Rickenbacker standard string gauge

ricardo_vicente · Post by **ricardo_vicente** » Sat May 28, 2005 11:20 am

Hi all,

New to the forum and soon to become the owner of my first Rickenbacker (a 330 Mapleglo).

Obviously, the Rickenbacker standard string gauges (0.10, 0.13, 0.17, 0.26, 0.34, 0.42). are a little different to most other makes. A set of original Rickenbacker strings also costs over twice as much as my usual favourite brand. So I have two questions.

Does anybody know of any brand of string other than Rickenbacker's own that come in the standard Rickenbacker sizes? I've so far only found sets for seven string guitars which have the same progression as far as the sixth string plus the one extra thicker string but these cost just as much as the Rick strings.

Alternatively, what has been your experience of changing the strings to a "normal" set of 0.10, 0.13, 0.17, 0.26, 0.36, 0.46 or similar? Is much adjustment necessary? Do the nut slots have to be altered at all?

Any help/advice would be much appreciated so many thanks in advance.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sat May 28, 2005 11:50 am

I'm going through a string phase here, sparked by our Moderator.

I'm running D'Addarios on my 381 currently. EXL110s. Cheap ($5). Like putting $20.00 tires on a Bentley, if you ask me. Not too crazy about the sound. How would I describe them? I can't do an A-B but they sound harsher than the Rickenbackers.

The next up to bat will be SIT Silencers, 10-13-17-26-34-46.

Then I'll move back to the standard Rick strings and do an evaluation. I also have a set of Burns of London, a mix of extra light (3 top) and light (3 bottom) and I'm trying to decide which guitar will receive these.

My Gretsch Duo project will get a set of Thomastik-Infelds when it's done, to see how these legendary flats sound with Filtertrons.

admin · Post by **admin** » Sat May 28, 2005 11:58 am

Richard said

"Alternatively, what has been your experience of changing the strings to a "normal" set of 0.10, 0.13, 0.17, 0.26, 0.36, 0.46 or similar? Is much adjustment necessary? Do the nut slots have to be altered at all?"

Welcome Ricardo. You can certainly use the standard set of 10-46 without any trouble at all. You will not need a truss rod adustment with these nor will you need to change the slots in the nut.

I like the sound and feel of the compressed wound RIC strings but D'Addarios will work fine in the gauges you suggest. This is a matter of personal preference of feel and tonality.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Sat May 28, 2005 2:05 pm

Welcome to the forum Ricardo. I used to use standard gauge d'addarios or Fender bullets, but now I use Ric compressed round wounds on all my gtrs. They really make a BIG difference in getting THAT Ric sound. They are expensive, but worth every penny (or cent).
I am a pro musician & change strings every week on what ever my two main players are, so I would love to save money by buying cheaper strings, but I just wouldn't get the sound I'm after with anything else.

ricardo_vicente · Post by **ricardo_vicente** » Sat May 28, 2005 9:02 pm

Thanks for the useful input, guys. It's good to know that if I want to switch to "standard" gauge strings, I can do so without any major adjustments.
I'm using German made Pyramid strings (which McGuinn and Petty supposedly use on their 12 strings) on all my other guitars and they are great strings.
Obviously, I'm buying a Rickenbacker for that special Rick sound so if I find that the original strings do indeed make a big difference, I supose I'll pay the extra cash. Guess it'll just be a case of trying out and comparing.
Thanks again. The guitar is on order as I can't find it in stock anywhere here in Germany. 2 months and counting ....

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Sat May 28, 2005 11:21 pm

Pyramid medium flatwound strings ... yeah yeah yeah

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sun May 29, 2005 7:41 am

I'm curious as to the price difference in Germany between the Pyramids and the Rickenbacker strings, since you mention that the Rickenbackers are so expensive there. Pyramids are not exactly cheap here in the States.

I should also mention that you risk voiding your factory warranty on the guitar if you replace the strings with non-Rick items.

ricardo_vicente · Post by **ricardo_vicente** » Sun May 29, 2005 8:12 am

I can get a set the Pyramid round wounds I'm using for 2.99 euros which is less than $2.50 at the current (slightly unrealistic) exchange rate. The original Rickenbacker strings are 7.45 euros.
The Pyramid Gold Vintage Flat Wounds cost 10.50 Euros.

admin · Post by **admin** » Sun May 29, 2005 9:25 am

Paul: I may be stringing a line here, but I don't believe that the RIC warranty would be voided for using non-RIC strings as long as the gauge used is reasonable.

Scastles · Post by **Scastles** » Sun May 29, 2005 11:17 am

Ricardo, I think you would be pleased with the Pyramids. I only use Ric strings on my twelve (my others four I use Pyramids) but it's purely personal taste. It's just what sounds good to you.

ricardo_vicente · Post by **ricardo_vicente** » Sun May 29, 2005 12:08 pm

I think we got a bit off the actual original topic.
I already know that I love the Pyramid strings and I use them on all my other guitars.
It's just they don't come in the sizes that a Rick is set up to in the factory and I was wondering how much adjustment was going to be necessary if I changed over to the Pyramid strings instead of buying the sets of Rickenbacker's own strings.
As it seems it's only going to involve a little bit of intonation adjustment on the 5th and 6th, I'll most likely go with the Pyramids.
However, I will try out the Rick strings and who knows, maybe I'll fall in love with the sound and the feel and decide it's worth the extra cash.
I'll post when I get the guitar. 62 days and counting ...
Thanks again for all the input.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sun May 29, 2005 2:32 pm

Peter: I stand corrected. Seems I read somewhere about the topic (not here apparenly), but I believe your phrase about the "gauge used [being] reasonable" hits the nail on the head.

Ricardo, we're so accustomed to seeing Pyramid flatwounds, that those are what I think we assumed you were referring to. Those roundwounds are really inexpensive! Even D'Addarios go for $5-6 here, although there are lots of cheaper brands too I'll admit.

4003360man · Post by **4003360man** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 6:25 am

I noticed a pretty big tone difference on my 360 when I switched back to the standard "factory" tape wound strings.

I've gone the whole gambit of trying out different strings.

Regular gauge, light gauge, and lite top/heavy bottom.

I wasn't satisfied with the sound until I went back to the original. Expensive but well worth it in my opinion.