Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I am in Santa Ana tonight through Thursday morning for business travel and just for grins I thought I'd use my Android smart phone to see where Ric HQ was since I was staying in right in Santa Ana (I usually stay in Irvine). The office manager of our sales rep firm actually grew up in Santa Ana.

Would you believe that the Ric headquarters ended up being just 0.6 miles away? I needed to get out for a walk anyway, so I thought I'd check it out - at night.

The front of the building is very low key - just the name on the front door. I might have missed it at night it wasn't for the Android Maps app and the GPS helping. I'd guess that doing something like putting the outline of a guitar on the building would only invite break-in attempts.

Still, it was nice to see where the birthplace of my four basses was. I'm assuming that it was at the same location in the early/mid-80's when most of my Ric basses were made.

Stalker....

I joked with my wife about about that...

Totally would have done the exact same thing.

So, YOU'RE the guy that's been sleeping in our front planter!

Be glad all he'd doing is sleeping...

David, if your business ever takes you to NYC, drive over the Williamsburg Bridge from Manhattan into Brooklyn. As you look over to your right, you'll see the Fred Gretsch Bldg. No. 4 (now a condo known as "The Gretsch"). I used Google Maps to stalk them, Rickenbacker, Fender and the Brady Bunch home. GREAT resource, Google Maps!

I remember when we went to Disneyland a few years ago and I kept wondering 'How far am I from the Rick factory? I wonder if they'll ever do tours?'

johnhall wrote:So, YOU'RE the guy that's been sleeping in our front planter!

No! That would be the rest of us!

They moved in 1989 I thought...

Wasn't the factory somewhere else in Santa Anna from 1962 to 1989?

johnhall wrote:So, YOU'RE the guy that's been sleeping in our front planter!

You found me out!

I can try to swing by again and at least look in the front door and meekly wave, but I'm not sure I'll get back to the Marriott before you close up for the day. I'm currently in a Starbucks with the sales rep somewhere in the area.

[quote="Ontario_RIC_fan"]They moved in 1989 I thought...

Wasn't the factory somewhere else in Santa Anna from 1962 to 1989?[/quote

If the move was in 1989, then one of the four was made there (the 4001 Fireglo). I think it is a '98. I put the "tone cap" back in, but at a different cut to account for the 'bassier' pickups.

"... In January 1989 Rickenbacker moved the guitar factory from Kilson Drive, after some 27 years at that site, and consolidated factory and offices at the present building ..." - Tony Bacon and Paul Day, The Rickenbacker Book, Balafon Books, London: 1994, p 60.(cited under fair use doctrine)

David, some of us locals would have gladly met you for dinner if we had known early enough to make plans!

That sounds like a great idea Gary! I'll likely be back in 4-6 months and will try to stay in Santa Ana again (rather than Irvine). I did walk by again today as part of a 45 minute walk - this time around 7 p.m. when it was still light out - and peeked in the lobby at the framed pictures on the walls. I couldn't get by any sooner, alas. I will be checking out early tomorrow morning and heading to San Diego for customer visits then fly back to hot Denver on Thursday night.

I have visited Southern CA around every 7 months on average for 4 years now on business trips. As we drove by Santa Ana on the highway I'd always wonder where the HQ was. It was nice to find out and at least see it from the outside. The usual hotel I stay at in Irvine was booked up, but this time I didn't mind at all.

fabandgear wrote:David, if your business ever takes you to NYC, drive over the Williamsburg Bridge from Manhattan into Brooklyn. As you look over to your right, you'll see the Fred Gretsch Bldg. No. 4 (now a condo known as "The Gretsch"). I used Google Maps to stalk them, Rickenbacker, Fender and the Brady Bunch home. GREAT resource, Google Maps!

Thanks Forrest.