One simple question...Why can't I find a Ric???

[Johnny Remainz]

I walk into many guitar stores that are Rickenbacker, Gibson, Fender, PRS, etc. dealers. I can play 10 different Les Pauls, 30 different Strats, 30 Teles and so on, but when I ask the salesperson to play a Ric it's always "We're out of stock. We have some on order but it will probably be 6-9 months before we see them". What the heck is going on here? It's been like this for years with this company. I love Rics as much as the next guy (I own 4), but the waiting game gets frustrating. Can't they hire more employees to meet the demand. The other guitar manufacturers don't seem to have a problem. Poor businees model. I'm in the market for a new 330/6 but can't find one to play.

[gibsonlp]

The bigger you are - the lower the quality.
That's right for almost every field.

This is indeed frustrating, but between quantity and quality - I prefer quality

[ken_j]

Welcome to the forum John. As far as your question I guess that I would say that anything that is worth doing is woth waiting for. RIC is a small family run business in comparison with the other companies mentioned. They will not sacrifice quality just to push more product out the door. They recently stepped up production with some new equipment but in the mean time demand has also risen, so the back log continues.

[8mileshigh]

Keep the faith John. The fact that ANY Rickenbacker is rare in comparison to other makes is all part of the fun!

[elysrand]

Ricks are worth waiting for. Perhaps you could find a friend who has one and play it for awhile, or attend one of our confluences, then either order one or shop eBay. Even if you don't like it afterwards, you can always sell it for more than you paid, most likely. The resale value is just going to keep going up!

[jingle_jangle]

If you must have a new one, troll the dealers' websites. I've had good luck with dealers like Wildwood in Colorado and Dave's in Wisconsin.

Used ones are on Ebay...currently the numbers on the 'Bay are down almost 40% from this time last year.

[beatlefreak]

a 330/6 is one of RIC's 'bread and butter' guitars. They're made and shipped out constantly. The problem is, dealers can't keep them in stock. They blow out the door as fast as they get them. Call around to some Rickenbacker dealers areound the country. You're bound to find one that's just come in.

[drumbob]

Everyone has pretty much told you the story about why Ricks are hard to find: small company, small staff, high regard for quality, huge backorder, long wait, etc. I bought both my 330-12 and 360-6 by posting on this forum. People emailed me about Ricks for sale and I acted. Put a "wanted" ad up here. Someone will respond. There are a lot of good people here who are very helpful.

Ricks are always available on Ebay, but there are no bargains. Used ones hold their value very well and everybody knows it. A friend of mine got a Rick a couple years ago on Ebay for about $380, but those days are over.

[digam11]

I got a bit lucky I guess. Ordered a 360-12 MG from MF this past Monday and it should, hopefully, be shipped on Nov 1st. They have or at least had some 360 6ers in stock when I ordered mine.

[qmoder]

I had to wait to get both of mine but both were not easy ones to get even by Rickenbacker standards. I know its hard to hear when you want one. But be patient and do a lot of looking too. You might get lucky. If not then do like I did with my first one and just order it.
I am still looking for another one myself. Good Luck in your search. Sometimes the hunt can part of the pleasure. It does make you that much happier when you get one too.

[badeggs]

About 10 years ago, a shop in Long Branch, NJ had a beautiful '61 4000 for about $900. I remember thinking, "It looks cool but I wanna 4001." God, if I had known ANYTHING back then...

Still, around that time I purchased my first 4001, a '79 JG, for only $700 with the heavy, late-70s form-fitted case. I wish prices like these were still plausible, but alas they're not.

[jimk]

Patience is indeed a virtue. According to the dealer I ordered mine from, I had about a 16 month wait. That was last May. So I'm down five months.

The way I cope with the wait is I pretend I've ordered a one-of-a-kind custom made guitar from a small one-man shop tucked away in some remote valley in the Rocky Mountains of Montana.

OK, laugh if you want to, but it helps.

JimK

[mcd220]

That's great Jim! Try Gbase too; they usually will have a nice assemblage of Rickys from several sources.

http://www.gbase.com/

Another thing to factor in is this: Most people want to be Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, or Eric Clapton, NOT George Harrison, Roger McGuinn, Pete Townshend, or Chris Squire. Although the tides are starting to turn a bit again; more and more folks are liking "Melodic" Rock, etc.

But still; Hendrix, etc still reigns King, and that is PART of why you have every Strat & Les Paul under the sun available to try out.

I'm also reminded of a quote from Jerry Garcia about the Dead:

"We're kind of like licorice; not everybody likes it, but the folks who like licorice, REALLY like licorice"!!

You'll get your Guitar, man.

Christian

"The Walrus was Crosby"


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[steambyrd]

You can also check the RIC corporate web-site under models, and see which dealers have been shipped the model(s) you are interested in. Good luck, the link is below:
http://www.rickenbacker.com/model.asp?model=330

[paologregorio]

Don't forget that all of us have R.A.S. , are owners of multiple Ricks, and swoop in on a deal anytime it's available, adding to the shortage!