Question/Story on my 360/12

Early years of Rickenbacker Guitars prior to and including 1972

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THX1136
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Re: Question/Story on my 360/12

Post by THX1136 »

My guess is you probably have not, Jason. I was hoping the color of the original inlays would show up better, but this is a photo of the original board which Rick sent back to me with the guitar. To me the original crushed pearl looks so much better than the newer inlays. The new ones look plastic and without any color to them at all.

Yes indeed, John, the neck needs a bit of an adjustment. I haven't been playing the guitar for quite some time. The neck was 'propped' up a bit in the case which may have contributed to the bend. I lowered the tuning a bit and am going to let it sit for awhile. I've got McGuinn's take on adjusting the neck and may try it on my own. I am assuming the new neck has the newer truss rod with a single adjustment instead of the original 2. Then again, I may chicken out and take it to someone for the adjustment. I am surprised by your thought of $2500, but that would be nice should I ever choose to sell it.
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jps
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Re: Question/Story on my 360/12

Post by jps »

THX1136 wrote:I am assuming the new neck has the newer truss rod with a single adjustment instead of the original 2.
Given the re-neck took place in 1980 it is likely they are still the old style hairpin rods, and yes, there should be two of them.
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sloop_john_b
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Re: Question/Story on my 360/12

Post by sloop_john_b »

THX1136 wrote:I am surprised by your thought of $2500, but that would be nice should I ever choose to sell it.
Even with the re-neck, at the end of the day, you still have an original 60's body with a thin top and some beautiful grain and original 60's toaster pickups and wiring.

A guitar like this at $2000-$2500 is far cooler than almost any other Rickenbacker 12-string one can buy for a similar price, and at about half/a little less than half the price of an original mid-60's 360/12.

As someone who is always on the lookout for "player grade" vintage guitars (an increasingly popular market, with the price of all-original vintage guitars continuing to skyrocket), this is something that I would be sorely tempted by if it ever came up for sale, though the necessary neck reset does put a bit of a damper on things.
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collin
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Re: Question/Story on my 360/12

Post by collin »

Nice guitar, Ron!

John is right, $2K to $2,500 is right on the money for something like this. The magic of a 60s Rickenbacker (sonically, anyway) is entirely the body. That thin top, X-bracing etc. It's also the Achille's heel of these guitars when it comes to shifting necks, body curl etc. So if it was all sorted and with a good neck angle, that's the best of both worlds.

Even if the fretboard looks like it would fit, you really need a set of calipers to determine (down to the thousands of an inch) whether the current fretboard is the same size as the original. It likely is not (the necks are ever so slightly wider on later models, from what I've measured).

The fretboard by itself is worth a bit of money (I'd gladly buy it!), those are the inlays most people love the most. The factory did recently bring back the crushed pearl inlays for the 90th anniversary models for the first time in almost 50 years.

This replacement neck will most likely have the old-style twin hairpin truss rods, just like the original neck had (used until the mid-1980s).

All that said, if it needs a neck reset that is a tricky operation that not many repair shops will touch. Very expensive and you can usually adjust the bridge low enough to fret cowboy chords, the neck angle will keep getting worse over time without a reset.
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THX1136
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Re: Question/Story on my 360/12

Post by THX1136 »

It's been awhile since I've been in. I am assuming when you folks say 'neck reset' you're talking truss rod adjustment. The reason I ask is I took it to a highly regarded gentleman in my area for the adjustment and the cost was $75 for the set up. He did a great job as it plays just like it did when I got it back from Rick after the repair. He mentioned he had to warm the neck to bend it as far as needed so he wouldn't crack the neck lacquer which I totally get - and appreciate his attention to detail. He had done a set up for my son's Tele and that, along with all the very positive reviews, convinced me to use him for the work. Thank you to all you folks for your input - I definitely appreciate all of your input.
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collin
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Re: Question/Story on my 360/12

Post by collin »

No, a neck reset is a neck reset.

That means removing the neck from the body through heat treatment, then re-gluing it back into the body at the right angle, giving more adjustment room under the bridge.

But I’m glad your tech got it sorted out and playing well. Enjoy!
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Re: Question/Story on my 360/12

Post by THX1136 »

Thanks for the clarification, Collin. Hope all is well.
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