RICs on eBay

jimk · Post by **jimk** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 5:41 am

Is it just my imagination, or have there been an inordinate number of Rics up for auction on eBay lately? What gives? I thought the only way you could get hold of a used Ric was to pry it out of its owner's cold, dead hands.

Or was the Ric just a short-lived fad among a few hobbyists? Gosh, I rather hope not. Because I for one am getting rather tired of the usual, S[ame]O[ld]S[tuff--yeah stuff, that's it]. I hope serious musicians are keeping their Rics and using them, not just collecting them.

Jim

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 7:24 am

Not by my reckoning. For the last couple of years, listings have been in the 120-140 per day range (at least on Ebay USA). Today, when I checked, there were 108.

jimk · Post by **jimk** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 8:40 am

At any rate, I'm amazed at the prices that they fetch. For that money, I think I'd rather buy a brand new Ric from one of the high volume dealers.

Jim

squid · Post by **squid** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 9:49 am

They do seem to hold their value remarkably well. In fact, the appreciation on a couple of my Rics has totally outpaced my other investments by several percent. My dad now calls my guitar collection the "retirement plan".

jdogric12 · Post by **jdogric12** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:15 am

I plan to retire off my collection once my fingers get so bad I can't play no more. 401K's can bite my ***!!!

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 12:03 pm

My wife can sell all of mine except my 4000 after I'm taking the big sleep.
Life would be pretty darn boring without a few Ricks to play (or at least one).

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 12:09 pm

As to the frequency of finding Ricks on ebay, I've been checking regularly since October 2005 & it's a rare day that there's less than 100, but of course that also includes the China scam copy auctions & other stupidity.
Usually there seems to be at least 65-85 real auctions.

jimk · Post by **jimk** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 12:53 pm

Usually there seems to be at least 65-85 real auctions.

Yeah, I believe you. And I've limited my observation on eBay only to 360 12 strings.

Jim

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 1:27 pm

More like 4001k!

shackleton · Post by **shackleton** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 1:31 pm

Just compare that number to Fenders or Gibson and its small.

steambyrd · Post by **steambyrd** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:42 am

I think the lack of new Rics available at this time has fueled the eBay fire, especially in terms of the prices. Prices appear to be considerably higher than they were this time last year.

ajish4 · Post by **ajish4** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:53 am

Did you guys see what the 650D's have been going for on Ebay? One just sold for over $1300.00 and on is a BIN for $1400.00 currently!

shackleton · Post by **shackleton** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 7:26 am

I think that's a good thing. Its also due to the rise in the list price of new Rics. I don't think this will change unless Ric starts cranking them out. I don't think I like the new head stock either. I also am looking for another 1997 360/12 because it has a wider neck than most.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:03 am

Tony, I think this is a spike; one fed the other and even if the BIN sells, things should settle back down to reality soon.

Eric, there is no guarantee that any 1997 360 will have a wider neck than any other 360. Or any other 360 from any other year, for that matter.

The necks and headstocks, though CNC cut, still have enough hand operations in sanding and shaping to effect some variations. But it is an individual, case-by-case situation, and the variation is quite small in most cases.

shackleton · Post by **shackleton** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:55 pm

I agree with you I measured again and his 92 is about 1/32 of an inch smaller at the first fret than my 97. I am lucky to have purchased this one. I will never sell it unless I am pennyless.