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

#61
WillieB said:
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
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There have been a TON of Rickenbacker's for sale recently locally on the Columbus, OH Craigslist, including my own. I do believe I'm going to keep it for the time being, but, there were 5 or 6 on there @ one point. There's still one for sale in Plain City I believe.
 
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#62
foolforthecity said:
And on top of it all, if you don't send in the specific date-stamped card that should be included with each RIC sold, you won't have to worry about the one year from manufacturer finish warranty, cuz you'll get no warranty at all. As I recall, you have ten days from purchase to get it to them.
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And they are almighty sticklers for that little piece of paper. Internet? What internet? You mean you can register ONLINE when you buy stuff? Impossible! Even though they stamp a SERIAL NUMBER on it that identifies date of manufacture, which is when the warranty clock starts ticking, not when you BUY IT, so date of purchase is effectively irrelevant. I'm sure that little regressive policy has saved them from a ton of pesky warranty claims.
 
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#63
Gilmourisgod said:
And they are almighty sticklers for that little piece of paper. Internet? What internet? You mean you can register ONLINE when you buy stuff? Impossible! Even though they stamp a SERIAL NUMBER on it that identifies date of manufacture, which is when the warranty clock starts ticking, not when you BUY IT, so date of purchase is effectively irrelevant. I'm sure that little regressive policy has saved them from a ton of pesky warranty claims.
Click to expand...
Their game, their rules. People still buy a ton of them despite their policies.
 
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#64
fakeneckplate'65 said:
There have been a TON of Rickenbacker's for sale recently locally on the Columbus, OH Craigslist, including my own. I do believe I'm going to keep it for the time being, but, there were 5 or 6 on there @ one point. There's still one for sale in Plain City I believe.
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You are correct faken! I have seen them all. The one I checked out was a bit rough - 1999. Great guy selling it though. Since its my first Ric I wasn't comfortable with what might signal issues - any Fender product, no problem. With the discount what I thought was new and only a couple hundred bucks higher then used I thought it was a can't lose option. LIVE AND LEARN - where will I place that tatoo.
:woot::cool:;)
 
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#67
It is a large investment. If the discount does it for you 15 percent is not bad. I had the best luck with Wildwood and Dave’s Guitar for Rickenbackers. I did just get a mim bass for my son through sweetwater and that was good. I would not be bashful to do a return if not completely pleased.
 
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#69
MF and big box stores only exist because people want to save $$. You just can't expect Mom & Pop service and setups from them. But, if they are in-fact reselling returned basses as new than shame on them.

I wish you HAD go to a brick and mortar store to get your bass. I really miss the old days. They usually tossed in a setup and choice of strings to seal the deal. And many had top notch Techs doing the work.

It is hard for the average person to know which online seller to trust.
Wildwood is pretty good but not perfect either. I got a 4003 Jet-Glo from them with bubbles in the finish by the bridge. I think maybe they should have seen it. But it's not their fault that Ric's have finish issues.
Chicago Music Exchange is great IMO.
 
#71
WillieB said:
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
Click to expand...

Not unusual to have basses sold as new that have been warehoused for a significant amount of time. Get some good cleaner, use some elbow grease, and toss the strings that came with it. That grunge you feel bending a string, although Ric players are not known for bending the snot out of their strings, is probably gunk in the string windings or on the neck.

A $20-30 investment on some decent strings, considering your are putting them on a $1,500 instrument is not a rediculous outlay.
 
#72
IMG_0105.JPG
willsellout said:
Their game, their rules. People still buy a ton of them despite their policies.
Click to expand...
I know. I contributed to their cause myself.
 
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