Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Guys, I have a related question.

Is a dealer allowed to sell over the list price, per the Ric. dealership agreement? (like a $17,000 4004LK).

Is it only when a GTR is used, that then they can jack up the price?

I guess that depends on whether the manufacturer considers that detrimental to the product's reputation and standing, Dave.

I don't think anybody makes an issue of that.
If You can sell a $1000 guitar for $2000 you're a great salesman.

Agreed, Wim...... whatever the market can bear!

Somehow I don't think Ed Roman is going to listen to anybody who tells him his price on the 4004LK is too high!

If it's like a Harley dealership, RIC dealers are franchised basically. The control of the price comes from the dealer, not the manufacturer. With Harley dealers, they can mark prices up or down from the MSRP.

Phlemmy, Ricks don't equate to Harleys in any way to me, except they are trad and Made in America. God forbid that Rick should ever enjoy Harley's government-subsidized "success" and we should see Rics in 155 model numbers, with chrome-plated necks and atrocious color schemes, peppering stages and videos around the planet.

Harleys are a religious experience: belly-button motorcycles with a huge macho image, that people who think alike spend small fortunes trying to make slightly different from the one parked next to it in front of the martini bar/pool hall/donut shoppe/escrow office.

The motorcycle equivalent of Rickenbacker guitars and basses would be a Confederate Wraith ( they're in NWawlins, so I wonder how they're faring...).

The automotive equivalent would be a Morgan Plus Eight. But not the Aero version--it's too new.

IMO

Instead of Harley I could have used a Ben and Jerry's ice cream stand. The owner of the stand can charge what he wants as I would assume RIC dealers can.

I'm not comparing the product, not in the least. I comparing how franchises and pricing works.

OK, buddy, I see the light!

your future's so bright you gotta wear shades.

Last I heard Confederate was pretty wiped out by the hurricane. The factory is closed. They were supposed to be delivering the Wraith at the end of October, but the storm has indefinately postponed that. Not that I could ever afford one anyway. I'll stick with Ricks for now.

I've been monitoring their website, and nothing since late August. They were at 845 Carondelet, which is only 3 blocks from the Superdome, and was definitely hit hard by the flood. Their entire facility is at ground level, which at that point is about 10 feet below sea level. Their building is about 75 years old as well...

It seem to me that a dealer could sell a new guitar to anyone regardless of where they live and just list it as used even though it would have all of the case candy etc. The only thing would be is that it wouldn't have a warranty. And let face it the Ric warranty isn't that big of a deal anyway. If I live in a country where it was hard to fine a Ric, I would gladly give up the warranty. When I bought my 1997 reissue, I believe there was only 3 years left on the warranty and everything was OK on the guitar so I never even bothered to send the card in.