GC Rickenbacker 4001S Special?

[johnallg]

Sepp, what you may fail to realize is we are but a small fraction of Rick bass purchasers. Not many of us buy new. We, being the geeky purveyors of Rick minutia, see and know all the details of the history of these basses. The usual buyer of a new Rick bass just goes into the store, plays the bass, and buys and goes home ecstatic owning the bass they've dreamed of owning for years. Remember, RIC still has a huge backlog, and that is because these instruments sell faster than they can build them.

John,

Oh no, I do realize that but if you can't win support from a Rickenbacker friendly group, how do you expect to fair on the open market? I suppose time will tell but Mr. Hall's comment about merely filling a special order of basses for GC struck me as being odd. By virtue of the limited numbers of said edition, it has the potential to be something special. To say it's received luke warm ratings here, in a Rickanbacker friendly atmosphere, is being overly optimistic. Priced at twice the price of a new 4003, the new limited edition bass needs to seriously wow the buyer.

No, I've not held the new bass in my hands, not seen it first hand. I trust the informed opinions of those that have. I can't emphasize it enough that I was hoping for a major cult classic type success with this bass. I really was.

Sepp

What I was trying to say, wordily, is these and 4003 basses are selling like hotcakes despite what we might think and say about them.

[geofio]

Sepp hat off to you sir i agree with all you have said, just because Rickenbacker basses are selling like hot cakes at the moment, may please the folks who run the company, but things can and do change, and no company no matter how successful cannot be arrogant about the folks that buy the instruments. we all want our rics to sound the way we want them to sound but we all know that takes a bit of time and patience and most of us here have that i am sure.
As i said earlier i have spent a lot of money with Rickenbacker and had my share of issues with the basses dud E strings etc paint issues, bubbling chrome, the list goes on yet i still buy these basses, if that isn't brand loyalty what is !!!!
I asked for help once from Rickenbacker and i was not even replied to, that money i spent on rics could have purchased some really top notch basses. if you own the Rickenbacker company i suppose one, two, three, even four basses does not mean much but the people who buy these basses have saved, sold , begged, borrowed, to buy these instruments it means a lot to them and you mr Hall never see that side!! so please in the interest of you business and the people like myself who play only ric instruments, please change your tone and attitude towards us. not nice !!!

[Kopfjaeger]

What I was trying to say, wordily, is these and 4003 basses are selling like hotcakes despite what we might think and say about them.

John,

If these GC basses are selling like hotcakes then congrats to RIC, on offering a product that the masses had no qualms about eagerly purchasing! I may know nothing and everything I said here does not hold water or if I'm correct, perhaps it does not really matter in the grand scheme of things. I'm no marketing whiz nor have ever claimed to be. Maybe I'm just out of touch with reality and expect too much.

Sepp

[Keef]

- I too was hoping for a bit more vintage/retro influence with these new basses. I just look forward to the day when RIC's issues over Lollar replacement pups are finally put to bed and they start incorporating original design horsies in their basses once again...

Ash

And another thing, instead of suing the poor guy, why not just hire him to design and build the vintage horseshoes, toasters, etc? Who better than a real artisan who actually has passion for his work?

+1

[coolhandjjl]

Where I live, there are a lot of Amish. Superb hands-on craftsman and artisans. But everything they make from quilts to furniture has an intentional built-in flaw, as in their eyes, only god is perfect. Perhaps JH is Amish?

[iamthebassman]

I don't think they made any lefties, so, as they say on Shark Tank, "I'm out".

[wings012345]

Better watch your comments to JH. Could be like the Soup Nazi... No Rickenbacker For You!!!! lol

[Lefty4003S8]

NICE bass in your avatar, Jeff!!!!! WHERE have I seen THAT one before???

[wings012345]

I'm Loving it Greg!! I play in a Modern Country band and it's sweet. Jazz will sit for a while.

[jps]

Where I live, there are a lot of Amish. Superb hands-on craftsman and artisans. But everything they make from quilts to furniture has an intentional built-in flaw, as in their eyes, only god is perfect.

I am still trying to find any flaws in my kitchen cabinets................

In fact, Marvin went above and beyond our expectations!

[Lefty4003S8]

I'm Loving it Greg!! I play in a Modern Country band and it's sweet. Jazz will sit for a while.

I thought you're supposed to play only Beatle songs on it......

[j_gary]

I live within striking distance of two Guitar Centers in the Detroit Michigan tri-county area. I stopped at the Roseville store to see if they had or could get the new 4001s. The folks there went to work right away to get a bass for me. They gave me a great price on an Ampeg SVT I traded in on the bass, $1300. They contacted a "Platinum" store in Southfield that had a bass, $3289, and reserved it for me. They offered me the choice of them picking it up, or I could head out there. I chose to go pick it up. The Southfield store was a 34 mile ride. After reading some of the fellas experiences I thought I better go take a look at the bass.

I arrived at the Southfield GC close to closing time and was met by a young man whose name escapes me. He was awaiting my arrival, went into the back and brought the bass out still inside the shipping box. We opened the box & pulled out the silver case, all looked good. Opened the case, the bass was still all wrapped in packing materials. Pulled the bass out of the case, it is a beautiful piece of work, set up perfectly. Brought her to rehearsal last night, this is truly a wonderful bass which makes the price almost secondary. I realize the new bass experience can often color ones initial impression so I tried to evaluate without undue influence. This gal is a lovely piece of work. I have flown & own a number of Rick 4001 & 4003s. I really like this satin finish.

I wanted to let the troops know that my GC/RIC adventure was a good one in this instance. I wonder sometimes if perhaps an inexperienced store employee removes an instrument from their case, and meaning well tries to do a set up on a bass. Mine was perfect, but that has not always been my experience. I bought a "Lemmy" from a New York dealer years ago and it arrived a mess. The dual rods had been improperly tightened to the point the neck had a "twist" in it. It took several experienced techs numerous adjustments to get the thing playable. It was clear someone had ham-fisted a very special instrument. My impression was the "work" was not done at the factory because of the sloppy tool marks under the headstock name plate.

[inhuien]

^^^ enjoy ur bass.

[teeder]

^^^ enjoy ur bass.

+1!
That's good to hear and I would assume to be the norm.

[j_gary]

Thank you for the kind words. I will try to take some tonight when I get home.