So why do you pick one Ric over another?

jps · Post by **jps** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 3:37 am

The bottom one has that look of bewilderment!

eggman · Post by **eggman** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 7:12 am

Howdy,

I'm late getting in my 2 cents on why we choose certain models over others. While it's true that most Rickenbackers look alike, people like us tend to zero in on the differences.
I like the look of the 330's sharp cut-aways compared to the rounded look of the 360. Of course my only Ricky these days IS a 360!The 360 is the most comfy Ricky I've ever played, fwiw.

Eggman

melibreits · Post by **melibreits** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 7:28 am

Thanks for getting this thread back on topic, Larry!

myoldself · Post by **myoldself** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 9:39 pm

Doesn't anyone own 620s in here?

I'm a newbie and here's my story.

I had a 650D for a couple years and then sold it, due to the wide neck. I fooled myself into liking the wideness, because I loved the tone so much. But, alas I came to accept that I needed the proper neck for my small little carny fingers.

I sold it, and got the closest Ric in price (spent every penny I had) and got the 620 fireglo in December 2006. I like the neck so much more, and the sound is different from the 650D humbuckers, but i still like it, especially due to the 5th knob capabilities.

I'm only 99% happy though... the only thing that can make it the full 100% is if I get a baby blue 620. I saw it once on google... anyone seen one? What's the story with that? Were baby blue models being made a long time ago or something? Again, newbie here...

I'd be 150% happy with a baby blue 325.... sigh

myoldself · Post by **myoldself** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 9:50 pm

Wait a sec... through more searching in this forum, I stumbled up an old thread in "reflections of a curmudgeon" regarding Blue Boy colour options.

Blue Boy is the exact colour I'm talking about... and it is great! (in my opinion).

This is off-topic, but can anyone explain quickly why it is not available?

skeeterbuck · Post by **skeeterbuck** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 1:35 am

David,
Blue Boy (BB) was the color of the year (COY) for 2004. It was only available as an option on most model Ricks including the 620 that were ordered in 2004.
If you want a Blue Boy 620, you will have to find one on the used market or have your 620 refinished that color, which is something that I wouldn't recommend.
Hope this helps.

skeeterbuck · Post by **skeeterbuck** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 2:06 am

I don't have the luxury of having more than 3 Ricks at a time. My current line up is a model 1997 MG to cover the 6 string sound, a model 1996 AFG to cover the short scale sound and a 450/12 FG to cover the 12 string sound.

When I try out a Rick and if I like it more that one of these three, then I buy that one and the guitar it is going to replace is sold. That way I can keep my RAS in check. I usually prefer models that are less common, that is one reason that I lean towards the RM re-issue models. I also like the vintage and "C" series with 21 fret necks as these are like the Ricks that were around when I started playing.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:21 am

I don't understand why you are advising against refinishing a guitar in another color, Charles.

Not that I need the work personally (I'm booked up quite a number of months ahead), but I have a number of customers who would attest that a properly-done refinish can rekindle one's love of a certain instrument.

David, Blue Boys are VERY thin on the ground. They're also one of the love 'em or hate 'em colors. (I love 'em) That having been said, they do seem to command a premium price in the used market.

My own advice would be to first look everywhere you can for one, and then when none turn up and your patience is thin, get the 620 refinished. It's not cheap, but not too bad, either.

Meantime, here is a pic to whet your appetite:

My own 325/12 BB factory-built:

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:30 am

Here's my 660/12 Blue Boy:

skeeterbuck · Post by **skeeterbuck** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:37 am

Paul,
After reading my post, I can see that it wasn't quite clear.

What I was going after was what you ended up saying, that is... as a last resort you can have it refinished.

myoldself · Post by **myoldself** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 6:56 am

Charles, like you I have a threshold of guitars. When I come into a new and BETTER Ric (or Danelectro) I have to replace the old one. Can never afford anything more. I always have 1 Ric and 1 Dan in the house - Dan is currently light blue burst. I hope to move from my current 620 FG to a 620 BB some day.

I always loved guitars in sea green or baby blue, and when I discovered Rickenbacker guitars, I knew that if I could have BOTH it would be a dream.

John and Paul, your guitars are ridiculous and I love them... I'm a bigger fan of the BB against white guard though.

sharkboy · Post by **sharkboy** » Sat May 05, 2007 2:02 pm

The original question is tough to answer. "Look" is why I originally tried Rickenbackers. "Feel" is why I wanted to buy a Rick. "Sound" is why I can't seem to ever want to play anything else. Between Rickenbackers, I find that sound is a bigger deal in the studio than feel and "look" is not really an issue, but feel trumps sound live (if there isn't a big difference.)

My first Rickenbacker happened in 1990. I "needed" a 12-string and it was during my red guitar phase, so that one had to be a 360/12 with black binding. I wound up not playing it for a while, as I was recording noisier tracks. One day when I was trying to figure out something cool to do with a proggy industrial intro ditty that was a companion piece for another one, I decided that it might be weird/cool to lay over as many 12-string tracks as my primitive disk-based system would let me. In about four hours I put all kinds of ringing tracks. That was about '95 and I thought for a while about the magic that surrounded that day and started thinking about my next Rick.

I went through a phase of buying Japanese Fenders. They were all great, but not great enough.

I bought a Turquoise 370/6 during my Fender spree and found that it was always the guitar I went back to and found myself thinking about when I was playing something else.

Then I really fell off the wagon a couple of years ago, when I bought the BBR 650c (I was working on some amplifiers and I "needed" a really good sounding guitar with humbuckers.) I also found that the wide fretboard gave me more confidence, as I'm a vocalist more than a guitarist and I just felt that I could trust my hands better to go to the right place when I was singing.

This caused me to get two almost matching (fretboards are a little different in color) blue boy 660s (12 and 6) which are stunning. The wide fretboards seem to like me and I'm warming to the sound of the vintage toasters, but probably still prefer the high gains in my 360 and 370.

I play the 6-series live, but often include my 360/12 and 370/6 when recording.

jdogric12 · Post by **jdogric12** » Sun May 06, 2007 12:45 am

"My first Rickenbacker happened in 1990"

I got a real kick out of this phrase. Well put!!!

raider · Post by **raider** » Tue May 08, 2007 3:36 pm

My first Rickenbacker was in 1988 a 360 in
Fireglow. The I bought a 325V63 and I found
it very hard to play. Moving into the 90's
I had a couple of 330 and a 360 12 string.
Yet the best one that I should have kept
was my 355JL. Didn't know what I was doing
when I sold it, then for a few years I didn't
own a Rickenbacker. Now that's changed I have
a 350V63 in Jetglow and this one is a keeper.
There just something about that body style
that I like over other guitars. The only other
Rickenbacker that I would buy would be a 1997.
The only thing to change that would be finding
a 350V63 in Blueburst.

tmossman · Post by **tmossman** » Tue May 08, 2007 4:31 pm

A 350V63 Blueburst is available here

http://www.classicaxe.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=store.showItem&IndexNumber=1465