Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Kevin Kuney's got a very nice 370/12 listed in the For Sale section. It's got toasters and an upgraded case, both of which are described as discontinued options. I knew about the silver cases no longer being available, but I was caught by surprise regarding the deletion of the pick-up options (VP and HB). I checked at the Rickenbacker site and, sure enough, the toasters aren't listed under "Options" the way they used to be. I must really have been asleep at the switch. When did it happen and is there any chance of the options returning once the backlog becomes more manageable?

Again, sorry if this is such old, outdated news that it makes you smack your forehead in frustration ...

With the backlog situation the way it is, you're really better off having these options installed by the Rick dealer you order a new guitar from (or do it yourself). That keeps the wait time for a new ordered Rickenbacker down.

I really never understood how eliminating the "pickup option" keeps the backlog down. Unless there is something I am missing, I would assume that the installation process for either pickup is the same. Wouldn't it take the same amount of time to reach for a vintage pickup instead of a high gain? What time does it save?

Probably keeping track of where that one particular instrument has to end up does cause issues. Having to keep track of what color goes to which dealers is enough without having to think about other specifics.

Agreed, Jeff. Logistics can be a real nightmare and generally speaking fewer variables of any kind equals greater efficiency. I'm certainly not quibbling with the decision, I just hope the option comes back some day. I can never find pick-ups in the style or quantity that I want (usually three) and ordering them installed at the factory just gave me peace of mind.

And I'm still kind of stunned that I missed the change. I suppose it's because I'm just stunned to begin with.

stillrich wrote:I really never understood how eliminating the "pickup option" keeps the backlog down. Unless there is something I am missing, I would assume that the installation process for either pickup is the same. Wouldn't it take the same amount of time to reach for a vintage pickup instead of a high gain? What time does it save?

It's not the installating time, it's the logistics, as have been mentioned above.

They probably only did a run of VP's when they had enough orders to validate a full batch, which made wait time longer for those people who wanted VP's, and probably slowed production off non-VP guitars.

If they had a bucket full of pickups and it was as easy as pulling out a VP when you saw "Toaster" written in the cavity, then I suppose it wouldn't add much time at all, but from an efficiency standpoint, that wouldn't work too well either.

I believe the pickup options went away in May of 2006.