Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Is it just me or does it seem that Rickenbacker doesn't always tell us everything about what they produce. For instance I'm a long time Rick fan but never heard of the 4001v63 PMC till i started coming to thins website. I never saw it posted on the Rick website. it would seem to make sense that if they wanted to sell these guitars they would market them better. This isn't really a criticism, I love the company and they make the best guitars and basses I've ever played, but a little more info from the factory would be nice.

I'm gonna play devil's advocate here, Todd, but how do they do this? It costs money for advertising and to advertise every product they make (the PMC really is a lot like a v63) would be a lot of moola. They aren't the big company like Fender and they couldn't exactly buy Super Bowl spots or anything. I agree with you that it is kind of an "insiders game" on their products. I didn't even know about the v63 bass series until 1991. Just my 2 cents...

Todd and Squirebass: You both have made excellent points. I believe that with the way the Internet is going, it won't be long before the best advertisement for Rickenbackers, outside of hearing and holding them in person, will be had somewhere on the net. The fact that at least three of us are discussing this is suggests that the word will get out over the Internet.

Right now, however, there are perhaps about 15-20 percent of people who have computers and are online and so I am always mindful of the fact that this information is not yet mainstream and only available to those who have the financial means to own a computer and pay for an Internet Service Provider. The Internet, in my view, will continue provide a relatively inexpensive way to reach the market particularly when the computer monitor and the television eventually become one in the same.

Could someone please explain/describe what the 4001v63PMC is? I can find no reference to it on the RIC website except for the fact that it has been discontinued. Anyone have a photo?

Bruce: There is a photo of the 4001V63PMC on the Rickenbacker Registation Page.

You're right Peter, the way things seem to be going, the internet most probably offer the cheapest way for the company to keep it's customers (and fanatics) aware of new products. I should have said that in my earlier posting as that's what I meant to offer as a solution.

Excuse me? They produce catalogs don't they? They could've added the 4001V63PMC.

Brian: I see your point. They do indeed produce catalogs, however, RIC does produce a number of models from time to time that they may not wish to continue for a number of reasons. Creating catalogs is an expensive business and they quickly become outdated as styles, policies and models change. While perhaps I have internet on the brain, I would see the online catalog to be the easiest to keep current and the wave, for better or for worse, of the future.

The 4001V63PMC was never intended to be a catalog or an ongoing item. It resulted from a request by a major RIC distributor who subsequently placed a very large order for this variation. Only when there were other limited requests for these did we make them available to any dealer for the asking.

Our dealer SKU listing has dozens, if not hundreds, of similar model combinations or variations available for the asking but most of them have never been produced.

None of this has anything to do with marketing or costs thereof. For many years now, and even more so very recently, we have far more orders than we have capacity to produce. You'll only see us "pushing" or marketing items which are incremental or in addition to our regular lines, which use a part of our shop capacity that might not be fully utilized in some way, or are expedient to accomplish some specific goal. As an example, we've emphasized some of the oil-finish models in advertising so as to meet some of the air quality regulations.

Thanks John. A very enviable position to be in with demand exceeding supply.

Peter,

Thanks for the photo reference. So is the PMC a 4001v63 with the right-handed headstock & nameplate as it appears to be?

The 4001v63PMC is essentially a left handed 4001v63. This is basically what John Hall and his Father presented to McCartney during the Beatles US 65' tour. If you look at photos of McCartney's bass you will notice that it had a right handed neck as I think his was the first Lefty 4001 they produced and they did not have lefty necks made.

As a matter of fact , I have read that Mr. F.C. Hall first showed it to Macca in NY in 64 when he showed the 360/12 to John and George. At that time, for whatever reason, Paul did not take the bass. Although I like the Hofner and understand its place in Beatles history I have always wondered what thier records would have sounded like from A Hard Days Night onward. Had Paul taken the 4001s in February of 64 I would imagine he may have started using it on that album as it was next in the lineup. No doubt the Bass lines in 64' and early 65' would have had more "punch' to them.

You may well have read that my dad took a bass to New York when the Beatles visited him but in fact no bass was present.

I don't know this for fact, however I suspect that Paul and/or Brian Epstein asked us to produce the leftie unit during or soon after that meeting.

Wow !!! Thanks for clearing up another one of those " Beatle Myths " !

I Love this Place...

Along these very same lines- someone, anyone, please explain to me why it is that the venerable 4003 makes it into stores and catalog sheets (AMS, Musician's Friend, etc..) but none of the newer models, such as the 4004, has. Does that come down to the hand-crafted nature of the instrument, and the accompanying delay in production and delivery? Sure, I see the 360's and the like, but nothing further- what gives? (mind you, I have good access to the entire line thru my local store, so this is not a gripe, necessarily, but...)...any ideas? Mr. Hall??