What was the best Rickenbacker model made?

larsongs · Post by **larsongs** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 3:04 pm

There are 2.

The 360 6 Strings & the 360 12 Strings.

cassius987 · Post by **cassius987** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 11:31 pm

4002FL

Scott Pope's 4002 is a beast (and he plays it like it ought to be played). The one FL example that can be found on YouTube is played excellently and sounds great so I'd have to give that as my dream bass. I'd prefer a different bridge/tailpiece, but whatever.

Folkie · Post by **Folkie** » Thu Sep 22, 2016 2:58 am

The 381/12v69 hands down. Mine's a 2000, so the 7.4k toasters are stock, and the Fireglo is a deep, dark shade of red, without any of the orange tint of the newer Fireglos. The guitar comes stock with a 12-saddle bridge and a Ric-O-Sound jack. As far as tone, the 381 sounds exceptionally loud, deep, and resonant. You can dial in plenty of low end as well as plenty of jangle. It also happens to be the most fetching RIC I've ever come across, and the most beautiful guitar in my collection.

xpitt · Post by **xpitt** » Thu Sep 22, 2016 5:19 am

Have to correct myself: It's always the latest purchase

jdogric12 · Post by **jdogric12** » Thu Sep 22, 2016 12:34 pm

Folkie wrote:The 381/12v69 hands down. Mine's a 2000, so the 7.4k toasters are stock, and the Fireglo is a deep, dark shade of red, without any of the orange tint of the newer Fireglos. The guitar comes stock with a 12-saddle bridge and a Ric-O-Sound jack. As far as tone, the 381 sounds exceptionally loud, deep, and resonant. You can dial in plenty of low end as well as plenty of jangle. It also happens to be the most fetching RIC I've ever come across, and the most beautiful guitar in my collection.

How's that neck? Anything from that era I've played has been a baseball bat.

billfark · Post by **billfark** » Thu Sep 22, 2016 12:59 pm

George's AHDN guitar is the holy grail for me, so it has to be the 360/12v64 or the c63. Just such a beautiful instrument. I sometimes do a Google image search and just look at all the wonderful photos. I lean towards the latter for being more faithful to the original, but I like the former since they actually made some of those for lefties. One day, one day...

-Kevin

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Thu Sep 22, 2016 2:25 pm

billfark wrote:George's AHDN guitar is the holy grail for me, so it has to be the 360/12v64 or the c63. Just such a beautiful instrument. I sometimes do a Google image search and just look at all the wonderful photos. I lean towards the latter for being more faithful to the original, but I like the former since they actually made some of those for lefties. One day, one day...

-Kevin

Really hard to argue with this. Iconic.

Folkie · Post by **Folkie** » Thu Sep 22, 2016 3:20 pm

Jason,

I'm no expert on neck shapes, but I do know what feels right to me. Prior to acquiring the 381, I've owned a 1991 330/12, a 2010 360/12, and a 2012 360/12c63. The 381 feels by far the most comfortable to play, while the 2010 360/12 (which I subsequently sold) just had too much neck girth. It's like comparing an Eric Clapton Signature Model Stratocaster to an Eric Johnson one: the former fits my fretting hand just right, while the latter feels (to use your phrase) like a "baseball bat."

Robert

fabandgear · Post by **fabandgear** » Fri Sep 23, 2016 12:50 am

Another vote for the new style 360, 360/12. I love the rounded contours of the top edge, thin neck, especially the radius on my '65 and '66 models.

rickinroma · Post by **rickinroma** » Fri Sep 23, 2016 3:36 pm

Aestetically speaking the 4005 bass and the 360 new style guitar, rigorously with 21 frets, as with 24 the guitar just looks wrong to my eyes
And of course with 60s features/specifications

jch · Post by **jch** » Fri Sep 23, 2016 3:54 pm

A double bound 360 with 21 frets and Toasters is a thing of beauty for me too.

Anachronism · Post by **Anachronism** » Fri Sep 23, 2016 11:15 pm

Of those I've played, I favor the 380L and the 4004Ci.

Kiddwad57 · Post by **Kiddwad57** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 2:53 am

In the early eighties a friend of mine had a '58 jetglo 450 that was out of sight. Wide, comfortable neck. A little crusty. So maybe the 450 for a solid body guitar.

Kiddwad57 · Post by **Kiddwad57** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 2:56 am

rickinroma wrote:the 360 new style guitar, rigorously with 21 frets, as with 24 the guitar just looks wrong to my eyes

I agree!

4005player · Post by **4005player** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 4:26 pm

Bass - 1960's 4005 (own 4)
6-String Normal Scale - 1960's 360 (don't own, but my brother used to have one)
6-String Short Scale - 325/1996 (I'll be receiving a Fireglo Model 1996 from 1967 - the real deal - on Wednesday

!!!! I own a c58, v59, c64, John Lennon Signature, and a 1996)
12-String - 1960's 360 or 366/12 (own a Fireglo 366/12 from 1968 that was my brother's)

They're all absolutely magnificent instruments....really hard to choose which one is the "best" as they're all for different purposes....

I own numerous others as well...28 total, including above....soon to be 29 in 4 days.....am I a Rickenbacker hog?!

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