Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

mr hall, where in or near memphis tennessee is a rickenbacker dealer with a decent inventory..?..since guitar center is no longer a dealer, i dont know where to go look,..thanks..lamar

Dealers in TN

Corner Music
2705 12th Ave. South
Nashville, TN 37204
615-297-9559

Fireside Music
3750 Hacks Cross Rd., Ste 106
Memphis, TN 38125
901-682-0645

Fireside Music
3750 Hacks Cross Rd., Ste 106
Memphis, TN 38125
(901) 507-5635

Gruhn Guitars Inc.
400 Broadway
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 256-2033

Musician's Friend
2526 Westcott Drive
Knoxville, TN 37931


Musician's Friend-Knoxville
2526 Westcott Dr
Knoxville, TN 37931


Sam Ash Music-Nashville-FW
1647 Gallatin Pike North
Nashville, TN 37115


Sam Ash Music-N. Madison 45
1647 Gallatin Pike
North Madison, TN 37115

I think the main criteria here is "decent inventory" at any given Ric dealer... Which is something I haven't seen in person in many years. I called every authorized local dealer when I was looking for a 12 string and only ONE store had any Rics AT ALL! And that was a 360/12. We're talking ONE dealer out of I don't know how many - and the local "inventory" consisted of ONE guitar. Of course, all those stores said they could order me one, and I'd wait who knows how long... Heck, NONE of these dealers even stock Ric strings!!! So what's the use of being an "authorized dealer" when they've got no inventory to sell?

In other words, good luck on finding stores that have any at all. Look online and mailorder what you want. That's what I ended up doing.

The "use" of being a RIC dealer is that you sell every guitar ordered long before you receive it and therefore never have any inventory. Any business man will tell you that's a dream come true.

On the other hand, if more product were available, things would be better yet. It's not supposed to be this way but as long as demand exceeds supply it will remain so.

As far as locating local dealerships, the online dealer listing on our website is a good place to start. It's real time, i.e. if shown, they're fully authorized in good standing and have had recent sales or shipping activity.

Too true. It would indeed be a perfect world if you could just walk into your local RIC dealer & pick your favorite model & finish off the wall, try it out, & take your new baby home that same day. But, if there were less demand that would be bad news for the company, & if they started mass producing lower quality instruments...well, no one wants that option!
I live in Nova Scotia! The nearest authorized dealer is many hours driving from my area.
"Good things come to those who wait"
Frustrating, but true.

John - I hope my comments didn't offend you, as they weren't intended that way. I do fully understand the business aspects, and am actually glad that every guitar you make is already sold. Not only is it "job security" of sorts, it also keeps you in business for the long term. The best part about it is this (IMO): Ric keeps turning out top quality products, and it takes time to do so. Ric customers also know their order is worth the wait, and are willing to wait a while knowing their guitar will be first rate.

But I will also say this: as a customer looking for any brand/model of guitar, it's often better to be able to go to a local store that has (in stock) a variety of models to check out in person before deciding on which one to buy. Just to compare and contrast them in person to determine what suits them best. Well, that's impossible to do if the dealers don't have any inventory in-house. I remember the days when I could go into at least a couple local stores and see/play 5-10-15 Rics on any given day. But that was in the '70's and I haven't seen it since.

Personally, I've never had any problem ordering exactly what I wanted online. I've bought limited edition Fenders and Gibson Les Pauls sight unseen (in person, anyway) and they're perfectly fine for me. Which is exactly the same as ordering a new Ric from a local store - except the waiting period is a lot longer.

In my case, I wanted a 360/12v64 when they first came out and I didn't have the money. So I'll wait to find a used one, no big deal. Then they were discontinued and hard to find because everybody wanted to keep theirs (totally understandable) and they've been rare on the used market since.

Then the c63's are announced and I still didn't have that kind of money yet. Knowing the longer I waited, the farther down the order list I would be. But if the money's not there...

Well, last summer I finally DID have the money and didn't want to be even further down the list with a longer wait - so I got a '92 v64 which I really love.

Instead of ordering a new c63, my impatience got to me and I went with what was immediately available. After all, I'd wanted that style of 360/12 since seeing "A Hard Days Night" when it was new in the theatre...

Bottom line is - Rics are top notch instruments and well worth waiting for (or buying used). I just wish it was possible to see/play a lot of different models in a store instead of having to buy one first.

I just wish it was possible to see/play a lot of different models in a store instead of having to buy one first.

Me too, and we're working on it.

Another advantage to having stuff in stores is that if someone is looking for a guitar and doesn't have their mind set yet, they can play one and let the Rickebacker's charms win them over. I can't tell you how many people I've met who have never seen a RIC or heard of one because its not in the local stores they go to, so they settle for a Fender or a Gibson or some cheapie POS. But I'm sure you know all that already! Thanks for building a great quality product JH.

There is a bit of a "leap of faith" here for the newbie Ric player. I ordered mine (two of them) without ever having touched one, without ever having seen one in person.

There is ONE Ric dealer here in Seattle, and his inventory is like most others--awful (and they also don't stock Ric strings--they they said they could order them

It's too bad the dealers couldn't keep "floor models"--guitars that are NOT for sale but would allow folks to try them out, hear them, see them, compare the neck widths, etc. But a dealer can't be forced to keep inventory just for demo purposes. Too bad!

I actually stopped in to my GC in Canton, MI, and they have a BEAUTIFUL 330MG used for around 800. Some kid was playing it and had the fuzztone going on the amp he was using and I said, "Son, let me show you something..." took it from him and plugged it into a Fender Twin-ish amp and set it on the clean channel, and he was like "WOW".

Steve, some youngsters are in need of an education.

I brought my MID 360-12 to worship team band practice yesterday, and everyone stopped to admire this guitar--and were more impressed with the incredible sound.

Someone posted that there are lots of people, especially younger guitarists, who have never seen or heard a Ric. Have to say that in a world of Strats and LPs, it's nice to stand out.

I frequent Murch Music in Cambridge, Ontario. It has now become part of the Long & McQuade chain in Canada. Last week there were as many as 7 Ric models hanging; even a 381/6 Mapleglo, a Blueboy 620/6, a couple of 330 Jetglo's, 3 or 4 basses; one is fretless etc. Prices are par to market. Sadly, they sit...niche market and all the rest. So here we are with stale inventory amongst an otherwise active market. I would like to help and buy if I could. However if anyone needs info you can call that store. Ask for Don, he understands Rickenbacker. P.S. PLease understand, I am not connected in any way to this store, just an occassional tire kicker and expanding on the thread.

7 sitting in Cambridge???!!! I thought I had scoured the region-who would've thought to look in Cambridge! Any 12's? Thanks Steve.

Bill, Murch Music is on my way home, so I would be happy to drop in for details, but I think the 12 is a Jetglo 330. If the 381 was a 12, I would be bloated with G.A.S. by now.