Cool Rics on eBay / Reverb / Craigslist

[gearHed289]

This is certainly the week for unique 8ers!

Whoa mama! That's nice. I had an original Cruisebass in that color.

[ilan]

1992 2030GF Glenn Frey! $1,699 BIN

[Highlander]

Glenn Frey ... bass...?

[ilan]

Glenn Frey ... bass...?

I guess it means "the guitar came out really nice so we made a bass version to go with the Glenn Frey guitar". Like the Les Paul bass, same principle.

Anyone else notice the tail lift? It seems that RIC can't make a bass without it.

[Dave W]

I guess it means "the guitar came out really nice so we made a bass version to go with the Glenn Frey guitar". Like the Les Paul bass, same principle.

Must be the reason. Both offshoots of the 230/2030 Hamburg models. Seller says "less than 100 made", I'd guess a lot fewer than 100.

Anyone else notice the tail lift? It seems that RIC can't make a bass without it.

Maybe it's a feature instead of a bug. Seriously though, I haven't seen enough 2000 series basses in person to know if it was common.

[Alanko]

I've heard mixed reports on the overall quality of those bridges, assuming that they are Schaller models. I read of one guy keeping a cache of broken ones in a drawer and occasionally making a full bridge from various parts.

[Dave W]

I've heard mixed reports on the overall quality of those bridges, assuming that they are Schaller models. I read of one guy keeping a cache of broken ones in a drawer and occasionally making a full bridge from various parts.

That is a Schaller roller bridge. Not everyone is a fan, but there's nothing about their construction that has caused problems in general. They have been around for several decades and have been used as OEM bridges by Gibson, Rick, Hamer and more.

[gearHed289]

I've had a bunch over the years, including one that I've had since 1982, without a single issue.

[Alanko]

Some guy on Facebook was claiming they were made from pot metal and tended to break apart over time. I'm not sure if he was latently in favour of the original Rickenbacker bridge or something, one of those 'if it aint broke don't fix it ' types perhaps. The tail lift in the photo suggests something is wrong. 

Alright then, name your top ten Glenn Frey bass lines. 

[ilan]

Alright then, name your top ten Glenn Frey bass lines. 

Only if you name your top ten Les Paul bass lines 

[Dave W]

Some guy on Facebook was claiming they were made from pot metal and tended to break apart over time. I'm not sure if he was latently in favour of the original Rickenbacker bridge or something, one of those 'if it aint broke don't fix it ' types perhaps. The tail lift in the photo suggests something is wrong. 

Alright then, name your top ten Glenn Frey bass lines. 

Pot metal = derogatory name for die cast zinc.

The original Rickenbacker bridge is die cast zinc.

I wouldn't be surprised if the base of the Schaller is die cast zinc but the saddles are brass.

[Paul Boyer]

Actually, the original material of the tailpiece that we associate with most Rick basses from 1962 to 1974 was chrome-plated cast aluminum. In 1974, it was redesigned a bit and made from cast zinc. It has had some minor redesigns over the years, but is still cast zinc and chrome plated. Don't know the composition of the Schaller tail/bridge parts.

It appears that the GF bass has the Schaller bridge, but I mis-identified it as the ABM bridge in the book. The Schaller was the standard bridge used on the earlier 2030 and 2050 basses. When the later design 2020 and 2060 were introduced in 1992, they switched to the ABM tail/bridge. RIC went back to the Schaller tail/bridge in 2007.

The Glenn Frey bass was introduced in 1992 before the 2020/2060. It most resembles the 2020 but for the special trim treatment, the earlier tail/bridge, and the designator, 2030. It's not clear exactly how many were made, but the plan for the Glenn Frey editions (guitar and bass, evidently) was to be 1000 total, but it appears that production was not reached. The bass was listed only through 1995, while the 230GF guitar went to about the year 2000. I doubt there were more than 100 GF basses made.

[Dave W]

I stand corrected about the RIC bridge. Still, it was originally die cast.

Schaller's website does say the saddles are brass. It doesn't mention the base construction. Regardless, I've never heard of Schaller roller bridges breaking. Nor RIC bridges, for that matter, although there was a tail lift problem. Only breakage I've heard of are reports of exploding 'R' tailpieces on certain guitars.

[ilan]

4001v63 in Midnight Blue. Clueless seller. I don't think he knows what he has there. $2,450 BIN

[the mojo hobo]

Clueless seller. I don't think the seller knows what he has there. $2,450 BIN

A late Nineties standard production v63 in a standard production color. Not that common, but not that rare either. Priced fairly, IMO.

Definitely cool though.