Strings and Things

jcreasy · Post by **jcreasy** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 8:35 am

Most of this information is scattered around the site, but I thought it might be helpful if we had responsive information in one post.

Can anyone set out what Ricks were strung with at various stages... I've got modern 360s (the 24 fret ones) with toasters (scatterwound) and using 10's (round wound, Dr's). I'm using whatever Rick issues on their 360 12 strings cause I buy diect from from them...

What were the vintage ones strung with, besides flats, what gauge? Will I get a different tone? What were the modern ones strung with? Will I get a different tone with higher gauge? What type?

Sorry if this information is out there but is seemed kinda scattered and I thought having one thread might help a lot of folks.

Thanks in advance.

JKC

PS I have one 480 with Hi-Gains... Same questions...

jcreasy · Post by **jcreasy** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:34 am

Can I get a witness?

dswp · Post by **dswp** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 2:12 am

Hey Jim;

I am a hack of a bass player and an even worse guitar player. I am usually jeered out of the guitar section here, but everyone is still sleeping this early, so I will tell you what I use.

I have installed the Thomastik Infeld (.010-.044) strings on all of my 12 bangers, regardless of the Ric's age. I like them.

Pick of the Rick has them in stock.

red_rob · Post by **red_rob** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 8:09 am

I'm somewhat lazy and unimaginative when it comes to strings. I like D'addarios because they have pretty coloured ball ends which look nice in trapeze and stop bar tailpieces.

I use 10s on everything. EVERYTHING. 360, 381, Gretschs, Les Paul, Telecaster, Jazzmaster, Epi Casino.....everything.

I would use different gauges on a shortscale or some other guitar with specific requirements or maybe for an ultra specific type of music, but apart form that - as long as you're playing a range of music types, no one will convince me that it matters whatsoever.

Because it doesn't.

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:20 am

I'm with you, Rob..... nothing but 10s - acoustics excepted. I mostly use Rotosounds on my Ricks and Gibbies and Super Bullet 10s on my Strats and Tele. Rick strings on my Rick 12s.

They're all a but boring though..... no pretty coloured balls on the end!

red_rob · Post by **red_rob** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:24 am

H - I used to use rotosound yellas but then I discovered the pretty coloured balls....

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:30 am

Hahaha.... years ago we had a band here call 'The Coloured Balls'. I was a fan.......

jcreasy · Post by **jcreasy** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 4:27 am

I'm with you on the 10's. Thanks

JKC

beatlefreak · Post by **beatlefreak** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 7:36 am

10's all the way, except for my 325, which uses 12's.

chrisb · Post by **chrisb** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 6:17 am

Dave,
Thanks for the tip on the TI 12s at Pick of the Ricks... I'm done waiting for Gino to get them together, and trying to put a set together from singles on juststrings.com is a drag.
I wonder why they went so heavy on the low E--44 vs. 39.
Anyone?

kog · Post by **kog** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 9:02 pm

I recently got my 360/12C63. I've been meaning to get on the bandwagon and get the TIs but haven't gotten off my duff yet. But for my Gretschs, I use D'Addario Chromes .011 (I am a complete flatwound bigot on hollow bodies).

I had a couple of new sets of the Chromes laying around, so I did a mix & match and built my own 12-string set, and that's what's currently living on the C63. Didn't have to tweak the truss rods, but did lower the action, and I'm watching it like a hawk.

To me, the sound is much closer to what I'm looking for. I've got big fat clumsy hands and I make a lot of string noise on roundwounds. Besides, I like the sound of flats better (and it's what I grew up with in the 60s!). I tend to like the thicker gauge since, again, my beefy hands tend to push anything lighter than .011s out of tune.

I still want to go the TI route, since the consensus here seems to be "yea" on the TIs, "nay" on the Pyramids.

blue330 · Post by **blue330** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 3:52 am

My friend Sam Moss suggested I try .011s on my 330; he reckoned that the additional metal would increase the guitar's output. This seemed to be true! I got used to the feel and never looked back. They stay in tune better, and there's more ooomph. And I think Rickenbackers sound best when you really dig in, and the extra resistance on bigger strings is great for that. Of course I realize that all those metal guys get monster sounds with .007s or whatever. But as to what used to come on these guitars, doesn't it seem likely that the factory string set of, say, 1965, was fairly heavy by today's standards?

chrisb · Post by **chrisb** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:26 pm

I think so, but in '65 men were men and they could play guitars with barbed wire strings, right? I mean just check out the cars from that era!

Truly though, I've thought about putting together a set of 11s for my 12 string, but damn what a pain! Have you done this, Mitch? If so, what are the gauges you use? Are they flats or rounds?

(And for what it's worth, Let's Active was a pretty heavy influence for me & the other guys in my band. Some pretty "monster" guitar sounds in their own right, and I'll take that over metal any day.)

raider · Post by **raider** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 2:20 am

I don't have a 12 strinG but I'll throw
this out. Would 11's be better on my 350V63
than the 10's? Would they give me a better sound
and if they do should I stay with Rickenbacker
strings or another brand. On my Gretsch I have
D'Addario 10-46 but I also have a set of Pyramid
Gold 10-46.5 which I like. When I bought the
Gretsch a few years back that's what it came with. Does anyone use Pyramid's on there Rickenbacker?
Lou D

sharkboy · Post by **sharkboy** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 4:47 am

Lots of people do use Pyramids. They add a noticeable amount of tension to the neck and to your fingers. I use Elixirs on my 6-strings and Rickenbacker strings on my 12-strings.

I'm of the opinion that really good 11's should sound incrementally better than 10's. Personally, I think that is a bigger deal on something with toasters (like your 350V63) than high gains. Dick Dale uses the cables from suspension bridges on his guitars and does okay (but one of his fingers is stronger than my whole body [good thing I don't try to make a chord with my whole body.])

That all works unless you're doing serious metal. Then .007's should be great. Tuned down a fourth. With lots of pedals. And cookie monster vocals. And lots of head bobbing. Until you need a neck brace.