Stripped Rics

[08 Ric 4003]

I have seen these in ebay and wonder what you guys think. I think it might be a way to get at Ric 6 or 12er and you could buy the parts when you have the cash. I have seen a stripped 2003 Fireglo 360 12 String Body & Neck serial number starts with 03 for $730, and a stripped 1966 Fireglo 450 6 String Body & Neck serial numbers start with FA for $600. There is also a 1966 Fireglo 450 12 String Body & Neck but the neck was cracked, and it is up for bid it is at $.99 right now. By stripped I mean all hardware has been taken off and the body and neck are all you get.

[JakeK]

The guy selling this is called "gibsondependable"...quite contrary, if you ask me, thanks to some insight Paul W gave our forum on the company. My advise...Don't do it, Joel.

[collin]

I doubt you can buy all the parts from the guitar for anywhere near the price of a complete guitar (that's how these guys make a buck!).


Probably not a bad idea to buy a body if your intent was to customize it, instead of buying a complete guitar and then taking half the parts off. Some good opportunities there.

[jdawe]

I doubt you can buy all the parts from the guitar for anywhere near the price of a complete guitar (that's how these guys make a buck!).

New Rick parts aren't cheap. Here's what it would cost to replace all the parts from the stripped 360-12 with new parts:
HiGain pickups $75 each
12-string bridge $125
bridge base plate $10
bridge cover plate $20
trapeze tailpiece $40
trapeze tailpiece bracket $20
wiring harness $75
RIc-O-Sound Jack assembly $25
knobs $25
tuners $100 for 12
Pickguard $50

That's over $600, and buying a TRC and jack cover plate (which you can't buy used) on ebay will set you back at least another hundred more.

So if you bought the stripped 360 body for $730 you'd at best save only a few hundred bucks as compared to buying a used 360-12 (median price on the register is $1750).

[teb]

Yeah, I've done the math on a couple of these that seemed attractive at the time and unless you happen to have a well stocked spare parts droor, once you figure out what else you'll need they aren't much of a bargain, if at all. The only way I would consider it would be if there was something really exceptional about that particular body (great wood, rare finish, etc.). And unless you want to meet his usually very high price for the jack-plate with the serial number on it, your guitar will always be an orphan.

[jingle_jangle]

Aside from the personal issues I have with this Very Creepy Seller, there's the issue of splitting the body from its jackplate (and serial #) and nameplate (leaving the nameplate open for exploitation by faker users).

[08 Ric 4003]

Thanks all. I will buy a new one when I can get the $$$$$$.

[Ivan3000]

Gibsondependable just sucks...

[08 Ric 4003]

Somebody wanted the Ric's from Gibson Dependable cause they are all gone. Here is what I did. I bought all the stuff below. And I will make it string through like an American Standard.

Fender American Special Body $260
Pickguard $26
Control Plate $20
String Ferrules $7
Neck Plate $9
American Special Fender Jazz Pots, Pups and Jack $71
Tuners $22
Warmoth Maple Neck w/Rosewood Fretless Fretboard $318
String Retainter $6
Bridge Still biding but I saw them for $36 new

So without the bridge it comes to $743 so add maybe $40 or so for a bridge and add $60 total for shipping for all the stuff, and that comes to $842. A Fender American Special from MF is $999. That includes a gig bag and no case. So I made it under the sellers price parting it out, and it will have a Warmoth neck which blows Fenders stock necks away. I have one on my 95 Jazz. I can get a case and still be under or close and it will be secure in a case not a gig bag.

[jingle_jangle]

I'm not sure what your point is, Joel, but it seems to be that you've built an "American Standard" Tele for less than MF's online price.

In fact, you've built a genuine bitsa for a hundred and a half less than a genuine Fender. But it's still a parts-caster, and an expensive one, at that. You could do a lot better with a bit more judicious shopping from vendors with better prices in general. I've built several for about half the figure you quote, without the need to even paint them or do anything much save quick assembly and setup. This is, of course, the strength of the Fender concept.

And that's part of our own point, although in the case of Fenders, it's oddly less critical than it would be with a Rick, which is not worth a heck of a lot without its jackplate and TRC, yet gibsondependable prices Rick parts at the high end of the range--he buys a complete Rickenbacker guitar and sells off the bits so that his price for the shell alone usually represents his profit. This is especially sad in the case of a real vintage Rick like that '61 he parted out recently.

[08 Ric 4003]

I didn't really have a point. I was told that parting out a Ric would be costly, and that is probably so. I have 08 JG 4003. Wish I would have waited to get a 4003 when a few weeks back MF were selling the Midnight Blue for dirt cheap. I would have loved to get a fretless Ric but my used fretted one cost enough. I didn't feel like spending 2k on a new axe. Once the fretless is assembled it will be practically new. New neck, body and tuners and pups. I have wanted a fretless bass for a while and decided to part it out. Yes I know Fender makes it easy for people to do just that. Many people loath Fenders and many people on this site have them and some won't touch one with a 10 foot pole. I have a 95 Fender Jazz that need a new neck and got a Warmoth neck, a Tele, a Strat and now the Fretless with a Warmoth neck. I have wanted to piece together a guitar for a while. Buying a used guitar from ebay is risky when there is no return period, and by getting a Warmoth neck I know it will be straight. The reason I needed a neck on the 95 Jazz is I got burned. When the neck arrived it looked like a rollercoaster and the truss rod adjustment nut was totally stripped out. It was a fun project. I am going to make it sting through when the bridge arrives.

[Grey]

I didn't really have a point.

You don't say...

[08 Ric 4003]

I was just trying to get a fretless bass and go a different rout. We all can get online and go to MF or GC or Sam Ashes websites and point and click a guitar. I thought it would be cool to totally assemble it, and it came out cheaper that any of those places, and the body and neck and most of the parts are 2011parts. I know I put together a Fender and it doesn't compare in many peoples eyes.

[whojamfan]

I didn't really have a point.

You don't say...

sorry

[08 Ric 4003]

Well I guess my point is that I have a new bass. All I am waiting for is the bridge. It shipped today and should be here in a few. It may be 1/2 a Fender and a Warmoth, and it looks sweet and can't wait to crank it up. This is my first fretless. Don't hate the player hate the game.