Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Buying of course

If you look at the (insane) price difference between a one-off "custom shop" Fender and an off-the-shelf Fender, and compare it to an off-the-shelf Rickenbacker combined with the cost of sending it to someone like Larry Davis for customization: having a "custom" Rickenbacker is actually pretty reasonable.

Yeah, it doesn't have the factory paperwork, but if your motivation is really just getting something personal which you like: that stuff doesn't matter.

That is why in my opinion Fender have more buyers than Rickenbacker because of its custom shop. RIC should also have different color selection rather than your Jetglo, Mapelglo and Fireglo. I don't know perhaps Rickenbacker needs a change.

Casiraghi22 wrote:That is why in my opinion Fender have more buyers than Rickenbacker because of its custom shop. RIC should also have different color selection rather than your Jetglo, Mapelglo and Fireglo. I don't know perhaps Rickenbacker needs a change.

This makes no sense. It's not logical to say that a company like Fender (with several factories world-wide, and similar models at a wide variety of price-points [Squier, MIM, MIJ, MIA, CS, etc.]) is more successful than RIC (a company with ONE factory, and each model available at one respective price-point) and has "more buyers" because of a custom shop. Surely Fender's Custom Shop accounts for a very small percentage of it's business, and certainly a small percentage of its buyers.

Fender has "more buyers" than RIC because Fender has more factories and more product available at a larger variety of price-points. Fender makes most of its money on entry-level guitars and mid-range guitars; Fender subsists on guitar hobbyists and "new" players more than anything else; the Custom Shop is icing on the cake.

Casiraghi22 wrote:That is why in my opinion Fender have more buyers than Rickenbacker because of its custom shop. RIC should also have different color selection rather than your Jetglo, Mapelglo and Fireglo. I don't know perhaps Rickenbacker needs a change.

Fender may have more factories and more instruments lining the shop wall but last I checked they were losing money, espically after their failed IPO and not to mention the debt they're in to JPM for all the money they've borrowed.

Rickenbacker is probably the last, family owned, privately funded guitar corporation that continues to be profitable without comprimising their historically American-built instruments.

That's true but it wouldn't hurt a little to do something different on a 4003.

Grey wrote: Fender may have more factories and more instruments lining the shop wall but last I checked they were losing money, espically after their failed IPO and not to mention the debt they're in to JPM for all the money they've borrowed.

I didn't know this, but -- as someone who teaches at a music school -- virtually every new kid who starts guitar lessons walks in with a Squier, and if they're at the school for longer than 6 months: they are replacing it with a Mexican Fender. I definitely don't doubt what you are saying, but having "more buyers" and being a profitable company are not always the same thing. (Only the latter matters, really.)

Grey wrote:Rickenbacker is probably the last, family owned, privately funded guitar corporation that continues to be profitable without comprimising their historically American-built instruments.

This is an even better point; at some period RIC decided it was more important to maintain their integrity as a family-owned company (which Fender has not been since the 60's) than it was to conquer the world and put a cheap guitar in the hands of everyone who entertains the idea of playing guitar. I'm grateful to have a company like RIC still around.

Anyhow, I'm pretty sure John Hall has said many, many times that the numbers for a RIC custom shop just don't add-up, Also as I said before, regarding Fender's base cost of a custom shop job being around $5,000: buying an off-the-shelf RIC and sending it to a reputable luthier for customization is comparably inexpensive.

So if it's cheaper for RIC and (possibly) cheaper for RIC fans to not have a custom shop ... what's the point of pushing for a RIC custom shop?

Then again: if I wanted a "Custom Fender" I'd just go with a Warmoth, but I'm not all hung-up on brands; I just want instruments I like which play well.

Casiraghi22 wrote:That's true but it wouldn't hurt a little to do something different on a 4003.

There are lots of experienced people on this forum willing to do those kinds of modifications for you at very reasonable prices.

That would be great but it would be greater if Rickenbacker would do it. It will be out of the mothership

DriftSpace wrote:If you look at the (insane) price difference between a one-off "custom shop" Fender and an off-the-shelf Fender, and compare it to an off-the-shelf Rickenbacker combined with the cost of sending it to someone like Larry Davis for customization: having a "custom" Rickenbacker is actually pretty reasonable.

Yeah, it doesn't have the factory paperwork, but if your motivation is really just getting something personal which you like: that stuff doesn't matter.

Exactly. Let"s say for example If all you wanted was the cb binding,buy a new (or used) 4003,and send it to Larry,Paul,or any number of other qualified luthiers....personally i love seeing deviations done to the basic factory output. All 3 of my Ric's have been modded quite a bit to make them more to my liking. I don't care too much about resale on them,but i also don't think my mods will adversely affect that.

Casiraghi22 wrote:That would be great but it would be greater if Rickenbacker would do it. It will be out of the mothership

So...what exactly are you wanting that's not being provided? Different hardware? Active eq? Emg pickups? Hot pink and yellow color scheme?
Make it happen.

Perhaps a 4003 without the triangle shape on the fretboard for starters......

Casiraghi22 wrote:Perhaps a 4003 without the triangle shape on the fretboard for starters......

Buy a 4003S?

RIC re-introduced RUBY in 2012, and is testing possible 2014 COY finishes. Hello?!

A certain guitarist had to go and sign an endorsement deal with . . . Duesenberg, which nixed the possibility of a new RIC Signature model.

RIC re-introduced RUBY in 2012, and is testing possible 2014 COY finishes. Hello?!

A certain guitarist had to go and sign an endorsement deal with . . . Duesenberg, which nixed the possibility of a new RIC Signature model.

paologregorio wrote:RIC re-introduced RUBY in 2012, and is testing possible 2014 COY finishes. Hello?!

A certain guitarist had to go and sign an endorsement deal with . . . Duesenberg, which nixed the possibility of a new RIC Signature model.

Well, he already had one for a few years, but yeah, basically.

What is COY finishes?