Curious Rickenbacker Copy - Anyone any info?

[moonoid]

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

[Beedster]

Looks great.

Can't be any help beyond that, although I suspect a certain Bassassin will be along to help you out

Chris

[Stag]

I think Bassassin has "got previous" with these Hondo's...

[Bassassin]

I've never actually owned a Hondo Rick copy, but there's a few folk on here who have & do. However I know a bit about 'em.

This is mid - late 70s, Korean-made (Samick factory) and probably has a plywood body. Beyond that, they're pretty much identical to bolt-neck Japanese copies, and if you get one with a good neck (which you presumably have), you're onto a winner. Unlike the current crop of Rick copies, hardware & electronics on most of the vintage ones were pretty much identical to genuine Rickenbacker stuff.

What's wrong with the electrics, exactly? If everything (pups, pots, switches) works it might just need a bit of a squirt with switch cleaner & a few dry joints soldered. There are Rick 4001 wiring diagrams suitable for a stereo copy at the [url="http://www.joeysbassnotes.com/Rick%20maint.htm"]Joey's Bass Notes[/url] site, which is an excellent resource for both real Ricks and copies. The latter unintentionally - Mr. Vasco is a bit of a curmudgeon about Rickenfakers...

If you decide it's not worth the effort, I'll happily give you double what you paid for it, dodgy electrics & all!
Jon.

Edited November 14, 2009 by Bassassin

[moonoid]

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

[4-string-thing]

I had one of these when I was a teenager, before I bought my Precision, so would be around 77 or 78. It was a red sunburst, and as I recall was a pretty good bass, just sounded a bit too thin through the Marshall superlead head I was using at the time (oh how I wish I had kept that!) But I reckon you got yourself a bargain. Do it up and keep it as a spare.

[buff]

My first bass was a hondo rick, mine was sunburst with dot markers on the neck. Only ever used it through a 50 watt combo, at the time it sounded great to my ears. Would love to find it, just to see if it really was crap or not.

[Bassassin]

[quote name='4-string-thing' post='655085' date='Nov 15 2009, 11:39 AM']...just sounded a bit too thin through the Marshall superlead head I was using at the time (oh how I wish I had kept that!) But I reckon you got yourself a bargain. Do it up and keep it as a spare.[/quote]
Well, if we knew them what we know now... Including why your Hondo sounded thin - like all 70s Rick copies, it will have had a bass cut capacitor wired into the bridge pup circuit, just like the real ones. Bypass that for loads more low-end.

J.

[hookys6stringbass]

[quote name='moonoid' post='654831' date='Nov 14 2009, 09:01 PM']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[/quote]


Eddie they're funkin sh1t! If you like i'll take it off your hands for you........;-)

[moonoid]

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.

[hillbilly deluxe]

In about 1978 i had a Hondo Rick copy,that was definately not ply and a Hondo Les Paul that was,both sounded great.

[Musky]

[quote name='moonoid' post='691439' date='Dec 22 2009, 12:51 PM']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]

A year ago you probably would have safely got £300 for it. Nowadays I'm not so sure - the 'fakers that survive to the finish on ebay more recently don't seem to be fetching as much. I'm not sure if it's the recession or whether 4001's aren't flavour of the month anymore.

[4000]

[quote name='moonoid' post='691439' date='Dec 22 2009, 12:51 PM']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]

I believe it is. He hated his. I played a few back in the day and didn't like any of them but if it works for you that's great!