I posted the message below, in response, in another thread, to a comment about the setup of guitars found at Guitar Center:
"Goodness knows, I'm no great lover of Guitar Center, but I'm always puzzled by comments of this nature. Do you think that Guitar Center gets all the 'bad' ones, or is there some malicious employee there that sneaks around with hex wrenches and a screwdriver undoing factory setups?
Seriously, this concerns me. I'm going to be buying a 650D quite soon, and most likely buy it by mail order, as the chances of finding one in a store are slim. If I accept the premise that guitars leave the Rickenbacker factory in a playable form, should I have to worry about which authorized Rickebacker dealer I choose to buy it from?"
Prices are all over the map - I've, through my own enquiries found a $200 'swing' in the retail price of a 650 Dakota. Is there any reason that I should not go with the best price, given that a) I have to go mail order, and b) any service I might need will come from either the factory, or someone other than the original seller?
Which dealer?
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
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justonwo
David,
Here is my experience with buying Rickenbackers . . .
I purchased my 650D from musiciansfriend.com for $600. When I received the guitar, the pick guard had somehow fallen off and the body had a couple of small dings. Normally, I would have returned the guitar but it seemed like that was going to be such a huge pain in the butt (boxing it up, paying for shipping, making sure the guitar wasn't lost, making sure the musician's friend sent a new one, etc.), I just dealt with the problems. Once I replaced the pickguard, the setup was just fine.
Owing to my experience with the 650D, I decided to go to a small authorized Ric dealer in San Francisco for my second purchase. I reasoned that, even though I was paying more than "Guitar Center price", I was likely to get better customer service. Well, it turned out that the 620/12 I bought from this shop had some serious issues regarding setup and intonation. After pursuing various routes get the guitar fixed, this small shop finally agreed to work on my guitar for free. Needless to say, I was impressed with their customer service; however, I could have paid $200 less for the guitar somewhwere else and paid for the work it needed and still come out around the same.
My suggestion: well, I'm not exactly sure what I would do. If you're in a major metropolitan area, search as hard as possible for a guitar shop that carries the 650D. It's much easier to hold the shop accountable for defects/problems when you have a person to talk to. If you must order by mail, I would suggest going to http://www.gbase.com and searching for a 650 there. The shops on this site are small-medium shops all over the country. You'll be able to examine pictures of the exact guitar you're buying and, since the shops are small, it'll be easier to deal with customer service.
At any rate, I wouldn't be too concerned about receiving a guitar that isn't properly set-up. Having that type of work done is typical maintenance for any guitar.
Good luck,
Juston
Here is my experience with buying Rickenbackers . . .
I purchased my 650D from musiciansfriend.com for $600. When I received the guitar, the pick guard had somehow fallen off and the body had a couple of small dings. Normally, I would have returned the guitar but it seemed like that was going to be such a huge pain in the butt (boxing it up, paying for shipping, making sure the guitar wasn't lost, making sure the musician's friend sent a new one, etc.), I just dealt with the problems. Once I replaced the pickguard, the setup was just fine.
Owing to my experience with the 650D, I decided to go to a small authorized Ric dealer in San Francisco for my second purchase. I reasoned that, even though I was paying more than "Guitar Center price", I was likely to get better customer service. Well, it turned out that the 620/12 I bought from this shop had some serious issues regarding setup and intonation. After pursuing various routes get the guitar fixed, this small shop finally agreed to work on my guitar for free. Needless to say, I was impressed with their customer service; however, I could have paid $200 less for the guitar somewhwere else and paid for the work it needed and still come out around the same.
My suggestion: well, I'm not exactly sure what I would do. If you're in a major metropolitan area, search as hard as possible for a guitar shop that carries the 650D. It's much easier to hold the shop accountable for defects/problems when you have a person to talk to. If you must order by mail, I would suggest going to http://www.gbase.com and searching for a 650 there. The shops on this site are small-medium shops all over the country. You'll be able to examine pictures of the exact guitar you're buying and, since the shops are small, it'll be easier to deal with customer service.
At any rate, I wouldn't be too concerned about receiving a guitar that isn't properly set-up. Having that type of work done is typical maintenance for any guitar.
Good luck,
Juston
I would stick with a dealer that knows Rick's really well and can set them up properly. When I get enough cash together to get my next Rick, it will probably be by mail order, and I already know where from (and I know the prices are competitive WITH free shipping). I wouldn't get one from any of the local people in my area (of which there are few).
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corey
I got my 360 from Murch Music, a Ric dealer in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. I ordered it on a Wednesday and got it two days later via UPS. It came just as my man at Murch, Steve, had promised - factory condition. For anyone in Ontario, I highly recommend this dealer for all of your Ric needs - they know what they're doing.
http://www.murchmusic.com
http://www.murchmusic.com