Sam Ash- I could, & probably should, sell Ric basses for the

[Kopfjaeger]

OK, I needed a 12 inch patch cord for my rapidly expanding pedal board so I went on down to my local Guitar center but alas, all they had was ****. Before leaving I looked for any Rickenbackers hanging in the "high end" room. Nope, none to be found. I then went to my local Sam Ash dealer. As I walked in there was an older gentleman ahead of me as we walked toward the guitar section. As A salesman descended on me, hoping to sell me something worth his time, the older gentleman in front of me asked to see and play the Fireglo 4003 they have hanging out of harms reach above the doorway to the drum room.

The salesperson told the customer that if he was interested in buying this bass he could cut him a great deal on it since it had a small chip near the jackplate. As I was paying for my meager $17.00 purchase, I was paying more attention to the lack of details being offered by the salesman. The 4003 was plugged into an Ampeg stack and almost immediately the customer began to to tool away on it. I've played on that particular Ampeg before and it is no slouch but the 4003 sounded anemic. I turned to see what on earth the customer was doing to it and I immediately realized the salesman had plugged him into the Ric-o-sound jack. I leaned over the counter and whispered to the salesman, who was now behind the counter, and told him of his mistake. He then bee lined it to the customer realized I was correct and fixed his mistake. He returned thanked me and began to walk away when I asked if he was going to give the customer some info on the instrument or was he hoping for it to sell itself. When the salesman asked, "like what?", I said nevermind and walked away. I began to browse the instruments and made my way closer to the customer. I made small talk by remarking on what a stunning instrument it was. I then told him that I had several Rickenbackers and the newer 4003's were amongst my favorites. I told him about the two piece neck, and the vintage push pull pot. He told me he owned a 4001 many years ago but sold it. he was now in the market to replace it with a newer Rickenbacker. I remarked that the bass he held in his hands was almost identical in body shape to the 1973 4001 I own. I also told him that both pups had adjustable pole pieces to tailor each pole to his own liking and about the new style truss rods. he was very appreciative and shook my hand before I left.

Not sure if he purchased it but at least he was armed with the info he'd need to make an informed decision. I had fun too!

Sepp

[ken_j]

As I walked in there was an older gentleman ahead of me ...

Careful I (and many others here) resemble that.

[Kopfjaeger]

As I walked in there was an older gentleman ahead of me ...

Careful I (and many others here) resemble that.

I was quite careful in my description. I was going to describe the customer as old, short, fat and balding but I figured I ran the risk of pissing off a ton of people. I'd never want to do that!!

Sepp

[T.A.R.]

As I walked in there was an older gentleman ahead of me ...

Careful I (and many others here) resemble that.

I was quite careful in my description. I was going to describe the customer as old, short, fat and balding but I figured I ran the risk of pissing off a ton of people. I'd never want to do that!!

Sepp

[cjj]

As I walked in there was an older gentleman ahead of me ...

Careful I (and many others here) resemble that.

I was quite careful in my description. I was going to describe the customer as old, short, fat and balding but I figured I ran the risk of pissing off a ton of people. I'd never want to do that!!

Sepp

Wouldn't bother me... Well, at least the short and balding parts don't apply...

[Grey]

Most salespeople at retail chains like Guitar Center and Sam Ash don't know much about the equipment they're actaully selling, Rickenbacker or otherwise. They can read you some info from a price sheet but not much beyond that.

Sometimes you'll get knowledgeable people who are working there because they actaully play and enjoy musical instruments, but for most of them it's just a job, they're there to make sure you don't break anything.

[Kingbreaker]

I wonder how many people have walked away from Ricks because they were demoing through the ROS jack rather than the mono jack?

[deaconblues]

Most salespeople at retail chains like Guitar Center and Sam Ash don't know much about the equipment they're actaully selling, Rickenbacker or otherwise. They can read you some info from a price sheet but not much beyond that.

Sometimes you'll get knowledgeable people who are working there because they actaully play and enjoy musical instruments, but for most of them it's just a job, they're there to make sure you don't break anything.

They're basically there to sell anything they can, particularly low-priced, high-volume stuff. I interviewed once for a job at GC and they didn't care about my musical instrument knowledge whatsoever. They hire based almost solely on your previous sales experience.

[spongebob]

I had a 4003 pickup repair carried out a few years ago.

When I picked it up, the late-teen apprentice handed it over, telling me that one of the pups still seemed blown and the bass output was very low.

You guessed it, he was plugging away on it through the ROS jack!

Once I told him of his error, all he could offer was that he thought it simply had two inputs......

[cjj]

Apparently, he needs to learn that most guitars and basses don't have ANY inputs...

[johnallg]

Apparently, he needs to learn that most guitars and basses don't have ANY inputs...

[sloop_john_b]

I played mine for years through the ROS jack, completely clueless. That's probably why it's had the neck pickup disconnected (by choice) for the last several years - I preferred the bridge pickup and a kill switch to the neck pickup.

[jps]

Apparently, he needs to learn that most guitars and basses don't have ANY inputs...

I added inputs on the two Alembics I used to own.

[cjj]

Good thing I put the word "most" in there huh?