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Real, or fake?

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:52 am
by kicker
hello from croatia, europe...
i purchased a used rickenbacker, so i was wondering is it fake or not.. i got to wonder that because of no serial number on the bridge plate or the jackplate.. also the sign on the jackplate says "stereo sound" and "standard"... but those are all removable parts, so i dunno for sure... and yeah, theres only 1 truss rod...
here are some pictures of the guitar i shot today..
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k287/jeremia666/DSC00590.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k287/jeremia666/DSC00588.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k287/jeremia666/DSC00587.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k287/jeremia666/DSC00585.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k287/jeremia666/DSC00584.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k287/jeremia666/DSC00583.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k287/jeremia666/DSC00582.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k287/jeremia666/DSC00580.jpg

thank you

Matt

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:56 am
by gshadoan
Looks like a fake to me. Sorry.

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 12:05 pm
by sloop_john_b
It's a fake, Matt.

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 12:10 pm
by ilan
Copy. A nice one, though.

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 12:16 pm
by elysrand
Yep, sorry Matt Image

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 12:31 pm
by kicker
hm, thanks for so many fast answers.. guess ill be returning it tommorow Image
i have to say that my faith is kinda shook with this one... im afraid to buy anything now, especially from e bay when i managed to buy a fake in live world...
is there any way to know what you are realyyy buying? i dont come across many ricks in my country, so only sollution in getting one i see is the internet Image

-M

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 3:01 pm
by gray
Don't be afraid to keep looking for a real one, and turning to the internet is not all bad, either.
There are a lot of ways to tell a fake from a real one. The truss rods, the paint job, the fretboard and the inlays, the pickups, the jackplate, the width of the stripe and more. However, I'd do well to let the more experienced collectors describe it to you, as they can go into far better detail than I can.

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 5:11 pm
by just_bassics
Hi Kicker, welcome to the forum. Sorry about your bass, but if you want to buy a Ric with confidence, buy one from a forum member if you can arrange it. At least you'll be getting the real deal here!

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 5:26 pm
by kicker
thanks...
ill look into it for sure Image

-M

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:38 pm
by shinynewtoy
Not only that.... surely you're best off buying from anyone on here, I couldn't think of a more trustworthy gang than this bunch. Image BUT... spot anything outside the forum, and make sure you take lots of pictures, soak in some key details, and ask us here first. We'll let you know whether or not it's what you want. Image

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:35 pm
by heptagram
Whoever strung the bass did a horrible job and totally wrong....
sorry to hear that you got a fake mate...

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:08 am
by thisismusicinc
Good luck on your hunt for a real rick!

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 9:28 pm
by mikes123
Matija how does it sound/ play?

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:55 am
by rickaddict
Interesting forged TRC. The letters on a real Rick molded TRC can't fall off.

Good luck returning the bass, Kicker. I'd be curious to know if your seller flakes out when you try to return the bass. Stick around here, look at some photos, and pretty quickly you'll be able to tell a real from a fake. See the "Post of picture of you PLAYING your ric" thread for a lot of good photos of real Ricks.

A real Rick 4001 will never have a bolt-on neck and will always have two truss rods.

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 9:41 am
by kicker
hey all.. i was away from my computer for last couple of days...
the bass plays and sounds pretty decent.. it's a copy, but it's still a vintage copy, im guessin its old.. so i guess its better than most mid-priced modern basses Image)
the seller was more shocked than i was when he found out, and there was no problem in getting the money back.. we talked a lot and even got to be kinda buddies.. he wants me to get him a genuine rick now through my contacts Image
he's an older dude, plays music for living, could be my dad Image knows alot of people with some good vintage equipment, he promised he'll look into some tube ampeg and musicman heads for me to buy..
maybe i lost a rick, but i got a friend who's more into music and equimpent than i am Image)

well, c ya all, thanks for all the help

p.s. and yeah, could you tell me what would the price tag on this copy be? he WILL sell it as a copy