Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

jack1953 wrote:Trying to learn as I go.......I see a brand new 4003 goes for 1949.99 at Music123.

That's crazy high. Shop around, you should be able to shave off a few hundred.

jps wrote:

AdamBomb wrote:On a similar vein, when exactly is a ric considered vintage and not just old?

That, in itself, can be a very long and heated debate!

Even if it's not vintage, old is closer to being vintage then a new one.

And I have no idea from a physics standpoint if there's any scientific reason for it, but pretty much without exception an older played instrument sounds better than an older non-played instrument.

I wonder also if the quality of wood available these days is not what it was 30-40 years ago - would be interested to hear opinions on that from someone that has been building guitars for the past, say, 30 years.

cjj wrote:Yep! You can pay all sorts of crazy prices for vintage.

Then again, the last Rick bass I bought, I paid over $4500 for, and it was brand spankin' new...

So perhaps I fall into the stupid category...

Seeing what you got, I'd vote for the "Not Stupid" option.

If only it were fretless.

Tarrbot wrote:

cjj wrote:Yep! You can pay all sorts of crazy prices for vintage.

Then again, the last Rick bass I bought, I paid over $4500 for, and it was brand spankin' new...

So perhaps I fall into the stupid category...

Seeing what you got, I'd vote for the "Not Stupid" option.

If only it were fretless.

Yeah! Now that would be something!

Another thing to keep in mind is it seems that Ricks change slightly every couple years.
For example, look at the variations the 4001V63 has gone through over it's run. Fat body wings, thin body wings, short and long pegheads, skinny necks to baseball bat necks, HS pu's with real magnets ...
I would be willing to pay quite a bit more for a nice early '90's V than a more recent one based on the features at that time.
(As a matter of fact, I'm in the process of doing that now! )

I do wish the finishes were thinner.

teeder wrote:Another thing to keep in mind is it seems that Ricks change slightly every couple years.
For example, look at the variations the 4001V63 has gone through over it's run. Fat body wings, thin body wings, short and long pegheads, skinny necks to baseball bat necks, HS pu's with real magnets ...
I would be willing to pay quite a bit more for a nice early '90's V than a more recent one based on the features at that time.
(As a matter of fact, I'm in the process of doing that now! )

I do wish the finishes were thinner.

strip it and refin it...the wood will breathe better

I'm actually considering that on my FG V63. The finish is brittle and has numerous chips.
I may have my brother shoot it with a thin coat of Nitro.

teeder wrote:I'm actually considering that on my FG V63. The finish is brittle and has numerous chips.
I may have my brother shoot it with a thin coat of Nitro.

Interesting idea.

For what it's worth, I've had around 25 Rick basses, most of them of the 4001/4003/V63/C64 variety. My 4001C64S (as many of you know) came with the factory satin "sealer-only" coat. And it sounds the most unique...it's less bright.

Regarding prices of new vs. old 4003's...

I agree with Kevin on the "features" argument. The 4003 has evolved quite a bit from 1980 to the present (neck, body wings, pickup type, tone pots, headstock shape, inlays...to name a few) Some prefer the features of the current 4003, some prefer the features of the older 4003's...or even a 1970's 4001. The older ones obviously aren't being made any more, and there's only so many of them...but demand for them is still relatively high.

Demand for 60's Rick basses is even higher still, and the supply of them is much lower than the 70's basses, hence...You'll have to pay a pretty penny for one of those guys!

I think the vintage thing makes more sense for Fender/Gibson instruments, where the quality of the product has noticeably declined through the years. I'd be MUCH more comfortable buying a new 360 than a new 335, for example, and if I was in the market for an SG I'd definitely try to get one that'd been made in the seventies. I never thought of that being as much of an issue with Rickenbacker stuff--I've never played a crumby one, new or old.