it's coffin wafting the scent higher into the room. Everything starts spinning and the senses go on overload when the first chord is struck, lightly mind you, because t'would be a travesty to mark the finish. They might strap it on, stand in front of the mirror like a woman and strike a few "on stage" poses tossing the instrument to and fro. (carefully of course) And then, before the first bead of sweat can sully the finish, the instrument is returned to it's case where it will reside until the owner is struck by the next flight of whimsy to gaze upon his beloved Ric.

After that, he moves over to the computer, lights a cigarette and inhales deeply then blowing out a long, satisfying whoosh of smoke. It was good for him too, and he is now overwhelmed to share the experience with other fanatics on the internet.

LOL! You obviously have an agenda here. I no longer own any Ricks at present and I have no vested interest in defending them, but let me say this: Every Rick owner I know personally plays one in a band. That's only a couple dozen people but that's my experience. Even if some Rick fanboys fit your description, forum members don't necessarily represent the real world.

I did sell one of mine to a collector who never plays them, but he owns way more Fenders than Ricks. And he was a touring musician many years ago.

[strummin67]

Originally Posted by Telenator

Yeah, busted!

I never said anything about the Beatles though.

But, I do picture Ric fanatics sitting in their bedrooms wearing silk pajamas so they don't mark their precious accessory. The shades are drawn and the case is carefully removed from the back of the closet so as not to scratch it. Then, slowly, with the ferverance of a fine cork sniffer, the latches are unleashed and the lid is slowly opened filling the area with the sweet aroma of polishing compound that lasts for years and years if you're careful NOT to leave the case open or keep the guitar outside the case for too long.

The instrument is gazed upon for a long moment and their eyes become moist as it is removed from it's coffin wafting the scent higher into the room. Everything starts spinning and the senses go on overload when the first chord is struck, lightly mind you, because t'would be a travesty to mark the finish. They might strap it on, stand in front of the mirror like a woman and strike a few "on stage" poses tossing the instrument to and fro. (carefully of course) And then, before the first bead of sweat can sully the finish, the instrument is returned to it's case where it will reside until the owner is struck by the next flight of whimsy to gaze upon his beloved Ric.

After that, he moves over to the computer, lights a cigarette and inhales deeply then blowing out a long, satisfying whoosh of smoke. It was good for him too, and he is now overwhelmed to share the experience with other fanatics on the internet.

You mean other people do this too??

[Telenator]

Well, we all have different experiences, that's for sure. As a gigging player of 30 years, I can count on one hand, the number of Rics I've actually seen in public. I have gigged and jammed with folks in 25 states and only once have I ever seen anyone bring a Ric to a jam. He lives in PA and is a great guy who actually does gig his Ric.

I'm just a little miffy sometimes because I called RIC to try and have a custom 360 built with an adult size neck. The guy on the phone actually laughed at me and asked if I was someone famous because, if I wasn't, there's no way they would be taking a custom order from me. That was pretty rude. He didn't have to be a jerk about it.

Then I buy a 360 and it's a complete ergonomic disaster for someone who needs to cover a variety of sounds and change up that sound on the fly during a gig. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many dials to deal with. Now, I know that RIC sells every single one they make, but so did the guy who marketed "The Pet Rock." These guitars are suitable for collectors of beautiful things but, for players who need to do a job, they fall well short of the mark. (IMO)

It just goes to show that there really is a market for everything. I mean, who actually takes their "Ultimate Off-road Vehicle" Hummer, off road? In these parts, they're owned by people with money to burn who drop their kids at soccer practice and then run right over to the car wash. Then they go home, put on their silk pajamas and, well, you know the rest.

[TelZilla]

Originally Posted by Telenator

Now, I know that RIC sells every single one they make, but so did the guy who marketed "The Pet Rock."

I have no idea why I'm stepping into this flame war, but, dude, you have a axe to grind, eh?

1. I'm pretty sure there were some pet rocks left over when that dude filed chapter 11

2. You can't actually be claiming that the entire body of Rickenbackers is comparable in quality and or influence to the pet rock

3. Do you think Fender would actually build you a one off? I'm not being (completely) facetious, do you actually expect this is something they would do for you?

4. Here are a couple of gigging musicians using Rics:



Damn, that is a great tune. I loved that band back then...

[strummin67]

I liked that era of REM too. Scary how fast 25 years goes by.

[Tim Armstrong]

Everyone has a bête noire (French for "black beast" meaning pet peeve), now we know what Telenator's is!!!



Cheers, Tim

ps- Hey Dave, should we suggest he put a Dark Star pickup in a Ricky?

[David Barnett]

Still, I don't think it's surprising that a company that is backordered by 1-3 years, depending on what you order from them, would laugh at a proposal for a custom order.

[Telenator]

Originally Posted by David Barnett

Still, I don't think it's surprising that a company that is backordered by 1-3 years, depending on what you order from them, would laugh at a proposal for a custom order.

I didn't know they were back ordered when I called. I was just a guy who wanted to buy a guitar with a custom feature. Many other guitar companies will do this. You pay them. They do it. No big deal.

It wouldn't have even mattered if he stated "we're back ordered and unfortunately cannot take any special orders." A guy can live with a professional response like that. But for that smug idiot to laugh and then go on about not getting a custom feature unless I was famous, is breach of customer service etiquette.

For a solid year I tried to get along with my 360 and as beautiful a guitar as it was, it just didn't deliver the goods. So I built my own and shared the progress much the same as we share the progress of our Strat and Tele project guitars. The backlash from that was pretty interesting as well and totally unexpected.

There's no flame war here. I thought we were just having a spirited discussion and expressing opinions. As per usual, we all have different personal experiences. That's my side of the coin anyway.

[Dave W]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

Everyone has a bête noire (French for "black beast" meaning pet peeve), now we know what Telenator's is!!!



Cheers, Tim

ps- Hey Dave, should we suggest he put a Dark Star pickup in a Ricky?

Yeah, that's the ticket. Route that sucker out!

I don't care for the tone of wide range pickups in general, but really I have no problem with Dark Stars. It's just that some supporters tend to get carried away. They're not the be-all and end-all replacement for all other pickups.

[Dave W]

Originally Posted by Telenator

So I built my own and shared the progress much the same as we share the progress of our Strat and Tele project guitars. The backlash from that was pretty interesting as well and totally unexpected.

I didn't see what you wrote but the backlash doesn't surprise me at all.

Originally Posted by Telenator

There's no flame war here. I thought we were just having a spirited discussion and expressing opinions. As per usual, we all have different personal experiences. That's my side of the coin anyway.

Agreed. It's been an interesting thread. No flaming, just different views.

[TelZilla]

Originally Posted by Telenator

There's no flame war here. I thought we were just having a spirited discussion and expressing opinions. As per usual, we all have different personal experiences. That's my side of the coin anyway.

Yeah, you're right. Poor choice of words on my part.

[Telenator]

TDPRI is so cool because we can discuss this stuff without all the hate. You guys rock!

[freshmattyp]

Originally Posted by Telenator

TDPRI is so cool because we can discuss this stuff without all the hate. You guys rock!

Agreed. On some other sites, the faithful are so quick to shout down any dissent that it's almost pavlovian.

[Tim Armstrong]

...and, of course, we're ESPECIALLY cool here in the Bass forum!



Cheers, Tim

[Telenator]

The Bass Forum is where you get the "low down," "the bottom line," "the deep discussions," "where you get to the thick of it."