Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

"Rickenbacker 340PT"???? I don't know about anybody else, but I don't know whether I would deal with someone who can't get the model number right...

I do NOT trust this arrogant SOB (Roman). I have found so much bad advice on his website...it's impossible to take him seriously. His one redeeming quality: He seems to think Ricks are pretty good guitars!

I definitely wouldn't deal with him either. But he has a second redeeming quality: he's right about all the fakery of vintage guitars (usually Fenders)on eBay and elsewhere.

I bought my Tacoma C1C Chief from Ed Roman and it came extremely well packed (far better than Musician's Friend packs) and the action is fantastic. I asked for a low action Chief, and that is exactly what I got. My brother noticed the incredible low action and wonderful harmonics right off the bat the first time he played it. Ed can be as bombastic as he wants to be (and he is) just as long as he keeps sending me guitars like my Tacoma Chief. You will probably be talking to somebody like Scott Krell, and not Ed, when you call the store. They seem to know their stuff better and give more personal service than the big chain stores. It's not a full line music store as it concentrates mainly on high quality guitars and bass guitars. Ed is also a custom guitar and bass manufacturer with a shop on the East Coast. Don't call them for amps, tubes, pedals, speakers, microphones, drums, etc. He was supposedly opening a second shop called Guitar King to handle some of that other stuff and generic guitars and basses the last time I checked the site. His website attitude will garner its share of criticism, but so far I have no complaints as to his service and product.

As previously noted, he also has high regard for Rickenbackers and keeps an inventory of 100 or more Ricks on hand in various colors within each model category. He also offers very competitive pricing and gives additional discount for "cash" deals. What more can you ask for?

He keeps no 4004 basses on hand, but that is because it is impossible to keep them in stock, and nobody else had a new 4004L in stock when I went looking for my 4004L. He had several 4003 basses in any standard color to choose from had I wanted that model.

"A horse is a horse, of course, of course
and no one can talk to a talking horse,
unless of course the talking horse
is the famous Mr. Ed"

"Hello. I'm Ed."

"Wiiiiiiiilll-burrr!!!"

~LOL~

Whenever I think of Ed Roman I think of the fictional "Ed Anger" from the parody tabloid Weekly World News. Ed Roman and anger do seem to go together.

Someone on this forum had his brand new 650 ruined by Ed Roman's shop when he ordered the shaved down neck Roman recommends. The neck went into reverse bow and wouldn't come out even with heavier strings and a slack trussrod.

Ed's entitled to his opinions, but I tried dealing with his company once and they want to make it difficult for you. I felt like they thought they were doing me a favor by selling me a guitar. No thanks, I'll go where my business is appreciated.

I think he's a sheister! I called him for a part on an 80's Steinberger. I think it was the strap contraption, he quoted me $300. And quoted me an inflated price for a bass. When I've been seeing them online for 1/2 as much! He has a link on his website that talks bashes Ebay. I've always wondered about people who complain a lot... Is it because he knows people in those situations or is always involved in them??? News @ 11pm!

Just read Eds "ebay" rants page............

Obviously he has felt the "pinch" since ebay came along, as ebay cuts out the middle man of sorts.BUT, are all these ebay horror stories true??I have approx 270/270 positive feedback, and have never came across a scammer..............

Just use common sense (and escrow if needs be)

I've never had an issue with Ebay either and I have 483 positives.. In one of his rants he mentions a person recieveing an empty box from UPS and had to put in an insurance claim... It's a wonder that many of the popular ways to scam is on his website...

He's just trying to put people off ebay, scare tactics...............If ebay went away, we would all have to go back to paying dealer prices for vintage gear, and in fact all gear.

Whoa!!! Just because both of you have lots of positives doesn't mean that eBay is safe from fraud!

As far as prices go, eBay is like anyplace else, people pay what they are willing. There's no evidence that eBay has held down vintage prices, and it could be argued that it has increased interest in vintage gear and actually increased prices.

I've seen some excellent eBay scores and I've also repeatedly seen people pay way above what you would pay at a store, vinatge or newer. In the case of Rickenbackers I've repeatedly seen sellers offer later models with a starting bid higher than new retail.

But we were talking about scams here. I've seen so many of them pointed out on certain forums that I believe at least 90% of the vintage Fenders being sold on eBay are fakes.

Here's just one example of many: there's a just-completed eBay auction for a "1950 Fender Broadcaster Tele Real no reissue!" and the bidding ended at $18,100 with reserve not met. Well, it's a complete fraud. A sharp eBay vintage parts dealer pointed out (on a Tele forum) that the body was actually from a 1985 Japanese-made '62 Esquire Reissue and had recently sold on eBay to a buyer whose address is less than a mile away from the seller in this auction. You could tell by certain distinct grain patterns on the body. The vintage parts dealer has sold parts before to the same person who bought the body, and a couple of them showed up on this guitar. The person who bought the body has bought lots of old Fender parts and they wind up on fakes offered by that seller. Hmmm...smell a rat here? And yet there were twenty bids on this fake. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Dave, when I said ebay has made vinatge gear more "realistic", I am speaking from a UK standpoint.

Pre-cbs Jazzmasters, in the UK, were around £2000+, and still are from dealers here. On ebay they are approx £1500, and as long as you know your pot dates, neck butt dates, kluson deluxe details, and all the other "originality signs", you can get excellent deals on ebay.

Never (in the UK) have I saw ANY instrument go for any more than a UK dealer would charge.

The UK vintage dealers know how scarce vintage stuff is here, and they charge big time.

A little off the subject, I know............

I know where you're voming from Dave- I think the text was jabbing Ed Roman's claims- I know there are funky sellers out there who would masqarade anything to make a buck. I saw those auctions.. I think people who pass stuff off as being genuine should be punished to the full extent of the law... If they get caught...