Has anyone here ordered a RIC on line?
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gabriel
Has anyone here ordered a RIC on line?
HI, I'm new to this forum! I just ordered a 4003 from Music 123. Will arrive at my house in a couple of weeks. I've been reading some horror storys on line about online ordering for RICs, eg. alot of lemons being shipped, lousy action etc. Anyways how many of you have ordered one on line? What has been your experience with it?Please share!
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jwr2
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loverickbass
- Veteran RRF member
- Posts: 1409
- Joined: Mon Jul 29, 2002 5:00 am
I usually order from [url=http://www.wildwoodguitars.com-]www.wildwoodguitars.com-[/url] never had a problem. www.americanmusical.com in my opinion has a better customer service dept that www.music123.com or www.musiciansfriend.com
"Take the RIC... Leave the cannoli."
I ordered my 650D from Jim Rhoads of Rhoads Music. I asked for a low action, and he reset it, but it was too low FOR ME when I got it. Jeff is right, if you can operate an allen wrench (height adjustments), nutdriver (truss rod), and screwdriver (intonation....also need tuner if not blessed with perfect pitch), then you should do your own setups. I setup my 650D to be like my Tacoma acoustic, which has very low action for an acoustic, or moderate for an electric.
I have never seen a new guitar with perfect setup, unless a luthier just set it up for YOU. It changes with the humidity around here as my RIC 650D, Tacoma Chief, and OLP MM2 have very minimal finish on the necks and they "breathe" very fast. FWIW, that would be quarter height at the 12th fret little E string on the 650D and Tacoma, and nickel height at the 12th fret on G string on the MM2. My 4004L has way higher action.
You measure action with the guitar in the playing position, as the headstock weight causes lowering of action when the guitar is laying on the body, and pulls the tuning sharp. Ditto for intonation setup. Do NOT lay the guitar on your knees or table while you check adjustments. Do NOT pull or push the neck. Hang the guitar from a strap or set it in your lap just as YOU normally play it, and fret it like YOU normally would. Setup properly, you will then need a Buzz Feiten system like a fish needs a bicycle. Also buy a Peterson VS-1 tuner as the absolute minimum tuner if you want accurate setups. The Korg GA-30 will only get you in the ballpark and it has slow response, but can still give a better setup than 99% of what you get off the rack that has been changing their setups as the wood cures out further over time.
It is a known fact that quite a bit of neck change occurs during the first 2 years as the wood completely seasons out. If you think you got wood that is completely seasoned out, you are probably dreaming. That kind of wood only goes in guitars costing several thousand dollars, if even then. My Tacoma has the best wood I ever got in a guitar (and it's the least costly American guitar I ever bought), and had the best setup requiring only minor truss rod adjustment with near perfect intonation, but they own the lumber company and take first pick of tonewoods for THEIR guitars.
Your 4003 will probably need minor tweaking to suit it to you when you get it. It will change as time goes on, just like my 650D did and still does. That's a minor thing and no cause for alarm. My only concern is that a proper setup can be easily accomplished; i.e., no buzzing or dead frets, warped neck, badly cut nut, frozen adjustment screws, buzzing saddles, etc. You get quality that passes that hurdle in a $230 OLP MM2 these days, so I expect your 4003 will be just fine. There are just too many good import basses under $500 for an American manufacturer to be sending out junk these days, and expect to survive in the market.
I have never seen a new guitar with perfect setup, unless a luthier just set it up for YOU. It changes with the humidity around here as my RIC 650D, Tacoma Chief, and OLP MM2 have very minimal finish on the necks and they "breathe" very fast. FWIW, that would be quarter height at the 12th fret little E string on the 650D and Tacoma, and nickel height at the 12th fret on G string on the MM2. My 4004L has way higher action.
You measure action with the guitar in the playing position, as the headstock weight causes lowering of action when the guitar is laying on the body, and pulls the tuning sharp. Ditto for intonation setup. Do NOT lay the guitar on your knees or table while you check adjustments. Do NOT pull or push the neck. Hang the guitar from a strap or set it in your lap just as YOU normally play it, and fret it like YOU normally would. Setup properly, you will then need a Buzz Feiten system like a fish needs a bicycle. Also buy a Peterson VS-1 tuner as the absolute minimum tuner if you want accurate setups. The Korg GA-30 will only get you in the ballpark and it has slow response, but can still give a better setup than 99% of what you get off the rack that has been changing their setups as the wood cures out further over time.
It is a known fact that quite a bit of neck change occurs during the first 2 years as the wood completely seasons out. If you think you got wood that is completely seasoned out, you are probably dreaming. That kind of wood only goes in guitars costing several thousand dollars, if even then. My Tacoma has the best wood I ever got in a guitar (and it's the least costly American guitar I ever bought), and had the best setup requiring only minor truss rod adjustment with near perfect intonation, but they own the lumber company and take first pick of tonewoods for THEIR guitars.
Your 4003 will probably need minor tweaking to suit it to you when you get it. It will change as time goes on, just like my 650D did and still does. That's a minor thing and no cause for alarm. My only concern is that a proper setup can be easily accomplished; i.e., no buzzing or dead frets, warped neck, badly cut nut, frozen adjustment screws, buzzing saddles, etc. You get quality that passes that hurdle in a $230 OLP MM2 these days, so I expect your 4003 will be just fine. There are just too many good import basses under $500 for an American manufacturer to be sending out junk these days, and expect to survive in the market.
Philip wrote
I agree Philip. This is a mistake that is often made. An instrument setup on a bench plays that way on a bench. As it interacts with the environment (the player, humidity) adjustments have to be made accordingly. Some instruments, depending on their construction, are more forgiving than others.set it in your lap just as YOU normally play it, and fret it like YOU normally would
Life, as with music, often requires one to let go of the melody and listen to the rhythm
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Gabriel's 4003 should be more forgiving than my 650D, as it will breathe very slowly due to the thick finish. But I love the feel of maple better than varnish; it also allows faster, smoother action. The Tacoma has tone to die for, and I am now a firm believer in minimumal finish on acoustics that will not receive harsh treatment. On electrics, I think that finish on the neck has the most effect. Maybe on something like a 360 or 380 the body finish differences would make a tonal difference. It no doubt affects the changes that humidity will induce on your setup.
My choices for an electric were narrowed down to the Peavey EVH Wolfgang Special EXP and the RIC 650D. Both have a smooth maple neck and fretboard with minimal finish, solid body, and dual humbuckers. The Wolfgang had a Floyd Rose tremolo and the 650D had more tonal control. I didn't need a tremolo, so I went for more tonal control. The prices were almost dead even. Both would have serious humidity issues due to the lightly finished necks. The 650D saved me $200 over a 650C, and that bought me the Peterson VS-1. It had paid for itself the first 6 months as I have setup all my guitars and a couple for my dad.
Learning how to do your own setups is just as important as learning how to tune your guitar. If you have a bad setup, it is impossible to really tune your guitar. It is probably just as easy, and a whole lot more cost effective, to train yourself how to do setups rather than train a guitar tech in exactly how your guitars should be setup. You also have the option of trying to get a good but poorly setup guitar in shape rather than passing it by just because it is badly setup. On good guitars, a decent setup can be accomplished in minutes, and it's an indication of inherent quality in the instrument. S-curved necks, uneven frets, poorly cut nuts and such will make themselves known immediately.
You can also learn how to balance the intonation up and down the neck, not just at the 5th or 12th frets. I also try to balance the buzz susceptibility all across the fretboard. I usually notice that first rather than a change in action height or intonation. I noticed that on a good neck, when the buzz susceptibility is the same, the intonation is more even across the fretboard. My Tacoma acoustic shows this the best, as it has a non adjustable bridge and individual strings cannot be compensated. I call it the Buzz Fightin' Method, rather than the Buzz Feiten System. I'll take it any day as it is easy and cheap to incorporate on any good guitar. For instance, when there is too much relief, there seems to be sharpness in the middle of the fretboard. Backbow will give you buzzing and flatness of tone on the first few frets. That is one reason why Mr. Hall recommends flat to almost flat relief on RIC basses. The intonation will not be correct "across the board" otherwise.
My choices for an electric were narrowed down to the Peavey EVH Wolfgang Special EXP and the RIC 650D. Both have a smooth maple neck and fretboard with minimal finish, solid body, and dual humbuckers. The Wolfgang had a Floyd Rose tremolo and the 650D had more tonal control. I didn't need a tremolo, so I went for more tonal control. The prices were almost dead even. Both would have serious humidity issues due to the lightly finished necks. The 650D saved me $200 over a 650C, and that bought me the Peterson VS-1. It had paid for itself the first 6 months as I have setup all my guitars and a couple for my dad.
Learning how to do your own setups is just as important as learning how to tune your guitar. If you have a bad setup, it is impossible to really tune your guitar. It is probably just as easy, and a whole lot more cost effective, to train yourself how to do setups rather than train a guitar tech in exactly how your guitars should be setup. You also have the option of trying to get a good but poorly setup guitar in shape rather than passing it by just because it is badly setup. On good guitars, a decent setup can be accomplished in minutes, and it's an indication of inherent quality in the instrument. S-curved necks, uneven frets, poorly cut nuts and such will make themselves known immediately.
You can also learn how to balance the intonation up and down the neck, not just at the 5th or 12th frets. I also try to balance the buzz susceptibility all across the fretboard. I usually notice that first rather than a change in action height or intonation. I noticed that on a good neck, when the buzz susceptibility is the same, the intonation is more even across the fretboard. My Tacoma acoustic shows this the best, as it has a non adjustable bridge and individual strings cannot be compensated. I call it the Buzz Fightin' Method, rather than the Buzz Feiten System. I'll take it any day as it is easy and cheap to incorporate on any good guitar. For instance, when there is too much relief, there seems to be sharpness in the middle of the fretboard. Backbow will give you buzzing and flatness of tone on the first few frets. That is one reason why Mr. Hall recommends flat to almost flat relief on RIC basses. The intonation will not be correct "across the board" otherwise.
Welcome, Gabriel. I ordered my 4003 from Musician's Friend about a year ago and would like to offer my thoughts on the experience.
First of all, it's important to inspect the bass the minute you receive it and to play it for an extended period of time right away (of course you would anyway, correct?) to see if the action, electronics, etc. are what you expected. Please note that there will be a notice on the box admonishing you to not open it for 48 hours to allow for "acclimation". IMHO it's important to act quickly because you have ten days from the date of purchase (not delivery) to mail in your warranty card (if memory serves), which doesn't leave much time if it's been shipped across the country. If there is a problem you want to be able to return it without paying a restocking fee.
I ended up trying two; both had action which was uncomfortably high (for me); I ended up sending the first one back, the second was finally adjusted in part by filing the nut slots down; it's now perfect (again, for me, maybe too low for someone else). As I'm sure you've read here and elsewhere high action is a common (but not universal) observation.
Chances are that yours will be fine, but you want to be sure that you act quickly enough to keep your options open.
First of all, it's important to inspect the bass the minute you receive it and to play it for an extended period of time right away (of course you would anyway, correct?) to see if the action, electronics, etc. are what you expected. Please note that there will be a notice on the box admonishing you to not open it for 48 hours to allow for "acclimation". IMHO it's important to act quickly because you have ten days from the date of purchase (not delivery) to mail in your warranty card (if memory serves), which doesn't leave much time if it's been shipped across the country. If there is a problem you want to be able to return it without paying a restocking fee.
I ended up trying two; both had action which was uncomfortably high (for me); I ended up sending the first one back, the second was finally adjusted in part by filing the nut slots down; it's now perfect (again, for me, maybe too low for someone else). As I'm sure you've read here and elsewhere high action is a common (but not universal) observation.
Chances are that yours will be fine, but you want to be sure that you act quickly enough to keep your options open.
Rhoads Music is the best place I have found for Rickenbacker strings and parts, and it's where I buy mine. I just checked, and Jim has a mapleglo 4004CII in stock, as well as a fireglo 4001C64. He has a 4001C64S on order to arrive soon. Also has a 4003 Fireglo in stock. He beat Musician's Friend price by a good margin when I ordered my 650D. I would choose Rhoads Music, The Rickenbacker Page, or Pick of the Ricks over MF or Music 123 if they had what I wanted. Jim Rhoads always ships fast to me.
I bought my 360CW JG and my 730L MG new from Mike Parks (http://www.the-music-connection.com/ric.htm), and did not have to adjust the action on either one.
It is better, of course, to know useless things than to know nothing. - Seneca
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scottpro1969
- Intermediate Member
- Posts: 687
- Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2003 9:19 am
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dano
I ordered my 4003 Montezuma Brown from Chris at Pick of the Rics. I also bought my 4001V63 from him. The V63 was used and didn't need adjustment. The 4003 needed minor adjustment, the action was a little high but was an easy fix. If I remember correctly I got out my allen wrench and did one complete turn of each screw and the action was perfect after that.