Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Colonel Sanders wrote:

gareth wrote:I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that a significant percentage of new RIC product is being bought by collectors as investments.

I have seen much better investments than electric guitars.

To be fair, I also have seen much worst.

This being said, it is a hobby where you will get back a fair chunk of your expenses when you resell.

I could sell my 2002 360 for at least what I paid for it back then. Not bad, considering I got to use it for all that time, and all I've done is change the strings once or twice.

JWR wrote:In March 2012 I wanted a brand new RIC 4003. I called Dave's Guitar Shop in La Crosse WI, got a price quote, checked the inventory on line, drove 90 minutes, and I had a superb brand new MG 4003 that was manufactured in February accompany me home. It didn't appear to be too difficult to find a superb quality product from a superb quality dealer.

Not that easy when you live in Australia! You need to rely on importing from those fly by night eBay resellers of new intruments. They usually get a bad rap by arm chair generals who never dealt with them in the first place.

Personnally I say "thanks to them"

Five years ago...well, good luck. Now supply and demand are finding parity.

jingle_jangle wrote:Five years ago...well, good luck. Now supply and demand are finding parity.

+1 on this. A few years ago it was very hard to find new stock here in the UK.

Now it's pretty good - I bought my 'newest' Ric, a 4003, in late December. It is - if I remember - a July production of 2011. Straight from the dealer, and they had a couple of Mapleglo's as well.

Back in 1976 I searched high and low in Vancouver,BC and none were to be found,I eventually found a used one in a music store.I now live in Victoria and the local guitar shop(Long & McQuade) told me it's a 2 year wait for a new Rickenbacker bass.Rics have always been hard to come across in these parts.

heinpete wrote:...as a leftie waiting for a Rick, you might as well meanwhile train yourself to become a righty!

According to the Facebook link production of Left Hand 4003's is to re-commence "later this year"

I wait in eager anticipation. I really hope they won't cane us too hard on the price. The average current price for a Right Hand 4003 here in the UK is about £ 1,600 - I heard a rumour that when LH models became available again they would be in the region of £ 2,500!

Baker69 wrote:I wait in eager anticipation. I really hope they won't cane us too hard on the price. The average current price for a Right Hand 4003 here in the UK is about £ 1,600 - I heard a rumour that when LH models became available again they would be in the region of £ 2,500!

That sounds like dealer gouging!

Forsyths in Manchester have a good stock of Ricks.
I saw a C64s when I was in there last time.
Looking in Guitarist Magazine there are several other UK dealers advertising Ricks.

Ok then, assuming production of lefty 4003's is re-starting 'later this year' how do I get one, i.e. do i have to order one (now?) through a Ric dealership or do I have to wait until they arrive in the stores?

Well, since lefty instruments are in general, less in demand, waiting for a dealer to have a bunch on hand probably won't work unless the dealer caters specifically to lefties.

I'd suggest ordering one from a dealer, that way they will definitely be on the list to get one. I'm gonna make a guess that RIC tends to wait until they have a sufficient number on order before they even start making 'em, so adding another to the list can only help...

I have a funny feeling that if i approach a Ric Dealership here in the UK I will be simply told that Rickenbacker stopped making lefy 4003's a few years ago and they have heard nothing about them starting to make them again so sorry can't accept your order!

Well, it can't hurt to try, and if one dealer won't try, go to another, then another, and so on.

Point them to this post written by the CEO of RIC, John Hall, back in April:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=405273#p750882

Which says:

johnhall wrote:This was announced awhile back to our overseas distributors, who have now filled our current left handed production order book. Some of the first ones will also be available at Guitar Center but only in the Platinum Room store locations.

A general US announcement was not made previously given that we're already maxxed out.

Kinda sounds like some sort of verification that lefties will be produced and available outside of the US...

Just phoned a dealership and guess what? They know nothing about it!

If they don't know anything about it then they certainly haven't go any lefties on order!

If the overseas dealerships have filled the order books/allocation then I don't know where they're going to?

Maybe you can shoot Ric an email and inquire which dealers in the UK have lefties on order, then contact one of them.