Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

You would have the shape & look and nothing else,there is no way that Rickenbacker or any other American guitar company would allow a Korean made Instrument to be better made and sound like their USA made model.

Obviously you haven't played any Japanese made "Gibsons" or Fenders, or even Korean made PRS guitars.

I know for many years the guitars that came out of Japan were of poor quality, this goes back to the early 60's when they got into the market. It has taken a long time for them to catch up, but to me the bottom line is: they copy our products and inventions and our US Companies exploit the low cost of living and pay as little as possible to reap the largest profits.

The 60's are long gone, forty years ago (or very close to) long gone.

I'm in Dale's corner on this one. What does any of this have to do with guitars? If we are going to expand a company policy thread to discuss human rights records of guitar manufacturing countries, China would be dead last. And xenophobia is not a solely American trait, either.

What brings on this anti-American rant, anyway?

This is not the place for it.

I agree, take this elsewhere.

What brings on this anti-American rant, anyway?

This is not the place for it.

That's so very true.

...we all strayed at some time. I once used a bolt on neck copy of a 4001MG deluxe from Arbiter. Quite a nice bass in the 70ies but could not even come close to the original. About a year ago I tried that 4004 copy from Bach, same result.
I know why I stay with my '74 4001FG and my TR4004Cii. However my fingers would itch to check out any copy that is hanging around in a GC.

You will notice that there are a number of edits in this thread.

While I appreciate that the global market is a complicated one when it comes to the manufacturing of any products these days, let along guitars, I would ask that we keep political comments out of these discussions.

Such political comments can only be expected to lead to conflict and hard feelings all the way around.

Manuel firstly i have owned a few Japanese,and Korean instruments including Fenders and they where all very well made.You have misunderstood what i was saying.If you made an instrument and used nice woods and used your own made pickups and sold it for £1,000 you,would'nt want your Korean distributor to make the same instrument for £500.

The original question was about Rickenbacker copies & if Rickenbacker would go down this route.I hope they never do it took me years to get my 4003 and that was thanks to my girlfriend wasting my money, on basses that i did'nt want instead of saving it for what i really wanted.I would'nt knock other countries or their guitars/basses there is a lot of choice now for the musician.

"What brings on this anti-American rant, anyway?"

Thank you Paul, I edited myself last night and decided to not even respond to that post directly.

There was nothing political about what I wrote. It was stating what is blatantly obvious if you care to study your history and dig a little behind the news without bias.

Invariably the threads that take pot shots at another countries ability to produce whatever products do so at the expense of the people that produce them. And that is political.

America has not closed the doors on producing quality guitars. Many, many guitars that are made and come from the USA are nasty pieces of work that do not stand up to the same Japanese, Korean and Chinese products and to say that these countries could not make an electric guitar to the same quality (if not better in some cases) as a Rickenbacker is simply knaive.

If Rickenbacker chooses to make their instruments in America and don't need to go anywhere else to make them its fine, it's their choice and they are nice instruments, but don't assume that other countries couldn't produce a similar quality instrument.

I missed all the fireworks again?!

I agree with Dale wholehartedly on this one. He stated my feelings on this exactly.

I prefer acoustic instruments hand-made by local (Russian) luthiers. As for electric, i'd take any which i find of a good quality and good sound, not because of country it was made in. But that doesn't mean i am anti-something. To each their own.

Manuel: Your comments were too harsh and at times bordered on insult. This was the reason for the edit. It is entirely possible to make your case without offending others. All I would ask that we move forward in a more sensitive way. I hope you understand.