NBD Ric 4003... oh no .... what to do.

[WillieB]

Hello TB'ers .... gather round the campfire and get your popcorn. Story time.

I believe I'm finally a Ric lover ... its taken a while. The first one I sent back due to some minor
QC issues. The second one I still have, delivered four days ago.

So it sounds great .... I got a great price %15 off from a big box seller. Very happy boy .... until ...

There was a sticky film over most of the body. The bridge cover had a corrosive haze as did the bridge pickup cover. While playing and bending a string I noticed it felt like a gravel parking lot. I looked at the frets and noticed a gray film. It turned out to be corrosion/tarnish/slight amount of pitting. Over half the frets would need to be dressed to remove the condition.

I couldn't figure out why ...until I check the serial number date. Second week of 2016 although sold as new. No call out to being NOS to say the least.
It appears it was stored somewhere and not maintained.

Would you return it or have the frets dressed and keep it ?

love, peace, and bass brutha hood!

Thanks

Bill

 

[willsellout]

I'd take the strings off, wipe it down, put new strings on, and rock that bad chicken if I really liked it.

 

[WillieB]

Thanks WSO

 

[willsellout]

Odds are that might be dust from sitting, or it might be dust from any fretwork they do. In addition to a damp towel you can also get some Gorgomyte fretboard conditioning cloth from www.stewmac.com and use that to clean up and polish your frets and fretboard. That's what I use on my boards and what I used on my Ric as well. Made everything nice and shiny.

 

[Trouztrouz]

There was a sticky film over most of the body. The bridge cover had a corrosive haze as did the bridge pickup cover. While playing and bending a string I noticed it felt like a gravel parking lot. I looked at the frets and noticed a gray film. It turned out to be corrosion/tarnish/slight amount of pitting. Over half the frets would need to be dressed to remove the condition.

Was it stored under the sea? Return that thing immediately.

 

[WillieB]

Under the sea ? as far as I knew it was new, No NOS tag.

 

[Paul Boyer]

Where did you buy it from? Not many official RIC dealers would have stock that old. Sounds fishy to me. Maybe someone traded it in to this dealer and they've flipped it to you?

 

[FranF]

Return it.

 

[prowla]

Well, 2 years old isn't new, but maybe the 15% discount was to cover that.

However, it should not cover corrosion!

 

[Lee Kirkham]

RETURN IT

 

[farace]

Something to consider: your warranty (if you bought from an authorized dealer) begins on the date of manufacture, not date of sale, meaning the warranty on the finish expired a year ago and two of the five years of mechanical warranty are gone, too. Did it come with a mail-in card?

 

[superdick2112]

I've said it before & I'll say it again; If you're going to buy a new Ric, buy it from Wildwood.

Rickenbacker Guitars | Wildwood Guitars

 

[Skybone]

Get some fine wire wool (or another fine, abrasive material), some masking tape and give the frets a bit of a polish yourself.

Mask off the fretboard, leaving the frets exposed. Give the frets a quick rub down with the wire wool to get rid of any abrasiveness/corrosion. Clean it up, remove the masking tape, give it another clean. Replace the strings & play.

Obviously, take your time & be careful you don't spoil the finish.

Alternatively, take it to your local guitar tech, and ask them to polish the frets for you.

 

[Skybone]

Rickenbacker International Corp. guarantees this instrument bought from an authorized dealer to be free from defective materials and workmanship to the original purchaser for five years, except for the finish, which is guaranteed for one year. This warranty begins upon the date of manufacture as stamped on this card.

Should a defect become apparent during normal use, this instrument will be repaired free of charge, subject to the following conditions.

Really? I mean really?????

Surely it should be from the date of purchase, backed up by a copy of your receipt.

 

[trowaclown]

Imagine this occurring in an Indonesian made Ibanez. Nobody would be asking you to keep it.

Why should it be any different, especially considering that this one's American made?

Return it, and look elsewhere.

 

[WillieB]

So far there is nothing wrong with the finish that I can spot. It looks like everything is in the case. I will double check.
If that's the legit Ric warranty then its going back. I did take it to my tech - he did a quick check of the frets - I thought maybe
it was lacquer over spray on the frets. He used the fret cleaning guard and steel wool ... it did come clean with some elbow grease.

It was purchased from a BIG music store with a two word name whos abbreviation stands for about how I'm feeling about them now.

 

[WillieB]

Was it stored under the sea? Return that thing immediately.

I have Sponge Bob Square Pants old Ric ! wish he had autographed it.

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

It sounds like the whole bass was covered with some type of contaminent.
Probably nothing serious, likely to come off, perhaps with some polish.
It kinda reminds me of a time when I parked my car under a tree
and got a fine mist of sap all over it.
Not likely what you have, but I think it might be a simular situation
in that it is not serious or permanent, just irritating.

If you like everything else about it, try to clean it up and see where that gets you.
If it ends up going back I doubt anyone would begrudge you trying to clean it.

 

[makaspar]

It was purchased from a BIG music store with a two word name whos abbreviation stands for about how I'm feeling about them now.

Ooh! I’ll play...

Getting Cranky?
Mad F’er?
Super Worried?
Sorta Angry?

 

[WillieB]

haha .... nice work there but the anger is a bit worse.