NGD - 362/12 FG doubleneck!
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2016 11:36 am
At long last - after 20-something years of an active search for an affordable example - I have a Rickenbacker 362/12 double neck!!!
This particular instrument was made in 1977. It first showed up on the web in Summer 2014, at a typically unreachable price. It included all of its hardware, but it was all removed and neither neck was strung up. I was (and remain) cash poor, but contacted the owner and asked if he'd be into any trades, which he respectfully declined. It was re-posted a few times, and eventually it went away.
The same seller then listed it on eBay in Fall 2015. At this point it had been strung up (both necks), and evidently doing so revealed that the 12-string neck was pulling away from the body, and as such was unplayable. Its now discounted price reflected this, but was still beyond my means, not to mention beyond my scope in repairing it.
A fellow player and collector (who is employed by a very reputable luthier and guitar repairman here in Georgia) and I had been in discussion about the guitar since it first appeared. He already owns one of these guitars, so he didn't have a strong interest in this one for himself...but we worked out a deal, wherein he would negotiate a further discount with the seller, buy it, repair the neck, and then trade the guitar to me for some gear of mine that he wanted for his collection.
And that's how I finally got a Rick doubleneck.
How is it? It's great!!! (I had played some of these in the past, and knew what to expect.) It's much less headstock-heavy than a Gibson/Epiphone, and feels more substantial than a Mosrite, because of the larger body.
The 12-string neck had to be re-set, which is a daunting task! Such a procedure is typically done by removing the back of the guitar (!!!), but this was not the case here, due to the neck being partially loose, but mostly due to the skill and craftsmanship of the fine folks at Randy Wood Guitars.
It sounds and feels great. I'm still dialing it in, and it gets better every time I do so.
- my 362/12 FG
The same seller then listed it on eBay in Fall 2015. At this point it had been strung up (both necks), and evidently doing so revealed that the 12-string neck was pulling away from the body, and as such was unplayable. Its now discounted price reflected this, but was still beyond my means, not to mention beyond my scope in repairing it.
A fellow player and collector (who is employed by a very reputable luthier and guitar repairman here in Georgia) and I had been in discussion about the guitar since it first appeared. He already owns one of these guitars, so he didn't have a strong interest in this one for himself...but we worked out a deal, wherein he would negotiate a further discount with the seller, buy it, repair the neck, and then trade the guitar to me for some gear of mine that he wanted for his collection.
And that's how I finally got a Rick doubleneck.
How is it? It's great!!! (I had played some of these in the past, and knew what to expect.) It's much less headstock-heavy than a Gibson/Epiphone, and feels more substantial than a Mosrite, because of the larger body.
The 12-string neck had to be re-set, which is a daunting task! Such a procedure is typically done by removing the back of the guitar (!!!), but this was not the case here, due to the neck being partially loose, but mostly due to the skill and craftsmanship of the fine folks at Randy Wood Guitars.
It sounds and feels great. I'm still dialing it in, and it gets better every time I do so.
Two guitars in one, and I know it is in a good home. 