Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Was watching that myself lastnight on the BBC iplayer.

I also saw Duffy's guitarist with a Black Falcon a few weeks ago at Glastonbury.

Mateybob wrote:

jingle_jangle wrote:

corn.jpg

+

gradssm.jpg

Can't work that one out......

Sweet.....? (and sour?)

Its a rebus.

Corn + graduations= corngraduations

Ahem.

jingle_jangle wrote:

Mateybob wrote:

jingle_jangle wrote:

corn.jpg

+

gradssm.jpg

Can't work that one out......

Sweet.....? (and sour?)

Its a rebus.

Corn + graduations= corngraduations

Ahem.

Ahem indeed!
I've spent some serious time trying to work that one out, sir!
All you guitar folk speak in tongues most of the time.... or that's how it sounds to me.
And while I'm here (but off topic) would you know what the equivalent to scratchx and xzymol are over here in the UK? I've got a big gig coming up and I want my Rics to be shining like mother.......!

The equivalent of Scatch-X and Zymol in the UK is...

+

Both are commonly available in the UK; these jpgs came from two different UK websites. Anyway, get 'em at Halford's!

Mateybob wrote:Seems to be Gretsches everywhere you look these days.

Sure are! I saw two tonight at the Alison Krauss/Robert Plant show I just came home from.

jingle_jangle wrote:The equivalent of Scatch-X and Zymol in the UK is...

scratch-x large.jpg

+

Cleaner_Wax_Z503.jpg

Both are commonly available in the UK; these jpgs came from two different UK websites. Anyway, get 'em at Halford's!

Ahem.......

One should always LOOK before one leaps.

jps wrote:

Mateybob wrote:Seems to be Gretsches everywhere you look these days.

Sure are! I saw two tonight at the Alison Krauss/Robert Plant show I just came home from.

Yeah, I think there's a real Roll on Gretsch guitars at the moment.

It's especially great for fans too, because even if they can't afford the proffessional series guitars, they can still get hold of the top notch Electromatic series, which are fantastic value for the price, and they look great and sound OK too.

If Ric produced a hollow body guitar for around £1000 to £1500, they'd clean up.

Sigh.

Just an update on that Gretsch my uncle has...

Saw it last night. Not a '64, more like a '60 or '61, can't tell which. Thumbnail inlays, no brand, zero fret, horseshoe inlay on the headstock.

Should these guitars have the 'chrome bar' bridge? This one has a Tune-o-matic style with individual saddles.

Condition-wise, it's nicer than I expected...some extremely light and sparse vertical checking, no giant cracks like I expected to see. The binding is still hanging onto the body, but has seperated a bit at the neck. Pickguard has a lot of cracking, I think that's pretty normal. Might need a neck reset, though... and a new pickup ring. GREAT wide flame on this one.

Ideas on value? (Or value before repairs? ) Cost for a reset?

Mateybob wrote:

jps wrote:

Mateybob wrote:
If Ric produced a hollow body guitar for around £1000 to £1500, they'd clean up.

Bob, with all due respect, that's an impossible dream. Fender/Gretsch had to go to Japan to find a contract house who could handle the task of building traditionally-crafted hollowbodies. With Japanese labor cost being what it is, F/G is either hammering the factory or shaving profits to a minimum (likely scenario: BOTH, and then some) to crank out the high volume of multiple instruments that they do. Same with the Korean line.

Since RIC is having great difficulty finding luthiers who can build trad-constructed hollow bodies, and will not go overseas for their production, the line as it is, will remain as it is.

Sounds like somewhere between $3500.00 and $5500.00; without photos it's tough, but I'd tend to stick in the lower end of this range.

Gretsches are quite inflexible in terms of vintage vs. refinished. The neck set and rebind won't affect value--they're in the range of things that are "permissible". Fenders, on the other hand, are RIGID in terms of what can be done and still maintain 100% of value. Remove one pickguard screw, you've devalued it. It's been this way for a long time.

Neck reset: about $400-650 from a good Gretsch luthier, depending upon region of country.

Thanks a lot Paul. I'm in the D.C. area, thinking there are probably some good guitar repairmen around here. The sad part is that I don't know how motivated my uncle is to fix it anymore...

Any ideas about the bridge?

The adjustable bridge could have been added; bar bridges were also seen on these. Depends on the year. I'll bet the adjustable was original on this early one.

Bob, with all due respect, that's an impossible dream. Fender/Gretsch had to go to Japan to find a contract house who could handle the task of building traditionally-crafted hollowbodies. With Japanese labor cost being what it is, F/G is either hammering the factory or shaving profits to a minimum (likely scenario: BOTH, and then some) to crank out the high volume of multiple instruments that they do. Same with the Korean line.

Since RIC is having great difficulty finding luthiers who can build trad-constructed hollow bodies, and will not go overseas for their production, the line as it is, will remain as it is.

Thanks for the info Paul.
For the 'know nothing numskulls' like myself it's great to get some 'insider' information.
Your quote of "the line as it is, will remain as it is" is very interesting. Seeing as how Ric has now discontinued or are not taking new orders on quite a few of the models in their range, does this mean that the slimmed down line is here for good? That would be quite a shame as you could imagine the worldwide buzz if they were to introduce a brand new model into their line up. Does Ric have an active in house R and D department? If so it would be a shame if the majority of their research was just spent on deciding the new colour of the year.

Mateybob wrote: Your quote of "the line as it is, will remain as it is" is very interesting. Seeing as how Ric has now discontinued or are not taking new orders on quite a few of the models in their range, does this mean that the slimmed down line is here for good? That would be quite a shame as you could imagine the worldwide buzz if they were to introduce a brand new model into their line up. Does Ric have an active in house R and D department? If so it would be a shame if the majority of their research was just spent on deciding the new colour of the year.

The lineup is definitely limited by backlog - note the 'temporary hiatus' status of many current models.

In recent years there have been some comments by John Hall indicating a reluctance to dwell on the classic era vintage type models. I think that Rickenbacker will probably focus more on innovation and new ideas going forward, as embodied by the unique and modern flavor of the 650 series and the 380L.

Will we ever see a 360F, 360 Capri, or 4005 reissue? In all likelihood, no.

However, if the backlog were to subside, we might see a return of some of the old favorites like the 1997, the 6-string 360c63, etc.

Just my speculation at this point in time, not the views of anyone at the company per se.

Rob, don't dwell too much on what I say, to the point where it starts getting dissected, at least not this time. My comment was merely to underscore that I am certain that RIC will not manufacture guitars or basses anywhere but in the USA.

As to specific models, it isn't hard to see that changing the model lineup in any major way is like U-turning a locomotive. I believe that there are new Rick models floating around as concepts; possibly we'll see one or two eventually, but, thinking traditionally, anything beyond the introduction of one new model or two (again, eventually) just isn't in the cards, IMO.

Rickenbacker hit multiple home runs in the mid-1960s, serendipitously. Prior to the Beatles' coming into the public eye, they could be characterized as a tiny company with quirky products. They were making and selling guitars, but nobody was beating down the door to own their products. (Toots Thielemann as an endorser, though he impressed John Lennon somehow, was not exactly in the mainstream of pop music, which is where the explosive growth was about to happen...). Once the Beatles connection started to bear fruit, FC Hall made some smart decisions, and the rest is history.

RIC is still riding that wave, with the Halls' smart management style and assistance from the various visible and talented artists that use their products.

I believe that it is possible that Rickenbacker can upgrade their "DNA" to move into the 21st century ("...and beyond!"--B. Lightyear) and could see their product line move away from "nostalgia" and into other arenas of success as a result.

This is strictly my opinion, coupled with some wishful thinking, though.