In praise of Hi-Gains

eggman · Post by **eggman** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 11:17 pm

Howdy,

I'll admit that it's been almost 20 years since I sold my little black 320 (w/ factory "Toasters" and gold pickguard,truss rod cover). In the 2 years I owned it I gigged with it regularly and even used it for lead guitar in a C&W group!
Since then I've owned several 330's with the standard Hi-Gains and must say that I prefer the Hi-Gains. I'm a vintage "purist" kind of guy, trust me. The "Toasters" look SO cool and have AlNiCo magnets to boot, no argument.
My little 320 (Toasters) had a certain...brittle tone and lacked for mids compared to the Hi-Gains. I'll freely admit that I could absolutely nail those CCR tones with that little 320

I found it difficult to get the right degree of treble: either too much or not enough.
This is not to impugn "Toaster Top" p/u's. Many of my favorite songs from the 60's were recorded on Rickenbackers with "Toaster Tops"! I prefer Hi-Gains for my 6-strings. What about ya'll?
BTW: I may well try "Toaster Tops" on my JG 620-12 string in the near future.

Respectfully,
Eggman

admin · Post by **admin** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 12:46 am

Your point is well taken Larry. Each of these pickups has its strong points and limitations depending on playing style and genre. Recall that Fogerty got his classic sound with a non-stock humbucker in the bridge position.

I have experimented with toasters, humbuckers and high gains and enjoy the sound of all of them. In fact, my Model 350 has one of each installed.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 1:09 am

Larry, I totaly agree with you with regard to the 7.4 scatterwounds, but the older toasters can sometimes be hotter than hi-gains (my '92 1997 &'91 360V64-12 for instance) & have all the warmth & bottom end that you (& I) are looking for.

I have always maintained hi-gains with 24 fret & toasters with 21 fret, but I would be very interested to hear the hot toasters in a 24 fret, for a side by side comparison!

red_rob · Post by **red_rob** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 3:37 am

You guys are killin me!

My next Rickenbacker (scheduled to be born this winter) is going to be a JG 360/12. That much I know. I have no idea whether I'll get a standard high gain model or Carl Wilson with toasters.

Both by current Rics are toaster models and I KNOW I should go for something different, but man - I just love toasters and 21 frets! I think I'm losing my mind!!!

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 9:48 am

>>>I have no idea whether I'll get a standard high gain model or Carl Wilson with toasters.

Robert... buddy... will all due respect and empathy, how in the world did you order a 360/12 without knowing exactly what you'll be getting? Actually, since the CW was a limited edition, I think its likely you will be getting a 24 fret model with hi-gains.

qmoder · Post by **qmoder** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 4:26 pm

I agree Larry, I love the sound of my Highgains on my 360/6. But if I ever get a 370/12 I think that the toasters would be cool.

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 4:35 pm

I have 2 360's both with hi-gains.... one is a 1980 and the other an '88 refinished tuxedo model. My bandmates insist that the tuxedo sounds much better but I cant honestly say I can hear the diffefernce. One of the differences in a CW compared to a regular 360 is a "Special thin top for increased acoustic performance". Does anyone know whether the tuxedo 360 has a similar thin top?

if I can find a jetglo CW for not too much $ I'll jump at it. (I know, I know... dream on)

360dave660 · Post by **360dave660** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 2:01 am

I have both a 360-6 w/ high gains and a cw-6. While the cw may overall have a bigger sixties vibe, i really think it has more to do with the thinness of the top than the p/ups. I have two rics with toasters and two with high gains. I really like them both and do not think that the hi gains are that dramatically different to toasters. Also, the hi-gains are about 35 yrs old in design, so kind of vintage in their own right. Also, if hi-gains really diminished from ric's "signature sound", why would have the company changed the pickups ? also, more than once, Mr. Hall has mentioned that the real difference in guitar sound comes from how the guitar neck is attached to the body. Any thoughts ?

peace,
dave

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 10:12 am

Dave... good comments. As someone who has both flavors of PUs on hand your evaluation is real important.... especially to me who is seriously thinking of a CW 360/6.

Very interesting that you dont think that the hi gains sound dramatically different to toasters and that you think the difference in sound has more to do with the thinness of the top.

I hadn't heard about what John said re how the guitar neck is attached to the body... I suppose he's not so much comparing one Ric to another but more comparing Ricenbackers to guitars with a simple bolt on neck like a (dare I use the F-word?) Fender. I never considered how that would affect the sound, but it sure makes a lot of sense, especially for a semi-hollowbody guitar.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 1:35 pm

Dave, I hear what you say, but I think that it depends on how you use them....clean or overdriven. I have hi-gains & the old hot toasters, which do not sound disimilar....but the 7.4's sound totaly different when overdriven.....not for me, I've just sold my CW!

I play predominantly rock & as a result, use overdrive in fair quantities. A 7.4 has a horrible raspiness about it when treated with anything but the most mildest overdrive, whilst the older toasters & hi-gains overdrive very nicely indeed.

I admit that when played cleanly, the CW was OK....I just don't play clean very often....

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 2:53 pm

>>>A 7.4 has a horrible raspiness about it when treated with anything but the most mildest overdrive

Interesting.. hmmmmm, the plot thickens. The only overdrive I use is through a Boss Blues Driver pedal and then only about 20% of the time.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 3:16 pm

Horses for courses Kent. If you play clean, most Rics will do the job.....if you like it dirty, a little more thought has to go into it!

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 3:28 pm

Yea... I'm as clean as the wind driven snow, most of the time (metal? schmetal!... thats my motto

). I agree that the hi-gains do hold up well to an overdrive situation.

red_rob · Post by **red_rob** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 1:02 am

Just to clear things up (so no one thinks I'm crazy) I haven't ordered an unseen random 360/12 - I just meant that I was unsure of which model I would be ordering when the time came.

Very interesting comments though guys - if only we had a comprehensive set of sound samples on the web somewhere...

eggman · Post by **eggman** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 4:13 am

Robert,

Good Idea! now if we can find volunteers with just two amps, I propose a Champ for dirty and perhaps a Twins for clean.
For p/u's obviously we'd need Hi-Gains and Toaster-Tops on the same model of Rickenbacker guitar. I wish I knew how to DO this..anyone wanna volunteer? For "the good of the outfit"?

Respectfully,
Larry Carroll