Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

A very nice shop in Chicago (Chicago Music Exchange) has an excellent stock of Rics, and I was considering either a 330 or 360, depending on which I ultimately prefer after more demoing. At this point, they quoted 2K for a new 330 and 2400 for a 360, but made clear that I could make an offer. What would be the rock bottom that would be likely to be accepted? Thanks for the advice.

You won't find many fans of that store here (use the search feature to find out why). The Music Zoo in New York, http://www.themusiczoo.com/rickenbacker.htm, just gave me a price of $1595 on a 330. CME could at least match that.

"Very nice shop"...

Welcome! That could be the most controversial first post since Hector was a pup...

Welcome Dirk,

I'm SURE you can find a better price than that.

Do your homework, heck you could even post in our WANTED SECTION, you may come up with a very good deal right here!

Fasten your seat belts folks, I fear the ride here might get a bit bumpy!

CME?

S L O W L Y........I............T U R N......................INCH BY INCH..................STEP by STEP...............

My last few price checks @ MF were about 10% off MSRP.
Contrast that with a 30 % off price on my 4003 in 2006 from another dealer.
Current list for a 330= $1999, 360=$2499.
CME's may have been ordered at the old price list, as well.

Assuming, of course, these haven't been sold to someone else first...

I don't know what the issues with these guys have been, but it was clear that that price was negotiable. How negotiable, I'm not sure. I could never buy something as expensive as a Ric on the internet, unfortunately, especially because for me they vary quite a bit. Of the ten or so I tried yesterday, I'd only be willing to buy maybe two of them, while the rest weren't that great. Any other figures? Thanks for all the help.

There's a long and complicated story about CME that I could tell, but I think the forumites who lived through what happened would like to tell you themselves...

Anyway, seriously consider trying somewhere else for a Ric.

(by chance, did you see/try that RM 1993 they had?)

Perhaps one or two Forumites might want to share their CME stories with Dirk via private emails or IMs.

Dirk...DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT buy anything from that store! The owner ripped me off several years ago on a '63 SG Special. I was told it was totally stock, no mods, no issues, etc, etc. He was FOS. I wound up selling the guitar to Roscoe Beck and broke even, but I would never, in a million years, give CME any more of my money. When I called the owner to tell him the guitar was not original (there was serious overspray on the neck, the wiring had been boogered), he gave me an attitude. F him and his store.

Believe me, shop around. You can get a much better price than $2K.

I have kept my mouth shut on the 'net about Chicago Music Exchange up until now, but this really set me off.

I paid less than $1399 including tax for a 330 FG. I just bought it brand new and sent it to Paul for the lightshow conversion.

Uh-oh. I made a bass out of it...

Har!!

Marcus, if only 2 of the 10 guitars you tried were acceptable, I bet it was due more to improper set-up or lack of set-up than the guitar quality. Rickenbackers, in my experience, are usually quite consistent. I have purchased 5 in my lifetime, and only tried one of them in person. Two I purchased used from eBay, and 2 new from authorized RIC dealers. All of them were set up properly, with great, low action. If the price were right, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one from one of the highly recommended dealers in this forum like Pick of the Ricks, Northcoast Music, Wildwood Guitars, etc.