Selling a vintage Rick bass -experiences?

[martinh]

Howdy folks.

I realized last week that it has probably been two years since I played my 1966 Rick 4005 ( it’s the instrument that someone put in the registry as FD-1381) but it’s actually FD-1227 - the photograph of the number was a bit blurred). Although I’m not short of cash, in some quirky way it seems foolish to have money tied up in something I don’t play. I’m thinking about getting rid of it. Although I’ve bought several instruments on E-bay, I’ve never sold one, especially not a relatively rare vintage one. I’m active over on My Les Paul under the same user name, and I posted over there inquiring if anyone had any tips/experiences about selling such an instrument. One member suggested that I ask around over her. I’m a Rickresource member, but don’t post here regularly.

So: I have a 1966 4005, FD-1227. I got it about 18 years ago. It had been stripped down to the wood, and the lacquer had been removed from the fingerboard. Color left behind indicated that it was Fireglo. I did a re-fin in Nitro, which you can see in the registry pictures, although it’s faded a bit since then. I didn’t put any lacquer back on the fingerboard. Apart from that, it appears to be all original. No OHSC. Prices on nice original examples seem to be starting around $ 8K (although whether anyone is actually paying that is another question. I’d like some input on).

Would $4K be unreasonable for a refinished 66 4005 without case? Or should I go lower/higher? Any tips on how or where I should sell it?

Martin

[wilmingtonian]

Investigate the marketplace and appraisal sections here. I'm not sure how they work, never had the opportunity, myself.

You say you've never sold an expensive piece of gear on eBay, but are you an experienced seller in other 'stuff'? I mean, eBay can be great and give good value, it can be a real minefield, though, if you are inexperienced.

glwts!

[martinh]

William - No - unfortunately I mostly seem to acquire instruments and not sell them.

[Ontario_RIC_fan]

Howdy folks.

I realized last week that it has probably been two years since I played my 1966 Rick 4005 ( it’s the instrument that someone put in the registry as FD-1381) but it’s actually FD-1227 - the photograph of the number was a bit blurred).

Thanks for sharing the correct information about your bass. I have updated the registry entry so that it is now correct.
http://www.rickresource.com/register/vi ... Findex.php%

Errors do creep into the database - especially with "collected items" where the info comes from images and stuff written in for sale listings of eBay and Craigslist. SN sometimes get misread as you have noted.

The appraisal section here is a good place to get an opinion. The register also tracks completed eBay sales and for a 1966 FG 4005 we get - based upon a sample of 5 sales.

The following is a summary of sales of above referenced model gathered from actual sales on eBay:
*Basis for comparison: Same model, same strings number, same "special" features, same era

Sample type Min Avg Median Max Sample Size
Same model, same era: $7024 $8385 $9000 $10800 5

$4000 seems to be rather low. Based upon this. Although as you have noted a refinished example would be on the lower end of the spectrum.

[Anachronism]

I've done a fair bit of buying and selling on eBay, including several amps and guitars, and I would be reluctant to sell an expensive vintage instrument there. I haven't had any disasters, but I've had a few difficult customers, and I'd prefer to avoid that sort of risk on a rare and expensive item.
Examples:
1. I sold a Mesa guitar amp to someone, took the power tubes out for shipping and wrapped them separately before packing them in the back of the combo. I made a point of letting the buyer know about this. After the amp arrived, he contacted me to complain that the amp wasn't working: it turns out he hadn't put the power tubes in.
2. I allowed for overseas bidding on a Gibson Marauder, and someone in Taiwan bought it. However, the case was too large for priority international shipping, so I had to pack the guitar without and refund part of the sale. Then he asked me to lie on the customs forms, and started badgering me to include extras (strings, picks, strap). After he got the guitar (which he apparently was happy with) he asked me why I didn't leave him positive feedback.
3. I sold another Mesa amp to someone in-state and agreed to local pick-up to save him the cost of shipping. We agreed to meet in a parking lot of a local shopping center, and he was over an hour late after getting lost.
4. I sold a pair of old jazz bass pickups to someone who complained that they never arrived, even though tracking showed that they had. He was extremely unhelpful when I asked for more information or for him to check with the post office--I think he was just trying to scam me because he stopped contacting me after I contacted the post office myself.

Now, all of these situations worked out, insofar as I got my money without negative feedback and the buyer got the item. However, none of them were great transactions, and several could have gone quite badly for me. I still sell on eBay, but I won't do it for an item worth more than I can afford to lose.

[rictified]

Selling on ebay is easy, put in a minimum bid (I would put the lowest you'd accept) and put in a buy it now price of a more than you think it will sell for. These basses are rare and a lot of people would probably want them, I think it would go higher than 4K too. If you only want to sell to certain countries there is an option for that, also is an option to omit certain countries. Just do your homework and get thoroughly familiar with their policies before you sell, you would probably get the higher price on ebay than anywhere else as you have a very large audience. I've sold ricks to several different countries as well as the US and never had a problem.

[Ontario_RIC_fan]

You might also consider consigning it to someplace like Olivia's or Pick of the Ricks that has a strong Rickenbacker client base. They will want a cut of course.

Putting a sale advert here in the marketplace section with lots and lots of images is also a good idea.

[bassduke49]

And be UP FRONT ABOUT EVERYTHING like the refin, mods, no case, etc. Gotta clearly spell out everything to avoid conflict with a buyer. I've bought several Rick basses off eBay and never had a problem, but I'm real careful.

[libratune]

You might also consider listing your 4005 on reverb.com. That is becoming a popular site for buying/selling vintage guitars, basses and amps. Reverb takes a 3% cut of the final sales price, as opposed to ebay, which takes a higher fee, including 10% of the first $2500 for fixed price (buy it now) auction sales.

For what it's worth, I believe your refinished 4005 would sell for $5000 or better if in good structural shape. There seems to be a lot of folks looking for this model but not many (hardly any) on the market. The refin makes this affordable for someone who couldn't pay the going rate for an all-original '60s 4005.

[martinh]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I appreciate your knowledge, and y'all taking the time to reply.

[cestlamort]

I'd suggest putting it on consignment somewhere rather than selling it yourself. You might end up with a bit less in your pocket, but (as noted above) ebay takes a cut of the final sale and (more importantly) they go out of their way to ensure that the buyer is protected, to the point that all disputes seems to side with the buyer. For me (at least), the hassle and headaches outweigh the rewards. Reverb is also a fine platform for selling (and buying) musical instruments (and is run/owned by Chicago Music Exchange I believe).

If you do sell it yourself, I'll echo the comments that you should detail *everything* about the bass. Every tiny ding, blemish, etc. And never retroactively give a discount or partial refund for some imperfection or other, as they will then to keep complaining about this or that. (Sorry to sound so pessimistic, but I'm surprised at how people behave sometimes).

[jdogric12]

Reverb.com

[Baker69]

My experience in selling a vintage Ric is that of regret!

I sold my 1978 4001 Jetglo a couple of years ago but have regretted it ever since, I've seen many similar stories on here too.

So my advice is, unless you absolutely have to sell an old Ric then hang on to it!

[Snowglo]

I'm a noob in the Rick game and know more about quantum physics than I do about vintage Rick's. However, I wouldn't part with this bass unless it was an extreme emergency. I really believe you will regret it. My .02 anyway.

[martinh]

The urge to get rid of it is declining. Also, when I looks at it closely, there is a very small seam separation on the top



( 4005s appear to sometimes have multi-piece bodies,I assume this is because they are substantially bigger than any other Rick)

It probably will go back in the rack awaiting some maintenance later this year.