Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

IS this a fake TRC on this 660?

Looks wrong to me......

He's admitted that the white pickguard and TRC are replacements.



http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rickenbacker-660_ ... 286.c0.m14

Fake, as far as I can see from the photo...

There are two ways to get a gennie white vintage TRC.

1. Exchange a gennie "other" TRC with the factory BEFORE the current regulations on exchanges of this sort went into effect (2+ years ago).

2. Buy a gennie vintage white TRC on Ebay.

Both are admitted possibilities, but if this guitar has always been a UK resident, the first is unlikely.

In the end, the appearance, proportions and typography indicate "fake" to me. Seeing it in person would seal the deal one way or the other, however.

The thing I always look for is the way the letters meet the bottom line, I think someone said on this forum that all genuine ones are slightly rounded where they meet, the fake ones are generally square.

Talking of copies, look at this.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Lovely-Mazetti-Se ... 286.c0.m14

I might buy it and get someone to try to replicate the 'grapeglo' finish on it.

look at the tuners - they are also not original ( kluson style rick). they are grover vintage deluxe. it is nice guitar - i'd try collect in person though.

Mateybob wrote: Talking of copies, look at this.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Lovely-Mazetti-Se ... 286.c0.m14

:puke:

Perfect for that encore in your "Who" tribute band. I bet it would sound sublime hitting the stage in a full axe swing motion!

Considering the year model, wouldn't the Made in the USA script be written at the bottom of the TRC above the nut, if legit? In addition to the other flaws already mentioned.

I vote real. Looks high quality and the "Made in USA" lettering is something I don't think a counterfeiter would bother to add. At the very least it looks EXACTLY like a vintage TRC from that era. Keep in mind, these were the 'paddlehead' days, just look at the size of the TRC on a V-series guitar from the late '90s/early 00's.

I suppose I'll stick my neck out now and detail the issues I have with it...

First off, it looks too big and the proportions slightly off--it's too fat through the middle, for starters, and the nut end a bit too wide.

The typographic issue has already been addressed: The Rickenbacker script on a genuine TRC has a fillet between the bottom of each vertical element and the base line (or "underline"). This one does not appear to have this feature, judging from the photos. This is the most telling feature of a counterfeit TRC IMO.

It also appears to have too much "white space" around the script lettering, the script also looks a tiny percentage too narrow in terms of weight; there is too much space between the script and the MADE IN USA lettering.

These are much easier to counterfeit than raised letter TRCs; it's a wonder how many counterfeiters get them wrong, though.I suspect most counterfeits are copied from photos of the real thing instead of the physical item itself.

Good points, I didn't know there was that much to look at! I actually went and looked at a 1997 headstock - the RICKENBACKER script is much lower and the overall shape is a bit slimmer, but still huge compared to today's guitars. There have probably been some minor variations over the years.

I'm considering counterfeiting my own white TRC if I get a 660, of course I'd never sell it as real.

The text is much too small compared with my (1982)320's TRC. Don't know how much they vary from model to model but it looks suspect to me, not typical.
I'm not a Rick guru but I used to work as a moldmaker in an art restoration studio. There are a million tricks for making fakes. If it's a fake, at least the faker took the extra time to include "Made in USA" (Is the MIUSA text placement correct? Mine sits on top of the nut above the model number). Without it I would not hesitate to vote fake. Most fakers get greedy and that's what gives them away. But this high achiever has us guessing. If the text style is correct, it's hard to say without seeing it in person. Is the cover's plastic material from a Rick era when specs were fairly constant? A side-by-side with a genuine article could speak volumes. Compare the transparency, the way the edges are finished, the screws, and the black paint under a magnifier, in sunlight and under different types of bulbs.
Just from the photo I'd say that the lack of filleting and the shape are indeed suspect and concur with the 'fake' voters. I think I could do a more convincing job of it