The BRJ Black Friday Thread (Only for updates for/by customers.)[Ad Free]

[rifftrauma]

Posted two days ago

Bernie Rico jr. guitar Custom shop

"I picked it up from Bernie's factory down in Wildomar CA"

*edit* Doesn't say WHEN it was picked up, so I cannot presume too much from the given details. Although it does say 'new' condition, which is odd.

As far as I know my Hesperian was one of the last one completed before Bernie sh*t the bed. The serial number on mine is about 20 lower than this one, but I'm not sure if he used the same system for every make and model of guitar. This could have been one of the last guitars out of the shop but who knows. I'm not trying to spread rumor and hearsay, but just FYI.

 

[ikarus]

I I think the painted on side dots are my favorite thing.

I KNEW IT! But nobody believed me. I have been trying to figure out if they are painted or not since I got my Hesperian...

 

[pondman]

I'm finally getting around to working on a guy's half finished Rico guitar. Needs a LOT of work still I think the painted on side dots are my favorite thing. I'm drilling out side dots for luminlay.

WTF is the point in that, I mean how long does it take to install a few side dots
The lazy bastard

 

[MetalDaze]

First I've heard of Bernie associated with Wildomar.

 

[Forrest_H]

Hey guys,

so I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post on here considering I was not part of the sale, but while browsing reverb, I found this.

https://reverb.com/item/453029-bernie-rico-jr-guitar-custom-shop-7-free-shipping

Just wanted to make sure this wasn't somebody else's guitar that they never received, not at all trying to barge my way in.

Serious condolences to all of you guys, this situation is f-cked.

 

[HRC51]

Hey guys,

so I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post on here considering I was not part of the sale, but while browsing reverb, I found this.

https://reverb.com/item/453029-bernie-rico-jr-guitar-custom-shop-7-free-shipping

Just wanted to make sure this wasn't somebody else's guitar that they never received, not at all trying to barge my way in.

Serious condolences to all of you guys, this situation is f-cked.

Unbelievable!!! This is my guitar that I never received.

Here is a picture Bernie sent me:

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Unbelievable!!! This is my guitar that I never received.

Here is a picture Bernie sent me:

View attachment 47073

I'd call the cops.

 

[ikarus]

Unbelievable!!! This is my guitar that I never received.

Here is a picture Bernie sent me:

Have you paid in full for it?

 

[HRC51]

Have you paid in full for it?

I paid $2200 back in Feb. 2012. I spoke with Bernie many times on the phone about specs and delivery. Like many others here I wrote it off as lost.

The seller on Reverb bought it from Gearhounds. Meaning, Bernie sold the guitar twice. I consider this stolen property. I have not heard back from Reverb, but the seller paid for it. That does not change the fact that it's all illegal.

I looked into small claims court, but that's hard because I live in another state. Even if you win, you don't always collect.

I'm so pissed.

 

[Prophetable]

Call the police. Report your stolen property and the internet post of it being found.

 

[Larrikin666]

Damn....this one looks like one of mine

https://reverb.com/item/812643-bernie-rico-jr-hesperian-2013-trans-blue-jeans

The timing doesn't quite work though. I might still try to hit that guy up to see.

 

[Jake]

^^ Isn't that one Rifftraumas?

 

[Larrikin666]

Found a guy who used to work for him. We'll see what he says.

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/bronson-benzien/64/ab3/bb0

 

[Larrikin666]

This freakin guy too

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/vi...-1-1,tarId:1436728808478,tas:james marshall q

James Marshall Quan

 

[crystallake]

Unbelievable!!! This is my guitar that I never received.

Here is a picture Bernie sent me:

View attachment 47073

Unreal! Sorry to hear fellow Ohioan!

 

[MetalThrasher]

That's crazy! Sorry for you HRC! Where are all of these guitars suddenly popping up from? It seems every few months a handfull of his guitars show up for sale. I wrote mine off as a loss but this is nuts.

 

[MAJ Meadows SF]

HOLY PHUCK... I'd call the FBI.

 

[HRC51]

HOLY PHUCK... I'd call the FBI.

I have filed a complaint with the FBI; however, they get thousands of complaints a week.

If more people let the FBI know that Bernie ripped them off, they might take notice. We are talking about a lot of money that he stole from us!

 

[SpaceDock]

Good luck to any who can get anything done here. I tried for a long time, filed complaints and called around. The guys from gearhounds told me straight up he was reselling guitars and I posted about that ..... Too bad we are seeing some proof now. I wish I could find that bitch, that is the hardest part. Without a doubt he still has a lot of these guitars.

 

[Rap Hat]

Dammmmn, now there's proof to what everyone suspected. I have a feeling most of them were probably sold on the DL, since Bernie apparently finished them for Gearhounds and he definitely wouldn't want his new customers to know that the guitars were all literally the property of not-Bernie (i.e. us).

The one I bought had a super distinctive moustache shaped quilt between the two pickups, and since I have a few WIP pics it would be very easy to identify. I've been periodically searching for it with no luck so far, but as of my last contact with Bernie, the guitar was effectively done.

It's gonna be a ....show trying to get them back. The new buyers are going to be like "No I paid for this!", the old sellers are not going to refund them since they'll 100% lose out on the cash (as Gearhounds isn't refunding them...), and I highly doubt, even with proof, that the police would do anything. Civil court is the best bet, but in this case it would be screwing over someone who bought the guitar in "good faith". (note: with even a cursory google search showing that Bernie scammed tons of people, anyone that's buying or selling Ricos now should be regarded with extreme caution).

My other concern is that buyers may look up their Gearhounds (or wherever) purchased Rico, find out it's a stolen guitar, and keep it hidden as a result. If you paid 2-4k for a guitar and then found out it was stolen and you'd 100% lose out on the cash by bringing it up, would you say anything? That's probably where most of the finished guitars are at right now.

It's a zero-sum situation. Everyone that's involved has lost out, and unbelievably more people are getting roped in by purchasing these stolen Ricos, therefore setting themselves up for a loss of $. The only winner was Bernie, who got to scam tons of people and blow the money on drugs or whatever, then got to waltz off into the sunset.