Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Well, I finally tried Pyramid strings for my Roger McGuinn 370-12. Roger himself has been recommending those German strings for decades!!! I had them put on by a professional luthier here in CT two weeks ago. I used the Ric two times, playing out live. I noticed each time that, while tuning before I played, it was getting harder and harder to tune.

Last Saturday night, at the gig, I tried to tune it again. ALL of the strings were way off: the low "E" had become a "C", the "A" had become an F#, etc. So, I tried to tune it anyway. Then, the Ric "exploded," sending the bridge and the "R" tailpiece flying!!!! I intend to contact Rickenbacker this morning. Could it be that the Pyramid strings added TOO much tension?

Karl

It could be, as Pyramids are pretty high tension. It's also not out of the question that the tailpiece had some sort of casting flaw. One of the things I've never understood is why the R tailpieces are so poorly cast and not properly cleaned up and deburred before being plated, mounted, and sent out the door. As a former sculpture major in college and metal caster, I can't see any excuse for it, especially if they're being produced by a subcontractor. I'd suggest switching to Thomastic Infeld Jazz Flats. You'll get the same sound in strings that are lower tension, easier on your fingers and which last a very long time.

Most of the exploding R tailpieces come from the same era - the one when your 370/12 was produced.

Pyramids are considerably more tension, although R tailpieces have been known to explode. Save the pieces. You'll need them as a core to send back to RIC if you want another R tailpiece. As a side note, it's less expensive to use a guitar tech to change your strings than an actual luthier, and even cheaper to do yourself.

My 330/12 was made in 1991, and used to have a black "R" tailpiece, that is, until the tailpiece exploded when the guitar was in its case, about a year ago. I've never used flatwounds on that guitar, only rounds and compressed rounds. I rather liked the elegant look of the "R" tailpiece, but I had been told that there was a design flaw in them that made them ticking time bombs, so I saved the pieces, but replaced the "R" with a Winfield Vintage harp tailpiece. Todd's post only confirms what I already suspected.

As I'm sure you know, Pyramids have gotten some bad press here. And I've had good experiences with TI Flats on two of my other Rick 12's. It seems to me that the tuning issues you experienced (before the explosion) indicate a problem with the strings, and that it's possible there was simply too much tension on the tailpiece.

My understanding was that most of the guilty culprits for exploding tailpieces were black ones made from 1989-91. Those who know more can correct me if I'm wrong. What year is your RM?

If you don't get a definitive response from Rickenbacker, I would take the guitar back to your professional luthier and explain what happened, to see if he has any insights.

TI Flats are readily available at POTR, if you decide to go that direction. And, by all means, hang on to the shards of that tailpiece, so you can send them back to Rickenbacker if you decide to replace it.

I had the same thing happening on my 370/12RM last year. The very same strings (Pyramid flats) had been on the guitar for maybe 10 years or so, and one day I opened the case I found it in pieces. My guess (and the opinion of some experts here as well) is that it really is a problem of a certain batch. I mean the design came up in the mid 60s when strings tended to be flat and thick, but there are no reports of broken Rs from those vintage years, same goes for newer instruments. However, it is scaring and a hassle to get a replacement, especially when you are located outside the US like me. Chris of POTR was of great assistance in this matter, while the official route through a local dealer, then distributor, then factory was not.

Thanks, everyone for your input!! Mr. Hall just today responded to a post that I made on the Rickenbacker website (Forum). He said that Pyramids use a few dozens of extra pounds of tension that go beyond the intended range! Had I know that, I would never have tried them! I read somewhere that Roger McGuinn uses Pyramids-- but uses new strings after each concert!!!

I will go back to ROUND wound strings of 10-46 gauge!!!!

My RM 370-12 is from 1990

Here's a set of strings that are just as good, if not better than Pyramids...
http://www.pickofthericks.com/thomastik ... t-010-044/

Way less tension, with a nice slinky feel. They'll do all that Pyramids can do and more. There's a post on here (too lazy to research) that TIs are actually closer to vintage Pyramid strings than present day Pyramids! If my 360/12V64 didn't need a neck reset (badly!!), I would continue to use these strings as long as they're being made.

JakeK wrote:Here's a set of strings that are just as good, if not better than Pyramids...
http://www.pickofthericks.com/thomastik ... t-010-044/

Way less tension, with a nice slinky feel. They'll do all that Pyramids can do and more. There's a post on here (too lazy to research) that TIs are actually closer to vintage Pyramid strings than present day Pyramids! If my 360/12V64 didn't need a neck reset (badly!!), I would continue to use these strings as long as they're being made.

+1

My 1989 370-12 RM had TI flatwounds on it when the tailpiece broke. Those strings had less tension than the Pyramids I'd had on it, but more than the original Ric strings. IMHO it was the tailpiece and not the strings at fault.

My McGuinn tailpiece blew up about 4 months ago. All it ever had on it were RIC branded strings. Got a new tailpiece from PotR and restrung it with RIC strings again as that was all I had but I'm a big fan of the TIs. My '79 360/12WB tailpiece blew up when I had Pyramids on it. I'm done with Pyramids

I had a 360/12CW with Pyramid strings on it (per McGuinn's advice) and the R tailpiece too exploded. My own fault, I guess.

Mine exploted last year inside The case with pyramids. I read The new R pieces are more strong now but I don't know if this is true or not.

Yes-- I will never use Pyramids again!!!!

Different strings shouldn't make any difference for a properly constructed part; it should have been built with a 100% duty factor instead of being barely able to take the stress.

I can't complain too much about mine breaking, it outlasted the transmissions in the Fords I had.