Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

route66guitars wrote:Here are pics of Howie’s bass.

http://www.topshelfguitarshop.com/Epste ... cBass.html

It’s not a Rickenbacker. I know the builder, but don’t know that he wants that info made public.

There's an old thread about that one ... IIRC it was up for sale (auction?) and unfortunatley labelled as a Rickenbacker ...

i think both of those basses are extremely cool-looking,works for me.......

I like those basses better than the 80s Hamburger bass

HI,,, my name is Bill and, am getting around to building a 325 bass,actual size,and maybe one a bit larger,would love to yak about this to anyone who will listen,and chat back,,, its fun !!!

Welcome Bill.

Sorry, but you won't get much love here for the building of a protected object! Even though RIC never made a 325 bass the concepts, shapes, design, etc. are still trademarked and therefore, protected by law.

No no..

I think we have misunderstood entirely..

Bill was talking, I am sure, about creating a bass around the shape of the numbers 3, 2 and 5

Those numbers cut out of wood and joined togther would create a very distictive looking bass...

I have seen intruments before in odd shapes... But never one composed entirely out of numbers before.

It could be an interesting project!

Welcome, Bill. Jeff is correct re: no love here for Rick copies, regardless of provenance. But you are correct, too--Ricks are fun!

I would suggest you do a search on this Forum for threads and posts pertaining to this topic. Try keywords: copies, counterfeits, intellectual property, the Lanham Act, trade dress, copyright. This will give you a good explanation of why Ricks cannot simply be copied like Fenders, Gibsons, and Teisco Del Rays.

Then, we hope you stick around for the party after your copy goes into the chipper!

HI,Bill here, I think I should clarify the term "build" a bass ,what this really means for me is to dummy-up, often with cardboard,and,or,a chunk of pine, a mock-up to try and satisfy the questions that I see are being discussed on the 325 bass idea,we all seem to wonder about the same issues,and concerns, scale length,balance,etc, and a big one,for me,the hardware arrangement,and placement,,, wooo,thats a big job,,, so I use the term in a wishful thinking kinda way,, truth is I've been "building" one for, about 25 yrs,and still, haven't,,, I do get inspired when I see doner guitars, on Ebay "project" guitar adds,, and kinda gets the juices flowing again, add joining the RIC forum and bingo; I'm "building" again.
at 58 yrs, looks like it's never gonna happen,, here is the main issue for me,, without using a good portion of a real RIC, it,to me, just wouldn't be,,,, a RIC,I have re-built,and ,or,moded a couple of my RICs, the photos are posted, but they are RICs to me still,
If I found an affordable and suitable neck,or body, to use, I would think about it,but, makes more sense to do the geometry first,on a mock-up,to see if it would be worth these often high prices on Ebay, but,so far,,,, nope !!
ok guys,, there is my official apology, tho, I have worked out some issues,but,,not enough of them,, this is why we want RIC to do it huh???

as I said it IS fun, lets keep thinking it thru,,, who knows maybe it will inspire the "guys" to do it???

I would like a bass in that shape converted to a you-know-what-string. (Yes, I'll shut up about it at some point.)

Kenny -

You are far more likely to be in a position to lobby for this happening one day... Keeping putting it at the bottom of everyone's christmas card...

I know myself if Rickenbacker ever offered a bass guitar based upon the 325 shape, I would be in line to buy one... (even if it only had four strings Kenny - )

The one thing that Howie Epstien did by creating the bass he had commissioned was to create a demand for other people who wish they had a bass just like his... Obviously most of us here would prefer to play by the rules in terms of the copyrights involved. If RIC does not have the capacity to do it - and I accept that given the backlog that it really never will any radicially different models to its current line.

The solution obviously is to create an arrangement similar to Paul W and the acoustic 700 series. They are built in very small numbers by hand... Basically as special orders only. It then basically would prove how much demand there was for such a model bass...

It has been done. It looks like a 1958 325 bass in natural, with one horsheshoe p/up..

Can't remember who, though...I can say it is not any of the usual well-known talent we would think of using an original bolt-on neck from a 3000, factory hardware and a new-made Alder body. It looks simply awesome, and every bit like it could have been made in the 50's. (Not relic'd but in the style of what was being done in the late 50's....) I thought it was a very very good effort.

I will not share pics of it on the 'net 'cause I don't have permission to post it, but anyone can stop by and see it on my laptop..