Jeffrey, we send out parts, manuals, etc. on a complimentary basis all the time, even when it's obviously dealer caused. But we certainly won't do it for nameplates.
Actually, back in 1985 we probably would have, as then the wholesale rebranding or counterfeiting was quite rare. It's not 1985 anymore.
I, by the way, don't believe for one second that Fender would send you a nameplate now or in 1985, which is to say the comparison is faulty, not to mention it is 18 years out of date.
The tale of a Tom Petty..
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
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profjeff
Thanks for the response, Mr. Hall. Your point is well taken. Still, as a CEO of the best guitar maker in the world, I would want all of my guitars to have the correct nameplates prominently displayed for all the world to see, and I would figure out a way to deal with the rare instance where the original was lost. If Tom Petty's guitar tech lost a nameplate, would you want him playing his 660/12 on stage without a Rick logo? Or would you make an exception for him? Maybe replacement logos could have a discreetly placed marking indicating that they are not OEM parts. This could help you identify fakes, while at the same time making the real thing whole again.
BTW: Nice piece about you in the Orange County Register awhile back ("Harkening to a simpler sound"). My dad spotted it and sent it to me, knowing what a fan I am of your company.
http://home.attbi.com/~drjeffreyb
BTW: Nice piece about you in the Orange County Register awhile back ("Harkening to a simpler sound"). My dad spotted it and sent it to me, knowing what a fan I am of your company.
http://home.attbi.com/~drjeffreyb
Hi all,
Well, I won the Ebay auction and the right 660/12 nameplate should be on it's way today. All up it'll cost me US$150, about $250AU. And believe me Aussie dollars are just as hard to come by for Aussies as US dollars are for Americans. It's a ridiculous amount, but then I bid five times the cost of a replacement part - over US$250. Ater all this time I was determined to get it at 'almost any cost'.
Second, praise for John Hall. Behind the scenes John spent a lot of time putting me in touch with people, and trying to organise a way in which I could get the nameplate, and Rickenbacker could stay within the bounds of their policy on replacements. This involved a lot of time and effort by him, and while in the end it hasn't been necessary, it's certainly been appreciated.
Up until a few years ago I was a management consultant specialising in leadership training, and it's been a very long time since I saw the head of any company willing to go out of their way to make a customer happy to this extent. While it wouldn't have made much difference to the cost in $$, I was both surprised and impressed by JH's patience and persistence in dealing with my problem. My thanks to you John. If I'd known how helpful you are I'd have contacted you a year ago.
That said, I'm still missing the bridge cover (and a polishing cloth), and if you'd care to I'd be only too happy to have you send one. Has a year of irritation and annoyance put me off my Rickenbacker? No. Although I have played it more in the last few days than in the last two months. It's still a superb instrument. And I will be saving my pennies in hopes of finding a Rickenbacker 6-string.
Thanks everyone for your interest and supportive comments. It's made quite a difference to me, especially after a year of stalling and bulldust from the Brisbane music shop I bought my 660TP from.
Lee Kear
Brisbane, Oz
Well, I won the Ebay auction and the right 660/12 nameplate should be on it's way today. All up it'll cost me US$150, about $250AU. And believe me Aussie dollars are just as hard to come by for Aussies as US dollars are for Americans. It's a ridiculous amount, but then I bid five times the cost of a replacement part - over US$250. Ater all this time I was determined to get it at 'almost any cost'.
Second, praise for John Hall. Behind the scenes John spent a lot of time putting me in touch with people, and trying to organise a way in which I could get the nameplate, and Rickenbacker could stay within the bounds of their policy on replacements. This involved a lot of time and effort by him, and while in the end it hasn't been necessary, it's certainly been appreciated.
Up until a few years ago I was a management consultant specialising in leadership training, and it's been a very long time since I saw the head of any company willing to go out of their way to make a customer happy to this extent. While it wouldn't have made much difference to the cost in $$, I was both surprised and impressed by JH's patience and persistence in dealing with my problem. My thanks to you John. If I'd known how helpful you are I'd have contacted you a year ago.
That said, I'm still missing the bridge cover (and a polishing cloth), and if you'd care to I'd be only too happy to have you send one. Has a year of irritation and annoyance put me off my Rickenbacker? No. Although I have played it more in the last few days than in the last two months. It's still a superb instrument. And I will be saving my pennies in hopes of finding a Rickenbacker 6-string.
Thanks everyone for your interest and supportive comments. It's made quite a difference to me, especially after a year of stalling and bulldust from the Brisbane music shop I bought my 660TP from.
Lee Kear
Brisbane, Oz
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profjeff
Jeffrey is right, the customer gets screwed this time around. And it will happen again. But it will NOT ever happen to me!!! No way will I pay $45 for a cheap plastic logoplate. I have a friend who is in the tool and die business. With their high precision work to companies like Remington Arms falling off, he is looking for other ways of getting work. I think I will ask him to make me a logoplate for my guitar since I can't get another one at a reasonable price. He makes metal parts for antique engines that are no longer available, and they are of a much higher quality than original. I would like a NICE nameplate for my 650D that is made from something besides cheap black plastic, and it wouldn't take much to make it better. I don't want to get into any copyright infringements, so I would change the design somewhat. Chromed steel or dark walnut would be better than black plastic and would match the hardware on the guitar. It doesn't have to say Rickenbacker on it either. A stylized lightning bolt design would work, just to name one. MY name would look nice on MY guitar. I always said that if I ever paid extra for a signature guitar, it would be MY signature that was on it. That nameplate sort of looks out of place on my 650D, now that I've REALLY looked it over. I'm no slave to the original design, and I think that a stylized lightning bolt better fits the character of the 650D, since it ain't your daddy's 360/12. It's a hard driving rock and blues guitar, and it deserves a logoplate that fits it's character/style more closely.
People who need a new logoplate might like a customized logoplate as well. It would personalize the guitar and help identify it in case of theft. The original could be stored away in case of the need to sell the guitar later on. Necessity is the mother of invention.
People who need a new logoplate might like a customized logoplate as well. It would personalize the guitar and help identify it in case of theft. The original could be stored away in case of the need to sell the guitar later on. Necessity is the mother of invention.
"I've just paid $250 for six inches of plastic." Try looking in the mirror and saying that. Now try and smile while you do it. Not much fun is it. Once upon a time I would have been as angry as you Jeff, Phil. Incandescent with rage at the dealer who ripped me off, bloody furious with the Rickenbacker nameplate policy, and ****** at myself for being suckered.
Right now I don't have the energy to waste on being angry. A few years ago I got sick. It took several years to work out what, but it starts with 'C' and rhymes with 'dancer'. The words 'brain tumour' are not unknown to me. My short term memory is shot, my reasoning is unreliable, my judgement and concentration are a whole lot less than they were. I used up the last of my anger over that. The one thing I've found that's still pretty much intact is the musical talent I have. More than most, less than some. I can play hundreds of songs, most of which I can't put a name to. Why was I able to 'impulse buy' a $3000 guitar? Because my pension fund paid out a small lump of cash because they think I'm dying. I plan to prove them wrong by living happily ever after.
Yes, John Hall went out of his way to help me find a nameplate. He no doubt does that quite often. He could use the time to come up with a better scheme for protecting copyright. 'Gibson' is inlaid into the head of my Les Paul. You can't unscrew that and sell it. The 'restrict nameplates' idea was a poor one when it was first thought up. It's a worse one now. I have 250 reasons to think so.
I'll be taking up the $250 issue with the dealer who sold me the Ric. I expect him to behave like an *sshole. I'll push as hard as I can, and make his life a misery if that's what it takes. But I won't waste more time on it than I have to.
Am I happy with my Rickenbacker? Having spent $3250 on it I'd bloody well better be, eh? And the nameplate hasn't even arrived yet.
LK
Right now I don't have the energy to waste on being angry. A few years ago I got sick. It took several years to work out what, but it starts with 'C' and rhymes with 'dancer'. The words 'brain tumour' are not unknown to me. My short term memory is shot, my reasoning is unreliable, my judgement and concentration are a whole lot less than they were. I used up the last of my anger over that. The one thing I've found that's still pretty much intact is the musical talent I have. More than most, less than some. I can play hundreds of songs, most of which I can't put a name to. Why was I able to 'impulse buy' a $3000 guitar? Because my pension fund paid out a small lump of cash because they think I'm dying. I plan to prove them wrong by living happily ever after.
Yes, John Hall went out of his way to help me find a nameplate. He no doubt does that quite often. He could use the time to come up with a better scheme for protecting copyright. 'Gibson' is inlaid into the head of my Les Paul. You can't unscrew that and sell it. The 'restrict nameplates' idea was a poor one when it was first thought up. It's a worse one now. I have 250 reasons to think so.
I'll be taking up the $250 issue with the dealer who sold me the Ric. I expect him to behave like an *sshole. I'll push as hard as I can, and make his life a misery if that's what it takes. But I won't waste more time on it than I have to.
Am I happy with my Rickenbacker? Having spent $3250 on it I'd bloody well better be, eh? And the nameplate hasn't even arrived yet.
LK