A comment on branding.

s4001 · Post by **s4001** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 4:41 am

While chatting with my co-worker I mentioned that my guitarist has a '59 Strat with rosewood neck and I gig with my '68. I told him that the Strat was probably worth 30K or so. He asked if it worries my guitarist & I to gig with such rare, expensive instruments. I said that it is more of a concern to me than my guitarist because of all the reisssues, fakes and relic'd Fenders out there, nobody would assume his Strat is the real deal. Whereas nobody has ever knocked-off or faked old Rics to any degree of success so nobody would assume my Ric is anything but the real deal.

There ya have it.

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 5:04 am

Interesting point, and very true!
Thank the Halls for that!

skeeterbuck · Post by **skeeterbuck** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 5:55 am

I think that the reason for that maybe the current market for Ricks.
Recently that '58 360F went on Ebay for a little over 18 grand. Old refin strats start at that. If Ricks get to the 30 to 40 thousand area, I sure that some people would consider making copies and pawning them off as originals.
I don't think that the prices are high enough and the market big enough to get their attention. They would probably be so good that the experts would not be able to tell them apart. IMHO...If they can do it with a Les Paul, they can do it with any guitar.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 6:33 am

The down side of this--and the reason RIC purses violations so very aggressively--is that when a person sees a cheap cruddy knockoff to which some dorque has affixed a "Rickenbacker" nameplate--he assumes it's the real deal.

That's "brand dilution", is dangerous to a brand's survival because of the threat to reputation and perceived value, and is thus actionable.

RIC has won every single case it's taken to court on this and other intellectual property issues.

studiotwosession · Post by **studiotwosession** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 7:28 am

Some others here might also disagree that a '59 strat is indeed a "rare" guitar.

Pricey or not, unless it is indeed a rare color, Fender was cranking them out by the thousands. And vintage shops are filled with them.

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 7:48 am

I just wish they'd make more of these...

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 8:21 am

What the hell is that thing you keep harping about, Jared?

(ROFLMAO)

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 9:24 am

Looks like an electrified ice skate. Or a door bell mechanism. Or the klaxon from a U boat.

elysrand · Post by **elysrand** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 9:28 am

Hey Jared, they ARE making more of these Ham Radio keyers... they are just not selling them to any of us unless there is a new guitar attached to the pickup as an accessory

elysrand · Post by **elysrand** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 9:32 am

Umm, it does kinda look like part of the plotter actuators from an old early 1970s Gould electrostatic plotter that I used way back in engineering school to plot graphics from stacks of Hollerith punchcards on our Sperry-Rand UNIVAC 1106. Had to replace one that burned out once. Had a program named DRAWL to do the programming of the plot points, ran as a subroutine under FORTRAN.

jps · Post by **jps** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 11:12 am

"Umm, it does kinda look like part of the plotter actuators from an old early 1970s Goulds electrostatic plotter that I used way back in engineering school"

Gould plotters were made right around the corner from my lab. I worked there for a while right after I got out of high school.

www.labwork-bw.com

jdogric12 · Post by **jdogric12** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 11:23 am

Rock the Fortran! I remember using that.

lyle_from_minneapolis · Fri Apr 06, 2007 11:39 am

It's a High Gain Submarine Sandwich.

gavin · Post by **gavin** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 7:24 am

It is the toaster Quizno use to bake their Quizno's sandwich..........I think.