370/6 players

steambyrd · Post by **steambyrd** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:29 am

I posted this in the Rickenbacker forum also, with no replies, so maybe 370/6 owners are rare. My question is, do you play your 370/6 primarily for lead or rhythm?

admin · Post by **admin** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:52 am

Jim: An excellent question. As I have a 360/12, my answer may not be appropriate for your question. That won't hold me back though.

I consider my Rickenbacker 12 string to be a lead instrument. Roger McGuinn may agree with this also! The ease with which the Rickenbacker 12 string can be played makes lead work a breeze. Its tonality and chime allows it to take center stage.

I suspect you will hear from a fair number of 360/370 six stringers in this thread.

steambyrd · Post by **steambyrd** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 4:04 am

Thanks, Peter. My band partner and I were using my 370/12 RM for our gigs, but I retired it due to it's increasing value. We used it mainly for lead, and loved the sound. I then got the 370/6 which we used for a couple of gigs, but we missed the 12 string sound, even with the close approximation we were getting with an Electro-harmonix POG. That is why I picked up a used 360/12 a couple of months ago to use in the band. My partner plays most of our leads, while I do mainly rhythm work. I am experimenting with the 370/6 in place of my normal Strat in a number of songs.

ted_williams · Post by **ted_williams** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 9:15 am

My 370/6 is my main guitar. I use it for lead, rhythm, and everything in between. Of course, I do the same when I'm playing my 620/12.

s_gunderson · Post by **s_gunderson** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 11:12 am

I use my 370/6 for rhythm, but I think that this is because most of my music is early Beatles, Byrds, 60s stuff. A lot of the music of that time had a more 'jangle' rhythm sound (in my opinion) and my 370/6 picks that up without being a 12 string

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 12:32 pm

Like Paul, I wont let a slightly off-track answer stop slow me down .... I wish I also had a 370/6, but I use my 360/6 as a rhythm instrument. It's very versatile tone (through a VOX AC15 with JJ tubes and the availability of a few stomp boxes including a Janglebox) allows it to fit all sorts styles from clean rockabilly to down-and-dirty blues. Especially I like it's ability to cleanly shine through on songs with repeated riffs like 'Day Tripper', 'Honey Dont', 'I Feel Fine', and stuff like that.

37012mgvp · Post by **37012mgvp** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 4:49 pm

My 370/6 is used for rhythm about 90% of the time, while my 370/12 is used for a more even balance of lead and rhythm work. If I want to stretch out on 6-sting leads, I switch over to my Les Paul, which feels more comfortable for string bending and such. Plus, the Grovers on the Les Paul hold the strings in tune better than the Schallers on the 370/6, especially when the string bending comes into play.

steambyrd · Post by **steambyrd** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 3:54 am

I used the 370/6 in our band practice Saturday, and found it great for the rhythm on songs like The Band's "The Weight," but the neck is a bit too narrow for string bending on leads like Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight."

admin · Post by **admin** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 4:43 am

Jim: While it is possible to bend using a Rickenbacker, I believe that you have identified the main reason why the 360 or 370 is not used for lead work.

The high gains certainly allow for reduced feedback and better bite compared to the toasters, however, it takes a good bit of practice to do the same type of bending on a 360 as you can accomplish on other makes with a wider fretboard such as the Stratocaster, Telecaster, Les Paul and the like.

Back to my age old question. Does the guitar make the guitarist or the guitarist make the guitar?

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 5:58 am

I've mostly found that each type of guitar has a different personality, so accommodates a different style of playing, even if only subtly so. This is even true within the same brand & model of guitar to some extent. For example, I've played two American Strats in a store & one cried out for string bending while the other was quite stiff feeling. Both had the same string gauge.

While you can do the same gymnastics on pretty much every guitar, it's much easier on some than others, of course.
The feel does dictate the style of play , yet more often than not, the player will still sound like himself or herself.
Example: A Jag wants to be played a certain way, while a Gretsch warrants a different approach.
Of course, this is nothing new, or true for every example for that matter.

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 7:29 am

Seriously, I have no trouble bending or playing lead of any sort on my Ricks. Maybe i've become so accustomed to the necks that they just don't feel narrow to me anymore, they feel normal.

However, due to the tiny frets and the lacquered fingerboard, sustain is sacrificed a bit. For instance, if I hold a bend on the higher frets of the E or B strings, the sound will die rather quickly, not like my Tele. I'd love to try a 330 or a 360 (or a 370) someday with jumbo frets.

admin · Post by **admin** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 8:18 am

Great points John. Those who are skilled enough can play most styles on most instruments. The tonality and playability may be "just noticeably different", however, for any number of reasons.

While I cannot cite chapter and verse, someone on this forum did try jumbo frets on their Rickenbacker and I do recall that they were not pleased with the outcome.

I confess to having forgotten the details, but there are some here who may remember.

steambyrd · Post by **steambyrd** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 9:05 am

I have to agree with John. It's not that I can't bend the strings on the 370, but it wasn't as easy or sound/sustain as good/well as what I am accustomed to on my Strat. Maybe with additional playing time on the 370, fiddling with the tone settings and strings, I might feel differently. That being said, I love the 370 and welcome the excuse to play with it more.

sharkboy · Post by **sharkboy** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 5:25 pm

I was messing around with playing leads on my 370 the other night and in every case, every negative issue I had with playing leads on it had to do with my own facility, as opposed to its.

I feel that if I sat down and practiced more, it would be an easier guitar to play fast with the right hand than others from the string splay.

If I bent strings like Lukather, I might have a little bit of an adjustment, but then again, I'd have fingers that could do that. I also consider that for me, the lacquered fretboard to be a very good thing in every way.

qmoder · Post by **qmoder** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 5:12 am

I use a 360 because thats what I have instead of the 370. I think that the only difference is the third pickup. I like my 360 for lead.
I think its just a matter of setting down with the guitar when you first get it and using it. Then you began to break yourself into it. Next thing you know leads are easy on it.
Mine has highgains and definitly has its own sound. I do really like the looks of the three pickup Ric's though.
However I'd rather have one as a twelve because I already have a six. So my twelve must be a 350 or a 370. They have such classic looks.