We don’t recommend you buy unauthorized China copies of popular (or at least well known) bass guitar designs, and the guys at Zero-Mod (who know the Rickenbacker very well and we even carry their product) show exactly why you shouldn’t get one.
Check out the video below and let us know what you think. Big thanks to Zero-Mod for putting the video together.
True, the China copy will always be less in price. But as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.
I will never buy a product that is blatantly and illegally using an established company’s trademarked name and logo. They should be restricted from selling it as long as that’s the case.
Sad to see folks buying the phonies, it only detracts from the US originals and drives up the cost. No comparison in tone, looks or playability!
Boycott Chinese products. that being said, I thought the copy sounded good for what? less than 5% of the cost of the original Ricky.
Boycott Chinese products! that being said, I thought it sounded pretty good, at what? 5% of the cost of a real Ricky.
I want to buy one for exactly the same reason zero-mod bought one – to compare and just for curiosity sake. It’s more of a toy, and shouldn’t be taken that seriously. It’s not like they will put Rick out of business. Haters gonna hate and China’s gonna replicate.
Rickenbacker licensing these is in my opinion not a good idea. Maybe they could license a company that never makes them… if only for legal recourse. Rickenbacker runs their particular type of race for a reason. A lower quality/cheaper Rickenbacker 4003 is not needed in the market and I venture to say few would buy one. The only “budget” model I think should exist is a 2000/2020/3000 style. Potentially the 4004 could be a cheaper model but then it wouldn’t be a 4004. Your comparison was reasonable, but modding the fake is not a fair representation. I heard a “Rebelrocker” bass idential to yours in a local shop. It was as horrid as yours. Most unknowing kids won’t modify theirs. Maybe I am showing my colours here, I don’t think enough was said about how unethical the production of this instrument is. I’d like to have seen the fake smashed to 4003 pieces at the end of the video, and you should have played the real thing at the end. Support the legitimate product with the final notes. I am not from USA, but that would seem to be the right or patriotic thing to do. That said, I like the idea of the zero-mod thumbrest for my 2000 model 4003 JetGlo.
Sure wish I could have heard more of the dialogue …….voice was recorded at a very low level making it difficult to hear what he was saying. As far as the Chinabacker goes it is an example of the problems ALL American companies face….. In China they paynext to nothing for labor and the materials they use are nowhere near the quality of an American built product, however our politicians has sold out American manufacturing so even though the product is inferior, people still buy it….. we have become our own worst enemies !!!
As the owner of 3 Ric basses I find Chickenbackers offensive. Putting these out with the Ric brand on them will lead to some people being misled. The Cb’s sound ok in their own right, but I just wish people would leave the established designs alone and come up with their own.
Don’t trust the Chinese for one minute. Sure they’ll be the workshop of the world for a while, but what will they do with it? Fascist repression at home and a risky and arrogant stance abroad, as long as the middle class and new-money hustlers keep raking it in. They have zero respect for copyright laws agreed on by the civilized world.
While I wouldn’t be inclined to buy the chinese-Ric I thought the Amp tone used in the test made the original sound awful, not as smooth as I know a real rid sounds. I almost thought the copy sounded better and felt the person demoing it should have been a better pick player so less string ringing night occur.
I’ve been a bass player and bodyman for many a year. ( circa “1968”) and have owned a real “ric” in the past. I can only tell you that when it comes to guitars and auto parts, looks don’t count for much. NOTHING performs like original. meow
It’s not the instrument that counts. Its the player. Ricks are nice but too expensive. Wanna have fun and learn music with a design that actually will make you get up and play? Get the china one. Learn about mods and mod it… If you have money for the original go ahead. I have a china one and i love it. Sounds awful… but i love it and i learnt to make it sound somewhat nice. I’m gonna mod it and in the end i’m gonna have a nice looking bass with a nice tone. Who cares if it’s not like the original… It’s not supposed to anyway. The original will sound 1000 times better and much more secure.. But in the end it’s all about playing music.. Who knows if that particular “mixture” that somebody does with their chinabacker won’t be a tone to inspire generations? Slash used a fake gibson with good electronics on appetite… it inspired generations… Lemmy used to put Thunderbird pickups instead of original rick pickups… And it inspired generations… Just play music and have fun
I would like to hear one with real rick electronics and pickups, then we’ll see, OK it won’t feel as nice or better to play but it would be interesting, assuming someone has the cash to do it!
Rickenbacker ripped me off way back in 1977, so i say more power to any company that threatens their bottom line. Let me explain; In 1977 i was heavy into prog rock like yes and Rush so i just HAD to buy a Rick 4001. I found one i liked in the only guitar store in town and plunked down the almost $700 for it. That’s about $2400 in today’s dollars. When i got it home, i started to do a setup on it and the bridge literally fell apart in my hands. I should have known there was more of this crap to come. Anyway, i did get it pretty close and had fun with it for a few weeks when the neck slowly started to feel “funny”. This feeling got progressively worse over about a month when i realized the neck was twisted. TWISTED! This bass was only 6 weeks old so i took it back to the guitar shop and showed the owner. He shrugged and said “yeah, they do that”. I calmly asked him to fix it under warranty, but alas, he was not an authorized repair shop. I would have to either drive it to New York, about 100 miles, or ship it back to Rickenbacker at my expense both ways so they could repair or replace it, or live with it. I was livid. I was so upset about this ordeal that i blocked it out of my memory of what i did with this piece of s$!t after that. I do recall buying an almost new Gibson EB-3 after that ordeal….and i still have that bass.
seems rickenbacker has set up the organization like some “elitist regime” which answers to no one. i’ve heard horror stories from some guitar techs about poor design making their lives miserable( bridge, truss rod access). then, there are the bullshit tales. while paying for his new ric bass was told not to use rotosound strings,” they’ll void your warranty” ????? had a ric bass for an afternoon and the electronics were really noisy – wouldn’t use it live.on a whim, i ordered a replica ric 370 – 12 maple-glo, after getting a pro set-up, it plays,tunes and sounds great. for $ 273.60. almost forgot, watch out for dodgy warranty conditions; seem even various dealers have different conditions. as well,the guitar came with a rickenbacker usa truss rod cover and blank one so i can decide whether it’s a copy or a counterfeit.
I bought a 325 c58 guitar (jetglow-black) in early 2000’s. It cost me $1700 of hard-earned landscaping money. Unfortunately, I bought it from Guitar Center and the sales reps were not too familiar with it. I noticed some minor cracks in the edges of the fret board finish and decided it was ok and didn’t take the guitar back to exchange it quickly enough, then was told the truss was over-tightened by somebody, (not me). And was stripped, etc…Ric DID NOT want to guarantee their work and the music store didn’t either. So, I took a big loss when I sold it at $1000. Having said that, I play a modified 325 Chinabacker that I love. I gig with it and welcome the scratches and couldn’t be happier. Funny thing is, it actually plays better than the real ric, since I was able to modify the trapeze/bridge and wiring setup. The frets were very well leveled when I purchased it. I would hate to scratch a real Ric, so these knock-offs have a purpose.
i think it’s ridiculous that this brand is charging 1,000 USD or more for a goddamn name. i’ll take the fake body any day, and hot rod the thing. as a punk rocker, i think the cheapest way is the way to go. buy the OEM parts for cheap (or used) and then you can smash, plaster it in stickers, and do your own thing. I think it’s sickening that formerly reliable brands have become musical bourgeoise. and it’s not just rick either. a world where a goddamn Hofner is cheaper than a Squier is a world that is deeply sick. I bought a Les Paul copy/DIY kit. and the top on this thing is better than any showroom Gibson at 5% the price.