Rickenbackers 101

dph · Post by **dph** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 9:26 am

I'd never much considered picking up a Rickenbacker, but then I played a few about a month ago and was pretty well blown away. I played all new six string Ric’s: a 330, 360, and 381. I preferred the 330 by far in terms of feel, and am now in the market for one.

My question(s): Has the neck size and shape been consistent over the years? Is there much difference in sound of high-gains v. toaster pups? Are there good or bad years in terms of quality? I loved the one I played, but I'm on a budget and will be focusing on the used, non-vintage market. Any advice is appreciated.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 9:29 am

Welcome, Doug!

Answers, in order:

1. Yes.

2. Yes; degree depends upon who's listening.

3. Yes.

4. Can't go wrong with a late '80s, early '90s if you're shopping used.

Elaboration on these would require a book that has not been written yet.

melibreits · Post by **melibreits** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:06 am

Welcome to the Forum, Doug!

Congratulations--now that you've discovered the amazing world of Rickenbackers, your life will never be the same, and you'll never want to play anything else!

Good luck on your search--13 of my 14 Rickenbackers were eBay finds.

wj350 · Post by **wj350** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 11:27 am

Doug, what Melissa said plus one other thing--your wallet probably won't be the same either!

Bill

ken_j · Post by **ken_j** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 4:08 am

Welcome to the forum Doug. As far as pickups go some here, as do I, prefer high-gains on 24 fret models and toasters on 21 fret models. Modern 330s have 24 frets. You may also like a 360V64 or 360C63 which is basically a 21 fret 330 with deluxe vintage appointments.

Hmm...maybe you need more than one Rick.

j_gary · Post by **j_gary** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 5:59 am

Hi Doug, welcome aboard and did you come to the wrong place if you thought you may buy just one Rick.

Ken, thanks a lot. After reading your informative post, I'm looking at 6 strings again. AARRGG!!!

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 10:03 am

"Hmm...maybe you need more than one Rick."

Understatement of the Year!

Welcome, Doug!
You're a lucky guy to be able to A/B three models at once!

winston · Post by **winston** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 4:56 pm

Welcome Doug,

I agree with all of the statements above. Enjoy your new found passion.

freshmattyp · Post by **freshmattyp** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 7:42 am

Paul - I'm curious to hear what years you think are bad for Ric's.

Doug - Be careful. When I started coming here, I had 1 Ric. Now I'm at 3 and counting. This place is hazardous to your wallet.

sowhat · Post by **sowhat** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 7:45 am

Welcome, Doug. When i came here, i had no idea what does the word Rickenbacker mean. Now i have a 650D, and am dreaming about matching 4004 in Walnut.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 7:48 am

Matty:

This reminds me of a conversation years ago with an old girlfriend:

ME: You look fantastic today!

SHE: So I looked bad yesterday?

To me, there are no bad years for Rickenbackers. They have always been handcrafted with devotion, and some were more handcrafted than others. The more of them that I pull apart to restore or refinish, the more surprises I find in terms of construction and adaptation techniques.

But the sound! The late '80s through roughly mid-'90s seem to have the most serendipitous combination of quality construction and finishing, with strong pickups. That's the reason for my recommendation.

freshmattyp · Post by **freshmattyp** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 8:18 am

I had to ask. I'm fortunate that 2 of my 3 come from that era.