Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

The twice-per-year Texas Guitar Show(s) will be in the SF Bay Area on July 14th and 15th, in San Mateo this time:
http://www.texasguitarshows.com/NewBayJul.htm


and in So Calif at the Pomona Fairplex, July 21st and 22nd
http://www.texasguitarshows.com/NewLAAug.htm

We've heard back affirmatively from Dan-o and Collin, and several other So Cal RRFers are also thinking about attending Pomona .....

Yeah, I usually go to these and if I'm in town, I'll attend.

FYI, they're always a much better place to buy a guitar than to sell one. Seen some great stuff the past couple shows, but typically not Rickenbackers.

Attended today and saw Collin and Dan-o there. There were probably about a dozen Rics for sale scattered amongst the various dealers.... several 1960's 360 NS with the checkered binding amongst them and maybe three or four 400 series, including one Electro. There was one tulip combo. There were two Bakelite lap steels pre WWII and one of the late 50s lap steels with the grey speckled finish.

In the fakers department, one of the vendors also had half-a-dozen of those Chinese Rockinbetters that we've seen photos of. They look unbelieveably cheesy in the flesh.... especially the undersized TRCs. He had two Rockinbetter knock-off 4003 basses (imitation FG and JG) and a couple of the Rockinbetter guitars had dorky looking oversized f-holes and the couple of other Rockinbetter imitation 360s had the wrong-placement slash soundholes. The guitars were also in the imitation FG or JG colors. The Rockinbetters were new and carried $400 range price tags. These Rockinbetters are total garbage. One other dealer also had one of those Japanese knock off 360 imitations from the 70s, name begins with a "G" if I recall.

The most expensive guitar at the show was a 1950 Fender Broadcaster listed for $68,000.

Yup. The show this year was a bust, IMO.

Other than a decent 366/12 MG (at $4200), I didn't see one really great Rickenbacker. A few overpriced vintage Rics with issues and lots of wear...a few smaller solidbodies (425/450), and a couple ES-17 Electros and lapsteels. Slim pickings.... and a lot of the stock there has been with dealers at the last few shows. Not a lot moving, especially at the prices.

Attendance was sparse from visitors and dealers alike. I think I'll skip Pomona next year, and stick to the Costa Mesa show in January.



p.s. The ROW of Rickenbacker copies was a bitter disappointment to see (as much for being copies as for being really bad copies..). The dealer was Guitars West, IIRC.

collin wrote:The ROW of Rickenbacker copies was a bitter disappointment to see (as much for being copies as for being really bad copies..). The dealer was Guitars West, IIRC.

Yeah, you may be right about Guitars West may have been the dealer with those Rockinbetter knock offs.
Those things were pathetic. How do they sell those $400 - $450 shiny pieces of firewood next to valuable vintage instruments valued in the thousands ? ?

Yeah, I thought the show was pretty bad too. I was glad I didn't have a table at this one. Pomona is not for me. I usually go both days but one was enough this year.

Collin, I think you're right about there not being a lot of new things to look at there. Very much of what I saw in Pomona I had already seen in Costa Mesa back in January; and much of it before that.

Although anything even close to being cool was way over-priced, I do think prices were down in general, but a lot of it was junk. I did bring some cash, just didn't see anything I wanted to buy.

How sad is that

Rich, while most of the "Rockinbetters" were pretty cheap, the one that got me was the Greco Rick copy. It was a doublebound 360 style and from far away and seeing it from the back, I thought it might be a 360v64. Then I got closer and saw the front . They had a price on it of $1,600. For a few hundred dollars more you could get a real one (if there would have been one there).

Good seeing you guys though!

Danotron wrote: the one that got me was the Greco Rick copy. It was a doublebound 360 style and from far away and seeing it from the back, I thought it might be a 360v64. Then I got closer and saw the front . They had a price on it of $1,600. For a few hundred dollars more you could get a real one....

Perhaps the target audience for an expensive Greco knock-off is those follks who specifically collect copies and "law-suit" guitars ? ? On the other hand, maybe that over-priced Greco knock-off will remain unsold for years. Like you say, its hard to understand the math of paying those kind of dollars for a knock-off .... especailly as there were a dozen real Rickenbackers availalble throughout the show room.

8mileshigher wrote:

Danotron wrote: the one that got me was the Greco Rick copy. It was a doublebound 360 style and from far away and seeing it from the back, I thought it might be a 360v64. Then I got closer and saw the front . They had a price on it of $1,600. For a few hundred dollars more you could get a real one....

Perhaps the target audience for an expensive Greco knock-off is those follks who specifically collect copies and "law-suit" guitars ? ? On the other hand, maybe that over-priced Greco knock-off will remain unsold for years. Like you say, its hard to understand the math of paying those kind of dollars for a knock-off .... especailly as there were a dozen real Rickenbackers availalble throughout the show room.

No, No....the Greco is an early 80's example. Must be priced as "vintage"

I agree, it was the closest....but that's like being the smartest kid in the remedial class. Doesn't mean it's 100%.

collin wrote:but that's like being the smartest kid in the remedial class.

or,
world's tallest midget
or,
successful indie band