Why did you buy your Rickenbacker?

roadking · Post by **roadking** » Tue Mar 19, 2002 12:22 pm

I have always been intrigued by Rickenbackers. I had to wait till I was older to afford one. I bought my first for the Rick sound, looks, playability, quality and coolness factor.

I play mostly rock, playing at home along to CD's. To learn new songs, I use a program called Amazing SlowDowner on my Mac to slow down the music without changing the pitch. With ASD and some tab, I can figure the songs out. The latest songs I've learned this way are Come Together/Beatles, Island In The Sun & Photograph/Weezer, Never There/Cake and Warning & When I Come Around/Green Day.

I always enjoy playing my Ricks and they sound great for all the different music I play. I'm always reaching for my Ricks or my Strat. My friends are always playing my Ricks when they come over!

My current collection.
1998 - 350v63, MG
1999 - Ibanez S370, Deep Violet Flat
2000 - Fender American Stratocaster, Hot Rod Red
2001 - 330, FG
2001 - Schecter S1+, Flame Mape Black Cherry
Art & Lutherie Cedar Top Accoustic
Fender DeVille 212

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue Mar 19, 2002 2:44 pm

Bob: I bought my Liverpool Model 350 for all the same reasons but the "Lennon Factor" was probably the main reason.

markthemd · Post by **markthemd** » Tue Mar 19, 2002 2:50 pm

Ibought mine to get Hard Day's Night , and all the McGuinn tunes .

Next reason was I was a lame player and the two guitarist I played with ran rings around me .So , I did the Crosby thing and played 12 string , and sang harmony .

Now .........I play all the time and I use the 12 string for a flavor .Now I have the #1 seat as guitarist , but relinquish when the other guitarist does not double on bass .We have a rotaing bass/drummer thing going on and depending on the amount of percusion , we move about .

Call it .....Tom Petty meets Santana playing Beatles/CSNY with Jeff Beck sitting in .
And this is in a CHURCH!!!

gpatt5762 · Post by **gpatt5762** » Tue Mar 19, 2002 2:51 pm

I guess I could cite four of them:

A) The McCartney factor
B) The Entwistle factor (Can't Explain sounds for all the world like a 1999 on Neck only)
C) The Squire factor
D) The Geddy factor

The conclusion seems compelling: buy a 4001/4003!!

Garry

corey · Post by **corey** » Tue Mar 19, 2002 4:44 pm

1) The Peter Buck factor
2) The McGuinn sound
3) The classic look of Rics in general
4) Respect and trust in the brand/company

wmthor · Post by **wmthor** » Tue Mar 19, 2002 6:28 pm

I've purchased my RICs because of their unique sound and outstanding quality.

96 1997 LH MG
98 360/6 LH MG
00 360/12 CW LH FG
02 730L LH FG (ordered it last Friday; hope to have it by my October birthday)

rkbsound · Post by **rkbsound** » Tue Mar 19, 2002 6:41 pm

Heard the Beatles 1st
Then Byrds
Then Tom Petty
Then REM
Then Let's Active
Then the Bangles

Although I like the music from all of the above bands, it is the distinctive Rick signature sound that makes their music special. Not all "Rick" music is good, but the above bands make the most out of the Rick sound. And each of those bands is very different from one another.

I finally figured out that there was a pattern when I was 14 or 15. You shoulda seen me in a Minneapolis guitar store plugging a Rick into an amp via the Rick O Sound jack, and then thinking "why doesn't it sound like the Byrds?". My real education never really started until I found this forum, some 17 years later! Thanks, Peter!

carr · Post by **carr** » Tue Mar 19, 2002 7:52 pm

I Liked the look of Lennons Jetglo...even tho I played bass.. when McCartney got his Ric I started to drool. Sting on Hmmmm "walking on the Moon" got me going again.. I like the ringing sustain of the Ric bass...

Eventually I could afford to indulge myself. Next one will be a 620 650 then maybe a Lennon 3/4

360dave660 · Post by **360dave660** » Wed Mar 20, 2002 4:06 am

1st reason : the beatles ; i was going to buy a gretsch tenessee rose, but, it was way too expensive. my wife saw a ric MG 360 6 string, it started to grow on me and I bought it for my thirtieth birthday in 1998. here are the other ones :
- 1999 : sold a epi casino / bought a fat dog arch top called a gene v

- 2000 : bought a tele custom ( again the george harrison thing) and then bought a 660-6 ric FG (ricitis)

- 2001 : bought a gretsch 6129 Goldjet with bigsby (again the george harrison thing)

- 2002 : i'm thinking hard ; i am debating between a ric 380 laguna and a 12-string of some sort. (a bitchin' lead guitar/aesthetics vs that george harrison thing again)

Perhaps its dumb to be so into guitars because I mean, i am just an intermediate who has a lot of passion and spends a lot time practicing. at 34 in France, the chances are slim that i'll ever be in a band, so I doubt that anyone will ever enjoy my gear besides little old me. Its fun reading all the stuff on this site. Guitar always makes me genuinely happy and i can never get enough - go figure.

My experience with the gretsch & the fender made me understand the importance of ric's quality. I love the gretsch, but, it is a hell of a lot more tempremental and the cost is high compared to rickenbackers.

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Wed Mar 20, 2002 4:27 am

In 1979 I was heavily into Rush---the sound of his Rickenbacker was SO out front in the mix I could not ignore it.. I was already a huge Beatles fan but Rush bass lines didn't sound too great on a Hofner (my first Beatle Bass was one used by an off-broadway Beatlemania prod.; I dont' know which one, but it was a lefty--very cool for a 13-year old)...I didn't have to think about it too hard when I traded it away for my '79 4001LH in Jetglo.

My reasons for buying Rickenbackers still grows today..but sound, looks, playability and artist association are the main reasons I guess. They perform as I expect them to, which is always a good feeling.

westcoastphil · Post by **westcoastphil** » Wed Mar 20, 2002 5:02 am

Back in 1974 I was taking lessons at a guitar store that had a 450/12 on display. I liked the look of the guitar as well as color, fireglo. It also didn't help that I loved the Beatles and knew that they played Ricks, Gretsches, Voxes, etc.

My parents, being very generous, had offered to buy me a new guitar,since I was playing an old masonite acoustic guitar, upon my graduation from grammar school. My mom promised the Rick, but my dad, being thrifty and now that I'm a dad can accept, bought me a Japanese SG copy. I still had a hankerin for a Rick and it wasn't until 1981 that I purchased my Rick, with my own money. I didn't really try out any but the store that I bought it in had 4 - 5 and the one that caught my eye was a new (1981) 330 with the Walnut custom color option. $617 bucks later, I was out the door into the world of Rick ownership.

corey · Post by **corey** » Wed Mar 20, 2002 6:56 am

You are NEVER too old or too young to get into music.

ted_williams · Post by **ted_williams** » Wed Mar 20, 2002 10:18 am

I started playing in high school, and that's when I really started paying attention to the tones of various guitars. I was a Who fan before I started playing, and loved the tone on their early recordings. Then I got into the Jam. When REM came on the scene, I was digging it. Then came the Church. This was about the same time I started delving into non-Who sixties bands - the Byrds and the Beatles being among them. I should also mention Dave Gregory's 12-string work with XTC - always tasty.

qiktune · Post by **qiktune** » Wed Mar 20, 2002 2:00 pm

John Lennon!

musicfan37 · Post by **musicfan37** » Wed Mar 20, 2002 7:58 pm

Ever since the Beatles and "A Hard Days Night", I wanted a Rickenbacker 12 string.