Hello all - I'm new to the forum.
I've been thinking of getting a Ric for awhile, and had a few general questions.
First off, what model to buy (I'd prefer to buy used)? I'm a big Jam fan, so I've been leaning towards maybe a 360v64 ... I think that's what Paul Weller played (?). Currently, I'm playing a PRS Custom 22, PRS Hollowbody II, and Strat+. I want something with the real Ric sound -- shimmering chords, etc., that won't over-duplicate my other guitars. Any thoughts on models?
Second, I've looked at the 12-strings, and as good as they sound, will it really be a wise investment? I think I'll get a lot more mileage out of a 6, but am open to suggestions.
Finally, any years to look for or avoid? This could really help me narrow my search.
Thanks in advance for any tips!
Buying advice for a newcomer
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
Well there are some sugnificant things in just how the Ricks differ in stringing ,adjusting and how they play compared to what you already own.
Your PRS probably has a nut width of 1&11/16"and has a fairly beefy neck.About the same as a LesPaul Jr. from the 1950's.(this is about .950 in thickness at the 1st fret and about .110 at the 12th fret.
Your Fender has a nut width of 1&5/8" and the depth of the neck is about .850 at the 1st fret and about .950 at the 12th.
Both necks taper to about 2&1/4" at the last fret.
This is the largest differance between ALL guitars and Ricks.
The Rick nut width for all the semi-hollowbodies is 1&5/8".With the guitars that have binding ,you lose playing space as the frets are within the binding and NOT the full width of the fretboard.
On the solidbody guitars you have the option of a widder fretboard .BUT!!! the tone is different and a little harser to my ears.This is not distortion ,but rather a more piercing treble and a tighter low end.
I prefer the tone of the semmi-hollow bodies.
I relate this to Gibson lesPauls and ES-335 model guitars.They have the same neck and hardware and electronics,but the Es-335 is smoother in tone.
If I was a first time buyer of a Rick ,and I was more interested in the 6 string guitars...I would look at either the 350 or the 330.Both are excellent guitars.Both are full scale and both are semi-hollow.Both are classic tone makers.
I would also install the toaster pickups as they will give you that jangle/shimmer.This in no way limits you to being a rythmn guitarist ,just the classic tone.
If you need to have more of a gutsy sound the high-gains will give you that ....BUT!
I let my amps do that .clean is tough to get and overdriven/distortion is an add on .you can always get that.Clean is what I start with .
And as a personal note....change out the 'R' tailpiece to the Vintage flat one .You will have less problems and will find it easier to deal with and less frustrating than the 'R' .The 'R' looks cool,but I find in concert settings to be problematic.Meaning...it rocks from side to side as you restring and takes a while to settle.It also is a pain to restring if you break a string on stage ,at least quickly.That is to ay until you get the tricks down.Don't let this stop you though...the tuners on your PRS did the same thing until you got used to them.Correct?
Your PRS probably has a nut width of 1&11/16"and has a fairly beefy neck.About the same as a LesPaul Jr. from the 1950's.(this is about .950 in thickness at the 1st fret and about .110 at the 12th fret.
Your Fender has a nut width of 1&5/8" and the depth of the neck is about .850 at the 1st fret and about .950 at the 12th.
Both necks taper to about 2&1/4" at the last fret.
This is the largest differance between ALL guitars and Ricks.
The Rick nut width for all the semi-hollowbodies is 1&5/8".With the guitars that have binding ,you lose playing space as the frets are within the binding and NOT the full width of the fretboard.
On the solidbody guitars you have the option of a widder fretboard .BUT!!! the tone is different and a little harser to my ears.This is not distortion ,but rather a more piercing treble and a tighter low end.
I prefer the tone of the semmi-hollow bodies.
I relate this to Gibson lesPauls and ES-335 model guitars.They have the same neck and hardware and electronics,but the Es-335 is smoother in tone.
If I was a first time buyer of a Rick ,and I was more interested in the 6 string guitars...I would look at either the 350 or the 330.Both are excellent guitars.Both are full scale and both are semi-hollow.Both are classic tone makers.
I would also install the toaster pickups as they will give you that jangle/shimmer.This in no way limits you to being a rythmn guitarist ,just the classic tone.
If you need to have more of a gutsy sound the high-gains will give you that ....BUT!
I let my amps do that .clean is tough to get and overdriven/distortion is an add on .you can always get that.Clean is what I start with .
And as a personal note....change out the 'R' tailpiece to the Vintage flat one .You will have less problems and will find it easier to deal with and less frustrating than the 'R' .The 'R' looks cool,but I find in concert settings to be problematic.Meaning...it rocks from side to side as you restring and takes a while to settle.It also is a pain to restring if you break a string on stage ,at least quickly.That is to ay until you get the tricks down.Don't let this stop you though...the tuners on your PRS did the same thing until you got used to them.Correct?
So you too want yours "ALAPWOB"?!?!
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Edgar
Kip-since you're looking for the true vintage Ric sound and you like the 360 style, due to Paul Weller, I'd highly recommend you seek out a Carl Wilson six-string. Figured maple with beautiful Fire-glo finish, thin/resonant top, scatter wound "true vintage reissue" pickups. I went through quite a handful of Rics (including several real '60s models and '90s reissues) and was not happy 'til I found the Carl. EVERY bit as well built and great sounding (maybe more so) than the originals. I think the limited edition (500 total/6s and 12s), figured woods, etc., make the CW a decent investment, as well. You might still be able to find a new one for around 1500.00 or so (try Elderly and Guitar Center).
Used, they still seem to be around 1500.00, but not many have come up for sale. Re: 12-strings:
I personally love the Ric 12 sound, but find the necks too narrow and hard to play; unlike some, I'm NOT wiling to learn new fingerings to accomodate the Ric 12 quirks. The Tom Petty 12 does have a wider neck that's quite nice. I'm told the CW does, too, but I'm not sure...I love my CW 6 string, which ended my Ric Quest. A 12-string is a niche instrument for me, which doesn't get a LOT of use; I found that the Danolectro 12 gives me great playability, good sound for low $$$. Just my .02, and hope it helps a little.
Used, they still seem to be around 1500.00, but not many have come up for sale. Re: 12-strings:
I personally love the Ric 12 sound, but find the necks too narrow and hard to play; unlike some, I'm NOT wiling to learn new fingerings to accomodate the Ric 12 quirks. The Tom Petty 12 does have a wider neck that's quite nice. I'm told the CW does, too, but I'm not sure...I love my CW 6 string, which ended my Ric Quest. A 12-string is a niche instrument for me, which doesn't get a LOT of use; I found that the Danolectro 12 gives me great playability, good sound for low $$$. Just my .02, and hope it helps a little.
Kip: I recommend that you find someone with a Rickenbacker and go jam with them for an afternoon or evening and play your heart out. If you don't mind identifying where you live, you will likely find someone who visits the Rickenbacker Forum who may be able to meet with you. That way you could have all your Rickenbacker questions answered.
Life, as with music, often requires one to let go of the melody and listen to the rhythm
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Kip_F
Thanks for the great advice, all. There are certainly a lot of things to think about.
Mark, may I ask why you recommend the 330 or 350 over the 360? I'll certainly give the CW a test drive as well, though it may be a bit out of my price range (or more than a bit ...)
I'm in Santa Barbara, by the way. I'm down in L.A. a lot if anyone is available to jam. I would love to talk Ricks with anyone, and see some of these great guitars minus the salesguy breathing over my shoulder!
Any tips and advice much appreciated!
Mark, may I ask why you recommend the 330 or 350 over the 360? I'll certainly give the CW a test drive as well, though it may be a bit out of my price range (or more than a bit ...)
I'm in Santa Barbara, by the way. I'm down in L.A. a lot if anyone is available to jam. I would love to talk Ricks with anyone, and see some of these great guitars minus the salesguy breathing over my shoulder!
Any tips and advice much appreciated!
I love the look of the 360 but the frets do not run the width of the fret board.They stop short of the it due to the thickness of the binding on both sides.This gives you a narrower string spacing than a Fender strat/Tele .
The 350 and 330 run the full width and the nut spacing can run the full width rather than narrower.
I do not have large fingers in width but I want as with a playing area as possible .
I find that to make a 360 usable for many it must be refretted with the frets hanging over the top of the binding ,Larrivee Acoustics are made this way and so are Martin D-35,D-41,D-45.
The 12 strings are way to narrow for me.Yes I know that they have been the best seller of all time (thanks to the Byrds/Roger McGuinn) but for me I need a wider neck,or at least as much as I can get.
I have ,on a regular basis for the last 25 years refretted 360-12 with the frets over the binding to the glee of ALL that I did it for and then also increased the width of the string spacing at the nut.
I have NEVER had anyone say ---"This is horrible",in fact ....I usually get this comment..."Why do they make them so narrow and why is there no option on this model ?Why don't they fret them this way from the start?"
So I continue to perform this mod.
The 350 and 330 run the full width and the nut spacing can run the full width rather than narrower.
I do not have large fingers in width but I want as with a playing area as possible .
I find that to make a 360 usable for many it must be refretted with the frets hanging over the top of the binding ,Larrivee Acoustics are made this way and so are Martin D-35,D-41,D-45.
The 12 strings are way to narrow for me.Yes I know that they have been the best seller of all time (thanks to the Byrds/Roger McGuinn) but for me I need a wider neck,or at least as much as I can get.
I have ,on a regular basis for the last 25 years refretted 360-12 with the frets over the binding to the glee of ALL that I did it for and then also increased the width of the string spacing at the nut.
I have NEVER had anyone say ---"This is horrible",in fact ....I usually get this comment..."Why do they make them so narrow and why is there no option on this model ?Why don't they fret them this way from the start?"
So I continue to perform this mod.
So you too want yours "ALAPWOB"?!?!
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Rod_Evans
Just a couple of things. I highly recommend using the toaster pick-ups. Because, in my opinion, the so called Hi-gain pick-ups are muddy and weak. The toasters give you the nice chimey twang, but can handle full-on distortion from a pre-amp or pedal. Paired with an overdriven tube amp they produce a gritty, P-90 alternative. There are differences in some of the toaster pick-ups. Some recent ones are not as hot as the ones produced in the 90's(the new 7.4 ohm pick-up is supposed be an exact recreation) so depending on what kind of sound you are looking for check the ohms. I prefer the higher output toasters.
I find the 330 is suited to your rhythm, chimey stuff whereas a 350 is suited toward more lead/rhythm stuff.
Also, trash the "r" tailpiece. They aren't user/performance friendly.
I think the models from the 70's to around 87/88 are ones to avoid. In many ways they "modernized" the guitars and wrecked some of the Rick coolness.
Like Fender and Gibson, they straightened their act up in late 80's.
playing a Rick is different. You won't be wailing
right away, but when you get used to the guitar, I think you'll like it.Depending on your music, the Rick may be just the flavor you're looking for. I own Strats, Les Pauls,
and a PRS and I like my Ricks much better. But,to each his own...
Go play one!!!
I find the 330 is suited to your rhythm, chimey stuff whereas a 350 is suited toward more lead/rhythm stuff.
Also, trash the "r" tailpiece. They aren't user/performance friendly.
I think the models from the 70's to around 87/88 are ones to avoid. In many ways they "modernized" the guitars and wrecked some of the Rick coolness.
Like Fender and Gibson, they straightened their act up in late 80's.
playing a Rick is different. You won't be wailing
right away, but when you get used to the guitar, I think you'll like it.Depending on your music, the Rick may be just the flavor you're looking for. I own Strats, Les Pauls,
and a PRS and I like my Ricks much better. But,to each his own...
Go play one!!!