What makes rick sound?

[myfloridason]

Hi I'm still new, hope to drool/look over/maybe buy used ric at SERF but ... my question is, Is it pickups/semi hollow body that make that jangly, unique sound? It can't just be a "Jangle Box" pedal or something, but I just saw a solid-body 650D-Dakota ... I have other guitars and my Gretsch DOES sound like Brian Setzer (not it's not a white falcon) even though I have other archtop/semi-hollow with F-holes ...

[jdogric12]

Welcome Scott! Another Florida boy, excellent.

To answer your questions, it's a combination of several things. Even if not all components are present, you can still get a good jangle from Ricks.

PM sent about SERF and Ricks and FLorida and stuff! Cheers, J

[JakeK]

The Ric sound, I feel, can be achieved with a good tube amp and high-gain or toaster (7.5k or 12k) pickups. Compression (Janglebox, I've heard is the winner at this) will help, for sure, but to get the good jangle, just have the pickups and the tube amp, and you'll be in good shape.

[myfloridason]

Thanks for the prompt reply. I've got a Mesa/Boogie LoneStar for a tube amp, a JC120 w/matching 1/2 stack, and a Roland Acoustic Chorus-100 amp. The LoneStar has an EL84 switch that sorta sounds like a VOX ...

Thanks again for the reply.

Hope to see y'all at SERF.

[doctorwho]

Welcome, Scott!

The Ric sound, I feel, can be achieved with a good tube amp and high-gain or toaster (7.5k or 12k) pickups. Compression (Janglebox, I've heard is the winner at this) will help, for sure, but to get the good jangle, just have the pickups and the tube amp, and you'll be in good shape.

+1

[teb]

I don't believe the tube amp is required by any means. You do need an amp that does clean and bright well and you'll find that whoever is designing amps these days seems to concentrate a lot more on over-driven sounds than clean ones, but it doesn't take tubes to do it. A prime example would be the Roland JC120 that McGuinn used for a long time. I'm much more concerned about upper frequency response than I am about tubes, especially for twelve-strings. The range on a lot of popular guitar speakers really isn't very high. I have two tube amps (Traynor YCV40WR and YBA200 w/XCV 1510) and two solid state amps (Vox SMR 15 and an Acoustic 140 powering a JBL E140) The one thing they all have in common is very bright, clean sound and they will all put out a very respectable jangle, especially when you stick a JangleBox in the line. There are certainly some great tube amps to consider (the Twin Reverb and Deluxe Reverb, for example) but anything that will do clean really well could be a good possibility. Much of it is also the guitar itself. You can get some great jangle just plugging directly into the board when recording right out of the guitar or compressor with no amp at all.

[jdogric12]

I don't believe the tube amp is required by any means. You do need an amp that does clean and bright well and you'll find that whoever is designing amps these days seems to concentrate a lot more on over-driven sounds than clean ones, but it doesn't take tubes to do it. A prime example would be the Roland JC120 that McGuinn used for a long time. I'm much more concerned about upper frequency response than I am about tubes, especially for twelve-strings. The range on a lot of popular guitar speakers really isn't very high. I have two tube amps (Traynor YCV40WR and YBA200 w/XCV 1510) and two solid state amps (Vox SMR 15 and an Acoustic 140 powering a JBL E140) The one thing they all have in common is very bright, clean sound and they will all put out a very respectable jangle, especially when you stick a JangleBox in the line. There are certainly some great tube amps to consider (the Twin Reverb and Deluxe Reverb, for example) but anything that will do clean really well could be a good possibility. Much of it is also the guitar itself. You can get some great jangle just plugging directly into the board when recording right out of the guitar or compressor with no amp at all.

+1 +1 +1 +1 +1 Todd. I couldn't agree with you more.

Tube amp. Geez. See, this is how misinformation gets out there. *groan grumble* -Dogmudgeon, proud owner, JC77, JC90, JC120, Jingle Bells

[whojamfan]

I completely agree, don't be fooled by the hype of tubes. My JC-120 sounds better for my 360-12/FG than my Vox AC30 or my Hiwatt halfstack for getting that "jangly" Rick sound. The Vox is better for overdriven tones, and the Hiwatt needs to be cranked up a bit to really sound good with it, which is impractical in most situations.

There are many factors to "The" Rick sound, as well as differences. The Beatles, early Who, Byrds, the Jam, and REM all have their own distinct sound, and were achieved using different combinations of amps and studio tricks. If there is a specific sound you are looking for, there are many forumites will be happy to tell you how it was achieved, and/or, how to get it.

Happy hunting!

[whojamfan]

Oh, and welcome to the forum, great to have you here.

[ken_j]

Welcome Scott. Since the Lone Star in known for such a great clean channel and you have a JC-120 all you need to add is a Rick and possibly a Jangle Box.

[jingle_jangle]

I agree with Todd...at the Jam at RIC75, Kenny Howes' band (except for the bass player) played through two RIC-owned mid-'80s RG90s (SS, 2 X 12", 2 channel, built-in distortion and reverb), and the sound was great; I thought they were tube amps until I got a close-up later in the day.

I said, "I'm gonna get me one of those", but nice ones are hen's teeth. One finally came up on Ebay about 6 months later, and I snagged it for about $240.00, in like-new condition. Compared to my Dual Showman, it's a bit lacking in low-end grunt, but "jangle" is high end, anyway. Highly recommended if you can score one.

Then there are the Baldwin Supersounds. I have a single-12", 70W D1, and in most situations, it does "tube" convincingly. Willie Nelson played through one of these for decades, I've been told.

I don't know if I buy into calling the tube amp thing, "hype". I think "mystique" is probably a better term.

[jcreasy]

These are all interesting comments. If listen closely, there are many "Rick" sounds but I think they are all in the same spectrum. Lennon's sound is much different that Mike Campbell's. And, as for 12 Strings, Tom Petty is different than McGuinn's. Then you've got Pete Townshend v. Paul Weller... The video for Cuts Like a Knife has Bryan Adams playing rhythm on a 360 Rick and I am pretty sure it was recorded with one...

I must admit, getting to match each of these sounds is tough, and I've spent many hours over many years trying.

JKC

[myfloridason]

I bought the Mesa because my brother (who is now Quality Control Mgr. at PRS) told me about the amp Santana gave Paul, that they still use to test their guitars before shipping. The Roland AC-100's compression settings can make my PRS McCarty Spruce sound like a banjo, using the LR Baggs piezo under the bridge. But it still doesn't jangle. I borrowed against my 401K to get the amp. And if it comes to paying the mortgage, or buying a guitar ... there's no conflict there, right? Chase said I had 30 yrs. ... !

[teb]

The other thing that can't be ignored - especially for 12-strings, is that "jangle" is as much a matter of technique (picking technique, in particular) as it is a function of your instrument/system. While playing with a group, or on a recording with other guitars, the way you stand out or cut through the mix is by providing sounds that aren't being covered by other instruments. You have, with your picking style (flat, finger-style or a mixture) the ability to divide the act of playing a single chord up into a little wall of separate attacks over a wide range of frequencies and a specific period of time - with the D and G octave strings, in particular, filling what otherwise would probably be a void in the overall sound. Add some left hand work (for righties), playing around inside the chords and the bright, clean sound that the guitars seem to naturally provide and you will likely be playing in a range where the rest of the band can't go. You can then mix this with sections of songe where you essentially "play normally" blending your guitar down into the mix for that section and switching techniques to bring it back up to full-jangle in others.

http://www.broadjam.com/artists/home.ph ... sionINDEX=

[jcreasy]

TEB, Agree.

Scott, I've wanted to try the LoneStar. Another good one is a Rivera 2 x 12 combo, cannot remember the model, but I tried one of these and it sounded awesome. I've got a Heartbreaker that I am very fond of and get some great tone out of... But I can't quite get that Fender shimmer... I also have an Ampeg Reverb Rocket twin combo that sounds really really nice on clean, but crummy on the drive channel.

Good luck with the Ricks... Man, they are fun to play.

JKC