The Rising Tide

[johnallg]

Just a thought; I don't think RIC can ever get to a 2 month delivery as there is so much time spent on an instrument because of the hand finishing that goes into it. Add the usual manufacturing scheduling and I would think it would be closer to 3-4 months. Just my guess, but there it is.

[doctorwho]

Keep in mind, too, that when RIC cuts the backlog down, there will be a line of potential new dealers lined up wanting to add Rickenbacker to their sales lines.

[Scastles]

I tend to think it's a matter of 'sticker shock', at least for the present. Five years from now we may look back fondly on the price of both new and used Ricks. They will continue to go up for sure, but maybe not as rapidly as we are seeing on certain models now. Just noticed where a TP 660 sold for $4150. I bought one just under four years ago for $1900. So, hang onto 'em, if you got 'em, folks. You may need 'em to buy gas. There is some real 'sticker shock' for you. You have to figure in a couple of years, the price of a gallon of gasoline will exceed the minimum wage. Now, that is sad.

[paologregorio]

Just a thought; I don't think RIC can ever get to a 2 month delivery as there is so much time spent on an instrument because of the hand finishing that goes into it. Add the usual manufacturing scheduling and I would think it would be closer to 3-4 months. Just my guess, but there it is.

Here here. I agree completely, and I think that would be the ideal. I think that is a more than reasonable time to wait for such a finely ccrafted, hand finished instrument!

[cheyenne]

I think the biggest issue is that RIC has made some really desirable pieces in the past and then discontinued them. V63, Blackstar, Shadow, S-8, S-5, the "S" series in general,, you get the idea. Reducing the backlog wont help when it comes to aquiring one of these. They will continue to climb in price due to limited supply. I think when a "rookie" (no offense intended), buys a new 4003 for $2500.00 on ebay its just a reflection of the above trend, and as a result, the bar is now set a little higher.

If you shop around you can still find new Ricks for decent prices, you just have to work a little harder than you used too.

[wittyair]

It's like anything else. $$$$$$
It ALL comes down to the $$$$$$
It's sad but true!
It doesn't hurt matters when the product just also happens to be beautiful and functional.
Us baby boomers are fueling the whole process. We've done pretty well.....we've made a
few bucks and we look back on our lives and remember some good times. We want to recreate
some of those good times so we seek out the items that were there at the time and we reach deep
into our pockets to acquire them realizing that there aren't that many of them left. It explodes from there
as anything that even reminds us of those times now falls into that category.
It's a fluid situation......the generation before us made $600 cars from the 30's worth $25000.
Basic supply and demand.
I think you're going to see a few ripples along the way ( like right now ) but all indications point to continuing rise
in value.

[jimk]

Jim, just wait until you get that spankin' new Rick in your grubby little mitts, then remember the RRF motto, "one is not enough."

Yeah, LOL indeed! Care to take bets on what the second Rick will be? It might be a toss up between a 360/6 and a 4003....or a 350v63...maybe Who are our odds-makers on Da Forum?

JimK

[captsandwich]

Haha. I was recently cleaning out a closet in the den because my sife is sick of all my guitars in the living room. The closet is very small, and just fits my collection 'snug as a bug'. My wife looked at it and said "Where are you going to put your next one? We both know it's just a matter of time." at which point I realized (again) why I had married her.

[jingle_jangle]

Well, Stan, there's your non-topic...twenty-one responses in one day. And it no doubt will continue to be discussed.

[antipodean]

A lot of heat on the used Ric market is being fuelled by offshore demand. If you think a Ric is hard to come by in the US, just take a trip to Europe or Oz. Increased supply is the only thing that can dampen down the rate of price increase, so hopefully the capacity expansion at Ric will swing into action soon.

Of course with two '74 basses, a TP and V63 in the closet, I'm kind of liking the jump in value.

[johnallg]

Haha. I was recently cleaning out a closet in the den because my sife is sick of all my guitars in the living room. The closet is very small, and just fits my collection 'snug as a bug'. My wife looked at it and said "Where are you going to put your next one? We both know it's just a matter of time." at which point I realized (again) why I had married her.

That's both funny and great, Greg!

[beatlefreak]

My wife looked at it and said "Where are you going to put your next one? We both know it's just a matter of time."

You need a bigger closet...

[chefothefuture]

I think Rickenbacker's backlog is some what atrocious.
I mean, Martin's building me a guitar with every bit
of ornamentation under the sun.
When's it due? 6 months from date of order...
Do they deliver? Never treated wrong in the past.....

I love Ricks, and I dump enough money into them.
I just don't get what ever business model is being followed....

Prices going up? Well, I think for the complex construction of
the 300's in particular, it's justifiable when you see Historic
Gibbys fetching 5 and 6K....

Still-
The wait is bad.....

[sharkboy]

I think in the business, building not quite enough guitars is a much better problem to have than to build too many. (I think probably Rickenbacker would still have to manufacture more guitars than they do to get into a "not quite enough" situation.)

It is really hard to maintain quality when growing manufacturing by leaps and bounds. We're not just talking about managing more NC machines. Likewise, economic downturns devastate companies that can't absorb reduced sales (companies that grew too fast and just plain big companies.)

I'm going to say it again, but aside from it being inconvenient for some of their loyal flock with money today who want their magic guitar right away, their business model seems to work well for them. They'll take the dollars as they produce product, which is a generally sustainable enterprise. It also means that people have to really want the guitars to get to have them, which is an attractive and artistic business ethic. That's largely how I'd do the business if I ran it- Mr. Hall and company have shown an incredible amount of focus to be able to deliver what they do with the size they manage.

[blueflamerick]

John, you can't compare Rickenbacker to Martin. Having visited both factories, I can say that Martin's factory is easily 10 time the size of Rickenbacker's. I'd even say that the CNC area of Martin's factory is bigger than Rickenbacker's entire factory. Not to mention the much larger number of people that Martin employs.