Announcing the arrival of the new baby - a 330/6 FG with vintage toasters. Conceived in July '04 and born February 1, '05. It's all pink and shiny like most new arrivals and even came in its own cot! Hell - it even smells great!!
I think I'm in love!! Have to think of a name now - is Ric a bit obvious?
I'm having to keep the case closed so I don't drool all over it!
Can't wait to plug it in and go BANANAS!! Jingle jangle (apologies to Paul Wilczynski)!! Might have to be an apology for a footy club (that's football club for those in other parts) meeting I've got tonight.
Think I'll have to lower the action a bit but apart from that, everything's cool - neck's perfect (no twist) and has the thinner profile that I'd hoped for (refer another thread).
Even though this one's just arrived, I'm already thinking of adding to the family - maybe a 12 string?? Blueburst?? No, wait - give up the smokes and pay this one off first!
Cheers all.
Howard
New arrival
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
New arrival
"Never eat more than you can lift." - Mr. Moon
-
sloop_john_b
- Rick-a-holic
- Posts: 13843
- Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2005 6:00 am
-
jingle_jangle
- RRF Moderator
- Posts: 22679
- Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 6:00 am
- Contact:
OK, Howard, let me be the first to tell you the bad news:
YOU NEED A 12 TOO. ASAP.
You're welcome...
YOU NEED A 12 TOO. ASAP.
You're welcome...
“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
― Kurt Vonnegut
-
jingle_jangle
- RRF Moderator
- Posts: 22679
- Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 6:00 am
- Contact:
Rick is not a charitable corporation, although IMO the quality of the guitars and their handbuilt feel is a giveaway at their prices.
Consider:
My new 381V69 (6 string) lists at right around $3K. I paid a fair price which allows the dealer a reasonable profit. The dealer (I'm guessing) paid around $1400.00 for the guitar. That means Rick built the guitar, fully burdened, for $1000.00, give or take a couple hun'. Wow. And that's a guitar that's near to the top-of-the-line. A MG 330-6 is HALF the above prices, again, roughly.
I realize that Rickenbacker, being a non-publicly held corporation, does not release its profit-and-loss statements to the general public. They also may take non-standard markups and work to different profit margins, so I may be making a jackass out of myself by assuming these numbers are correct. So, OK, move the figures around by, say, 30% and you will STILL arrive at the same conclusion: these handbuilt products are HONEYS and a BARGAIN. A charming anachronism in our In 'N' Out world.
Thanks for reading another of my "Ricks are a Bargain" rants!
Consider:
My new 381V69 (6 string) lists at right around $3K. I paid a fair price which allows the dealer a reasonable profit. The dealer (I'm guessing) paid around $1400.00 for the guitar. That means Rick built the guitar, fully burdened, for $1000.00, give or take a couple hun'. Wow. And that's a guitar that's near to the top-of-the-line. A MG 330-6 is HALF the above prices, again, roughly.
I realize that Rickenbacker, being a non-publicly held corporation, does not release its profit-and-loss statements to the general public. They also may take non-standard markups and work to different profit margins, so I may be making a jackass out of myself by assuming these numbers are correct. So, OK, move the figures around by, say, 30% and you will STILL arrive at the same conclusion: these handbuilt products are HONEYS and a BARGAIN. A charming anachronism in our In 'N' Out world.
Thanks for reading another of my "Ricks are a Bargain" rants!
“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
― Kurt Vonnegut
Hmmmm...
Don't really care who makes how much. I've always believed that you get what you pay for and quality will always cost more (eg. Gibson vs. Epiphone or Fender vs. Squier). Don't get me wrong - I'm not putting F or G in the same basket as Rickenbacker!!
I got about 22% off on the 330 so I'm happy. Couldn't be bothered hunting around too much. I expected to pay $2300+ (AUD) for a 330 and that's what happened - can't complain.
However, if a dealer can offer you that then there's still got to be a substantial margin in it for him. He doesn't even need to discount if the product is scarce.
Anyhow, I wanted a Ric and as far as I'm concerned I got it at a price I was prepared to pay.
HONEYBARGAIN, eh? Color of the year 2006?
Cheers!
Don't really care who makes how much. I've always believed that you get what you pay for and quality will always cost more (eg. Gibson vs. Epiphone or Fender vs. Squier). Don't get me wrong - I'm not putting F or G in the same basket as Rickenbacker!!
I got about 22% off on the 330 so I'm happy. Couldn't be bothered hunting around too much. I expected to pay $2300+ (AUD) for a 330 and that's what happened - can't complain.
However, if a dealer can offer you that then there's still got to be a substantial margin in it for him. He doesn't even need to discount if the product is scarce.
Anyhow, I wanted a Ric and as far as I'm concerned I got it at a price I was prepared to pay.
HONEYBARGAIN, eh? Color of the year 2006?
Cheers!
"Never eat more than you can lift." - Mr. Moon
-
jingle_jangle
- RRF Moderator
- Posts: 22679
- Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 6:00 am
- Contact:
Howard. I'm not sure if you got my meaning. It was simply a message of appreciation, not a critique of profit margins or of prices paid. In a way, none of us cares who makes how much. But we certainly would if Ricks were bad value for moneys paid out.
We seldom in life have the opportunity to own something quite so special. That was my point--instead of going the route of other "traditional" old American guitar manufacturers, and offering a zillion variations on one theme or building fifty thousand of one kind of guitar in one month, overseas, Rick goes about it the traditional way, and offers us all a window into an almost lost way of doing things.
Let's thank our lucky stars.
We seldom in life have the opportunity to own something quite so special. That was my point--instead of going the route of other "traditional" old American guitar manufacturers, and offering a zillion variations on one theme or building fifty thousand of one kind of guitar in one month, overseas, Rick goes about it the traditional way, and offers us all a window into an almost lost way of doing things.
Let's thank our lucky stars.
“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
― Kurt Vonnegut
Hey Howard, where did you buy your 330 from?
I'd been looking for the best bargain on a 360 in Australia for ages. I managed to find a great deal from a US dealer and have it shipped to a friend in the States who will bring it back to Melbourne with them in a couple of months.
Less than $1,300 AUD for the 360 Mapleglo. sweet
I'd been looking for the best bargain on a 360 in Australia for ages. I managed to find a great deal from a US dealer and have it shipped to a friend in the States who will bring it back to Melbourne with them in a couple of months.
Less than $1,300 AUD for the 360 Mapleglo. sweet
NOW I get your drift, Paul . Sorry 'bout the misunderstanding!
Yes, it's like so many other things - furniture, for example. The best is still hand made - often by old-school artisans who do what they do because they love it and can actually use their skill and experience to craft an item rather than watch the lights and meters on a bloody great big machine.
That's another reason I went for the Ric - hand made in the good old USA (which, let's face it, is the home of the electric guitar). I toyed with the idea of a Gretsch but changed my mind after playing it - I'm so glad!! Also there is a certain sort of mystique associated with Rics.
Just as an aside, I visited a Ric dealer the other day (they've recently re-opened after a fire) and I noticed there were no Rics on the wall - they had 4 or 5 before the fire. I asked the guy if he was having trouble replacing the stock and he told me that he had ditched Rickenbacker. Said they were 'too expensive and didn't sell - 2 in three years'. I then looked around and saw that the stock (apart from acoustics) was well over 90% Fender (or a derivative/facsimile thereof). His explanation was 'I stayed with the biggest and the most popular'. Perhaps he needs to visit this forum to get a true evaluation of the instruments and the love their owners have for them. Maybe then he could sell some!!
Cheers!
Yes, it's like so many other things - furniture, for example. The best is still hand made - often by old-school artisans who do what they do because they love it and can actually use their skill and experience to craft an item rather than watch the lights and meters on a bloody great big machine.
That's another reason I went for the Ric - hand made in the good old USA (which, let's face it, is the home of the electric guitar). I toyed with the idea of a Gretsch but changed my mind after playing it - I'm so glad!! Also there is a certain sort of mystique associated with Rics.
Just as an aside, I visited a Ric dealer the other day (they've recently re-opened after a fire) and I noticed there were no Rics on the wall - they had 4 or 5 before the fire. I asked the guy if he was having trouble replacing the stock and he told me that he had ditched Rickenbacker. Said they were 'too expensive and didn't sell - 2 in three years'. I then looked around and saw that the stock (apart from acoustics) was well over 90% Fender (or a derivative/facsimile thereof). His explanation was 'I stayed with the biggest and the most popular'. Perhaps he needs to visit this forum to get a true evaluation of the instruments and the love their owners have for them. Maybe then he could sell some!!
Cheers!
"Never eat more than you can lift." - Mr. Moon
Thanks for that, Simon. Know how to hurt a guy, don't you??
I bought it from Guitar World at Nerang, Queensland. I found that they and Eastgate Guitars in Melbourne were about par on pricing but GW had the Fireglo (the vintage toasters are a bonus).
I guess the price you paid is indicative of a few things - import duty (I think 3%), distributor markup, dealer markup, GST.
Methinks I'll find a friend in the US next time. Had a friend in Seattle but Boeing sent him back here! My brother's got an old friend in Minnesota - Hmmmm..... maybe something in a 12 string mapleglo........... STOP IT!
Cheers!
I bought it from Guitar World at Nerang, Queensland. I found that they and Eastgate Guitars in Melbourne were about par on pricing but GW had the Fireglo (the vintage toasters are a bonus).
I guess the price you paid is indicative of a few things - import duty (I think 3%), distributor markup, dealer markup, GST.
Methinks I'll find a friend in the US next time. Had a friend in Seattle but Boeing sent him back here! My brother's got an old friend in Minnesota - Hmmmm..... maybe something in a 12 string mapleglo........... STOP IT!
Cheers!
"Never eat more than you can lift." - Mr. Moon
-
jingle_jangle
- RRF Moderator
- Posts: 22679
- Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 6:00 am
- Contact:
Howard, glad this misunderstanding is resolved.
Re: the guitar store: unfortunately, he's got to do what they all do--survive. The shopkeeper mentality is often at odds with what it takes to appreciate and promote the mystique of a classic American brand. He's just turning stock, which means selling as many Strats and Squiers as the traffic will bear. Tough biz. Here in the USA there is a constant demand for these legendary guitars, kept alive by a slowly-expanding core of devoted musician/collector fans. I think Rick is in its Golden Age right now.
Anyway, it is this core of customers that keeps the Rick channels open and stock turning. But, don't get the idea that there are Ricks hanging off the wall in every music shoppe in the States--far from it (except for E* R**** in L** V****). Ricks are specialist items: they take specialist sales and after-sales customer service.
As I've mentioned before, I live and work in the SF Bay area. I have yet to see a Rick in stock at any guitar shop I've been into in the past 6 months here. That includes Guitar Center on Van Ness, which opened about 3 months ago to huge hoopla and who must have at least 200 Strats on display (never mind how many in back...). It's the same herd mentality that keeps Harley Davidson afloat.
BTW, anyone who would be inclined to compare H-D with Rick ("nostalgia", "traditional American brand", etc.), is off the mark, IMO. When everybody's got one, you just know that somebody's cranking 'em out like crazy, and any notion of "craft" goes out the factory window. Not to mention government subsidization of a company whose poor quality and abysmal management would have caused its disappearance before US stepped in to save the day.
If you were to compare H-D with the so-called "Fender Custom Shop", you're closer to the mark. I will allow that there are some superb guitar builders/assemblers at FCS, but to me, they are building kit guitars using stacks of premium Fender parts.
IMO, in order to call onesself a "luthier", a builder must be able to construct a hollow-bodied guitar that sounds unique, and plays well enough to justify the price of his labor.
Additionally, the current American paradigm of "branding", means that the FCS promotes its best builders/assemblers by name, and they put together and fine-tune some sweet and very high-priced solidbodies (although I question the taste of some of them!). Then there are the mid-line, cynically-marketed "pseudo-mojo" three-level vintage solidbodies (NOS, Closet, Relic), cranked out by the thousands in a factory somewhere in East Coffeestain, Arkansas. that capitalize on some sort of "cool" that mostly escapes me.
They say that Saint SRV never cleaned his fretboard, lest he lose his magic, and that legend has spawned--dirty guitars. Maybe the same sort of reverse-snob-appeal that sees accountants suiting up in denim and black leather on weekends and getting on their H-Ds for a romp in the countryside.
Yikes!!! Who asked for the above rant?
Well, I just got to thinking about "intrinsic value" versus "hype". Same topic as my "thank gosh for Rick" post above.
One more paragraph: What on earth would make a Greg Fessler (just to pick out a name, not as a personal attack, you understand...) Strat "Relic" worth $6500.00? It seems to me that it's the ego-stroking that goes on between FCS, their name builders and the customers who pay these outrageous prices. Does a guitar like this play $5000 better than an ordinary Strat? I doubt it. That is not intrinsic value. Intrinsic value is paying $3000.00 for something that's worth $3000.00. The rest is HYPE, at least when applied to new items.
Anyhow, Howard, you've got a friend here for your next purchase. I'm ready for my first Australian trip whenever you're ready to buy your second Rick--a 12 string, right?
Re: the guitar store: unfortunately, he's got to do what they all do--survive. The shopkeeper mentality is often at odds with what it takes to appreciate and promote the mystique of a classic American brand. He's just turning stock, which means selling as many Strats and Squiers as the traffic will bear. Tough biz. Here in the USA there is a constant demand for these legendary guitars, kept alive by a slowly-expanding core of devoted musician/collector fans. I think Rick is in its Golden Age right now.
Anyway, it is this core of customers that keeps the Rick channels open and stock turning. But, don't get the idea that there are Ricks hanging off the wall in every music shoppe in the States--far from it (except for E* R**** in L** V****). Ricks are specialist items: they take specialist sales and after-sales customer service.
As I've mentioned before, I live and work in the SF Bay area. I have yet to see a Rick in stock at any guitar shop I've been into in the past 6 months here. That includes Guitar Center on Van Ness, which opened about 3 months ago to huge hoopla and who must have at least 200 Strats on display (never mind how many in back...). It's the same herd mentality that keeps Harley Davidson afloat.
BTW, anyone who would be inclined to compare H-D with Rick ("nostalgia", "traditional American brand", etc.), is off the mark, IMO. When everybody's got one, you just know that somebody's cranking 'em out like crazy, and any notion of "craft" goes out the factory window. Not to mention government subsidization of a company whose poor quality and abysmal management would have caused its disappearance before US stepped in to save the day.
If you were to compare H-D with the so-called "Fender Custom Shop", you're closer to the mark. I will allow that there are some superb guitar builders/assemblers at FCS, but to me, they are building kit guitars using stacks of premium Fender parts.
IMO, in order to call onesself a "luthier", a builder must be able to construct a hollow-bodied guitar that sounds unique, and plays well enough to justify the price of his labor.
Additionally, the current American paradigm of "branding", means that the FCS promotes its best builders/assemblers by name, and they put together and fine-tune some sweet and very high-priced solidbodies (although I question the taste of some of them!). Then there are the mid-line, cynically-marketed "pseudo-mojo" three-level vintage solidbodies (NOS, Closet, Relic), cranked out by the thousands in a factory somewhere in East Coffeestain, Arkansas. that capitalize on some sort of "cool" that mostly escapes me.
They say that Saint SRV never cleaned his fretboard, lest he lose his magic, and that legend has spawned--dirty guitars. Maybe the same sort of reverse-snob-appeal that sees accountants suiting up in denim and black leather on weekends and getting on their H-Ds for a romp in the countryside.
Yikes!!! Who asked for the above rant?
Well, I just got to thinking about "intrinsic value" versus "hype". Same topic as my "thank gosh for Rick" post above.
One more paragraph: What on earth would make a Greg Fessler (just to pick out a name, not as a personal attack, you understand...) Strat "Relic" worth $6500.00? It seems to me that it's the ego-stroking that goes on between FCS, their name builders and the customers who pay these outrageous prices. Does a guitar like this play $5000 better than an ordinary Strat? I doubt it. That is not intrinsic value. Intrinsic value is paying $3000.00 for something that's worth $3000.00. The rest is HYPE, at least when applied to new items.
Anyhow, Howard, you've got a friend here for your next purchase. I'm ready for my first Australian trip whenever you're ready to buy your second Rick--a 12 string, right?
“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
― Kurt Vonnegut
There you go Howard, Paul is willing to go the hard yards for you and bring a Ric down under like my friend is.
I didnt mean to brag, believe me I'd much rather buy from a local music store (aside from Allans)and keep the money here, support the local team etc etc, but I simply couldnt afford to spend $2,000+ on a new guitar, so I had to go the tightest possible option. It took ages, like 6 months to work out the cheapest way. I'm sure it'll be worth the wait.
I didnt mean to brag, believe me I'd much rather buy from a local music store (aside from Allans)and keep the money here, support the local team etc etc, but I simply couldnt afford to spend $2,000+ on a new guitar, so I had to go the tightest possible option. It took ages, like 6 months to work out the cheapest way. I'm sure it'll be worth the wait.
-
jingle_jangle
- RRF Moderator
- Posts: 22679
- Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 6:00 am
- Contact: