Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

collin wrote:

rcboals wrote:]
I called them and they won't sell you one period even if it is for a genuine real Ric. Notice my paper cut out swoosh copy? That took me 10 minutes to do. Hope nobody mistakes it for a real vintage truss rod cover. This has to be one of the easiest parts of a Ric to duplicate. You can buy quality laser cut decals water slide decals in Ric script all day long no problem. Ric could make reproductions and simply mold the word reproduction in the back of the swoosh so it would be obvious it wasn't from a production guitar but is an aftermarket part. It will be a cold day at the equator before I would pay over $100.00+ for something that can be easily had for well under $30.00.

It's been decades since these were available over-the-counter, so nothing new here...but there is a reason (authenticity!) that people pay a premium for the real McCoy.

RIC stopped suppying these because people were mounting them on fakes, and I think their plan worked. When the laws of supply/demand for authentic parts raises a piece of plastic to $100+, suddenly they aren't an appealing item to bolt onto a $400 Chinese copy.

You want to make counterfeit parts, knock yourself out, just make sure they never go into circulation.

That makes sense but only thing is they will just screw a $30.00 counterfeit copy on their fake Chinese Ric. I'll keep my eye out for a genuine one but even with that you don't know it's real for sure. A vintage one just sold on Ebuy from Argentina at around $100.00 and there is no way to tell if it is a fake or not and the seller didn't say either. All I'm saying is Ric could get $75.00 a pop for them and clearly identify them as repros not a real vintage one or go out of their way for a little extra "customer service" to accomodate a real documented restoration. Of course they have no reason to go out of their way for me. Their main business is to sell new guitars and they make nothing on the sale of used Ric guitars. I won't go in the fake production business. I already have $660.00 in this Ric Rescue and still need the finish job and the TRC there goes another $30.00

It can actually play! I got the Bigsby on and strung her up. Notice how I ground off the ear screw tab on the Bigsby and drilled a hole under the spring and screwed it down there. Sure makes it cleaner looking install. I got the idea off this forum can't remember where but thanks to whoever posted the pic of their Bigsby.

The "screw solution" is very clever, indeed! And it is looking much better, IMHO.

Very nice! I happen to be a big fan of Bigsbys on Ricks.

rcboals wrote:
That makes sense but only thing is they will just screw a $30.00 counterfeit copy on their fake Chinese Ric. I'll keep my eye out for a genuine one but even with that you don't know it's real for sure. A vintage one just sold on Ebuy from Argentina at around $100.00 and there is no way to tell if it is a fake or not and the seller didn't say either. All I'm saying is Ric could get $75.00 a pop for them and clearly identify them as repros not a real vintage one or go out of their way for a little extra "customer service" to accomodate a real documented restoration. Of course they have no reason to go out of their way for me. Their main business is to sell new guitars and they make nothing on the sale of used Ric guitars. I won't go in the fake production business. I already have $660.00 in this Ric Rescue and still need the finish job and the TRC there goes another $30.00

I have a conjecture about this and maybe someone from RIC can confirm it.

The whole TRC limitation is designed (conjecture) to show courts, specifically, that RIC is serious its intellectual property, unlike Fender. Small-time counterfeiters aren't probably the biggest concern. There's a reason Fenders are generic looking; it's in RIC's best interest to not allow that. And ultimately, in our best interests as well.

Kingbreaker wrote:

rcboals wrote:
That makes sense but only thing is they will just screw a $30.00 counterfeit copy on their fake Chinese Ric. I'll keep my eye out for a genuine one but even with that you don't know it's real for sure. A vintage one just sold on Ebuy from Argentina at around $100.00 and there is no way to tell if it is a fake or not and the seller didn't say either. All I'm saying is Ric could get $75.00 a pop for them and clearly identify them as repros not a real vintage one or go out of their way for a little extra "customer service" to accomodate a real documented restoration. Of course they have no reason to go out of their way for me. Their main business is to sell new guitars and they make nothing on the sale of used Ric guitars. I won't go in the fake production business. I already have $660.00 in this Ric Rescue and still need the finish job and the TRC there goes another $30.00

I have a conjecture about this and maybe someone from RIC can confirm it.

The whole TRC limitation is designed (conjecture) to show courts, specifically, that RIC is serious its intellectual property, unlike Fender. Small-time counterfeiters aren't probably the biggest concern. There's a reason Fenders are generic looking; it's in RIC's best interest to not allow that. And ultimately, in our best interests as well.

I had to L@@K up what conjecture means and I R a Collage graduate. I honestly can't figure out the logic on the limiting the TRC. I mean you can buy "genuine" everything else from The Ric Boutique pick guards, pickups, wiring harnesses, knobs, So, it leaves us fairly honest folks with a real Ric in a quandry as to what to do about a TRC, (not really just wanted you think I am having trouble deciding what i'm going to do about aTRC

con·jec·ture/kənˈjekCHər/
Noun:
An opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information.
Verb:
Form an opinion or supposition about (something) on the basis of incomplete information.
Synonyms:
noun. guess - surmise - supposition - presumption - assumption
verb. guess - surmise - presume - suppose - assume - speculate

I'm not sure how it ultimately is in "our best interests". Fender doesn't seem to be hurting with all the Tele, Strat style copies. They sell as many high end tele and strat guitars as anyone and their high end keeps their value with Suhr, Nash, Anderson etc. Even now there are Ric design knock offs (Dillion model DRK69, Agile model Harm1 Toast, just not as blatant but none the less the design inspiration is Ric for sure. Most of the early low buck Japanese imports like Teisco were Ric design copies tulip shapes etc. The Japanese screwed up copying the Ric vibroto, they should of been copying Bigsby. Then again the early Japanese copies weren't high enough quality to mount a Bigsby but good enough for the Ric style vibroto.

Rickenbacker does not have anything close to the production volume of Fender or Gibson. Not by a mile. Those companies are giants that can shrug off copycats and call it the cost of doing business. Not that they have a choice, since they failed to protect most of their designs aside from their respective headstock shapes.

My gripe with the replacement system is that they still charge a lot and you arn't allowed to keep the one you send in. If it's an original vintage TRC and you want to get a replacement for it, you can, but you won't get the original back. I find that a bit ridiculous.

Hotzenplotz wrote:The "screw solution" is very clever, indeed! And it is looking much better, IMHO.

I agree... That's why I generally do it on those B5s.

Moving along got the pickups today.

It all fits right. Now onto getting it ready for the black lacquer finish.

rcboals wrote:It all fits right. Now onto getting it ready for the black lacquer finish.

That wood grain is too nice to cover up! Any chance you can be persuaded to keep it a mapleglo?

What a great project a real beauty. Good Luck!

stsang wrote:

rcboals wrote:It all fits right. Now onto getting it ready for the black lacquer finish.

That wood grain is too nice to cover up!

Other than the repairs to the aftermarket pickup routes. Too bad they're still visible...

As Jagger sung in the 60's when the guitar was made: "Paint It Black".

The decision if it could be painted with translucent colour again someone else already met...


Just my two Euro Cent.

Project slowing down getting into the hard work of a pro finish. I put some black stain on so I could see all the imperfections. The sanding process takes a lot of time. It is sanded to 220 now and it will be sanded to 320 then a seal coat will be applied then sanded again then the color coat applied. This all may take a while will post as I make progress.