Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I haven't been here for quite a while and I was wondering if Paul ever finished the Rickenbacker Bass book. I want one!

Dave: A good question. Perhaps Paul will provide an update.

here is a teaser. 31dollar shipping to holland unfortunately.

Hi Dave!

I can provide an update. However, in January, I received notice from RRF admin that I should be less "overt" with postings about the book as it was seen by some Forumite(s) as violation of Rule 10, no advertising of a commercial product. Since then, I have been calling the book "my project" and trying to lay low. Last night I posted a notice in the Marketplace "On-line sightings" about a poster, and that has been removed.

I have a lot of news about "my project," so Peter, it's your call. Please let me know if the cuffs are off.

I would love to read about update's about Paul's book and can not imagine a better place than overhere at RRF.

Hey Paul,

I like that a lot. Very cool indeed and congratulations!

Paul, that sucks. You've been such a great member here I think it's ridiculous not to let you show it off here, even if it is "technically" a violation of a rule. I think the rule is fine, but rules can be bent. It's a freaking guitar discussion forum, people, not the danged Pentagon. Anyone who posts a link to a new Rickenbacker for sale is helping advertise a commercial product. And how about the thousands of eBay links? Geez. Don't get me started. Too late!

I would really like to have the book.

I think I can safely say this: The book is not published yet, but I'm working on it.

jdogric12 wrote:Paul, that sucks. You've been such a great member here I think it's ridiculous not to let you show it off here, even if it is "technically" a violation of a rule. I think the rule is fine, but rules can be bent. It's a freaking guitar discussion forum, people, not the danged Pentagon. Anyone who posts a link to a new Rickenbacker for sale is helping advertise a commercial product. And how about the thousands of eBay links? Geez. Don't get me started. Too late!

It is a fine line. I have had to delete posts in the past for a forum member selling his products. It was a link to a scratch and dent sale. The member has been helpful here with info for his products but does not post them or link to them in the Rickenbacker Market Place or Second Strum sections.

We are at liberty to talk about most things here and we do. The RRF has been free of ads of the sort that have banners, spam and so forth for more than a decade. I would hope that visitors here have appreciated this.

The policy is that commercial ventures are against the rules. We promote Rickenbackers and the talents of one another on a regular basis but when it becomes more about making money for the poster through the advertising of new products then it becomes a problem.

It is completely within the rules for the owner of a product to comment on questions about that product from RRF members. However, when the post starts out as a self-promotion complete with advertising and the poster stands to gain financially then the line has been crossed.

I hope that this is no surprise to anyone. In passing, it is somewhat unsettling when information that is received from posts here is repackaged in a way that allows this very same information to become a profit for others. The philosophy of this forum from the outset has been to share information freely and not to charge others for it.

It shouldn't take too much imagination to see how products can be discussed while at the same time respecting the rules.

Well, I see that my post has been deleted

Sorry if it, or I was out of line.

Lefty4003s8



Do not drink from the toilet when taking Lyrica

Well, then I will answer with an update on the book. Right now, I have 82 pages completed -- that means text and captions written, photos placed, layout in final* form. The chapters that are complete* are: 4000, 4001, 4001S, 4002, 4005, 4003SB, 4001V63, 4001C64/64S, 3000/3001, 2030/2050, 2020/2060/2030GF, 4003SPC, 4004C, 4004Cii, 4004L, 4004LK. Chapter underway at the moment: "Finish and Trim" (colors). Chapters not yet started: 4003, 4003S, 4003S5, 4003S8, 4008, 4080, 4001CS, "Customs, conversions, and one-offs," and a digestion of Ted Staberow's "Anatomy" series.

When I first started to put this book idea together, I talked with the folks at Hal Leonard Publishing here in Milwaukee. They liked the idea, but were concerned that the book may not be complete if I didn't get full cooperation from RIC. I don't know what "full cooperation" might be, and while I have received some photos and questions answered from RIC, most of the information and some photos have come from collectors on this Forum. The majority of the photos in the book are ones that I have taken. So, I wasn't sure if Hal Leonard would take the book, and there was no signed contract. I figured I'd go the self-publishing route (LuLu) and see if HL would perhaps like to distribute it. Two weeks ago, I brought the loose-leaf proof of the book to HL, and my contact there was very impressed. Now it looks like they will take it (although there is still no formal contract). I was surprised that they now will take a book that is already "produced" -- electronic files with pages already laid out -- rather than taking a manuscript and photos and designing the book themselves. I feared that that would ruin what I had envisioned for the book. As an accessory to the book, I created a graphic of the Rickenbacker bass timeline and family tree.

Now the task is to finish the remaining chapters and get a contract with Hal Leonard. Once they have it, they will print, publish, market, and distribute the book, and it should be available everywhere.

As far as making money on "my project," that remains to be seen. I have no idea of the size of the market for a book like this. I think it will be safe to say that if Hal Leonard releases the book, the market will be saturated. I have not had the gumption to record the hours I put into the project or estimate my "costs" versus potential income (I'm retired and don't want to be bothered!). I suppose that's not a wise thing to do income-tax-wise, but I don't forsee driving around in a Lexus anytime soon.

I'll wrap up. With luck, the project should be available by the end of the year. If anyone feels that this update is an advertisement, please complain to Peter and he can remove what is found offensive.

* "Final" and "complete" in digital journalism is what the files contain just before they go to press. I can change, remove, or add anything to any page in the blink of an eye right up till then.

Oh, here are the covers so far:

Paul: Thanks for your update which, I am sure, will be met with interest by those who have been waiting for a Rickenbacker bass book for some time.