Chinese Rick saga... join me, won't you?

[added]

That looks fantastic, though I would want to change pickups and such so something cheaper from China would be cool

[jakeisjake]

the pickups don't look Ric-ish...but, they do sound pretty great.

here's a demo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7dU7-GksmU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mcatano]

Guys you really buried the lede here.

There's a $300 chinese Veleno copy out there made of wood.



This is incredible news.

[NelsonInstruments]

the pickups don't look Ric-ish...but, they do sound pretty great.

here's a demo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7dU7-GksmU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And for what it's worth the pickups don't look like that anymore either.

[jakeisjake]

the pickups don't look Ric-ish...but, they do sound pretty great.

here's a demo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7dU7-GksmU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And for what it's worth the pickups don't look like that anymore either.

are they shown on your website? post a pic or two...

[NelsonInstruments]

Here a pic of just the pickups. The general shape of them is the same but they are more stylized and a bit more "polished" looking this way. The one in front is my single coil "Dynamo", and the one in back is my hum bucking "Super Dynamo".

[MuscleDad420]

I've got a pair of hi-gains burning a hole in my parts drawer from putting toasters on my 360. Figured I'd pump some new energy into this thread. I'm currently feeling out pricing on a Rose Morris 1998 model as shown on rareguitarheaven dot net's page. I'm assuming it's the same builders behind rareelectricguitar dot com.

They already quoted me $499 plus ship after I expressed a desire to omit the middle pickup to make it a 1997 model, omit the cheeseball "R" tailpiece copy as I'm gonna get a Winfield Vintage tailpiece anyway, and elongate the top tier guard to cut in between the two pickups as it should. I already fired off a response asking for another quote without any pickups and just routes.

This thread reminded me to see if they can sort the headstock so it isn't angled. Also, I want to have them shape the headstock more like a 60's-style Ric, as seen on the Susanna Hoffs signature 350 copy they also advertise. I would like for them to do a 24 fret neck rather than 21, which I know deviates from the vintage-spec, but I have a feeling that may open me up to getting an un-playable mess what with the change in spacing of the pickups if not the length of the body, and bridge positioning.

[borntohang]

I've got a pair of hi-gains burning a hole in my parts drawer from putting toasters on my 360. Figured I'd pump some new energy into this thread. I'm currently feeling out pricing on a Rose Morris 1998 model as shown on rareguitarheaven dot net's page. I'm assuming it's the same builders behind rareelectricguitar dot com.

They already quoted me $499 plus ship after I expressed a desire to omit the middle pickup to make it a 1997 model, omit the cheeseball "R" tailpiece copy as I'm gonna get a Winfield Vintage tailpiece anyway, and elongate the top tier guard to cut in between the two pickups as it should. I already fired off a response asking for another quote without any pickups and just routes.

This thread reminded me to see if they can sort the headstock so it isn't angled. Also, I want to have them shape the headstock more like a 60's-style Ric, as seen on the Susanna Hoffs signature 350 copy they also advertise. I would like for them to do a 24 fret neck rather than 21, which I know deviates from the vintage-spec, but I have a feeling that may open me up to getting an un-playable mess what with the change in spacing of the pickups if not the length of the body, and bridge positioning.

They offer a 425 clone - I've actually been after one of these for a while. If they were a bit cheaper I'd take the plunge, but there's no pics whatsoever of that model and it could come out looking like anything! The Harrison 360/12 they offer looks in pretty good shape though.

[jakeisjake]

They offer a 425 clone - I've actually been after one of these for a while. If they were a bit cheaper I'd take the plunge, but there's no pics whatsoever of that model and it could come out looking like anything! The Harrison 360/12 they offer looks in pretty good shape though.

if you are looking for a 425 style, you might check out Nelson guitars. he makes a tulip style that checks lots of Ric boxes (and leave some others nicely unchecked).

[MuscleDad420]

They offer a 425 clone - I've actually been after one of these for a while. If they were a bit cheaper I'd take the plunge, but there's no pics whatsoever of that model and it could come out looking like anything! The Harrison 360/12 they offer looks in pretty good shape though.

Exactly. They're just using a stock photo of a vintage example. The pickguard material they use isn't the same milky, semi-transparent white Rickenbacker uses and I HIGHLY doubt they have any bridge availble to them that looks anything like the one on a 425, so it would likely end up being a crap shoot.

Speaking of their Harrison 360/12, when asked for other build examples of their Rose Morris 1997 to get a sense of consistentcy, my rep sent me pics of one they did up in the 360/12 style. Not exactly what I wanted but close enough and it is nice to see another finish.





Without the pickups or tailpiece they offered a $30 discount. Kinda paltry. I may as well keep them in the mix and see if there's an upcharge to have them tilt the headstock at a 5 degree angle and style it like their Susanna Hoffs copy model I mentioned previously.

[borntohang]

They offer a 425 clone - I've actually been after one of these for a while. If they were a bit cheaper I'd take the plunge, but there's no pics whatsoever of that model and it could come out looking like anything! The Harrison 360/12 they offer looks in pretty good shape though.

if you are looking for a 425 style, you might check out Nelson guitars. he makes a tulip style that checks lots of Ric boxes (and leave some others nicely unchecked).

Seen his stuff before, but way too rich for my blood and I specifically fancy the cresting wave style. Really I just want a beater single-pickup that feels and sounds a bit like my 330. I'll have to see if they've got any pictures I can have a look at.

[MuscleDad420]

Well my copy arrived and I'm fairly satisfied. Bear in mind my expectations were tempered, having had experience with Chinese builders about a decade ago when Les Paul copies first started showing up on the internet. I would say the Chinese still have a ways to go in terms of quality and control if they're not building for foreign-owned companies.

I requested a 12 degree headstock angle and they delivered. The neck is pretty thick, especially in the shoulders and VERY unlike a Rickenbacker, which threw me off at first but ultimately I found to be very satisfying compared to the uniformly narrow and round Ric necks. The fret ends are perfect -- no sharp ends or corners. They did manage to burn through the clear lacquer at points along the edge of the fretboard but you really have to look for them. The factory setup was pretty poor but workable out of the box. The treble side of the bridge was jacked up SUPPPPPPER high which scared me into thinking the neck was set at an angle AND crooked. Thankfully that wasn't the case and it was just evidence of a poor setup.

But yes, the neck is crooked. Seems to be a common theme and with it comes the slighty-off hardware to compensate. It doesn't affectly how the instrument feels, thankfully. I noted the neck angle in e-mails pre-paint but assumed it was the inconsistent and odd angles they favor in photographs. Figured they would have fixed it but apparently I wasn't firm enough to act and have the build scrapped, and started over.

Other issues include some paint chipping by the nut, as if they glued the nut in once, changed their minds on the spacing, knocked it back out, and re-seated it. They also wedged in a plug for a too-large neck pickup route. Finally, the B string saddle was seemingly cut improperly and the bad slotting was covered up with solder!! I mean, it works but...

I already installed the Hi-gains I had laying around and a Winfield Vintage tailpiece. The wiring had a couple broken wires out of the box and the wiring of a 5-knob Ric from them has it wired stock so the "blend" knob is actually a master volume.

I can't recommend the builder if you aren't VERY specific or capable of fixing some of their oversights e.g. poor setup, wiring issues. That said, I'm definitey going to seek compensation for the less-than-stellar build quality relative to what they charge.

A smattering of pics: http://imgur.com/a/9QsIy" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[jakeisjake]

Well my copy arrived and I'm fairly satisfied.

that's the theme...not good enough to hate it, not good enough to be good.

But yes, the neck is crooked. Seems to be a common theme and with it comes the slighty-off hardware to compensate. It doesn't affectly how the instrument feels, thankfully. I noted the neck angle in e-mails pre-paint but assumed it was the inconsistent and odd angles they favor in photographs. Figured they would have fixed it but apparently I wasn't firm enough to act and have the build scrapped, and started over.

that's crazy! like it's their thing! but, like you said, it doesn't really effect playing.

I can't recommend the builder if you aren't VERY specific or capable of fixing some of their oversights e.g. poor setup, wiring issues. That said, I'm definitey going to seek compensation for the less-than-stellar build quality relative to what they charge.

A smattering of pics: http://imgur.com/a/9QsIy" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

they did nothing about compensation until i filed a PP dispute. then they were quite amenable.

my F-Ric still plays and sounds great (and it gets played a lot)...so you probably will end up liking it!

[MuscleDad420]

that's the theme...not good enough to hate it, not good enough to be good.

they did nothing about compensation until i filed a PP dispute. then they were quite amenable.

my F-Ric still plays and sounds great (and it gets played a lot)...so you probably will end up liking it!

I like it quite a bit! But I do feel as if I was overcharged given the issues. My 360 had the hi-gains that are on this copy now and I hated them. For whatever reason they sound a lot better on this copy. After a setup and some nut work it's a nice alternative to the real deal that still has the general look.

I will be sending "Lily" or whomever an e-mail today with the issues outlined. I may order another in the future as a gift, so a discount in addition to cash back on this one would be ideal.

[jakeisjake]

i'm glad you like it...because, in the end, i like mine, too. it's a cool little guitar that really plays and sounds great.

my experience with them was radio silence until i filed a dispute and then they answered right away. i didn't press them for a lot of $...and they were willing to give that. they offered a "big discount" on another guitar, but when i went to order it, it wasn't much and they kinda played dumb.

good luck!