Used Rickenbacker prices have gone up & up. Rickenbackers are still only made in the states and a lot of the process is still done by hand. They also issued a lesser expensive line made in Korea. The Gretsch Country Gentleman or Country Classic can be found at reasonable prices because Gretsch moved production to Japan. I already had an old Hofner bass and a ’66 “SG” Standard but I wanted to get my hands on a Gretsch Country Gentleman and a Rickenbacker like the ones Lennon used. Having been a Beatle fan since the Sullivan show, I have always dreamed of owning a set of Beatle guitars.
The names Fakenbacker, Rickenfaker, Chickenbacker, and now even Chinabackers all relate to knock-off and counterfeit guitars made to resemble the classic Rickenbackers used by the Beatles and others.