Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

A new Guitar Center just opened in my town (Lincoln, NE), so I decided to check out the new store.

I went up to the store manager and said: "Hey, no Rickenbackers?"

He told me not only do they not stock them, they don't even carry the line. So I wouldn't even be able to order one (not that I would).

I found this to be a bit depressing.

None of the music stores in my area carry Rick's anymore. I feel sorry for the kids that'll never have the chance to actually play one like I got to.

Anyway, just thought I'd share. A lot of who I am as a person is directly related to the first Rick I bought.

I don't understand why stores aren't carrying them in my neck of the woods.

My 4080 came from Lincoln, NE!
Don't feel bad. I've only ever seen ONE new Rick (an FG 4003) in person. Part of the mystique is the rarity.

GC used to rep Rickenbacker until it was pulled from them.

Hey Craig,

Yeah, I know how you feel. Same on this end.

The fellow who just opened a small shop here in FL said it is very tough being MANY of the companies require a fairly large MINIMUM ORDER.

I don't know if that's how RIC works, be he told me some companies want a LARGE MINIMUM order! How does a small shop get off the ground if you don't have a trunk full of cash? I asked him if he planned on getting RIC guitars and he said "I wish, they are some of the best guitars for the money".

He said it's almost impossible to get credit too, being he is a new business. Very Sad indeed....

The biggest shop in town only carries Fenders, Yamaha, and some no name basses....very depressing, but good for my wallet!

Craig--- I'm in Lincoln too but didnt go to the grand opening last night. I didnt feel like fighting the crowds. It is too bad that you cant go into Dietze music (RIC dealer,or used to be) and see and try them out. I got my first RIC bass there when I was 16 (I'm 43 now) A few years back they had a 1967 RIC 950 on consignement. I bought that,kept it for a year and sold it to John(Leftybass) I've had some since then 325V59, 2030 bass,4003,4001V63, and a C64S. I am regretting selling the V63. I'm down to just Hofners now---Club reissue,Cavern reissue, and a President bass. I hope to check out Guitar Center this weekend. Did they carry the Mesa Boogie line? Also when you think of the ones that got away ,Dietze had a 4005 fireglo on consignment years ago. I wasnt playing much and didnt have any extra money. The price was $750.00 sigh Times have sure changed--my first Hofner i got from Dietze as well. It was somewhere around a 1967. Price was $250.00. If we only knew then what we know now.

We don't have a particularly large opening order, by comparison, but we do have some other minimums, like three years in business, other established brands, certain distances to other dealers, membership in the NAMM industry association, square footage, etc.

My local music dealer (Hermes) just got their modest chain of stores swallowed up by GC. This weekend the metamorphosis takes place and our "new" GC opens on Monday. They're promising local musos a high "WOW" factor. We'll see just how "wow" it turns out to be.

John, that's interesting. Three years in business? Any reason for that particular requirement? My new local shop is small. Probably only 1500 SQ FT. He's only open 2 months now. I hope he makes it.

I'm still going through culture shock having moved from NY to FL a few years back. We had music shops in almost every other town. They were everywhere. I bought my first bass from Sam Ash on Long Island in 1977, just a 10 minute ride from my home.

Now the CLOSEST RIC dealer is in either Orlando or the Miami area, HOURS away. We had a chance trip to Clearwater in the Tampa area last week.
With a little pleading, the family & I visited a HUGE Sam Ash store that must have once been a Greek Catering hall. Water fountains, gardens, HUNDREDS of guitars, I mean HUGE! They had Warwicks, Fenders, Gibsons, Taylors, you name it, they had it.....except.....NOT ONE RICKENBACKER! Not 1 RIC guitar, not one RIC bass. I was stunned. They ALWAYS had RIC's on the walls EVERY time I went into one back home.

I guess the days of just walking into a store and just grabbing a RIC off the wall are a thing of the past.

Sam Ash is a great dealer and they buy tons of product. However, they have the same problem everyone else does- we can't begin to make enough goods to go around, although we're working pretty hard to do better.

John,

That's understandable, it really is. That one store ALONE could hold THOUSANDS of guitars! I've NEVER seen ANYTHING like it!

I'd imagine that if you were to try to be able to keep up with the kind of demand that is out there, you probably would be turning out the same mass produced, run of the mill product that seems to be taking over these stores like locusts.

I for one am glad that your products are flying off the shelves and that your shop is humming. I really don't mind the wait, it gives me a chance to store up my pennies waiting for them to arrive.

I'm sure the store owners are happy too on one hand, they never have to worry about tying up inventory. With stock as hot as the RICs are, they turn over before they even get a speck of dust on them!
That speaks volumes about your products.

It took MANY, MANY years for me to be in a position where I can afford a few new special basses. In a strange way, the wait adds to the "special" aspect of owning them. Ah yes, the old addage..."all good things come to those who wait".

Your business is one of the few real craftsman operated shops that the USA still has and I think we all tend to forget that. CRAFTMANSHIP TAKES TIME.

My goal wasn't to get "gushy", but I really appreciate what you guys do. I treat my RIC basses like the prize they are to me.

Ok, long enough rant...have a great weekend and thank you again for the response!

Craig, i have been hearing the GC ad on the radio for weeks...."Lowest prices"


I work in Broken Bow

Jeez, if I were able to become a Rickenbacker dealer I would worry more about what's the max I could order and give little thought to a minimum. I'd take all I could get and throw all the other **** out the back door!

Ahem, thank you and I hope I passed the audition.

A new GC just opened about a mile from my house June 1st and I haven't been there yet, forgot about it to tell you the truth. I think they're striving to become the McDonalds of the music business. One on every corner.

I live about 10 miles from that Clearwater Sam Trash. The last new 4003 they had was over a year ago, and they wanted almost the list price for it. At about the same time they had 2 4001 on the rack, a 78 and an 80. Both of those were in pretty rough shape, and of course they wanted a premium for them.

The best Rick bass deal I've see there was also about a year ago...they had a BB 4004 Cii for $1200.

At about the same time they had a few 360's on the wall too. But the last time I went there (looking for an amp) they were LAME LAME LAME. The store is impressive if you see it the first time, but if you go there enough you recognize that it's pretty ugly underneath.

Hey Ed,

Oh man, I was right in your backyard!

That REALLY is SAD, sorry to hear that. That wasn't the way they operated in NY. Their stores were MUCH smaller (about the size of the back sheet music room alone), and man, did they DEAL! They ALWAYS had RIC's in stock as well as Ken Smith, Zon, Gibson and lots of other big name brands.

Back in January, MF quoted me a price of $1020.00 for a NEW 4003. I played the "price match" game and Emailed Sam Ash the price quote. They BEAT MF's price by $40.00 and threw in FREE SHIPPING!

That's the Sam Ash I remember.

I'm just curious Ed, what WAS that place before Sam Ash moved in?