Do you think Ric should introduce a budget range bass?

[FretlessOnly]

I like the fact that when I play a Rickenbacker, everyone knows it's a high quality American-made instrument, not just some cheap spagetti-logo decaled log made in the Bangledeshi Colony on Mars!

I don't see any reason why one would need to express their love of all things Rickenbacker by denegrating Fender. Among my herd I own four Ricks and three Fenders and I've found that they each have their strengths and weaknesses.

[cassius987]

Whatever we're hypothesizing RIC should do or not, if they add anything on--cheap, expensive, whatever--it means they need to buy a whole new factory, because their current one is maxed out to my knowledge. Which is why I doubt we'll see anything at all.

I'd like to see the 4003S come back--that's all. Dot inlays and no binding looks great to me. I don't think RIC needs to make a "cheaper" bass--I'm not really sure how they would anyways, with their current "deluxe" models running pretty much dead even in price with MusicMans and active "Deluxe" Fenders; to get something actually below the $1000-mark would mean radically changing the way the bass is produced.

[fabandgear]

I'm not denigrating Fender (guess I should have included a line of happyfaces in my post!) I'm just saying that Rickenbacker chooses not to go the route of putting their name on just any guitar. They serve a market that wants a high quality American-made instrument. Fender (among others) has decided that it is in their best interest to market their name, thus their line of inexpensive overseas-made instruments. My point is that if you save up and invest in a Rick, you know you have what you have. If you buy someone else's guitar, it may be a Bentley, or a Bentley logo on a Yugo.

[cangaroo]

A big NO.

But they could license some other manufacturers to build Ricks (but only with original and true specs of course), so maybe one day we'll not see rickenfakers anymore and maybe people all around the world can have the rick experience at the right price without waiting years.

[fabandgear]

it may be a Bentley, or a Bentley logo on a Yugo.

Ouch! I just realized there WAS a Bentley guitar from St. Louis Music, Inc., the same folks who brought you the Series 10 "Liverpool" and "Hamburg" Rick-offs!

[jps]

I used to play with a guitarist who has a Bentley acoustic guitar, Vic is the king of cheap guitars and I think he is proud of it too; his wife has begged him to buy at least one good quality guitar.

[johnallg]

No. Also, while I really love the S models and would like to see them made again in the future, I do not view them as a budget range RIC bass. The 300x basses were budget, but having just seen and played a 3000 short scale, they were still made as high in quality as the regular line.

[fabandgear]

No. Also, while I really love the S models and would like to see them made again in the future, I do not view them as a budget range RIC bass. The 300x basses were budget, but having just seen and played a 3000 short scale, they were still made as high in quality as the regular line.

The Rickenbacker 230 guitar and 2030 bass were fine instruments, but as RIC stated in their sales literature were "Loss Leaders". I think today RIC is in the position of not having to offer less expensive instruments. As for the "S" models, they would be a great idea to continue with. Many folks consider the non-bound, dot neck look to be quite attractive (I LOVE my 4001V63!)
There are a great many fine sounding, fine playing budget-priced instruments out there today, so I think RIC is right to concentrate on what they do best-their current offerings.

[beatledust19]

Absolutely not! Unlike Fender and Gibson, Ric has been smart not to produce "budget" instruments (at least in recent memory). That is what separates them from the usual suspects. Rickenbacker has always been known for their high quality instruments, and I'd hate to see reputation tarnished by putting out some really cheap, low-quality instruments. I think that's one of the reasons why the Rics are so highly sought after. Just my two pesos, though.

[Blackstar]

No!

[KenOnBass]

I was thinking the opposite...not that they need to cost much more, but I'd save for a boutique reissues of a Chris Squire bass or a 4002. They shouldn't be limited runs, now unavailable. They should have a custom shop where you can still get these made for less than what they're going for used. Look at Sadowskys where Will Lee models go for $4k+ and have 6-8 month waiting time. I think Rickenbacker Corp has a wicked inferiority complex and needs to start branching up a bit. Come 'on John Hall, it would be worth it!

[Rickenhands]

It's a no for me too. John Hall became quite engaged in a similar thread on Ric's forum. To sum it up, he said that as long as he's CEO, there won't be a budget Ric. He was emphatic, which made me very happy. No slight to those who can't afford one. I couldn't for a long time. But a Ric is a special instrument--let them focus on keeping them that way. Plus, 2009 was the best sales year in Ric history...no need to worry about budget models.

Cheers!

[FretlessOnly]

Notwithstanding my respect for Mr. Hall's business vision, I would submit that the only reason y'all don't want Rick to produce a budget instrument is to somehow maintain a level of exclusivity that has nothing to do with making music.
If you've invested in the more rare instruments as an investment, I can totally understand, but as a musician, I play basses and guitars for their sound and playability first; everything else being ancillary.

[Rickenhands]

It certainly has nothing to do with exclusivity, for me at least. I'm as salty as the next guy and would like all bass players to enjoy a Ric. My view on this is solely to encourage ongoing quality that's not diluted by a focus on some lesser product. I want high quality, not exclusivity. And my desire for quality is all about music and nothing else.

[FretlessOnly]

And my response would be that you could have all of that if Rick made a cheap brand or if they did not. The topic at hand amounts to whether you think Rick should become Fender or...{insert non-American brand here}.

Obviously, it doesn't make sense for a successful hand-made instrument crafter to suck cheese from the foreign teat, but I only question the rationale of why so many here bristle at the thought. My sense is that they are offended by the mere prospect of being associated with anything not exclusive. Seriously? Will this impact your life adversely?

My '97 CIJ Fender Jazz FL that I paid less than $200 for is my go to bass almost every day and is present at nearly every gig. That said, I love my Ricks.