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


Chewie

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15 minutes ago, prowla said:

It is very easy to tell a faker from a genuine Ric (I have 4 real ones and 3 fakers currently and 3 others previously) - way easier than other brands.

However, some fakers also infringe Rickenbacker IP and the company is committed to protecting its brand by legal means.

Depends how well you know the brand, i doubt i would be able to tell the difference and to me a lot of the fakers look identical but to others more familiar with the brand maybe not 

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Having just re-strung my 330/12 for the first time, Rickenbacker is certainly a dirty word round here at present.

 

Off-topic, I know - but I had to vent... As nice as the R-tailpiece and 12-way headstock are to look at they are definitely not user friendly. It'll be another 8 years before I attempt that again.

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13 hours ago, markdavid said:

Depends how well you know the brand, i doubt i would be able to tell the difference and to me a lot of the fakers look identical but to others more familiar with the brand maybe not 

There are a couple of easy tells, more obvious than a Fender (there are so many variations in Fenders, "upbranded" Squiers, fake decals); I don't think there are any factory fakers which are an exact copy.

The current Chickenbackers are an easy spot - they are a different scale and the bridge is wrong.

There was a site, joeysbassnotes.com, which spelled it out, but it appears to have gone off the air.

Here's some of mine:

A Hondo II and a CMI(?) Japanese I'm currently working on:

sZDCTy9.jpg

Both have single truss-rods, the Hondo's treble pickup is in the wrong place (ignore its bridge, that's a Hipshot), the CMI's machines are standard Japanese (the Hondo's machines are replacements), the Hondo has a bolt-on neck, the jack sockets, the strap button position, the split-shaft pots and push-on on knobs.

These are the typical Japanese machines.

bwul9mA.jpg?1

A nice Shaftesbury I sold.

xcFQcKG.jpg

The Shaftesbury is one of the best ones, with a thru-neck. Note the same machines. This one has a real Rickenbacker bridge/tailpiece. From a distance it looks right, but up close it's like Joanna Lumley wearing makeup. The weight and general feel are wrong. Only 1 truss rod.

The back of a bolt-on neck CMI with wavy non-Grover machines which I sold.

2liewp0.jpg

No 4001/4003s have bolt-on necks and those machines are unbranded. The skunk stripe is too wide. The strap button is usually in the wrong place.

Some have shonky treble pickups, like this Diamond (Aria) branded one; this was my 1st faker, which I sold on.

2h5iv6e.jpg

The finished Diamond.

YszFIfn.jpg

Replacement machines' posts too wide, strap button wrong, wide skunk stripe, bolt-on neck (notice the stripe isn't full-length), jack socket says "Stereo Sound" not "Rick-o-Sound".

And here's the above CMI (4001 copy) alongside a Rickenbacker 4003.

1FVdkEQ.jpg

Skunk stripe, machines, pickguard, strap button, bolt-on, position dots for control knobs. (The neck pickup position is OK - that's a 4001/4003 difference.)

Just like with any copy, they look fine from a distance, but a little bit of sleuthing and you can pick out the details.

 

 

 

Edited by prowla
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35 minutes ago, prowla said:

I can confirm the veracity of my statement!

I know.  I'm only pulling your leg.

That's a good collection of beautiful instruments you have there.  Your earlier post was informative and of interest especially as you included some very good photos to illustrate what you were describing.

Cheers!

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10 hours ago, SpondonBassed said:

I know.  I'm only pulling your leg.

That's a good collection of beautiful instruments you have there.  Your earlier post was informative and of interest especially as you included some very good photos to illustrate what you were describing.

Cheers!

Aye - I forgot to add a smiley! 🙂

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On 24/07/2018 at 22:46, 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!  How dare they threaten us........ the aristocracy of the bass loving world.........!

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On 25/07/2018 at 02:51, Passinwind said:

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

That's because were British and we're all right wing types who want the world to burn.....

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On 25/07/2018 at 10:51, The Guitar Weasel said:

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.

CgiepoI.jpg

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

ZXWRMRd.jpg

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.

hHP6q7P.jpg 

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

Sir, that is delicious detail....... 

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On 25/07/2018 at 11:36, SpondonBassed said:

It was only a matter of time before this discussion disappeared up its own orifice.  Heeheehee

I've always liked the look of a Rickenbacker.  They've got an instantly recognisable visual impact.  You could say the same thing about Fenders until you realise that you are probably including numerous other branded clones.  Squier is an exception since it is licenced to be a clone.

I've never tried a Ricky.  Instead I read about them and the baggage is enough to put me off.  Technically, they have some interesting ideas like the ability to bi-amp and the twin truss rod thing.  In practice though, I'd have to be in a rick-bass based tribute band that was earning well enough to be able to afford a good one.

I remember when I was younger........... pull up a sand bag........  I was in Kempsters and Sons in Swindon, Wilts, drooling over basses.  As I made my way towards the Rickenbacker, the guy actually said "You wouldn't like that...."  Maybe I'd accidentally played Expansions on another bass in there, who knows.  However, they are hot potatoes, for sure.

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On 25/07/2018 at 13:37, Muzz said:

They're, erm, ergonomically challenging and certainly Marmite...I had a new 4001 in 1979-80, my first 'really good' bass. Played it for several years, and moved on. I love the look of them, so for my 50th I paid full RRP for a brand new Walnut 4003. It went back the next day. A £500 bass with a £2000 image...

If they weren't so much money secondhand (£1300-1400 for a used £2000 bass is a lot of money for me) I'd possibly try another, but it's a lot of money for Pot Luck to be a factor, and there's more than one thing that can go wrong with older ones...

Interestingly, a lot of the 'iconic' players (with the notable exception of Mr Squire) either moved on fairly quickly, or didn't use them in the studio for the 'iconic' sound...I'm thinking Messrs Lee and Foxton here...

I had a similar thing with Custom Shop Fender basses.  I travelled to Mansons in Exeter once to play a pink Jazz bass, I was fantasizing about Flea's and couldn't wait to try it out.  Soundwise it was nice but build quality, Jeepers.  It was sh1te, if you ask me.  Very 2 dimensional and soulless.  They had stimulated crazing to the lacquer but it looked so "phoney."  Defintely a £500 bass with a £2,300 price tag, in my opinion.

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11 minutes ago, Chewie said:

I remember when I was younger........... pull up a sand bag........  I was in Kempsters and Sons in Swindon, Wilts, drooling over basses.  As I made my way towards the Rickenbacker, the guy actually said "You wouldn't like that...."  Maybe I'd accidentally played Expansions on another bass in there, who knows.  However, they are hot potatoes, for sure.

Have you got a Ricky now?

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On 25/07/2018 at 23:19, Cat Burrito said:

I love my Ric. I'm actually in the process of using it on a new recording project I am doing at the moment & it's the first time I have recorded on just one bass for a whole album. I bought secondhand as I didn't fancy the full on expense but I've really bonded with this one. The expensive bit is the furry security guard I have to employ because of all the haters!

IMG_3096.thumb.JPG.cb52992c173210d276aed8ed50e9aef7.JPG

Love the security...!  That made me laugh out loud. 

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2 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said:

Have you got a Ricky now?

No, but I'm after one.

I've got a Jazz, P, Stingray & a Stage 1 & I think they deserve a Ricky sitting with them......!

You selling?  Oops, is that a dirt question?

 

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