Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Great analogy Andy.

In a nutshell, we're our worst enemy.

Hey Joey, just got back! nothing like a little over 72 hrs on the ground and 30 hrs in the air!

Hopefully that means you can make it to the So Cal confluence Andy!

I'd agree with a lot of Andy's comments too. Basses especially seemed to have increased in value over the last couple of years. The run of mill 4001/3 stuff seems almost overpriced some days, and even the CS models fetching $4K seems strange to me.

This forum may occasionally push prices more than perceived market value. I think that has been the case with the V63 and the 4005 basses in the last year. Of course, when an individual really wants an instrument then an emotional factor coupled with a supply/demand means anything can happen!

But, in a bigger picture, there are many more people out there, dealers and collectors alike who have finally caught up with the Ric basses vintage market.

This forum and E-Bay being the classic vehicles for this scenario...

I agree Andy, I think the forum may have a little to do with it, but I think the fact that interest in Rics is on the upswing and has been for some years along with the fact that anyone with a computer in the world can now bid and buy a Ric that formerly may have hung in some store in East Cupcake for three years has more to do with the rise in prices. And as far as ridiculous prices go, one person might look at that 1899.00 1977 mapleglo 4001 and think it's the most beautiful bass he's ever seen and just has to have it and bingo, it's sold for a ridiculous price, that doesn't mean that a 77 4001 is worth 1899.00. I think that's what GC is hoping happens to basses like "Rock out like Motorhead" for example.
Ric prices were very low for a long time anyway, artificially low in fact, it's about time they are where they belong even though buying them is now harder for the average person. 10 years ago the average price for a used Ric around here was about 500 bucks and in a store at that.
I myself think prices are becoming fairly stable or at least you can kind of look at a Ric and say, well that's worth so and so, or it will probably go for this much, although of course as the years go they will go up and up like with all good vintage instruments do.

Supply and demand.

It's easy to say "There are people here that never even touched one of these basses yet believe they need to have one." but as you can't just walk into a shop to try one it's natural to want one if you like the tone/sound of them and know how other Rics feel. At the end of the day as it's an investment instrument aswell the person buying would be very unlikely to lose money on it.

As someone said earlier in the post though certain models are popular for a while and them become unpopular, lets hope that happens again to this one! It's like the F£nder Jag - they used to go for peanuts until some band burst out of Aberdeen!

I posted over at the Ric site that a reissue 4005 probably wouldn't do all that great,we all say we want one,like Andy said here you go,one wont stir up a frenzy then how is 1000 or so whatever the quota would have to be to warrant a reissue.

Because you'd be getting a brand new instrument that will not have any issues, there will be no risk of getting ripped off, no hassle with having to sort out shipping (as most of the 4005's I see are stateside).

The only way to manufacture such an instrument would be to pre-sell,, lets say 1000 units and then you have a 2 year wait time. Do you want your $4000.00 tied up for 2 years or more?

A two year wait time would likely be optimistic......probably more like five. How long have people been waiting for a 4004Cii/5? That is no where near the undertaking of retooling for a 4005. It also looks like pepole may be waiting well over a year just for a standard model in the color of the year.

I think it would be a major dud for Ric to reissue a 4005. I played a few of them at the Columbus confluence and was quite impressed so I'm not "anti-4005" but I just think interest outside of the forums would be pretty sparse. Also the amount of people saying they'd pony up $4k for a reissue and the amount that actually would are to vastly different things.

I guess a way to have stab at the possible new price of a 4005 is to look at how much they cost back in 1978. I don’t know what the list price on them was then in comparison to a 4001.

I don’t know if the cost to manufacture a 4005 today would be disproportionately more costly than 27 years ago.

One has to certainly bear in mind that the reason RIC stopped production was because they were not selling very well. OK, things are a bit different today and some of us appreciate the charm of these basses, but how would they be received in the real world outside of our forum?

It is funny how things look so much more attractive when they are out of reach. An example would be the Blue Boy 4003. This now appears to have a certain desirability factor because people have now decided that it looks ‘cool’ as opposed to ‘a bit girly’, they have found out about the link with Jim Reeves, and suddenly it is a must have item, until one has to part with hard cash…?

Just my view point. I would love to see a reissue 4005, but I would only buy one if it played well, sounded good and was relatively affordable.

Lakland has a hollow bass and it goes for at least $2949.00 retail and has Bartolinis in it, it doesn't even have it's own pickups, I would probably not buy one of those even though it does look like a nice bass, as I would rather buy a ric with Ric pickups on it. And the issues Ronan raised are real, I'd much rather have a brand new instrument than worry about trying to find a bridge for a 69 4005, or finding vintage toasters because one of them is dead or dying. A vintage 4005 is a collector piece, a new one would be a playing bass that I wouldn't mind taking out as much. $3000.00- $4000,00 is not a huge amount of money for a good bass these days anyway. Unless you want a common color 4003 you are going to wait today anyway and maybe a long time. I have been waiting now for a year for a Blueboy 4003FL and I knew it may be a long time when I ordered it, I don't really care when I get it, I know that it's going to be a nice bass and worth the wait.

As they say the grass is always greener,I hate to say it as much as we would love to have one in our collections,from JHs stand point its not practical.

I'll have no problem parting with $$$ for a Blueboy. I've been thinking on and off for over a year now. Those recent green shaded were wonderful looking.
I just want a FL VP in one that exact shade...

I don't think you can order them anymore Andy.