Country Music & Rickenbacker

[brianeharmonjr]

Some country is alright, as long as you exclude just about anything done after the mid-70's. Modern "country" is as disgusting to my ears as house music or gangster rap. When I hear that whiny country singing over a banjo and a fiddle, I want to break something. On the other hand, I love to hear Chet Atkins or Les Paul or other older country stuff from time to time. Didn't James Burton play Rickenbackers for a while?

[sloop_john_b]

Didn't James Burton play Rickenbackers for a while?

Yup! There's a great picture of him in the Smith book with a very early 381, and James Kirkland with a matching early 4000. He also played their pedal steels, IIRC.

[paologregorio]

There's something about double bound bodies that...............

Mmmmmm........... double bound........

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homerdrooling.gif

+1!!!!

I don't own a single Rick that isn't!! I don't plan on changing that, unless it's a 4003 bass

[grazioso]

660-6 for fingerpicking. wide neck = delight to play (at least to me) but if you have iron grip you might want different guitar completely - e.g. mexican classic series esquire.

[firstbassman]

I gather after almost a year and a half of membership on this forum that most forumites are rockers, if not in fact, at least after the heart.

I guess it sort of depends on what one's definition of "rockers" is.

Personally, I play all sorts of music. When people ask me to label "what kind of music" I have to say: folk, country, bluegrass and blues based music. Just for one example, I like a lot of the Dead's material. Is that "rock." Or that dreaded term "psychedelic?" To me, the Dead's music is all based on the four genres I listed above.

I am not good enough to do any type of fingerstyle on guitar (Travis or otherwise). But I do sometimes use my own "hybrid" version.

[jimk]

660-6 for fingerpicking. wide neck = delight to play (at least to me) but if you have iron grip you might want different guitar completely - e.g. mexican classic series esquire.

Fenders and their copies are out. If I had felt limited to just Fender or Gibson style guitars, I would never have even half-seriously considered friends' suggestion that I get an electric.

An acquaintance whom I hadn't seen in a long while showed up at a folk festival where I was among the presenters at a banjo workshop. After the workshop was over, he walked up to me, and he said "I thought that was you when I heard that banjo." Evidently he thought I had succeeded in stamping the style with my own personality thus creating my own sound. I hope to accomplish that same feat with an electric. But I don't have enough hope or confidence [oh all right! desire, then] to think that I could do that on anything but a Rickenbacker. Maybe I'm wrong. But maybe not....

And I think hollow body electrics are the way for me to go. I've played on a hollow body Gretsch, and a hollow body Epiphone. Of the two, I'd rather have the Gretsch. But I can't help but wonder what the same music played on a 360, a 360v64, or even a 330 would sound like.

JimK

[paologregorio]

I've played a bunch of country/rockabilly style riffs on a Rick and they cound really cool. go for it. Stand out from the crowd, get the sound you want, and turn some heads!

[jingle_jangle]

And I think hollow body electrics are the way for me to go. I've played on a hollow body Gretsch, and a hollow body Epiphone. Of the two, I'd rather have the Gretsch. But I can't help but wonder what the same music played on a 360, a 360v64, or even a 330 would sound like.

JimK

Then you know, of course, about the 6122-59? Developed by Gretsch with Paul Yandell's help, it is especially suited for fingerpicking in Chet's (and other) styles. Slightly wider neck, very hot (sensitive) pickups, and a lovely palette of tones. Mine's my favorite Gretsch, although I fingerpick like a dolphin.

[brianeharmonjr]

[quote="jingle_jangle]I fingerpick like a dolphin.[/quote]

That is funny.

[jimk]

[

He do have a way with words, don't he?

JimK

[chefothefuture]

A lot of Rick's first clients were western swing bands.
Country and Rockabilly sound great on a Rick.

The first 12 string went to a filly in a cowboy hat

[rickenmetal]

Some country is alright, as long as you exclude just about anything done after the mid-70's. Modern "country" is as disgusting to my ears as house music or gangster rap. When I hear that whiny country singing over a banjo and a fiddle, I want to break something. On the other hand, I love to hear Chet Atkins or Les Paul or other older country stuff from time to time.

I agree, plus the guitar tone is too thin on a lot of things.

[drumbob]

Remember this; it's not the guitar, it's the guitarist. You could play country on a Supro Belmont or a Teisco Del-Ray if you wanted to. It's all about the amount of heart and soul you put into the music.

Sometimes, I think guitarists get too hung up on having the "perfect" guitar for every style of music, getting the "perfect" tone, etc. Just play the damn guitar! I'm just as guilty as anyone, because I take five guitars to every gig. Truth is, I could do my gigs with three guitars; a Les Paul Junior, a Gretsch, and my 330-12.

Chet Atkins could have played a Fender Tele and he still would have sounded like Chet.

[jimk]

Remember this; it's not the guitar, it's the guitarist. You could play country on a Supro Belmont or a Teisco Del-Ray if you wanted to. It's all about the amount of heart and soul you put into the music.

Sometimes, I think guitarists get too hung up on having the "perfect" guitar for every style of music, getting the "perfect" tone, etc. Just play the damn guitar! I'm just as guilty as anyone, because I take five guitars to every gig. Truth is, I could do my gigs with three guitars; a Les Paul Junior, a Gretsch, and my 330-12.

Chet Atkins could have played a Fender Tele and he still would have sounded like Chet.

Words of wisdom there, Bob.
JimK

[rickenmetal]

The most amazing thing is those blues cats which get a great sound from super cheap guitars, they use almost anything: Synsonics, cheap hollow bodies, weird cheap metal guitars, but usually wind up sounding great.