Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

This guy is parting out a '64 model 450, even selling the bridge (with serial #) separately from the body. I asked him why when one would think that the owner of the body would probably like the serial # to go with it (not to mention doing what he's doing makes it easier for someone down the line to be misled about when a guitar was built.) Here is the seller's reply:

"The answer is simple. I can make more money parting it out than by combining any of its elements at all. This tactic comes from experience."

Sad, but true.
Also makes it very hard to buy the whole guitar piece by piece, as it's quite likely someone else will get some of the goodies.

The thing is, even if you need a bridge for one of these, it kinda makes the thought of buying one like this depressing, the idea of paying top $ for a part that works but DOES NOT go with your particular instrument.

And the thing is, even if the guy makes a bit more for the bridge, woudln't he take a bit less for a body without a bridge or serial #, especially if he's selling them at the same time?

There's also a '77 burgundy 4001 being slaughtered. It is a shame.

Glenn: Money and reason, as in oil and vinegar, can appear homogeneous but often times only if they are shaken very hard.

I too saw this one and cringed. Very sad.

Quite a perceptive word-picture, Peter

The bane of eBay is that it's goal is to sell things at the absolute maximum price for the seller. The system offers no incentive to do anything else, such as exercise good taste in selling fine instruments. Unlike us, such a seller finds less reward in preserving a fine instrument in its most-original form in such a venue, if its parts are worth more than its whole

Well, at least it's nice to know that others feel the same. And with the public nature of Ebay, at least people are seeing what's going on.

One thought; would there be any merit in starting some kind of list of serial #'d parts that are known to have been forcefully (heh-heh) separated from their true guitar bodies?

Perhaps a list that could be accessed by the public? One that might actually (in the long run at least) discourage this kind of thing as it might hold prices down because buyers could easily research the list, and find out that a certain " '64" only refers to one part and one part only, and who knows where and when the rest of said instrument came from?

You might want to consider that the seller could actually be a Forum member here.

I recently bought a '64 Gretsch Country Gent, missing it's gold pickguard. The only way I was able to find a replacement pickguard was via eBay. It wasn't cheap - I paid the market price for it. Now my guitar will be complete.

It came from the same seller, too, and I only recognised the name after the auction ended

Hey Darren, I'm not against people "parting" out instruments, as long as it doesn't lead to some kind of fraud down the line. I'm talking about the exception to this rule, though, and that is separating an actual guitar body from a part that contains its serial number. I know this has been going on with Fenders forever. Still, it seems to me some sort of database to track this kind of thing with Ricks would be of benefit to those who love these instruments most, and those who don't want to be burned by people who are more interested in $ than musical instruments.

Glenn, I hear ya mate, I just didn't want anyone to inadvertently tread on another Forum members toes

I agree that it would be good for the serial number to remain with the body.

And in today's web world, it would be easy to put a little database together with serial numbers of parted out guitars, eh? We could have one at this site?

This has been going on in the automotive world for quite some time. Just think of all of the nice, classic iron that has been parted out. Like it or not, our guitars are getting more valuable every year and unfortunately, this is only the beginning.

The car analogy only goes so far, though. Cars are often parted out because the cost in time and money to keep an old car in working condition is so high. as they rust, can be totalled, etc. So salvaging what's left that has any value just makes sense.