Who Buys This Stuff?

[Tarrbot]

So on a usual Sunday late, I peruse CL and find this:

1976 Rick Style Bass-Matsumoku - $800

Here is a very nice vintage 1976 Matsumoku produced 4001 style bass. You know the deal on these, they were so good that someone got quite upset over their production. The bass plays and sounds great. Rich deep lows and crisp highs even with flatwounds. No issues at all with function. The Tuners are brand new Rickenbacker OEM. I replaced the original bridge with an AllParts direct Rickenbacker replacement. This instrument also has the dual output jacks for either mono or stereo. The Truss Rod Cover is an Original Plexi Rick cover, which itself is going for $150 to $250 on todays market. You will also notice that she has a "toaster" pickup in the neck position. She is strung with fresh GHS Precision Flatwound Light Gauge strings. Dual Truss Rod system and all controls function without a hitch. This is a neck through body instrument. The price is FIRM. You won't find many of these and this is less than half the price of a used 4001 or 03.
I will consider a trade for the following ONLY: A USA Fender Jazz in either Sunburst,Natural or White. Age is of no importance. Must be in great shape functionally. NO Highway 1 basses considered please so don't bother offering. This instrument comes with a late 70's vintage Hardshell case which may look rough on the outside but is fully functional.
This one won't last.

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Who in their right mind would buy a faker at that price? I can certainly see for very very cheap, but who would pay that for this obvious fake?

I picked up my '86 4003S/5 for $900 just a few months ago. I'm just not seeing it with this, though.

[rickenbrother]

This one won't last.

That ad probably won't last long.

[rickaddict]

I like this line:

You know the deal on these, they were so good that someone got quite upset over their production.

REALLY!!?

[jingle_jangle]

It's at $700.00 now, and if we each flag it as : prohibited, CL will remove it. They're savvy, but need our participation.

[rickaddict]

It's at $700.00 now, and if we each flag it as : prohibited, CL will remove it. They're savvy, but need our participation.

Done.

[Mossman]

That price really isn't out of line for a 70's Matsumoku... They're known for manufacturing very high quality guitars, and are considered quite collectible in their own right. Their "lawsuit era" Gibson copies sell in the same price range. They may be copies, but they rival the originals in quality and craftsmanship... They're definitely not cheap knock-offs, as contemporary Korean and Chinese clones are.

[bassassin]

There are people buying these as an investment. Vintage Japanese basses & guitars - particularly the so-called "lawsuit" era stuff - is becoming increasingly collectable, and very broadly speaking, the Rick copies are probably the most sought after. Several reasons - Rickenbackers have never been the most mainstream instruments, so there were fewer copies made than the equivalent Fenders & Gibsons, and back in the day "JapCrap" was regarded as throwaway tat - so that's exactly what happened to most of it.

Many through-neck, twin truss rod Matsumoku copies have ended up (like this one) badged as Rickenbackers & in circulation as such - and I'd guess a lot of them still are, most people don't have a clue about the details that tell them apart. For reasons that don't need explaining here, they're very hard to sell, this makes them harder to find and has pushed the prices up - as it would appear have RIC's own recent price increases.

In the UK $800 would probably be an average price for a vintage 'Faker - lately prices have been rising and the most expensive one I've seen so far was an Ebay auction which ran to £656 - that's about $1070. That was for a Maya-branded 4001S copy, not a Matsumoku.

Jon.

[bigbajo60]

Well whaddya know...

http://cgi.ebay.com/1976-Vintage-Bass-J ... |294%3A100

[Tarrbot]

I guess he had no bites other than my note to him last night.

Odd how you search on CL and can't find it but you can go to the link above and it's still there, though.

Thanks for the info Jon and Ed.

I didn't know that about these basses.

[fazeka]

Odd how you search on CL and can't find it but you can go to the link above and it's still there, though.

When the ad is first flagged, it drops out of the index (search). It may not be instantaneous, but flagged ads eventually disappear.

[Mr.Mow]

I bought one.. Its awesome, sounds amazing and plays beautifully..
My Ric is on Ebay..

What can I say?

[cassius987]

Hey, it's cool. You do what you have to to find the instrument that works for you. It's not going to be a Ric for everyone, and there's also the chance you ran across a lemon. Also, there's really no reason to believe that all fakers are bad players. Some might be quite good, so if one falls in your lap and it works, I say you've got no choice but to go with it. I wouldn't advocate actually hunting one down to buy though.

[Mr.Mow]

Hey, it's cool. You do what you have to to find the instrument that works for you. It's not going to be a Ric for everyone, and there's also the chance you ran across a lemon. Also, there's really no reason to believe that all fakers are bad players. Some might be quite good, so if one falls in your lap and it works, I say you've got no choice but to go with it. I wouldn't advocate actually hunting one down to buy though.

Since getting my Ric bass, I've had the chance to play some more 02-04 4003's.. So I've realized there is nothing wrong with my ric, I think its just a 'its the way they are' thing.. a certain place I know has a V63 for a nice price..
I will also say my copy only cost me about $400.. bit of a no brainer really.

(also, the guys I'm playing for supply me with a Ric to play (with EMGs!).. so, can't complain too much )

[rickboy88]

He did not post pictures on the ebay listing, and doesn't mention the Rickenbacker name. He describes it well enough though where many bass players can figure it out. Guess he's trying to skirt the whole trademark infringement thing.

[woodyng]

at $400 getting a copy IS a no-brainer,not so much when the price doubles (or triples),therefore falling into the range you can still get an original....some of the copies seem to have failed bridge pickups...i would definitely pick up one for modification at that lower price,IF i could find a dot-neck copy.....(they exist)