Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Thats a fair call, and kind of what I expected. I'm fully aware how to use the search function, and using searching for 'backlog' "meet demand" 'supply' etc yeilding many responses, but generally just one off comments. Icant see a specific thread that answers this question, although I dont doubt its been answered before.

If you can point a 'newer' memeber in the direction of a thread that answers this I'd be much obliged.

hi guys
hope u all dont mind but i was just reading over this thread again and thought id give it a bit of a bump. anyone got any news on where aussies stand now? i was in a guitar shop the other day and there wasnt anything rickenbacker at all. i dont wanna sound stupid here but it bummed me out lol. makes me even more thrilled that i got a 325 sitting rite over there in the case and a lefty no less! seeing no sign of rickenbacker in guitar shops just makes me treasure wat ive got but still would be nice to think we could get more here. i love rics

You'll only find used Ricks in Sydney as Rickenbacker Asia is still our channel for new Ricks. John Hall has stated that it's on the radar, but the revamping of production and reducing the backlog are priorities. Until these are dealt with, the problematic issue of finding a distributor that will work well with RIC is on the back-burner.

Global Vintage and Downtown Music on Parramatta Road in Annandale usually have a number of used Ricks in stock - Downtown had about seven or eight guitars (330s and 360s from memory) when I was last there a few months back.

I'm happy to announce that CMI has been appointed as Rickenbacker's exclusive distributor in Australia. It may be some time before goods are available but the wait should be worth it.

Deja vu!

ozover50 wrote:Deja vu!

Yep, Deja Vu all over again it seems. But there's been some huge changes in the Australian wholesaler and retailer situation recently and these are the guys that can do the job right.

johnhall wrote:Yep, Deja Vu all over again it seems. But there's been some huge changes in the Australian wholesaler and retailer situation recently and these are the guys that can do the job right.

Strewth, Fair dinkum mate!

I'm not in a position to comment on the wholesale side of the industry but there has certainly been a massive shakeup in the retail sector with the demise of the Allans/Billy Hyde group. I don't know how the 'high end' of the market is going but exchange rate parity has certainly boosted the low to medium area. I suspect that the high end has remained relatively static with retailers picking up some extra profit by not dropping prices to the extent that the exchange rate might have dictated. It will be interesting to see what happens if and when the Australian dollar drops to what many consider the 'correct' rate - around $0.75 to $0.80. The used market has been lousy due to the high dollar so if nothing else a drop to that level may boost that area.

ozover50 wrote:I suspect that the high end has remained relatively static with retailers picking up some extra profit by not dropping prices to the extent that the exchange rate might have dictated.

That may be a fair statement but both wholesale and retail merchants have to look somewhat farther out than the current rate. Not only must they routinely have to deal with and absorb some range of currency fluctuation without making constant retail price changes, they also have to think about the cost of replacement of the goods in their inventory. If your dollar drops, for instance, and there's a long lead time for a product, then it will cost them dearly on a restocking order.

For imported products, dealers and distributors should probably be looking 18 months ahead when calculating current selling prices.

I agree on all of that, John. On the absorbtion side, when I worked for a company that supplied GMH with car audio equipment there was a contractual agreement that a change in selling price would only be triggered by an exchange rate variation greater than a set percentage. When that happened the new price kicked in 30 days later. Given that we carried only 60 days stock it was never really a problem. Of course a forward exchange contract with the bank always helped - we had a lot of Yen in the bank!

On a positive note, at least we may see some Ricks in the shop to try out.
I have only seen new Ricks on Oz shelves (Adelaide) once in 10 years just prior to the Bill Hyde/Allans bankruptcy.
Over this time we have all been well trained in Global purchasing.

Time will tell how the arrangement goes, customers will decide their best path of acquisition, hope it works out.
Must admit the gap has closed slightly between US and AUS prices on Gibsons.
Warranty conditions also need to be carefully considered, not always as attractive as USA equivalent.

I really appreciate Rickenbacker (John) cares about our little market situation.

All the best

rowbo777 wrote: Over this time we have all been well trained in Global purchasing.

He he...

I love the way you express this!

rowbo777 wrote:On a positive note, at least we may see some Ricks in the shop to try out.

I'd be surprised if you see inventory in the stores anytime soon. The first units shipped will be long pre-sold and the pipeline will take several years to be filled I would guess.

rowbo777 wrote:Warranty conditions also need to be carefully considered, not always as attractive as USA equivalent.

That would simply be a choice between a warranty (whatever it is) and no warranty, as all gray imports have none.