Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

As long as you're not set on a raised-letter TRC, you can make your own. Fun AND legal!

How is it legal?

I'm pretty sure it's only illegal if you tried to sell it.

I did one when I needed to use a borrowed copy when I was waiting for my real 4003 to arrive - I scanned the TRC from one of my Rick guitars, printed it out on shiny photo quality paper, cut around it and stuck it over the front of the (plexi type) copy TRC with double sided tape. The screw holes even lined up pretty well - from more than a couple of feet away it looked absolutely genuine.

Why? Because actually I would prefer to support RIC by NOT advertising that I was using a copy with a different name on it. The bass looked and sounded good enough that it wouldn't have harmed the reputation of the company when seen from the crowd at a gig.

Equally, it wouldn't have fooled any buyer if it had somehow got into the wrong hands - but you do have to be careful, because I think it could quite easily have passed as real (as could the whole bass, with just a couple of small parts changes) in typical auction listing pics - so now I've got my real 4003 the copy will be going back to its owner and I've removed and destroyed the fake logo.

Those Italian TRCs are almost certainly fakes by the way, unless the seller has somehow come across a job lot of old ones - the seller (or different sellers, but all in Italy) has listed them many times.

In the profile the lower curve appears to be less than fair toward the skinny end, compared with the one on my 320. I wouldn't trust it. And four more like it recently?
Let me speak as moldmaker and sculptor (my former day job) and say that coming from Italy (which has more moldmakers per square km than any other place in the universe) is a bit of a red flag
And yeah, it sounds like a very lucrative gig at 50-100 bucks a pop!

jps wrote:How is it legal?

You can make whatever you want as long as you don't sell it or use it for commercial purposes. I recall Paul W. making some custom TRCs back in the day after checking with Ric.

So if I wanted to custom make one for my 360 (say with my last name on it) that would be legal as long as I didn't sell it?

dpowell wrote:

jps wrote:How is it legal?

You can make whatever you want as long as you don't sell it or use it for commercial purposes. I recall Paul W. making some custom TRCs back in the day after checking with Ric.

I have specific permission from Rickenbacker to make the laser-engraved ones, which I put onto the acoustics that I build. I do not have permission to make or sell any other kind, and can only use the engraved ones on my acoustics.

jingle_jangle wrote:

dpowell wrote:

jps wrote:How is it legal?

You can make whatever you want as long as you don't sell it or use it for commercial purposes. I recall Paul W. making some custom TRCs back in the day after checking with Ric.

I have specific permission from Rickenbacker to make the laser-engraved ones, which I put onto the acoustics that I build. I do not have permission to make or sell any other kind, and can only use the engraved ones on my acoustics.

I was referring to the originals, the ones for your 381and 660(?)

jingle_jangle wrote: I have specific permission from Rickenbacker to make the laser-engraved ones, which I put onto the acoustics that I build. I do not have permission to make or sell any other kind, and can only use the engraved ones on my acoustics.

Interesting Paul, I just assumed that Ric would have supplied the TRCs to you. Do the acoustics not use standard styles or colors?

[quote="Mateybob]
I want, and can easily get hold of a black pickguard for my Jetglo 360/12, so I'm also really tempted to buy a fake black TRC to match as Ric make it nigh impossible to get hold of the real thing.

An all black 360/12..... MMmmmm.[/quote]

I did something similar with my 360/12 AFG. I got a gold pickguard from Pickguardian. Then I sent them my trc and they painted it gold to match complete with the black raised letters. The only thing you sacrifice is the part that isn't raised lettering - the Made in USA part. So if it is the trc holding you back I suggest you contact them.

And now I am thinking my Jettglo 330 needs to be all black...

houblues wrote: The only thing you sacrifice is the part that isn't raised lettering - the Made in USA part.

And a bit of transfer lettering or a custom-made inter-negative transfer (INT) would take care of that...