Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Also remember. 100$ or not... some people get off on bragging about how they got a better deal.

"Oh you just got a bass for 1000$? I got the same type last year for 600$."

OK, I feel better now! THis guy actually plays a pbass when he is at home, so he knows the difference!( I don't know if it is a USA one or not- it could be like another guy that I know who says he has 3 Fenders but they are all knock offs...) He thought that it was cool that his aunt bought him the cheapo so he would have a bass to play while he was in town, and so do I! I just wonder about why anyone would suggest that a person get a cheap one if they could afford, and want, better? I feel that having good instruments makes you a better player faster. If you aren't wrestling with a bad instrument, you can focus on sounding good and improving your technique. I still have my first real guitar, a Gibson ES 125, and I love it to this day, and I has gone up in value since I got it 35+ years ago, and it is soooo much easier than the **** guitars that I had before it! I got a Ric 320 from my youngest brother in 1980, and here again, it has really appreciated in value, and I don't have to get another one!

I decided to get an acoustic bass, so I read all the reviews I could find and bought a Martin B1E and I think it was also a good choice! I just LOVE having a great instrument! I also don't spend my money on a fancy car or expensive clothes, but on instruments I really like to use. I just left out of there last night feeling like guilty, well, more like self-concious. WHen I had my 4001 in there the other night, the regular players thought it was super cool and wanted to play it. NO one said, hey, whatcha doing with that guitar, it is too good for you?! I hope that people don't think I am an instrument snob! I think I am, though, but I see it like knowing the difference between a velvet painting and real art!

Bottom line, I just don't believe in student instruments for adults that can afford better----( not for me, anyway)-I hope that it shows that I appreciate quality, not that I am a snob! I know alot of knock offs sound good, but I would know the difference! Kindof like a cubic zirconia.....

Also, if a person goes to sell a quality instrument, you won't lose money on it. THis isn't about the money, it is about enjoying the thing while you play it!

Like Scott, as a teenager, I remember when my local small town music store only had two kinds of guitars and basses... There were the good, expensive, professional grade Gibsons and Fenders (no Ricks in our town) and then there were the ******* Winstons, Kingstons, Kents ect.

The off brands were nearly unplayable and always sounded terrible but that's all we could afford.

Todays kids have a much better selection of pretty good entry grade instruments. I believe that you can get a decent playable bass for under $200 but that's all it will ever be.

Your 4001 is better than a stock market investment and will go up in value in a short amount of time! Good on you for getting a quality instrument.

And, speaking of $100 basses, when I went home one Xmas in the 80's the same music store of my youth had an old Epiphone Rivoli hanging on the wall for $100. I played it but didn't buy it and I'm still kicking myself...it had the banjo tuners and had to be a 59 or 60 that would be worth 20-30 times that today!!!

The bass I use the most is a japanese 51 P-bass reissue. $500. I have new and vintage expensive instruments, but that cheap P-bass serves me best, both on stage and in the studio. I would only reach for another bass to get a special sound or appearance. The two 4001 I have, are the best looking, thou!

The OLP MM basses are nice cheap instruments too. I paid $240 for mine new. Less than $400 after I put a new pick-up and electronics in it. It sounded fine stock, but I wanted USA parts on it. It sounds great now and I play it perodically. My first bass was a Segovia jazz copy that I paid $150 when I was 11. For a cheapie it wasn't bad to learn on. I traded it for my first Rickenbacker 4001 when I was 13.

I think it's more of a case of some uninformed not knowing what they're missing. It's the same way with binoculars. I'm a semi-professional birder, and my binoculars are $1,200 Swarovski 8.5 x 42. A lot of people ask me what they should get when buying binoculars. I tell them right up, don't spend less than $100, but if you want to be serious about birding, spend at least $500. It truly is a case of getting what you pay for. One look and amateurs can't believe the difference between their $50 Sears-bought Tasco cheepies and my Swarovskis. You don't have to go high on the hog, but you won't go wrong.

Quote - THis isn't about the money, it is about enjoying the thing while you play it!

...which can be true of an instrument at any price.....

Quote -I think it's more of a case of some uninformed not knowing what they're missing.

Paul, if that were true then couldn't it be argued that people who play Foderas, Carl Thompsons and Alembics etc (ok, guilty of the 3rd!) would be scoffing at Rick players (maybe they are..)? A Rick is an extremely cheap bass compared to an Alembic Series 2. My Alembic cost nearly £4000 (nearly $8000); however a friend played it and didn't like it. I think it's the best bass I've ever owned or played. I think a musical instrument is a much more subjective issue than a pair of binoculars. Just because a musical instrument is well made doesn't mean that it's going to feel right or sound good to the individual. And to be honest I feel most basses these days are well-made enough. There are basses out there that are better built than Ricks, if you're willing to spend the money. Does that mean they're better?

I play everything I can get my hands on, regardless of price, on the off chance that it may just be the perfect instrument that I'm forever chasing, and I've played many really nice cheaper basses. I've also played many custom basses that are better built than my Ricks, but I choose my Ricks because I like them. I can't say they're better, in the way I can't say apples are better than oranges. They're well made, sound great, play well and look nice. I've never played anything that looks nicer. Sounds better? Depends what I'm aiming for. Plays better? Certainly. A friend of mine has a shop full of high end basses that play staggeringly well. But the Ricks suit me. I don't think it's about "knowing better". One thing I've learned over the years is not to be an instrument snob. I've heard far too many players get great sounds out of cheap instruments, even ignoring my own experiences. Cheap instruments nowadays are nothing like they were when I started playing.

I have a pair of Leica 8x50 binoculars, and I have to agree, the birds do look better through them.

I have an 82mm KOWA-TSN 821 spotting scope, I'm able to see .22 caliber holes at 300 meters. Good glass is worth every penny.

I think I need some of that in my glasses

I have a 100 dollar bass guitar. I paid nearly 2 grand for it. It's a Hofner.
Seriously though, I love it.

I used to drool over the Alembic Series 1 and 2 basses until I played one. After that, I just didn't care for them. I'll take a Rickenbacker bass any day. They are well made, sound great, and are pretty reasonably priced. I 've tried out Alembics, Warriors and other high end basses, and none of them impressed me over my Ricks IMHO.

I can honestly say I'd take my Rics over anything else available.....Alembic, Sadowsky, Fodera, Benevette, Roscoe, Zon, Wal,etc. regardless of price. Do those manufacturers make some killer basses? Absolutely, but that doesn't make them right for me. My Rics suit my needs perfectly. I have the means and silliness to buy whatever bass I want and my choice is clear.

I think that most any bass in the $800-$1500 neighborhood is going to satisfy the needs of the typical pro or semi-pro. Meaning it is generally good quality, reliable and durable. Anything much above that is icing on the cake and you pay for details and bonus features.

I have also played some stellar entry level type Fender, Yamaha, Ibanez, ESP, OLP, etc. basses so if those fit what a particular player is looking for then more power to 'em.

I think the days of totally **** entry level basses are a thing of the past. My first was a short scale Sears plywood bodied bass.....now that was a piece of garbage! I have yet to play anything completely unacceptable in the last several years. Everything seems to at least be "ok".

There is certainly no reason to feel self conscience about whatever you play.....the only thing important is if you are satisfied with it. Be it a $8000 Alembic or a $300 OLP if you are happy who cares what anyone else thinks.

Man, cheap can still be good.

I just did a jam with my band with the new longhorn reissue and it was smoking. Everyone in the band complimented it's tone.

It was a great low end/low mid growl (I would call the ric more high mid growl) and it cut through the mix great.

We wrote a new song in drop D that rocks pretty hard and the longhorn sounds godly.

I snicker when I see a guy with an expensive bass who can't play it. Sorry, I do. S/he hasn't "earned" it, s/he's merely purchased it.

You can't buy cool and you can't buy skill, but thinking that you can is why Tiger Woods sells lots of clothes and clubs.