Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Not to bring up a sour subject , but I was wondering if the current economic climate affected any forumites plans to purchase another Rick? We had one of "those meetings" at work today and I'm thinking I might have to hold off blowing my Rick savings fund for a little while until the smoke clears. Unless , of course, the right Rick at the right price sails by,,,

We've been having similar "meetings" at my company including several plant closing announcements. Not my plant...yet. I suspect the only instrument I will be getting for about a year is the 700C that Paul W. has been building for me for the past 18 months. Other than that, all extra money will be saved.

4003 wrote: I suspect the only instrument I will be getting for about a year is the 700C that Paul W. has been building for me for the past 18 months.

Despite what anyone may think, it does not take 18 months to build an acoustic guitar (although my Jazz-Bo took 13). It's about a six-month task from laying the keel to buffing out the finish, but I can only complete one at a time.

Bob, yours is on the very short list; expect it early in '09. Might even give you time to save up for another precious Rick!

Just for the heck of it, I pulled the trigger on this.
So far, I haven't seen much of the effects of hard times. My student load has picked up over the fall. And the string band was real busy. I haven't had to dip into the Rickenbacker Savings to meet daily expenses.

JimK

Hey Jim , that looks like a fun purchase! I guess I was just trying to get a feel for how things look outside my own little world after a "rough day at the office". Actually, I do have a strong hankering for a 370-12!

britinvasion wrote:Hey Jim , that looks like a fun purchase! I guess I was just trying to get a feel for how things look outside my own little world after a "rough day at the office". Actually, I do have a strong hankering for a 370-12!

I don't know how serious I am at the moment about a Rick lap steel. I just got word that I've been outbid. If I bid any higher, that means I'll likely have to dip into savings...and I think I'd rather not.

There will probably be other Rick lap steels on the market in the future. So I think I'll let this one pass.

JimK

I've had to pass on a couple of really cool Craig's List offerings, but nothing I couldn't live without. I'll probably hold off on my next 330 to WB conversion for awhile, but I'll probably be too busy enjoying my Big Red "Santaglo" WB refinish to even notice.

The market is always going up and down, if you can wait - it will get back high again.
I do feel that this economy crash is going to be harder than the exploding bubble of early 2000's, but within a few years it should be over and the "bubble" will return imho.
This is actually a good opportunity to purchase instruments as more people need to sell their equipment and less people can afford them. This is going to be a buyer's market!

The market will return. It always does. But you're right Gil, the downturn from 2000-2002 was simply because the market was over valued. That is most definitely not the case this time. This could still be a good time to find a Rick. There may be a few motivated sellers out there. Who knows, but i am keeping my eye out for some possible values. I'm still looking for a 4001CS, but haven't found one that has interested me. Maybe we'll see a few of those pop up.

jimk wrote:

britinvasion wrote:Hey Jim , that looks like a fun purchase! I guess I was just trying to get a feel for how things look outside my own little world after a "rough day at the office". Actually, I do have a strong hankering for a 370-12!

I don't know how serious I am at the moment about a Rick lap steel. I just got word that I've been outbid. If I bid any higher, that means I'll likely have to dip into savings...and I think I'd rather not.

There will probably be other Rick lap steels on the market in the future. So I think I'll let this one pass.

JimK

Hi Jim. Just noticed this from the steels section. I have one from January same year (63). Go for it, it's well worth it. Very cool piece, plus you have a spare horseshoe in case you ever need one. not that I condone gutting, of course

gibsonlp wrote:This is actually a good opportunity to purchase instruments as more people need to sell their equipment and less people can afford them. This is going to be a buyer's market!

That's what I've been thinking.

jdogric12aolcom wrote:
Hi Jim. Just noticed this from the steels section. I have one from January same year (63). Go for it, it's well worth it. Very cool piece, plus you have a spare horseshoe in case you ever need one. not that I condone gutting, of course

Nah, I bid on it because I wanted a lap steel. BTW, I'm euphoriafiddle.
I guess I'm serious enough to bid it up. Let's see what happens.

JimK

P.S. I'm moving the rest of this discussion to the Rick Steels section.

jrk

Has the economy affected my new Rick plans ? It sure has ! I will only buy a new Rick on days ending with the letter "y".

When I ordered my 360 in September I knew that my tax return would pay it off long before it got here. So my answer is no.

I wish my 401(k) program had retained its value like Rickenbackers do...

Wondering, maybe I should get out of stocks and mutual funds and just invest in vintage Rics as a hedge ??

Rich F.