Is it just me or is the gorging on rare Ricks getting to be obnoxious?
I understand the work and/or heritage it requires to be able to be in such a position, but how many is enough?
It's like I have no chance of ever getting one of the great ones that come available.
Bragging on what you have accumulated is what we all want to see, but I feel like a tire changer after reading some of these posts.
Makes me sad to realize the truth.
I am a pauper!
Paupers and Princes
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
Definitely.
Only as many as you can play, enjoy, and do justice to. No one should ever just buy them and put them in a vault to appreciate, as if it was another investment asset. They are made for playing and enjoyment IMHO.
Define great. Why are not every single one you have now great?
Bragging for its own sake is not good. Honest pride and the desire to share the experience - including sight as well as sound - with others is good.
I am also a pauper in possessing only bragging-rights Ricks. But I am humbly fortunate in owning more than a few that I truly love to play and that bring smiles to others who hear them being played
Only as many as you can play, enjoy, and do justice to. No one should ever just buy them and put them in a vault to appreciate, as if it was another investment asset. They are made for playing and enjoyment IMHO.
Define great. Why are not every single one you have now great?
Bragging for its own sake is not good. Honest pride and the desire to share the experience - including sight as well as sound - with others is good.
I am also a pauper in possessing only bragging-rights Ricks. But I am humbly fortunate in owning more than a few that I truly love to play and that bring smiles to others who hear them being played
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and sit in with the band whenever you can, to keep your chops up!
All my Ricks are special. All my friends are special and I say nice things about them too.
“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” - Albert Einstein
"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother" - Albert Einstein
"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother" - Albert Einstein
I enjoy seeing what everybody has. Since I am ecstatically happy with the Rickenbackers I own, I generally feel like my life isn't empty when I see somebody else's guitar. I believe in playing guitars and treating them well, but what anybody else wants to do with theirs isn't my call (I will not ever understand artificially aging a guitar or destroying it- I can't avoid some judgment about that.) If somebody else wants to buy a lot of guitars, go for it- whatever makes you happy. I also know that if I had nothing but money I would probably have a thousand cats and a thousand guitars.
One thing that has been freeing to me has been selling off some of my guitars I haven't been using. They hopefully make other people happy. I, too, am not well-off at this point, but some of that is because I have always bought too many darned guitars.
One thing that has been freeing to me has been selling off some of my guitars I haven't been using. They hopefully make other people happy. I, too, am not well-off at this point, but some of that is because I have always bought too many darned guitars.
"rubber heads don't dent easily"
I should have added in my previous post that I play all of my guitars and basses.
I only have one guitar that I unofficially retired. My customized Les Paul Jr. that I played in the early 60's. That baby only comes out for real special occasions. It has many bumps and bruises from all the gigs it endured, but most important, it has a high sentimental value to me. It along with two Rickenbackers (that I no longer own unfortunately) helped me learn my craft. That's why I am so protective of it.
Like many here on this forum, I too love to see pictures of Ricks that other people have. It makes me appreciate my current Rickenbackers all the more.
I only have one guitar that I unofficially retired. My customized Les Paul Jr. that I played in the early 60's. That baby only comes out for real special occasions. It has many bumps and bruises from all the gigs it endured, but most important, it has a high sentimental value to me. It along with two Rickenbackers (that I no longer own unfortunately) helped me learn my craft. That's why I am so protective of it.
Like many here on this forum, I too love to see pictures of Ricks that other people have. It makes me appreciate my current Rickenbackers all the more.
“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” - Albert Einstein
"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother" - Albert Einstein
"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother" - Albert Einstein
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incubus2432
- Senior Member
- Posts: 4174
- Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2004 11:26 am
I'm actually in the process of downsizing. I currently have 5 basses......2 are keepers, one is "sold" (I'm just waiting for the $$$$), one is sold if I make up my mind and one is on the market. My band is likely finished and I can't see having more than a few Rics around for my noodling. There will always be more if I want my collection to grow in the future.
The two I am keeping are no slouches either so I won't suffer too much,
The two I am keeping are no slouches either so I won't suffer too much,
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lyle_from_minneapolis
- Advanced Member
- Posts: 2530
- Joined: Sun Nov 19, 2006 7:13 pm
Although I agree with the general sentiment here, I also believe there will be people 200 years from now who may be grateful to those with the means who collected and stored great Rickenbackers.
Here is where I hide my music:
http://www.soundclick.com/MarkKaufman
http://www.soundclick.com/MarkKaufman
Regular folks won't ever get a chance to buy those rare pieces since the vintage craze seems to have a pretty strong hold in people's minds.
I tend to think it's a shame that a lot of fine guitars won't get played (at least for a while), but it's the collector's right to do whatever they wish with their money & property, even collectors who don't play at all.
People fought & died for those rights, so they have to be respected.
I also think that some of the craze is ridiculous.
ie: paying $15000 for an original 1959 Gibson PAF humbucker (ebay auction last year, I believe) is bloody nuts!
There was a time when these were just guitars, not icons of modern art or whatever, but I don't think we can ever get back to that state of mind.
I tend to think it's a shame that a lot of fine guitars won't get played (at least for a while), but it's the collector's right to do whatever they wish with their money & property, even collectors who don't play at all.
People fought & died for those rights, so they have to be respected.
I also think that some of the craze is ridiculous.
ie: paying $15000 for an original 1959 Gibson PAF humbucker (ebay auction last year, I believe) is bloody nuts!
There was a time when these were just guitars, not icons of modern art or whatever, but I don't think we can ever get back to that state of mind.
Plus five minus five!
While I enjoy looking at the photos of various RICs owned by forum members, I would be tickled merely to own one, two would be a stunning experience for me. And the guitar I'd be showing off would be just your run-of-the-mill mapleglo 360 12 string.
Ah, such longing love, even for a plain Jane guitar!
JimK
Ah, such longing love, even for a plain Jane guitar!
JimK
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jingle_jangle
- RRF Moderator
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- Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 6:00 am
- Contact:
Nothing plain-Jane about any Rick, Jimk. Even my lowly '75 430 is a superb alternative to an all-too-common (but still pretty!) Telecaster.
Kevin, the time when these were "just guitars" possibly never existed. When they were first beginning to be played, they were handbuilt and the builders treated them as personal expression, and because of this also they cost a fair penny, could have easily been one-of-a-kind, and were thus objects of lust.
If our guitars were not beautiful to our eyes, we would not be as obsessed with them as we are. We're visual creatures, we have, as collectors and players, almost by definition, at least some disposable income, and as a result we indulge.
To elaborate on your term, a small percentage of guitars and basses would qualify as "icons of modern art", judged by art and design criteria (here I go again), but in order they would be for me:
Fender Telecaster (the FIRST)
Fender Stratocaster
Fender Precision Bass
Rickenbacker 360/12 (new style) It's the headstock as well as the body, here
Rickenbacker 4000 series
Gibson SG
Mosrite Ventures Model
These, design-wise, have achieved iconic status.
Then there's the second string:
Fender Jazz Bass
Fender Jazzmaster
Rickenbacker 320/330
Gibson Les Paul
Anyone else want to add to this list, either category or new category?
Kevin, the time when these were "just guitars" possibly never existed. When they were first beginning to be played, they were handbuilt and the builders treated them as personal expression, and because of this also they cost a fair penny, could have easily been one-of-a-kind, and were thus objects of lust.
If our guitars were not beautiful to our eyes, we would not be as obsessed with them as we are. We're visual creatures, we have, as collectors and players, almost by definition, at least some disposable income, and as a result we indulge.
To elaborate on your term, a small percentage of guitars and basses would qualify as "icons of modern art", judged by art and design criteria (here I go again), but in order they would be for me:
Fender Telecaster (the FIRST)
Fender Stratocaster
Fender Precision Bass
Rickenbacker 360/12 (new style) It's the headstock as well as the body, here
Rickenbacker 4000 series
Gibson SG
Mosrite Ventures Model
These, design-wise, have achieved iconic status.
Then there's the second string:
Fender Jazz Bass
Fender Jazzmaster
Rickenbacker 320/330
Gibson Les Paul
Anyone else want to add to this list, either category or new category?
“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
― Kurt Vonnegut
There'd be the '64 Jaguar, which I used to think was ugly until I played & heard being played through an early 1960's Vibrolux.
Such a beautiful sound!
By "just guitars" I was more referring to the time when such things as a Strat, for example, was just that, not a thing put on a pedestal merely because of it's age rather than it's inherent merit.
Perhaps those days only exist in my perception of a world before I saw the vintage thing touted in magazines.
I love a good Strat at least as much as the next guy, BTW, I think Leo hit a homerun with that design: simple, yet elegant, & so very expressive that if I could only ever have one guitar for the rest of my life it'd have to be a Strat.
And if only one bass, it would be a Rick, any Rick, nothing else will do.
Such a beautiful sound!
By "just guitars" I was more referring to the time when such things as a Strat, for example, was just that, not a thing put on a pedestal merely because of it's age rather than it's inherent merit.
Perhaps those days only exist in my perception of a world before I saw the vintage thing touted in magazines.
I love a good Strat at least as much as the next guy, BTW, I think Leo hit a homerun with that design: simple, yet elegant, & so very expressive that if I could only ever have one guitar for the rest of my life it'd have to be a Strat.
And if only one bass, it would be a Rick, any Rick, nothing else will do.
Plus five minus five!
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sloop_john_b
- Rick-a-holic
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- Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2005 6:00 am
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jingle_jangle
- RRF Moderator
- Posts: 22679
- Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 6:00 am
- Contact:
John, the 360 "softy" is the Rick that everyone thinks about when you say, "Rickenbacker 12-string". Not that we would necessarily do so!
Kevin, it's very subjective. Back when I first started playing guitar as an impecunious high school sophomore, my friends and I first played borrowed $60.00 Kingstons and Bradfords. Anybody with a Fender of any kind was a Guitar God to us. My Holy Grail was a Jaguar. (The reason I selected the Jazzmaster was because it was the first offset-waist, two-circuit guitar).
Imagine my excitement when our down-the-block friend Guy showed up with a brand-new FG 360/12 and actually let me have a couple of minutes with it! The memory of looking down on my fingers fretting those 12 strings with that skinny neck and butter-like action is one that has stayed with me all these 43 years, like it was yesterday. And now, I can relive that anytime I want.
You're right, though, just as nothing sounds like a VP 360/12, so also nothing says "surf" like a vintage Jag through a Fender tube reverb and a Dual Showman--the dream surf rig that I play. To top it all off, the DS is a blondie and the Jag is CAR.
Kevin, it's very subjective. Back when I first started playing guitar as an impecunious high school sophomore, my friends and I first played borrowed $60.00 Kingstons and Bradfords. Anybody with a Fender of any kind was a Guitar God to us. My Holy Grail was a Jaguar. (The reason I selected the Jazzmaster was because it was the first offset-waist, two-circuit guitar).
Imagine my excitement when our down-the-block friend Guy showed up with a brand-new FG 360/12 and actually let me have a couple of minutes with it! The memory of looking down on my fingers fretting those 12 strings with that skinny neck and butter-like action is one that has stayed with me all these 43 years, like it was yesterday. And now, I can relive that anytime I want.
You're right, though, just as nothing sounds like a VP 360/12, so also nothing says "surf" like a vintage Jag through a Fender tube reverb and a Dual Showman--the dream surf rig that I play. To top it all off, the DS is a blondie and the Jag is CAR.
“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
― Kurt Vonnegut