There are a number of guitar fora (thanks, Elys--of course this is neuter gender Latin, hence "a" for plural!) where freedom of speech is paramount; in fact, the greater majority of these are constructed along those lines...and dark, rude places they often are.
Peter puts a lot of B, S & T (and love for his fellow man) into moderating tour group, and this Forum would not be the exceptional place that it is without his nearly-invisible, and gentle, hand.
Quality of "R" tailpieces
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
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jingle_jangle
- RRF Moderator
- Posts: 22679
- Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 6:00 am
- Contact:
The best kind of welcome I know is to share guitar snaps, Zubair!!!
Did YOU say BBR? Lemme show you a babybutt-smooth Hard-R tailpiece, perfectly polished, plated, and finished by the skilled artisans at the Halls of Rickenolyptus
:
Did YOU say BBR? Lemme show you a babybutt-smooth Hard-R tailpiece, perfectly polished, plated, and finished by the skilled artisans at the Halls of Rickenolyptus
: 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!
With freedom of speech comes responsibility.
The fact that other forums descend to the gutter
could be that some of the posters are irresponsible and others,
just as irresponsible, are looking to join in the melee when it starts.
However, to say that no real problems should not
be brought to light is to do a disservice to
other members who may be intending purchasing a
new instrument as well as the company that makes them.
I don't think there is anything wrong at all with
civilly telling others of their own experiences
with a new instrument, good or bad, as the case may be.
To just highlight the good and not point out some
of the flaws that sometimes happen in anything,
smacks of cronyism and in my book is worse than
not saying anything.
In my case I have had the same experience with
the R tailpiece. My earlier guitars have a much
cleaner casting compared to my newer ones. I get
over that by gently rubbing the leftover burrs
on the underside and lower edges out with a fine file.
It's not a big deal to me but it could be for
others whose expectations have risen so high.
Welcome Zubair.
The fact that other forums descend to the gutter
could be that some of the posters are irresponsible and others,
just as irresponsible, are looking to join in the melee when it starts.
However, to say that no real problems should not
be brought to light is to do a disservice to
other members who may be intending purchasing a
new instrument as well as the company that makes them.
I don't think there is anything wrong at all with
civilly telling others of their own experiences
with a new instrument, good or bad, as the case may be.
To just highlight the good and not point out some
of the flaws that sometimes happen in anything,
smacks of cronyism and in my book is worse than
not saying anything.
In my case I have had the same experience with
the R tailpiece. My earlier guitars have a much
cleaner casting compared to my newer ones. I get
over that by gently rubbing the leftover burrs
on the underside and lower edges out with a fine file.
It's not a big deal to me but it could be for
others whose expectations have risen so high.
Welcome Zubair.
You always say it better than I do, Manuel.
Paul, if you read carefully what I posted, I said civilly discuss, which precludes what happens in the forums you allude to. Peter has set the tone here, we almost always adhere to it, and on the rare occasions when we do not, he either reminds or removes, which has always, in my exposure to it, been gently done.
There is a tendency to stifle or discourage any mention of something not right with a Rick. It is not a slam against RIC or John Hall to bring a problem to light. It all depends on how it is done.
I can't believe I have to defend this here.
Paul, if you read carefully what I posted, I said civilly discuss, which precludes what happens in the forums you allude to. Peter has set the tone here, we almost always adhere to it, and on the rare occasions when we do not, he either reminds or removes, which has always, in my exposure to it, been gently done.
There is a tendency to stifle or discourage any mention of something not right with a Rick. It is not a slam against RIC or John Hall to bring a problem to light. It all depends on how it is done.
I can't believe I have to defend this here.
OK, I think everyone misunderstood what I was trying to say. In this forum, it is ok to state your mind and not have someone come down on you.Thats what I meant by freedom of speech. Everyone has respect for everything said. We may disgree, but it is done in a way not to upset anyone. Thats why I live here and the RIC site. There is respect. I have had words with people on the RIC site, but we seem to always work it out. It doesnt happen here, which I think is wonderful. Noone is a second class citizen. Peace
none
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bexieboy2001
- New member
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Sat Jun 16, 2007 7:36 am
Hiya all,
This is my first time on the forum and feel I have to reply to Zubairs comments.
Let me get to my point: I think the 330/360 is a musical icon and will always be associated with classic 60's sounds, I own 2 330's myself and find they do atain interest wherever I go, public and musicians alike, I have just checked my 'R' tail pieces and they seem fine but other areas do fall short of mastercraft, I speak of neck joint not finished to high quality and the odd blemish on paint job (these are brand new guitars).
I think the guitars were of very high quality in 50's/60's but haven't moved with the times in fact quality has dropped in my opinion.
This is my first time on the forum and feel I have to reply to Zubairs comments.
Let me get to my point: I think the 330/360 is a musical icon and will always be associated with classic 60's sounds, I own 2 330's myself and find they do atain interest wherever I go, public and musicians alike, I have just checked my 'R' tail pieces and they seem fine but other areas do fall short of mastercraft, I speak of neck joint not finished to high quality and the odd blemish on paint job (these are brand new guitars).
I think the guitars were of very high quality in 50's/60's but haven't moved with the times in fact quality has dropped in my opinion.
Thank you Johnallg,
For bringing a degree of balance to the whole issue. I don't think anybody would join this fine fraternity with the sole intention of "Ricky bashing" that will certainly not do or achieve anything at all.
The only real critisism that i sometimes feel can be leveled at Rickenbacker is that they can be accused of using the spyglass in a backwards rather than forwards direction & in my opinion therefore have a tendancy to rest on their laurels somewhat i.e. basking in past glory's rather then looking to the future by trying to improve the products in small subtle ways, they also really enjoy (take advantage of?) the benefits of a guaranteed fan base (my self included).
I'd like to elaborate if i may, there are quite a few features on our Ricks that are shall we say "adequate" i'm sure all of you guy's out there playing in the real world would really love to have some of these improved upon. (anybody who say's otherwise is being disengenius)
Some very simple examples:
1) 12 individual saddle solid brass (chrome plated naturally) bridge to improve intonation & sustain on all twelve string guitars. This is a great idea (i've seen the one designed by Ed Roman and its fantastic) why didn't Rick come up with this? is this going to change the classic look or cost a fortune to manufacture?..... No
2) Much better/improved neck to body glue joint, i've lost count of the number of Ricks i've seen with laquer cracking or neck movement at the base of
the neck where it's joined to the body (my 360-12c63 cost me £140 to have put right) all it would take is some care when glueing the neck in & maybe some sort of internal screw type fixing of some sort, is this beyond the realms of the Rickenbacker luthiers?.....No
3) A simple felt or rubber cushion/pad under the "R" tailpiece hook to stop it damaging the bodywork of the guitar at the contact point. Difficult or expensive?.....No
4) The Pickups.... what about the Pickups i hear you all ask, now this is a real pet subject of mine, how simple is this fellas. Make them all cosmetically (high gains & vintage) look like toasters, then when the dealer places the order he can specify high gains or vintage spec pickups. This should be a factory option with no extra charge at all, charging extra for vintage pickups is a liberty and wrong. or fit all guitars with Toasters & let the high gains be the "upgrade" option, i guarantee there won't be any backorders for the pickup's then.
5) Sell TRC's & "R" tailpieces to anybody & everybody who wants one. If Rickenbacker truly make a quality product then they have nothing to be afraid of. If i stick a Lexus badge on a fake Lexus it doesn't make it a Lexus does it?. Caveat Emptor i say "buyer beware" if you buy a fake guitar with a Rick badge on it it's still a fake guitar with a Rick badge on it, nothing more nothing less. If you want a genuine Rick do your homework and buy from a reputable source or someone you trust.
I work for one of the largest Toyota/Lexus Centres in Europe & the one thing the Japanese are very fond of is taking all the feedback that comes their way back to TMC in Japan. They use this important info to improve and innovate all the time, every month we have new superseded part numbers for things that have been changed or improved upon. They constantly ask us for product evaluation reports as this is crucial to improving the cars, this is also why Toyota will very shortly be taking over GM & Ford as the number one manufacturer in the World.
But when all's said and done It's Mr Halls ball & game, and i'm sure he knows more about making guitars than i do.
Let me know what you guy's think
For bringing a degree of balance to the whole issue. I don't think anybody would join this fine fraternity with the sole intention of "Ricky bashing" that will certainly not do or achieve anything at all.
The only real critisism that i sometimes feel can be leveled at Rickenbacker is that they can be accused of using the spyglass in a backwards rather than forwards direction & in my opinion therefore have a tendancy to rest on their laurels somewhat i.e. basking in past glory's rather then looking to the future by trying to improve the products in small subtle ways, they also really enjoy (take advantage of?) the benefits of a guaranteed fan base (my self included).
I'd like to elaborate if i may, there are quite a few features on our Ricks that are shall we say "adequate" i'm sure all of you guy's out there playing in the real world would really love to have some of these improved upon. (anybody who say's otherwise is being disengenius)
Some very simple examples:
1) 12 individual saddle solid brass (chrome plated naturally) bridge to improve intonation & sustain on all twelve string guitars. This is a great idea (i've seen the one designed by Ed Roman and its fantastic) why didn't Rick come up with this? is this going to change the classic look or cost a fortune to manufacture?..... No
2) Much better/improved neck to body glue joint, i've lost count of the number of Ricks i've seen with laquer cracking or neck movement at the base of
the neck where it's joined to the body (my 360-12c63 cost me £140 to have put right) all it would take is some care when glueing the neck in & maybe some sort of internal screw type fixing of some sort, is this beyond the realms of the Rickenbacker luthiers?.....No
3) A simple felt or rubber cushion/pad under the "R" tailpiece hook to stop it damaging the bodywork of the guitar at the contact point. Difficult or expensive?.....No
4) The Pickups.... what about the Pickups i hear you all ask, now this is a real pet subject of mine, how simple is this fellas. Make them all cosmetically (high gains & vintage) look like toasters, then when the dealer places the order he can specify high gains or vintage spec pickups. This should be a factory option with no extra charge at all, charging extra for vintage pickups is a liberty and wrong. or fit all guitars with Toasters & let the high gains be the "upgrade" option, i guarantee there won't be any backorders for the pickup's then.
5) Sell TRC's & "R" tailpieces to anybody & everybody who wants one. If Rickenbacker truly make a quality product then they have nothing to be afraid of. If i stick a Lexus badge on a fake Lexus it doesn't make it a Lexus does it?. Caveat Emptor i say "buyer beware" if you buy a fake guitar with a Rick badge on it it's still a fake guitar with a Rick badge on it, nothing more nothing less. If you want a genuine Rick do your homework and buy from a reputable source or someone you trust.
I work for one of the largest Toyota/Lexus Centres in Europe & the one thing the Japanese are very fond of is taking all the feedback that comes their way back to TMC in Japan. They use this important info to improve and innovate all the time, every month we have new superseded part numbers for things that have been changed or improved upon. They constantly ask us for product evaluation reports as this is crucial to improving the cars, this is also why Toyota will very shortly be taking over GM & Ford as the number one manufacturer in the World.
But when all's said and done It's Mr Halls ball & game, and i'm sure he knows more about making guitars than i do.
Let me know what you guy's think