Rick Quality

[melibreits]

Amen!

[jeff_ulmer]

I'd like to see a Ric custom shop, but I'd probably never be able to afford a guitar made there. Depending on what extent of customization was offered, I could see a very large increase in staffing be necessary, and since they have waiting lists for their "standard" line, it doesn't make much sense.

Of course, if the price of these guitars was double or triple what a stock instrument was, the staffing issue would be covered, but would we be willing to pay $5-10,000 for a bass with a unique coat of paint, or fancier wood adorments? I know this would be out of my league.

I also agree with Paul that we do tend to hold Ric to a higher standard, so flaws, when they do show up, aren't as easily accepted, but then again, I don't think they should be. I think we all expect instruments that are held to a very high standard from Ric.

[soundmasterg]

Don't get me wrong here Paul. I know that Rickenbacker has a waiting list, and has had one for years. They make an excellent product and are a great company to deal with. Businesses in the US that actually make their products in the US completely and are a stable employer and are honest to the customer and their employees have mostly disappeared and it is sad. You only have to look at a company like Gibson and some of the things they are doing to realize how great Rickenbacker is. Gibson suing PRS is bad enough but stuff they do to their dealers to try to increase sales just makes you wonder what kind of an idiot the CEO there is.

When I was first getting into guitars 15 years ago, the first one I wanted was a Rickenbacker. But I didn't want to have to wait for one and couldn't find any in any local shops. That was before the internet so I was stuck. I happened to luck across a used 230 and got it and still have it and love it. Now that I'm a better player and know a bit more about my likes and dislikes on an instrument, and having made some myself, I know that the narrow neck on the RIC 12 string 330/360 models isn't wide enough for my taste. I know they offer wider necks with 12 strings, but not on that model, which is the one I like. If they had a custom shop to do things like that in a limited quantity for a higher price, I'd go for it in a heartbeat. But they don't. So I either live with it, or get a competing brand, or build my own. I can do it either way, but I'd rather just buy one from them with the features I want. (the wider neck) But it isn't an option, so I will probably end up making myself a copy one of these days. I've got better projects to invest my time with, but I REALLY want a RIC 12 string sound and see that as the only to get it with the features I want unfortuantely.

[jps]

"What happened to Ferrari when Fiat took over and the Old Man died?"

Well, Ferrari has now won a whole lot of World Championships! Something they had not done for decades.

[jingle_jangle]

Well, Jeff, since we're parsing my hyperboles, let me clarify the sense of that part of my post:

There is NO QUESTION that Ferraris have improved a lot in terms of being better all around road cars. The company is also making a hell of a lot more of them in a much more controlled fashion than pre-Fiat. But, having driven the old and the new in limited sampling, and being a car collector from way back, I do believe that the cars from the old days had a heck of a lot more charm and what I refer to as "the mystique of the handcrafted".

"Handcrafted" is a term that is overused to death nowadays, and has itself lost its cachet. Old Ferraris were largely mediocre (as was virtually ANY old car), judging by the standards of today. They were loud, rattly, lacking in creature comforts and often unreliable. But each car had a direct connection to the factory and to the man with vision and the dedicated people who designed and handbuilt each one.

The new ones go faster, stop better, can be driven long distances in comfort and with reliability, but IMHO are now only trading on the reputation that Enzo built through passion and dedication and--dare we say it?--obsession, of much the same type that fuels us as Rickenbacker devotees.

Ferraris win races, due in part to a superior, well-funded effort in F1 and in part also to the record of one superhuman driver who, like their cars these days, seems to be missing one thing that the old Ferraris had in spades--CHARM.

I may never own a vintage Ferrari, but I am the lucky owner of a beautiful old Maserati V8 sedan. Occasionally a gas station attendant will look at the badge and ask, "Maserati? Who makes it?" To which I reply, "Well, it was made on a Wednesday, so it was probably Giorgio."

By the simple act of purchasing and playing a Rickenbacker, we establish a personal connection to the men (and women) who designed them and continue to build them today with passion and a minimum of compromises to the world of cookie-cutter, bland, boring products, whether they be the 10 millionth Stratocaster clone or the 10 millionth Camry.

That's my (long-winded) point...

[wints]

The amount of huge $$$$ needed to continually develop in the car industry makes it very difficult for the small independents to survive in their original form. Even marques like Rolls-Royce/Bentley and Jaguar have gone the same way.
The cars of the makers above today are better in nearly every way, (except for appearance where the older models are still far superior imo) but the purists still hanker after the 60,s models...Why does this topic sound familiar? :-}
In order for these companies to have survived they have had to make compromises that have been viewed as unpleasant by many, but they are still here and stronger than ever.
Making instruments is a little different and the capital involved is thankfully less than the motor industry. A guitar made today can be very similar to one made 50 years ago, a practice that you couldn,t get away with with vehicles.
Of course even with instruments the continual investment needed can still be significant in relevance to a small manufacturer, but as long as RIC is selling every instrument they make and John Hall keeps to his philosophy of ownership long may they prosper.

[jps]

I have always favorably compared Rickenbacker and Ferrari. BTW, my favorite Ferraris are the 365P three seater and the 206SP, that should tell you something about my Ferrari preferences!

[jingle_jangle]

Ah, Jeff, a man after my own heart!!!

The 365 prototype is a feature in Classic and Sportscars (I believe...) this month! And of course, the 206 is its slightly smaller less powerful descendent... Both among the last bearing Enzo's influence.

Thanks for not mentioning the 308 or 80s TR. One for wussies, the other for gold-embellished insecure poseurs.

Rickenbacker. There-I've said it once in this post, so I guess we're still on-topic

[soundmasterg]

I was fortunate enough to get a ride in a '62 Ferrari 250 Lusso when I was 5 years old. There are only 350 of those, and many consider them one of the most beautiful Ferrari's ever made. I'll never forget the sound of that V12 as we were in 2nd gear going about 90 on a turnpike onto a freeway!
I've got a Volvo P1800 I'm restoring which has a similar look to that Ferrari, but it doesn't sound like it at all....

[oreca]

Paul is it a Quattroport?
If so what year?

[jingle_jangle]

Yes, Patrick it's a Quattroporte III, a 1985, and I'm the second owner. (Five years and 30K miles.) I've known it since new, as the original owner and I used the same mechanic down in Huntington Beach. It's a heavy, huge, terrifically-driving car with a minimum of electronics (thank God, wherever She is these days), 4 Weber carbs, big DOHC V8, leather, killer sound system, etc. The only downer is gas mileage--it's in the 8MPG range in the city, but positively JUMPS to 15 or 16 on the road at a steady 80.

[tony_carey]

A Volvo that looks like a Ferrari? Don't mean to be rude Greg, but isn't that a little like a Smart car looking like a Mercedes?

Only joking Greg, but I just can't imagine it. The Volvos in the UK are just not like that. I know this has little to do with Rics, but I'd love to see a pic of your project.

[jingle_jangle]

Greg and Tony: I teach car design at university level. I had sort of let this one slide, as people and their personal transportation is a pretty subjective (dare I say self-deluded?) area.

Most of us have heard the "my car looks like a Ferrari" opinion. My favorite was from a girl who had a Karmann Ghia (which Henry Manney, rest his soul, used to call a "Common Gear".

The P1800 is a neat car, and the front grille is its most Ferrari-like feature. And yes, shoot it with a 28mm lens from the front 3/4, and it looks a bit like an old 340MM, as long as you don't open your eyes...

[wints]

A very subjective subject Paul! Guitars are just the same and we RIC bunch are a little different it seems. Personally I think the design of contemporary exotica seems a little more mundane compared to past offerings. I know it,s bad when a Nissan 350Z in burnt orange turns my head more than the red 360 in the car lot.
I had a ride in a new Maserati with the paddle shift a few weeks ago and I,m glad I chose dark underwear that day. Staggering performance and a drive that had me on the edge of my seat. Nice car, but there,s a doctor down the road who has a very rare aluminium bodied Mistral in baby blue that would be my choice any day.

[jingle_jangle]

Andrew, I agree with your observations wholeheartedly. Amazing how alike we think...

Very tired of seeing the TERRIBLE San Francisco streets wreak havoc with my Maserati's suspension system, and skint by the gas prices, I found myself purchasing a nice SAAB 9-3 Turbo SE convertible a couple of weeks ago, for use as a daily commuter/vacation transport. I'd owned three SAAB Turbos in a row, from 1980 until 1995, so I'm no stranger to them.

TWO observations:

1. The SAAB, with about 3000 pounds and 200 HP, is MUCH faster than the Maserati (4800 pounds and 290 HP).

2. While at the dealer getting the paperwork completed, I looked at the 350Z Roadster and Touring Coupe which were on the floor. Both are exquisitely-detailed; like jewelry. Both take some getting used to (lots of odd juxtapositions of shapes and textures, especially in the interiors). The Platinum Roadster had a pair of the orange-brown leather rallye seats with the vented center sections. I was gobsmacked! Probably the most beautiful contemporary car seats I'd ever seen.

The Coupe has the UGLIEST damned door handles I've ever seen on a car. What could they have been thinking?

I guess the same kind of stuff turns our heads.