Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

If this has already been talked about somewhere else my apologizes but I couldn't find a tread for it.

I read a lot about the Rick backorder and I am wondering about how many guitars RIC make in a year?

500, 1000, 2000? Understandably the exact number is a corporate secret.

I have been keeping my eye out for a 660/6 Blue Burst COY and they just do not seem to be out there.

Were COY versions done only in the dozens per model?

The current serial number system allows up to 52K per year.

1250.

Do I get a prize?

8mileshigh wrote:1250.

Do I get a prize?

Yes, another kiss from Peter. Where is that old buzzard lately anyway?

Another? Eeeeeeeeewwwwwwww

I think he's hiding somewhere. He doesn't reply to my emails. Perhaps he doesn't like us Sean?

Who got his manties in a bunch?

They're not bunched up--just hard to get off.

Well, he is a bit crusty.

ta da!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RICKENBACKER-660- ... dZViewItem

"Sub-type: Stratocaster". Hmmmm....

Should look a lot better in person; flash photos wash out blue bursts.

that would look great with ambered binding.

old buzzard is flyiiiiing - flyiiiiiiiing hiiiiiiigh...

Trolling around the RIC forum I found my answer in a reply from Mr. Hall at RIC when a formite there in 2007 asked:

"Just curious...What's the approximate output of guitars from Rickenbacker per month? Is it more than 100?"

Mr. Halls response was:

"I don't comment on specific production numbers given we're a privately held company but I will say that'd be just a few days worth for us."

Another comment from Mr. Hall elsewhere was that they had no limit on COY orders. They took in as many as ordered.

http://www.rickenbacker.com/forum_view_ ... ion%20work?

To answer the question as generally and delicately as possible: "How many DO they make a year?" Not enough. Yet. But they are working on it.

As far as I am aware, the backlogue is not increasing, but holding steady or slowing decreasing.

Once production meets demand on a timely basis, the company will be working at its perfect economy of scale. It is difficult for any business to consistantly operate at a perfect economies of scale. Some things are within the capacity to adjust, other things are not.

If you really want a general idea, here is a project: count and tally ALL of the instruments produced and reported at the RIC website that have been "Recently shipped" and this will be a close number. It will not be exact, because some items are not counted (such as the 75th Anniversary guitars were not) and you have to be careful that you do not double count a guitar or miss one as the shipment tallying is done "in time" so one guitar shipped to one store may appear listed longer than another depending upon the shipments. I am not aware that anyone has done this, and I would imagine most of us have lives that are a bit too occupied to actually valiently undertake such a task. I do not even think that RIC has someone doing that, unless RIC now has software that automatically tracking this.

You can disregard my prior post. I have been informed by a higher authority that would know such things that even counting the "Recently Shipped" guitars would not be close to correct due to the fact that it does not say how many or a particular model may have shipped, only that that at least one model of that kind was shipped.