SLOPPY WORK NEW 4003

[virginplayer]

I'm going to make this short.

JH is meant to be standing down after NAMM next year. I cannot say I will be upset to see him go. <REMOVED BY MODERATOR>

[Gilmourisgod]

Is his son taking over as CEO? I admire his ability to keep an American business afloat in the face of blatant Chinese counterfeits and all the other challenges he's faced, but his prickly public personality and occasionally "creative" statements about Ric QC and CS have made him a bit of a lightning rod. I had the (honor?) of being personally flamed by him when I brought up the forbidden tail-lift issue, questioning why such a clearly and exhaustively documented manufacturing defect took thirty years to fix. He was clearly sick of hearing about it, and nastily defensive. I can almost understand that on his part, what bothered me more was the reaction of some other RRF members towards me, which could be paraphrased as "Shut up about this, you are annoying our hero!" He stopped posting on RRF shortly thereafter, I presume because he was sick of people pointing out QC and CS issues, which he saw as personal attacks. That's a loss to both RRF as a technical and historical resource, and a loss to Ric as a source of input from his most loyal customers. Some fresh blood may improve the situation all around. Any company that becomes too disconnected from it's customer base is in trouble long-term. On the plus side, despite this bit of sloppy work, the construction on the new generation of 4003 basses seems to have improved with two-piece necks, shallower neck pup route, improved trussrods, etc. I haven't heard or seen much evidence of tail lift on the newer bridges, but maybe that jury is still out. The 4003w and 4003sw are gorgeous additions to the lineup that's been a huge success. Now if they could just solve this clearcoat flaking issue around the bridge......

[cheyenne]

This thread really needs to go away.

[Gilmourisgod]

This thread really needs to go away.

This kind of attitude towards legitimate discussion is what needs to go away.

[Hotzenplotz]

Yep!

IMHO: This and the "Only allowed to pay and praise" attitude the factory and some members cultivate have brought the traffic in this forum down, too! I am sorry to say that.

There is another thread about this:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=413256

- Just imagine, for my comment I received a, well, slightly misguided email straight from the factory - as a repeat customer of RIC.
I was not asking for a personal letter of complaint about an official input.


It seems to be a huge difference in small details when it comes to criticism. - George is from Scotland. Maybe the way he writes is a bit too harsh from an american point of view. From my german point of view it is absolutely fine. Straight and clear. And yes, when he started that it was not as a pleased customer. Surprised?
But his different attitude is enogh to bring up certain people. And subsequently the matter itself disappears, unfortunately.
Some feel the need to "protect" the factory, their pension plan or both at the same time. The carrier of messages has to shut up.
Only: This does not solve a single problem.
I prefer a respectful discussion to improve things.

For the factory there are a lot of informations in this thread. These concern production, quality control and communication. Heavy stuff!
For some there is a lot blasphemy in this thread. But why?


Cheers!

[virginplayer]

This thread really needs to go away.

This kind of attitude towards legitimate discussion is what needs to go away.

Seconded.

There is this habit, on this site, of certain members spitting the dummy when people air their views on RIC QC and JH. To those who are guilty of this habit: stop; you have already lost. Just look outside the USA for a wee bit, will you? The RIC brand is nowhere near as popular as it used to be. The pricing is one thing but the QC and the bullying, childish attitude of the incumbent CEO is a BIG reason for RIC being bypassed outside the USA. I know no-one who would buy one, off a dealer, right now, simply for those reasons I set out above.

I hope Ben comes in with a firm broom and then does a Shake 'n' Bake on that whole operation over there.

[geofio]

Some great words above, you know, I love playing these basses and the sound is totally unique that is why i play them, i have owned nearly 30 Rickenbacker's in my 54 years, i have had several problems with new 4003's but because you like the product you tend to let it pass and deal with it, i think i was already in the bad books at Rickenbacker as i pointed out recently that i was seeing new 4003 basses online and in stores where the strings were not lining up with the pickup poles, i pointed this out on the Rickenbacker forum once again asking why this was happening, too many have this issue, well the ones i have seen for sale here in the UK. Rickenbacker's response to my question was to delete my post !!!!
So ignoring problems is a Rickenbacker trait it seems in my experience, i am a straight shooter and i prefer others to be the same, that may come across as brash or whatever but i prefer to be straight forward, i have no time for pussy footing around , i like to get things done !!! that again may annoy some folks but i can live with it. John Hall retiring would probably the best thing to happen at Rickenbacker as they really do need to attend to quality control being a small company it would a relatively easy thing to get a hold on. to me i see a lot of Laziness on stupid things like the strings not lining up with the poles for example, if it were my company i could not accept that sloppiness because that is what it is , when they get it right the basses are awesome.

[aceonbass]

I see Fenders all the time with the strings not lining up with the poles, as well as other basses, so I don't see this as a QC issue at all. The string would have to be about 3/16" off center to have a noticeable effect on sound. Although I think I've read most of the posts in this thread, i don't think I saw that you contacted your dealer to deal with your bass' issue. RIC's have a 1 year warranty on the finish, and 5 years on the rest, so as long as a defect is within the warranty perion, RIC or at least their dealers will deal with it. But if you decide it's too much of a hassle to go through the process, and fix the problem yourself, how is that a a problem with RIC customer service? The warranty process (which works pretty much the same for a lot of companies) is there for a reason, so to bypass it and flame the company is ridiculous...unless of course they won't honor the warranty.

[Kiddwad57]

This was back a couple of pages…

Hi George,

I am very sorry to hear about this, You can send pics to
service@rickenbacker.com. The only thing we would be able to assist you with
is pursuing warranty work on the instrument after the new year.

Take care,

Rickenbacker Customer Service

Checking back on this thread to see how the story goes, there is some confusion about the timeline of events.

George, the best of luck to you and happy playing from here on out.

Never had to deal with Rickenbacker personally because all three were bought used. The finishes have been flawless, and the 610 is a flat out winner. Minimal tail lift on both 4003z, a split in a position marker on the first one and slight inconsistencies on the fretless' neck that most people don't notice unless it is pointed out.

The way instruments are bought and sold these days has changed the business a lot and not for the better. Also, in the current market small expenses to the manufacturer can mean the difference between success and failure in ways that are difficult to imagine from a customer's perspective. It's probably a difficult line to hold.

[geofio]

Dane, service is not the issue here , i am complaining about the bass leaving the factory faulty in the first place, so get it straight what i am actually moaning about , you don't live in the Uk, so you will not be aware of how bad service is here for Ric products. i have dealt with Rossetti before they are awful, they take for ever to get back to you, that is why it is worth knowing how to repair these basses yourself as service is lacking. The bass is fixed so the issue is over . well as far as the pole pieces lining up with the strings , why do previous 4003's 4001's poles align with the strings , and recent versions they are way off on D and G strings in particular, are you seriously trying to tell me that is normal ??? !!!! it is not. who ever is setting up the bridge's and cutting the saddlles is way off. I don't want to discuss it anymore, there are certain people on here who will defend Rickenbacker as if they are some perfect company and make flawless instruments, they don't and the quality is lacking at the moment obviously. you know my thoughts and you won't convince me otherwise.

[Happyface]

I see Fenders all the time with the strings not lining up with the poles, as well as other basses, so I don't see this as a QC issue at all. The string would have to be about 3/16" off center to have a noticeable effect on sound. Although I think I've read most of the posts in this thread, i don't think I saw that you contacted your dealer to deal with your bass' issue. RIC's have a 1 year warranty on the finish, and 5 years on the rest, so as long as a defect is within the warranty perion, RIC or at least their dealers will deal with it. But if you decide it's too much of a hassle to go through the process, and fix the problem yourself, how is that a a problem with RIC customer service? The warranty process (which works pretty much the same for a lot of companies) is there for a reason, so to bypass it and flame the company is ridiculous...unless of course they won't honor the warranty.

That responsible dealer was great back in the old days when you and I went to a local music shop and got to try a bass.... or two... or maybe three! Maybe on West 48th Street in NYC?

But now? Most sales are online.

So, you have to have had the good sense and space in your home to keep the original packaging material to send it back for service, no?

Or bring it in for service to someone at Guitar Center who may or may not have ever touched a Rickenbacker guitar or bass in his life.

Great choices, eh?

Gosh, I never ever thought I'd have a reason to quarrel with you. So I apologize in advance.

[Kiddwad57]

"That responsible dealer was great back in the old days when you and I went to a local music shop and got to try a bass.... or two... or maybe three!
But now? Most sales are online.
So, you have to have had the good sense and space in your home to keep the original packaging material to send it back for service, no?
Or bring it in for service to someone at Guitar Center who may or may not have ever touched a Rickenbacker guitar or bass in his life.

Great choices, eh?"

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!!!

[manta]

Hmmmm:

https://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf- ... +A+Changin

[virginplayer]

Hmmmm:

https://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf- ... +A+Changin

That made me laugh. For about five seconds.

Somehow, I don't think it's going to be that easy.

[aceonbass]

Don't get me wrong, because I'm no fan boy of RIC. I had two aweful experiences with their MID finishes that were NOT resolved to my satisfaction, and I've criticised their product line for various reasons for a couple years. Most of my criticisms have been dealt with to my satisfation, although I don't know that my needling was the reason. No one turns out perfect product all the time, and this is a fairly minor problem that was fixable. Then again, 4003's are only $1500 here, and maybe I'd feel differently if my government soaked me for a grand on top of that.