Hello from Australia - assistance needed!

[ric620]

Hi everyone, I'm brand new to the forum so I thought I'd make a quick introduction along with a couple of questions.

Anyways, I'm a 21 year old Australian and have a huge love for music whether it be Piano, drums and of course guitar. I currently own a Rickenbacker 620 (imported from the USA) and an Epiphone Casino. Both of these guitars are my absolute pride and joy and I take very good care of them.

Recently I have been looking for a cheaper alternative to my Rickenbacker to gig and travel around with, or alternatively, to act as a backup. Being a full time student and thus lacking in funds, I started to take a look around the internet for cheaper replica alternatives, and stumbled upon Tokai. Some of the pictures and reviews I have read seem to be extremely positive, however information is still extremely scarce out there.

I'm basically in the market for a 325 or 350 replica, but I'm open to consider anything. My (extremely broad) question is; where do I start? I can't seem to find any sites which stock any of these guitars let alone finding anything local. I have also checked out the Dillion RG-40, and that seems nice, although there seems to be very little written up about the guitar in general.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Ozeshin]

Hi and welcome to the forums from another Aussie.
The brands to consider when looking for a MiJ Ric replica are Tokai and Greco.
Dillion make a decent Ric clone but bear in mind that they're made in Korea and the Made in Japan guitars are where the quality is.
I'm sure our Japa mate Joe will post up some links for you to look at for stores selling from Japan as this is where you're ultimately going to have to buy from.

 

[SUSHI GUY]

hello new aussieguy! the old tokai & greco rickenbacker copies are not so easy to find nowdays even in japan. the best and the only sure way is maybe yahoo japan auction. i am sure if you wait then someday they will come.......but heres a mighty lucky news for ya today!.......you know bacchus??? one of the best quality gtr factories in japan? they have many brands under their parents company name "deviser" and luckily you have a ric copy brand there now. caled "JAYRO"......i didnt know them before just found them today......seem very good gtrs with super prices......its by bacchus so all guaranteed i guess. this is a super opportunity for all the affordable ric copy fans!!!!! so have a good one!

http://bacchusdo.com/gjr.htm


joe jappa.

 

[SUSHI GUY]

http://bacchusdo.com/jr.htm

JAYRO is the limited edition ric copy gtrs by Bacchus. no idea where they are made exactly and when they made but they must be very good quality since bacchus guarantees them. i still see some stores in japan selling some so not too late yet i guess. the link above is one of the best bacchus store in japan so buying from them is a good idea obviously. hurry while they last! 8)

 

[ric620]

Those Jayro replicas look very good. It's a pity the 325 copy in Jet Glo is sold, I would've been very keen on it. Not so much a fan of any of the Fire Glo copies, unfortunately nobody does that colour scheme better than Rickenbacker.

 

[JVsearch]

Yeah they look good!

But, going by the price, there's no way they are MIJ - price is too low. Craft Series Strats and Teles are around 80,000 yen and that's a more simple construction type than the Ric copies. They'd still be good, but I wasn't sure if you were after MIJ only.

I quite like the look of that "Fireglo" one!

 

[ric620]

I wasn't initially concerned whether or not the guitar is made in Japan, but if that's where the higher quality instruments are, then it is obviously something I should think about.
I must admit the colour isn't so bad on second glance, but I'm more concerned with how the thing sounds. Anybody with any experience with these? I dont know if it is just me, but it kind of looks like it is an 'inbetween scale,' almost midway between a Rick 325 and 350...

 

[leadguitar_323]

The Japanese Ric copies {the good ones} are generally better than the real things. Look around and ask as many questions as you like before buying. Don;t be surprised if your Japanese copy ends up being your main guitar...

Mick

 

[Innadaze]

Hello from Australia - assistance needed!

Hello from L.A!

Go for the Greco Rics....

 

[ric620]

The Japanese Ric copies {the good ones} are generally better than the real things. Look around and ask as many questions as you like before buying. Don;t be surprised if your Japanese copy ends up being your main guitar...

Mick

I'm hoping they aren't as good as the real thing otherwise i've wasted a lot of money! But to be fair, real Rickenbackers are very special guitars, and it's nice to have something that isn't widely recognised or produced.

I've checked out quite a few sites and sent a few emails, but unfortunately I have had no reply. It is also made even more difficult by most of the sites being Japanese, as there is only so much a crappy internet translator can manage. It also feels like the more I look, the more replica brands I come accross, and I feel as if i'm becoming more confused rather than getting any useful info.

Does anyone have any experience from importing from websites from Japan? I'm interested in these Jayro Rick copies, as they are cheap and I have minimal money...

 

[mirrorboy]

In the UK, a vintage Greco 350 from Japan would likely cost as much as a used Ric 620 after you've paid shipping and tax. I don't know how much the 620 costs in Australia, but they cost approximately 1800 Au$ here in England.

Here's a Greco Ric dealer who speaks good English recommended by forum member simonovich. Do a member search and you'll find his posts and positive experience.

Takahiro Nasu
　156-0057
　4-15-5 Kamikitazawa Setagaya-ku Tokyo Japan
　home 3-3306-5362
　cell phone 90-8044-1658
　http://www.katanaguitars.com/


The 620 is a hard act to follow. How long have you had yours? It took me two years to bond with mine and it's been my main squeeze for the last three years.

I'm actually in the same boat as yourself, as my 620 is feeling the strain in a working band now. I think I'll just keep playing mine until it's worn out and then buy another. Let's see, I think I'll get a total of five years work out of it and then it would still be worth ?500, so that works out at ?2 a week. But wait a minute, I only paid ?750 for it brand new in 2004, so it will have cost me ?1 a week if I sell it in a couple of years. :lol:

 

[ric620]

Hey mirrorboy, thanks for the info. From the looking around I've been doing all the Greco's are right up there on price, just like you said. I'll probably stick to the cheaper copies (if I can find one).

I've had my mindnight blue 620 for about 6 months. I initially wanted a 330, but at the 11th hour decided I liked the 620 more, and haven't looked back since. I think the 620 is probably Rickenbacker's most underated guitar. I imported mine from the USA, and got killed on tax when it got here, but all in all I still think it was worth it.

 

[mirrorboy]

Look out for the Tokai RG-40, it's a decent 350 replica made in Korea. I don't think any of the cheaper replicas have the blend knob though.

"Rockinbetter" branded copies have been imported into the UK, but some of those have the headstock angled back like a Gibson and look odd. There are others branded "Legend" and "Rogue".

Mine's a Fireglo, played here through my crappy Crate rehearsal amp...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=275k0W0GwKI

 

[JVsearch]

Not sure what this is exactly - seller says it has a 24 inch scale:

http://www.rinkya.com/twview.pl?URL=http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/121703310

You might save a few bucks buying off Yahoo Japan with Rinkya, although there are some extra charges that come into play - USD $40 fee plus handling plus shipping from seller to them, then shipping to you.

 

[ric620]

Thanks for the help all round guys. I pulled the trigger on a Jayro JRG-500 and it comes at the end of this week. It seems like a great guitar for the money and I shall write back once I have had a bit of play with it!