Toaster pickups for Ricky 360

glt56

Anyone in the UK make classic toaster pickups for my Ricky 360?  I want to replace the High Gains currently fitted as I've also got a 330 with original toasters and they really bite compared to the High Gains.  I know that Barden and Lollar make some but a UK made version would be nice! Thanks in advance...

mart

Careful, or John Hall will sue you for even asking.

OilCityPickups

If anyone buys covers (there are a couple of sources online .. but horribly expensive) ... I'll happily build pickups ... but I don't want to face the wrath of Rickenbacker as Jason has!

ICBM

I'm surprised the manufacturers of frying pans haven't had Cease & Desist letters...

OilCityPickups

ICBM said:

I'm surprised the manufacturers of frying pans haven't had Cease & Desist letters...

:-))

ThePrettyDamned

Wow is it really that bad? It's just a replacement pickup surely?!

ICBM

Rickenbacker have trademarked the appearance of the Toaster pickup, and anything that looks like it is a trademark infringement which they will pursue.

Personally I think it falls into the area of unjustified trademarks - I agree about their right to defend their logo, headstock shape, body shapes etc, but a basic and fairly generic (I'm sure there were other companies making similar designs at the time) pickup cover is taking things too far.

They're not the only ones - DiMarzio have been granted trademarks for the term 'PAF' and any humbucker with a double-cream bobbin, despite clearly having not invented or been the first to use either. And Mesa on terms like 'Dual Rectifier', to which the same applies… as well as patents on things which should be automatically non-patentable due to prior use or an 'obvious' concept. If you think those are bad, check out the history of 'Monster' cables and the spurious claims they have made against other companies, even in totally unrelated fields.

Money talks, and companies with the resources and legal teams to gain trademarks and patents and then use them to unfairly intimidate smaller ones bring the entire concept into disrepute.

DiMarzio even stopped Boss from using the name "Super Distortion & Feedbacker" on a pedal because they have a trademark on the term "Super Distortion". I assume Roland just couldn't be bothered with the legal cost since they're big enough not to have rolled over otherwise.

impmann

Shittenfecker do have the worst record of having a pop at innocent parties - I mean, if someone owns a guitar that shares a vaguely similar outline to one of their guitar and then they advertise their property for sale, not mentioning the Shittenfecker name anywhere in the advert, what right have they to stop that sale? But they have done so...

ThePrettyDamned

Wow, that's madness.

They could make a packet if they just sold unbranded covers for people who want pickups wound - it would be different from stock, so you couldn't lie if advertising it, but would still look right.

ICBM

They would never do that. RIC don't support any aftermarket parts being made for their instruments at all, and they are unusual in that maximising income and profit doesn't seem to be their top priority - retaining ownership of their brand matters more, even to the point of cutting off their nose to spite their face, as the saying goes...

ThePrettyDamned

Again, that's madness! 

It's nice to see they want to maintain the quality of their instruments (the ones I've played, only a few, have all been very well made - impeccable, actually) but I don't know why you'd not support aftermarket products when modding guitars is such a huge business.  

Seriously, the money people pay for a mastery bridge (quality as it is) is testament to the potential for growth. And Oil City is testament that, even in a pretty busy market, an independent pickup builder can get a solid foothold and make a living.  

glt56

Sorry, I seem to have opened a can of worms here... I had no idea it was so fraught with problems!  Does this mean I've got to go with the Rickenbacker originals despite their exorbitant price?  How do Barden and Lollar get away with it, I know the Lollars look slightly different but is that it??

ICBM

ThePrettyDamned said:

Again, that's madness! 

It's nice to see they want to maintain the quality of their instruments (the ones I've played, only a few, have all been very well made - impeccable, actually) but I don't know why you'd not support aftermarket products when modding guitars is such a huge business.

Because RIC believe that they and only they have the right to manufacture anything to do with Rickenbacker guitars. I don't even think it's that they want to corner the market for money reasons - they just don't want to allow anyone else into it on principle.

glt56 said:

Sorry, I seem to have opened a can of worms here... I had no idea it was so fraught with problems!  Does this mean I've got to go with the Rickenbacker originals despite their exorbitant price?  How do Barden and Lollar get away with it, I know the Lollars look slightly different but is that it??

You don't have to apologise, it's not your fault!

Yes, if you want exact Rickenbacker-type parts you have to buy the official ones. Other companies don't get away with it - or not for long - RIC rigorously pursue legal action against anyone who tries. Lollar is one of the ones who they went after - although amusingly, his 'Broiler' is almost identical to a Rick HB-2 humbucker, which presumably RIC do not have a trademark on. I can't imagine that was accidental .

dogload

ICBM said:

They would never do that. RIC don't support any aftermarket parts being made for their instruments at all, and they are unusual in that maximising income and profit doesn't seem to be their top priority - retaining ownership of their brand matters more, even to the point of cutting off their nose to spite their face, as the saying goes...

Which is fecking annoying if you do want to buy aftermarket Ric parts in the UK as the prices here equate to basically replacing the dollar sign with a pound sign and sticking a few quid on top... a Toaster in the US is $150, whilst we have to pay £165.

I rebuilt a Ric 360 from a carcass I bought on Ebay about 5 years ago and ended up hardly using any officially purchased parts- only the stereo output wiring loom IIRC. The rest was sourced from Ebay and the Ric Resource Forum. 

OilCityPickups

Us winders stay off the Rickenbacker 'grass' like poison!

Lixarto

Never mind all this - did he ever get a new toaster?

ICBM

dogload said:

I rebuilt a Ric 360 from a carcass I bought on Ebay about 5 years ago and ended up hardly using any officially purchased parts- only the stereo output wiring loom IIRC. The rest was sourced from Ebay and the Ric Resource Forum. 

Same here. I don't remember ever having bought any official RIC parts for anything I've worked on apart from a stereo jack from Rickysounds. I hardly think they care though.

Heartfeltdawn

The Rickenbacker 360 is one of the most beautiful guitars in existence. Shame it's got one of the stupidest necks in existence. Too small, shit frets, horrible gunk over the fretboard. It feels like Rickenbacker want to be quirky and individual to the point of ridiculousness. 

ICBM

I admit I'm not a huge fan of the tiny frets and lacquered board - my 381 has been de-lacquered and refretted with slightly larger ones - but I find the necks perfect. Rickenbacker have always made them like that too, they haven't just decided to do it to be different.

I don't get the current fashion for "fat" necks at all. And it is just a fashion - back in the 60s and 70s, the fashion was for small skinny necks, and even in the 1950s most necks were not the ridiculous baseball bats Gibson call the "50s neck" nowadays - I've owned four fifties Gibsons and played dozens more… not one of them had a neck like a modern "50s" Gibson reissue. The only necks that fat back then were things like the early Hofners with no truss rods, and they were derided for being crude. Late 60s Gibson necks were often *smaller* than Rickenbackers! In the 80s and 90s it was wide thin necks, now it's fat ones. At least Rickenbacker have been consistent.

glt56

Lixarto said:

Never mind all this - did he ever get a new toaster?

Errrr... no, not yet, still thinking about it! :-O

WezV

Maybe go for something like this and a rewind/rebuild from TGW.   Not sure what the best price you can get the covers alone is, but the prices I have seen seem to be more than these complete pickups

http://www.axesrus.co.uk/Axesrus-Toasters-Surface-Mount-Pickups-p/b105-anc5.htm