Hey all
Bet you thought this was long dead huh?
Well, I figured to resolve the story I'd tell you guys the status of my Rickenbacker 325c64.
So among many sour and rather unpleasant comments there were some genuine users offering very helpful advice, which was really hard to pull out individually and discuss among a majority. Again I'd like to thank the guys that weren't jumping on my age or inexperience but rather expressed your own experiences as one guy to the next. I really did think about your advice in the long run and its really changed my decision....thus to the enthusiast purists and ones who think they write rules on how to keep a guitar be warned, you may wanna back out now.
The ultimate conclusion I pulled was
"why mimic the past out of nostalgia like a geezer, looking like an idiot onstage, when I could modernize to suit me"
I started by doing numbers and realizing the cost of a conversion would in the end be more expensive than just buying a C58. Upon doing more research I noticed luthiers wont touch this job for under $2000. With the retail price I paid for the mint C64 I had on order at my local shop this would mean I'm paying almost $5000 for a guitar I could get for $3500. I am in my early 20s, and yes indeed living paycheck to paycheck. So reality hit me fast when I saw the bills and meals I'd miss
This of course didn't fully dissuade my mind from tinkering, I still wanted to give it some character and boost tone/playability. I wasn't sure for awhile but after doing thinking I did my homework and laid out the schematics to create my own personal experience. Of course I don't plan to reveal the entirety of my future modifications for the Rick, that would spoil the surprise.
But for now I'll tell you I:
()Changed the default Rickenbacker vintage black knobs to a set of Hofner teacup knobs
()Swapped out the accent vibrato like I threatened with a standard Bigsby B5
()The old tune-o-matic I took out for a Bowtie bridge
() I had awhile ago disconnected my middle pickup (to replicate how Lennon did on his Hamburg model) but eventually decided to fully remove it
() took off the upper guard and used the grommets from that and the removed pickup to raise the pickguard similar to a C58 (makes it look thicker too)
() stripped the old deluxe rick tuning pegs for vintage style Grover tuners (open back).
These are all pretty basic mods for now as I didn't jump in headlong like I planned. They've thus far stabilized my instrument...or so I thought.
Seeing as most of my alterations leaned still to vintage accents I was finding some of the the issues a C58 is known for in my C64. The tuning would never stay, my intonation was out of whack and i would get some bizarre fret buzz. I guess I was lucky I didn't go all the way in making a Sullivan Show replica 325, had I done that I'd be stuck with that problem.
I brought it to my local luthier who is going to be doing routine maintenance as well as changing out my tuners with schaller locking machine heads, doing fretwork and pinning the Bowtie bridge to the body. Its gonna be a costly job but it'll keep it in tune and fix some bugs in the neck.
What I can tell you is my next plan off attack is to swap my bridge toaster pickup for a Gibson USA Humbucker. I'm leaning to a burstbucker but stuck between the 57' (Fogerty had one on his 325). after listening to the 325 playing in the CCR songs I thought a Gibson humbucker might add a new depth to it giving more possibility in its abilities. Constructive advice welcome.
I also wanted to install a L.R Baggs T bridge but the tune-o-matic is apparently too large to fit the neck width. I like the piezo pickup installed in the bridge. The quality of the acoustic sound is pretty incredible, especially put on electric guitars -------->
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndVgR1qmHBs
All in all, not too much right now to report beyond that without ruining my surprise. Hope this project gets some good response, I look forward to the knowledge you all have