Not to hijack this thread, but, do you still have your 4001V63PMC???
I thought mine might have been yours until I checked the serial numbers. GREAT basses, aren't they????
Greg: Nope, it has been out of my collection for a few years now. I really liked it while I had it, you bet.
Do not drink from the toilet when taking Lyrica[/quote]
Well I think I'm about done with the whole Rickenbacker thing. Historically it's been a run of hap-hazardly constructed instruments wrought with various anomalies, some more problematic than others. In it's 80-some-odd year history, Rickenbacker has never achieved any level of measurable consistency with it's production quality (outside of being inconsistent) but still possesses enough of a unique aura that has garnished a die-hard fan base over the decades. If it wasn't for those who've embraced Rickenbacker for what it is and overlooked the various flaws here & there, the company would not be in business today. I think the present Hall lineup has forgotten that factor, and I think it's quite evident that they've never entertained the concept of customer appreciation to begin with. I think that's an unfortunate by-product of some family-run businesses.
I've been a die-hard Rick fan for a good 30+ years. I got my first 4001 with money I saved up from washing dishes when I was in high school. I was proud as hell the day I picked it up from the store. Over the years I've played Rick basses exclusively - gigging and recording with them, and boasting their awesomeness in musical circles. I joined this forum and met the like-minded folks here who love their Rickenbacker instruments with a passion. In recent years, I produced two out of the four RRF Compilation albums, and have started a few threads here that are still ongoing… all this being great FREE press for Rickenbacker. I've also posted a few Yes cover videos on Youtube that collectively picked up about 50,000 hits. Whether online or when I'm playing out live, I get a lot of positive feedback and queries about the basses I play. I always talk up Rickenbacker, of course. And I know that pretty much everyone here can stake the same claim - the amount of time and effort we've all put into posting the good word about Rickenbacker in text and photos. And I think the biggest contributor to Rickenbacker's good press has to be Peter McCormack who started this forum and has given us all the platform to meet and discuss All Things Rickenbacker AT HIS OWN PERSONAL EXPENSE in maintaining the site, no less.
Who benefits from all this press and exposure? Why, the Halls, of course. And what do we get in return for our loyal patronage? Jack squat from what I can tell. WHEN there's a problem with one of their instruments, they just give the customer an excuse, IF they bother to respond at all. In this case, the "voided warrantee" excuse. They don't seem to have a clue that the money they saved themselves by blowing off Rick is ~FAR~ eclipsed by the money they would be making if they stood behind their product and treated their customers with respect, which is what we deserve for putting food on their table.
Rick Roosa started this thread on the customization of his C64 bass which has generated yet another interesting buzz about Rickenbacker. Not only this thread, but he's also started a group on Facebook publicly encouraging Paul McCartney to play his 4001S again. If I ran a business and one of my employees mouthed off to a customer like Ben did to Rick, I would have fired him on the spot. And if I was the RIC CEO and Rick told me abut his project and he brought it to my attention that he got a lemon of a bass to begin with, I'd be bending over backwards to get him a proper bass for the project. And I'd say: "Kudos to you, sir, for this undertaking which is in turn great exposure for my business! And best of luck with your McCartney campaign!" But instead Rick gets treated like he's an idiot who can't read. And for good measure Ben bad-mouths me too, with that "Don't give your money to Mark Walker he doesn't know what he's doing!" nonsense. Yeah - they put out faulty instruments and bad-mouth their customers, but clearly it's ME who doesn't know what he's doing. Sure. Honestly, I don't know how well my repair job is going to work, but hell… Rickenbacker sure didn't help. All they did was create the problem in the first place. Yet they talk smack about the people fixing their mistakes.
So I'm done with Rickenbacker. I'm not about to give one more cent to a company that doesn't stand behind it's product, plain and simple. And no more free publicity from me. All my Rick bass videos: gone. All my Rick bass photos: not gone yet but I'm working on it. Rickenbacker will no longer be credited anywhere in my liner notes. And the only bass I'll play publicly is my lefty - the one with no name plate. From now on when people ask what it is, (which they OFTEN do) I'll tell then that I don't know; I just picked it up at a garage sale one day.
I can imagine that my diatribe has chafed the collective Rickenbacker hide. The only ones who have the RIGHT to complain are the many folks who have given their thousands of dollars to RIC and get no response in return.
Last edited by ajish4 on Tue Sep 10, 2013 5:09 pm, edited 6 times in total.
Reason:Edited by Tony C.
Mark, a lot of good will could have been generated by RIC by helping this person with an obvious flaw in the design and execution. Just because an amount of basses were constructed this way does not make it ok. If 95% of those have no issues at the neck joint, well then they got a little lucky on those. If 5% potentially have the same issue, then it should be on RIC to rectify it. Just because something is wrong and you get away with it for a while doesn't make it acceptable or good business.
Companies that take care of their customers have my respect. Some companies even go above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction. If any of the owners had purchased this bass and found the neck issue, do you think they would simply take what company line was offered and be ok with it?
One thing that has always confused me is how they use the high tension string argument. I mean, 99.9% of 4000/4001/4003 basses have the stock RIC strings replaced with other strings such as Rotos, etc. These basses and strings have been around for over 40 years, did it not occur to them that if there really was an issue with aftermarket strings that maybe they should re-engineer the neck to accommodate allegedly strings that could harm the neck? And on the other hand, if there are strings that will cause failure with a high degree of certainty, then shouldn't those strings be listed specifically as warranty voiders? They leave that in a gray area on purpose, I suspect. If they came out and said that if you replaced the stock RIC strings with Rotosound 66LD's for example, this will void your warranty, they would never sell another bass again.
Musicians buy these basses and aftermarket strings to get the Geddy, Squire, Macca, or Lemmy sound or to get the tone that they want. You don't get that sound with the stock strings, never have. If Chris or Geddy weren't able to slap Rotos on their basses, do you think these basses would have achieved the iconic status they enjoy today? I seriously doubt it. If they only used Roto-less 4001's for one album and switched to possibly a Fender Jazz no one would be talking about that Geddy/Squire Ricky sound still to this day. Thousands of 4001's and 4003's were sold and are sold on that basis alone.
Even us Ricky owners who love their basses still complain about the bridge assembly and the truss rod issues. If we couldn't get "that" certain sound out of these, do you think we would still play them or buy them? To be sure, Rickys have a unique tone, but it takes the aftermarket strings to make them come alive. RIC owes Rotosound for a portion of their success, IMHO.
I am sorry for my digression, I have always wanted to vent about the string thing.
Anyway, if the Halls would have taken care of this person, the few dollars it may have cost them would have been more than offset with respect and goodwill, that's all.
1977 4001 Autumnglo with Rotosound S/S roundwounds
BOOM! (goes the dynamite)!! Mark, I know you said what may of have felt about RIC customer service. You my friend, have balls! I think a lot of the things you mentioned, many on this list can relate to. I know I can. For many, brand loyalty means a lot. It takes a huge shift to shake the faith in a product. After being "blown off" by a low level employee, I'm not sure if I'll ever put myself in the market for a new RIC product.
Nothing more to say about this, other than I hope you continue to share your knowledge on this forum. I really can't imagine a foto or video of you holding any other bass, but a Rickenbacker.
Cheers Mark, you've got to do what you feel is right and I get that. Try not to let this affect your blood pressure. I'll miss your contributions to the RRF.
Mark,
I too will miss your contributions here, and also your excellent youtube videos which were truly inspirational and a fantastic advert for the potential of Rickenbacker basses. This whole episode has saddened me. Hopefully some good can eventually come of it... Take care
SO........would this be a good time for me to talk about my Lefty 4003s8, its MAJOR design flaw, and the fact that it has been unplayable from the first day of ownership??????
While I STILL love Rickenbacker, they have lost a HUGE fan/promoter in Mr. Walker....and it's their own fault!!!
I think I made my stance pretty clear, especially who it's aimed at, but the least I want to do is alienate myself from my good pals here. All the real RRF'ers are awesome folks, and this is where the love is, not at the RIC factory. With Roosa's blessing, I'm happy to continue posting on the progress of his super cool project.
To re-direct, I'm going to apply a 2nd layer of resin today, then restring the bass and see how the neck works tomorrow or the next day.
walker wrote:I think I made my stance pretty clear, especially who it's aimed at, but the least I want to do is alienate myself from my good pals here. All the real RRF'ers are awesome folks, and this is where the love is, not at the RIC factory. With Roosa's blessing, I'm happy to continue posting on the progress of his super cool project.
To re-direct, I'm going to apply a 2nd layer of resin today, then restring the bass and see how the neck works tomorrow or the next day.
Go right ahead, Mark. I want this thread to stay alive and be helpful at the same time. If others have this issue, they should know how you correct it.
Lefty4003S8 wrote:SO........would this be a good time for me to talk about my Lefty 4003s8, its MAJOR design flaw, and the fact that it has been unplayable from the first day of ownership??????
Testify, Brother! Tell us the details. Post some pics of the issues, if you can.
