Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Has anyone had experience with RIC's R US? I was wondering how they are to do business with. Any input would be appreciated

Very good. I bought a 4003 from them a couple of years ago.

I've only sent a couple of inquiries on account of the UK prices being much higher than here in North America. (This phenomenon is probably due in large part to the VAT, and I often wonder if this would be discounted if the sale was made internationally.) Nevertheless, I've always received prompt and knowledgeable replies to all of my questions. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them. I know that for a lot of UK-based Ric players, it's the first resource they turn to.

It's more than just VAT, which is 17.5%. Prices are about 50+% higher in the UK. Import duties must account for much of it, but I'm only guessing.

It always seems that premium goods in the UK cost the same amount (numerically) in pounds sterling that we Yanks pay in dollars paper. (A 1000 dollar guitar here costs 1000 pounds there, or about 75% higher...)

Then you factor in the earning stats and you realize that Brits pay, in actual time, over twice what we do for a Rickenbacker...

Makes sense, in this day of discounted "Bush Dollars", to do your shopping over here, and take your purchases back in a beat-up case, paying the extra shipping.

I know Mike at Rics R Us very well & have bought many gtrs from him. You really can't go wrong. He is knowledgable, friendly & gets some really great gtrs in. I thoroughly recommend him & can't thank him enough for the stunning gtrs that he has supplied me with.

The great thing about Mike, is that he is CRAZY about Rickenbackers, so you are not dealing with a salesman, but an enthusiast.

BTW, I'm seeing him next week to take collection of a couple of fireglos (330-12 & 360-6).

I second Tony's report on Mike - he's a top guy. Great, fast service and always willing to have a good chat about stuff.

Paul's right about the F@%^@$@$%^&ing import duties. Last year a few of you US guys thought it was disgusting that I'd paid $2000 for a V64. You might have been right over there, but FX rates and the complete lack of varied selection in the UK meant that in my mind, not only was I getting a pretty fair deal, it was pretty much my only option.

(did I mention my distaste for $%>"£$^"£ import tax?)

Brian, I agree 100% with Tony. Get in contact with Mike - he won't disappoint you. He's always extremely helpful. Guitars I have bought from him have always arrived on time, as described and very well packed. He might even throw in some cool Rics R Us picks

Oooh - the pearloid ones! nice.

Hey Mike - you got any thinner picks like those?

Thanks to all those who've given RICS 'R' US a favourable mention.
I'm pleased to say, many of our customers have become good friends.
I will mention, that we're NOT authorized Rickenbacker dealers, we unfortunately don't fall within Rosetti's (UK distributor) criteria for a dealership.
That aside, we will continue to promote Rickenbacker and it's excellent products in the UK there is simply no better instrument.
Finally, thanks to Peter for the forum and to all who contribute, it's a continuing wealth of knowledge and interest.
Regards Mike Smith

All the praise for Mike Smith and Rics R Us is certainly well earned. We have a great business relationship with him.

In the UK, Mike is a real Godsend, as he get's Rics in that are near impossible to find, probably because he's a Ricaholic himself & only deals in Rics, he can spend more time than a store that generalises in sourcing them. It's good news for us UK'ers. The majority of authorised dealers have very little knowledge of the older Ric models & certainly are not interested in sourcing one for you. This extra service can only come from a 'Rickenbacker only' dealer.

It's a shame that Mike isn't an authorised dealer, as to be able to buy brand new Rics from him would be the icing on the cake. I don't want to get into politics, but I bet if Mike was an authorised dealer, we'd have seen some BBR's in the UK, as knowing him, he would have ordered some through Rosetti the minute the colour was announced. I don't think a single one has come to Rosetti to date....correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not knocking Rosetti BTW, merely observing. I know I could have ordered one, but I wont buy a Ric sight unseen for the simple reason that I have to make sure the neck profile is OK, as the last gtr I ordered brand new (a 330-12) had a neck like a hockey stick & I just couldn't get on with it. As luck would have it, the store didn't make me have it & I ended up with a 360-12 instead.

While I applaud Mike's enthusiasm, I must point out that the instruments offered, under both E.C. and U.S. law are used, having been purchased at retail from stores in the U.S. Unfortunately, they are not always advertised as such.

Additionally, they do not qualify for any form of official warranty and have missed the U.K. distributor's inspection and quality control.

An unfortunate byproduct of this operation has been the termination of several U.S. dealerships who have violated their contracts with us by shipping goods to him. This is particularly unfortunate in light of some new policies that we now have to consider with regard to international sales and may adversely affect availability of goods for customers in all markets.

Tony, I presented Mike's case to Rosetti quite awhile back but because he has refused to comply with the requirements that all other authorized dealers in the U.K. must meet, they could not consider him for a dealership. At this point, the pirate nature of the operation has probably poisoned all his prospects for the future as an authorized dealer.

It's also a big part of the reason that more stores in the U.K. are not so keen to source or stock our product in depth.

John, I don't know the politics of the situation, but I, in common with most on this forum, deeply appreciate, respect & love both your products & your company, as well as your own personal integrity & ambition to keep Rickenbacker at the forefront as one of the very best gtrs in the world. You can't imagine the pride & passion that I feel for my Rickenbacker guitars & the inspiration, influence & enjoyment that they have given to not only my music, but also my life. I will never play anything else! I know that Mike feels exactly the same, so I'm just saying that it's a shame this can't be sorted out.

Indeed, I know Mike feels the same passion as you do and it is unfortunate that his energy could not be put to better use. At the same time, it's not fair to all the other retailers to make an exception to long established policy just for him.

For what it's worth, you'll find that the owners and directors of Rosetti also have a similar passion for Rickenbacker that goes well beyond the business.