I've been checking NCM site just about everyday. The ric site just shipped shows 2 360-12c63's out to NCM. That's exciting to me. I literally woke up yesterday morning and realized I had dreamt I had mine and was playing it. Shoulda kept snoozin.. LOL
I've been watching NCM too....and since Gary has already said in December that at that point he had received 6 of the 50+ he ordered, and now Ric shows 2 more shipped, and having SOME idea of where I was in line when I ordered last March, then I figure....well, I just hope they let me play it in the rest home.
But, I keep remembering what Ben Hall (I think it was Ben) said in a post a few months ago, about how they were really gonna hit 'em hard in 2006! So fingers crossed and phasers on stun...
"M123 doesn’t need me to defend them but I had a similar experience. And this is not their fault. They are going by what the manufacturer tells them."
Mark,
I am just going from what John Hall told me about M123's claim that 4003FG would be "available" Jan 10. He said "I don't know where they get their information from. It certainly isn't us!" It was after that comment from the RIC CEO that I called M123 and asked directly about the Jan 10. date they advertised and what JH had said. The woman in Customer Service agreed that "that is how Rickenbacker does business". I asked "so what is this Jan. 10 date about then"? She replied that they just have to guess about shipments from RIC. When I asked specifically about my order of Jan 3. she said it wasn't scheduled to be sent to RIC until Jan 23. That's when I cancelled.
So, unless they show they have RICs in stock, don't believe the dates they show. That's all I'm saying.
By the way, Ric posting those shipments seems in principle to be a nice idea. But I feel it is a very inexact science. How long is the info going to stay up there? Is it the dealer's responsibility to tell Rickenbacker that the items has been sold and to remove it from the list?
The list reflects instruments that are shipped, so many of them are probably already spoken for. It's just Rickenbackers way of showing what has been shipped to a specific dealer recently, rather than what's available from a dealer.
Sadly, my 4003BBR was supposed to be a birthday gift LAST year, and now I am questioning if I will have it for my birthday THIS year. You'd think a standard instrument with a different paint job would not take that long to make. The "recently shipped" option gives me hope, but ultimately frustrates me when I see them going everywhere but where I want one to go
"They make great f***'n basses". - Lemmy, NAMM 2009
You're right, a 4003 BBR doesn't take much time to produce. Problem is, there are at least five times as many people waiting for standard color standard models. Don't fret though, a lot of 4003 BBR's will appear on the "just shipped" list within the next three weeks.
Not to sound too much like a cheerleader, but I don't begrudge Rickenbacker any wait time. I'm glad the company is doing well and that the instruments are finding their way into the hands of players the world over. I also like the fact that I can make a deposit on an instrument and then save up for it as I wait for it to arrive. It feels like an interest free loan. And what a pay-off at the end!