what is the most expensive ric bass? rarest ric bass?

[seyesbass]

Keeping on track with the thread its clear that in general terms most the "expensive and rare" rick basses seem to be the (also very elusive) RMs.
They are a bit like 58 Les Pauls I suppose.
We often see the old Rose Morris advert and think how cheap the prices are by comparison with todays money but even back in the mid 60s a Rickenbacker bass would have been a serious investment for any bass player in England.
Even with some high profile users appearing with them I can imagine a lot of bass players in the 60s shying away from buying a Rick in favour of a Fender purely and simply from the aspect of selling it later should the band fold or whatever. Theres also peer pressure from the band who might persuade him away from something out of the ordinary like a Rick bass especially if its a band purchase.What I am getting at is that I cant imagine the RMs flying off the wall in guitar stores and I would be interested to know how long it took for all 150 or so basses to eventually find a home.
Still, WHERE ARE THEY?
It would be great if one day we could get at least a few dozen of them in the same room.

[wints]

Pete,

Some very informative posting there. Cheers....

The Lake bass appears to be an early one from that photo you posted. It looks like it has the short taper to the horseshoe, which could anything up to a DE serial number, which my green RM has. Vincent has a DF bass that has the long taper. That's a cool one too, but another story...BTW, that was very nice of Vincent to drive out of his way to meet me that day. We spent about 5 hours debating all things 60's Ric bass, and it was certainly a blast.

About 18 months ago a DC serial bass was up for sale here and on eBay IIRC. It was in the midlands (I think) and it should be in the archives somewhere. It also had an ivory nut, had lost it's horseshoes, and had a later hi-gain and had two rests poorly fitted to the guard. The strings were strung the same way as your scanned photo, but I don't think the serial number was 291.

The seller was asking about 6,500 GBP if again I remember correctly. I don't think it sold.

Hopefully Gerry, Vincent or John might have saved the serial number. Anyone? Edit~ The serial was DC189, just found it.

It really is time to put a registry together!

OK... viewtopic.php?p=158062#p158062

Scott, that's what makes this place special. You're not the only one learning all the time, I suspect we all are...

[vincent_gallo]

Chris Squire worked in a shop that sold of few RM1999's. His came from the shop he worked in. Still with whatever discount he received he told me it took him a long bit to pay it off. My first Rickenbacker was purchased new in the early 70's. price was around $475 which was the price of a good used car and was way over the head of a 12 year old Vincent Gallo. Even though it seemed way to expensive I put down $50 and paid it of over a year and a half. Shoveling snow, cutting grass and working various jobs at $1 an hour. I brought it to school one day and everyone freaked. Still, it did not matched Chris Squires bass and thus my RM search began

[herk]

By the way I do own a 1967 RM1999 in original maple-glow

so it wasn't a bad deal after all ?

[wints]

I'd forgot about the MG example.

I wonder if the odds are slightly higher of that bass being possibly a domestic order, thinking that most of the exports would have been a standard ordered FG?

It is most probably the only original example still out there...

[vincent_gallo]

Actually Scott when I purchased the bass from you I had a great time. I had been driving a long way and was excited to get the bass. It was what I had hope it would be except for some overspray on the back of the body. After reading your insulting posts here and your recreation of events I became less fond of the bass. I wrote you a letter to try to add insight and a more positive perspective on our exchange. You responded by posting here more negative and ugly comments. As of today the bass I purchased from you remains at the bottom of the pile of basses that is my life long collection. Since the bass reminds me of your ugly words I have not played it or looked at it since reading your last post. I always hoped you would change your view of our deal so that playing that bass would give me pleasure.

Wints, you could be right that the 67 mapleglow was a USA custom order. By 67 some USA guys may have seen Paul or other Brits with the model and got the factory to make one and even do a maple. A overseas buyer may have requested the same though. The 64 basses were more likely all exported. By the time the USA buyer knew of them it was at least 1965

[seyesbass]

Its a long shot but I sent an email to Greg Lakes website to see if I could get some more info about the RM (if he remembers that is).
Fingers crossed.
If any guys reading these posts happen to come across or know of any pictures of possible RM basses please chip in and scan them in.
We dont know what happened for instance to Roger waters RM and does the Genesis RM still reside with the band or has that one been sold on?
Also theres the John Entwistle bass wheres that one these days?

I know that quite a few were trashed and I came across one in Denmark Street in 76. It had belonged to a band called Blackfoot Sue and it looked like it had been used as a garden spade. The shop was asking for almost as much as a new 4001 and with no HS I wasnt interested. There are plenty of other horror stories involving RMs I am sure but I still have a feeling there are just as many if not more tucked safely away in their cases waiting to be discovered.
When some lucky person finds a mint RM then we might have the answer to the question at the start of this thread.

[vincent_gallo]

i have two mint RM's, a 64 that is nearly untouched and a 67 that is as new

[vincent_gallo]

by the way i did not include the mapleglow 67 in my total of 8 RM basses

[wints]

by the way i did not include the mapleglow 67 in my total of 8 RM basses

You're slacking Vincent...

I had thought my green bass could possibly be Waters old bass at one time. The upper horn appears to be a little thinner in profile, like his old one, but on the back of Ummagumma it appears with what appears to be a broken pickguard, and mine is still original and intact.

I need to get out west sometime this year and pay Vincent a return visit....

[herk]

Vincent, I apologize for my comments. In actuality, I too enjoyed that day and have come to regret my "negative and ugly" words towards you. They were not true, nor deserved and showed an extreme lack of maturity on my part. I hope you might be able to accept my apology and possibly in the future have a more favourable view towards the bass.

I would also like to extend my apology to the members here who may have read some of my previous posts. It was wrong for me to use this forum as a vehicle to attack another member and disrupt an otherwise positive environment.

[seyesbass]

Vincent you need to let me "un-mint" your mint RM.
That poor thing needs to come for a night out with me!
And dont be so shy.....how about some photos?

[SixtyFour]

*** Vince, Wints, Leftybass, Pete G.; and all following this thread.

One question; do the names "California Guitar" or "Frank Lucido" come to mind ???

I point this out especially to Vince Gallo who may have been in touch with the above
mentioned names.

[jingle_jangle]

Although you did not specifically address me, Paul, I had dealings with Mr. Lucido, back when California Guitar was located on Ventura Place in Studio City, in 1980 through roughly '83, when I moved sixty miles south to Orange County. I haven't heard of him, or from him, in over two decades...but I had heard that he was selling real estate these days.

[pacealot]

This thread has been extremely exciting and fascinating to me, as I'm a huge fan of the RM and doing everything I possibly can to replicate one with my V63, since I realise I stand a snowball's chance in Hades of ever coming near a real RM. (Except maybe at a confluence - can I come too, even though I don't own an RM? )

I find it interesting that such a large percentage of prominent UK bass players took up the RM once it became available, as opposed to the much smaller number of deluxe 4001 players in the States during the same period. Even with the price, as mentioned, being very high for the UK players, I can think of ten players off the top of my head in fairly successful bands even at the time that very visibly used their RMs between '64 and the early '70s. On the other hand, right now I can think of Stu Cook, and that's all I can come up with for deluxe 4001 players during the '60s in the States. Oh, and John Weider of Family had one, too, but in the UK. Who else? There were a few 4005's kicking around too on both sides of the pond, but so few 4001's....

Maybe it was Rose, Morris' marketing that appealed more to the young British musicians? The power of Entwistle and Quaife, et al, as early role models for the UK bassists? Who knows? In any case, the early use of the RM's by the prominent UK stars certainly helped make them the highly sought-after basses they are now....