moonoid

Hello there, I have a 70s Rickenbacker copy, a Hondo II, which has been fine until recently. I noticed that the A string was popping out of the nut on the odd occasion and now it won't stay in at all. I had a look at the white plastic nut and the grooves look OK. Mind you the whole nut "moves"! And I was able to take it out of its slot on the neck. The other three strings are fine. Any ideas? Is it something I can fix myself?? Thanks Eddie[attachment=98022:Hondo II Rickenbacker Copy.JPG]

I eventually got round to getting the Hondo II Rickenbacker copy fixed up at a music shop in Stockport. It sounds really good the action on it very good indeed. It's a shame the machine heads/tuners are a bit cheap as the tuning is nowhere near as reliable as my Jazz bass. Still, I'm pleased with it and with a set of Elixirs on it and cleaned up it's looking good. Out of curiosity, what would a bass like this be worth these days? I believe it is the same model used by Peter Hook in the early Joy Division days.

[quote name='bigjohn' post='683869' date='Dec 14 2009, 12:30 PM']I'm tellin ya, this is [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=70070&st=0"]the one[/url]![/quote] Hello Bigjohn It does look interesting! How old is the amp? Is it US made? I was just concerned about the lack of power, though this can be misleading of course. Nottingham wouldn't be a problem as our band's road crew is based in Sheffield and I live in Manchester. Eddie

Im thinking of buying one of the following; Ampeg BA300-210 Combo Ampeg BA210 Combo Has anyone got either of these and what do you think of them? There are reviews on the net but I wonder how reliable they are. I tried the 200w Ampeg combo in a shop but it had a 15" speaker. It sounded good but not sure what two 10" would be like. Our band has a big PA so it's more for the "stage sound". I'd appreciate any advice! Cheers Eddie

Hello Bassassin! You clearly know your stuff. The "electrics" problem is dry joints and crackly switches, which can be fixed. What I can't get my head round is why this bass is so good. It ought to be sh*te! I'm left handed and play basses upside down (ie I play right handed basses the other way round) so the design of a Rickenbacker makes them physically awakward - the strap cuts accross the upper frets). But fascinating... Thanks for the info - I think I'll get it tarted up! Eddie

I normally play a 1970s Fender Jazz, but a few years ago I picked up an odd Rickenbacker copy in a junk shop for about £30. I thought it would be OK to mess about on at home. I never really did use it and put it in the attic. Recently I took it out to have a look. Its a "Hondo II" copy of the classic black and white Rickenbacker, Korean or Japanese presumably. The electrics need a bit of work but it plays really well. The tail piece, fret board and all controls are identical to the original Rickenbacker and only the machine heads look abit cheaper. That said it tunes OK, plays well and feels quite heavy. It should be rubbish but it seems better than it should be. I'm thinking of getting it fixed up as a spare. Normally copies are pretty inferior but this seems unusually good. I know absolutely nothing about this copy - can anybody throw any light on it? Is it worth spending to get it working properly (electrics)? Cheers Eddie

Are you an "upside down" lefty? Eddie