Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Been offered a "well used" JG 2030 for $450.00... Any thoughts on the price? Realistic? Thoughts on the bass? Never been one of my fave shapes... But hey, at the right price (if it sounds good) its still a Ric!

The price is pretty good. I'd go for it... I've wanted to try one for a long time.

Go for it! They sound great!

And if you don't like it, you can always find a home for it here most likely.

At $450, I'd be very tempted to get it since I wanted to take a "well used" Ric and fix it up.

Well, 2030 is 21 years away, so I haven't really thought about it much!

For that kind of money I'd buy it, too. Assuming there is nothing seriously wrong with it.

rickenbrother wrote:Go for it!

+1

basse wrote:Been offered a "well used" JG 2030 for $450.00... Any thoughts on the price? Realistic? Thoughts on the bass?

I lost more than twice that amount when I won one at Ebay (but I am in Europe). I do not like the neck. It is a lot wider than my other Rickenbacker's. I think mine will become a Five string bass someday. I still have not put new strings on it so no comments on sound except for that is is much louder than my other Rick's.

My white 2030 is a bit neck heavy so I have to wear it with a strap that has a high friction, to avoid neck dives.

For $450 I'd get it and do the Bradshaw mod.

If it doesn't have any major issues, do it. That's a good price. If you don't like it, you'll have no trouble selling it.

You can't go wrong for the price. You should be able to double your money at least.

I have a 2030GF that I really like, but it's slightly different from a regular 2030 so I don't know how much I'm qualified to give an opinion here. Not sure when the change to humbuckers was made; mine is a '92 and has them. Mine has a nice fat tone. Deeper with a lot of mids.

The body is slightly thicker and heavier than a 4001/4003. And I like the neck on mine. It's a bit wider than a 4001 up in the upper register but not as wide as a 4004. And with the adjustable bridge, you can bring the string spacing in to be the same as a 4001/4003.

In short: Very comfortable body contours, comfortable neck, great tone that's a little deeper than a 4003. Slightly heavier, some like the styling, some don't.

My 2030GF:

http://www.rickresource.com/register/vi ... lebrity%3D

$450 is a great price. If the bass if functional, nab it.

The Bradshaw Mod looks ace!

I'd buy that sucker in a heartbeat for that price. If the body is beat up, I have my original sitting in the attic wrapped in bubble-wrap and it's not perfect, but it's pretty decent and could likely be had for a reasonable price. Maybe there is a fair amount of variation, but the neck on mine doesn't seem particularly wide. It's not much of a width transition when switching back and forth between the 2030, my Pedulla Buzz, or even the Hofners. In general, it has a very versatile sound and plays great. I do think the original body shape is pretty funky, but as noted, that can be fixed. That was mod generation #1. This is my the current one - shape adjusted a bit, but still fits in the original case, binding added, a couple sets of new guards, etc. I'd love to put toasters on it for the look alone, but the sound provided by the stock electronics is too good to mess with.

p.s. Though you can make it sound like a lot of "normal" basses, the 2030 also has phenomonal clean tone if you ever need it. I periodically kick around the idea of buying an acoustic, but seem to always be very disappointed with their unplugged low end. The decision always seems to boil down to "if I have to plug it in, why bother to buy one when I can get better "acoustic" tone out of the 2030. This is an old clip, but you can see what I'm talking about. Fit the same bass with flats, or turn the treble down and you can play "She's Not There" and sound like the Zombies with pretty typical early '60s bass tone.

http://www.broadjam.com/artists/songs.p ... aID=411381

Thanks for sharing Todd. Looks even better now!