So why do you pick one Ric over another?

[raider]

Thanks Todd, I will look into it I might have
to sell one of my other guitars first. I really
don't want to sell my Gretsch 6128TBEE Duo Jet
but my Steinberger GR4 my go.

[lionheart]

Why do I pick one Rick over another...hmmmm....

I think it boils down to a few things. I guess the reason I pick Rickenbacker in the first place is because I consider them a "standard". I also like the fact that they are still made in America.

The sound is great too, and the different shapes and colors (especially the limited edition colors) just scream "style". I've seen colors on Ricks that don't move me at all, and I've seen colors that send the overall "design statement" into another universe entirely (the most recent examples being the BlueBoy and the BlueBurst). I'm certainly no expert on this issue, but in my mind, when you have the right color on the right shape, you have a statement that becomes "timeless". And Rickenbacker has been nailing this *bigtime* lately.

I see it in a similar way as buying a car. There are some cars that look better in one color than another. I don't think it's because of the color itself, I think it's because of the combination of the color and the shape of the car.

So, the reason I would pick one Rick over another would have to do with the shape, and the color on top of the shape. Since they all sound good to me anyway, the sound doesn't really factor in on the final decision. They are all easy enough for me to play, so that doesn't really factor in too much either.

I guess I would like to thank Rickenbacker for making timeless shapes in timeless colors to create timeless styles.

[paologregorio]

"Why pick one Rick over another"?

I liked the way the double bound 381 and 360 models looked. After that I could not buy any other model of Rick. My Ricks are all 381s or 360 WBs.

[drumbob]

Why did I pick the ones I have? I got good deals on them, that's why. Really though, I have a 330-12 and a 360-6. Being a teenager in the 60's, I was highly influenced by Pete Townshend and his Rose-Morris Rick with the 330 body, and Roger McGuinn with his 360. In my world, those two are the classic ones to own. My favorite bands are The Byrds and the Who, so that's what I like. Doesn't mean I'll never try a Rick 600 series guitar some day. Just no pressing need right now.
I'm hot on Gretsches at the moment. Next guitar will be a Silver Jet, and maybe a custom color Fender Jazzmaster after that.

[yettoblaster]

Resurrecting an older thread here:

After 330 sixes and 12's, 325v64, 610, and an old beater 300 series that was mongrelized with a Gibson humbucker (shiver), and envying the 381's (oo-la-LAH), I decided on the sustain and 21 fret combination of the 620 for my #1. I went to get a '08 MG I saw but it was gone in two days and in its place was a used immaculate '06 620 in Midnight Blue!

Jumped on THAT like a dog on a bone!

So the WHY summary is: non-24 fret; solid body; current production (Schaller machines, et al); fifth knob is cool too.

Other Rickenbackers have their charms for me too but I definitely wanted the neck pickup where it goes with 21 frets vs 24 for versatilitie's sake (I occasionally attempt Jazz crimes). I like the button pickups sound too, on THIS guitar. When I get a 600 series 12 string in the future I'll want the more vintagey toaster tops, but I need the wallop right now on the six stringer for Rock and Blues.

That's my story. I may or may not stick to it. After all there are so many Rickenbackers out there I haven't had (yet). But right now in my experience and current need the 620 is the one.

[1OUfan]

Being mostly a "rythmer" (to quote John Lennon) I chose and have settled on a 325V59. I love the short scale neck and all of the other features as well. To me, it's the perfect rhythm guitar.
Bob

[JakeK]

To be honest, I only have one Ric, but first I'll explain why I chose it, and why I'm choosing my (future!) dream Ric for my main guitar.

Intially, I wanted a 660/12 TP because it had Tom Petty's name on it, and I thought wonders of him. I had a '03 360/12, but I didn't know the differences between the neck widths, solids vs. hollows, toasters vs. hi-gains, vintage vs. standard, etc, and I thought I'd get on just fine with the 360. When I learned the 660/12 had a wide neck, I thought that would be perfect for a 12-string, so I sold the 360 to a friend (who later sold it this past May). When I got the 660, I couldn't believe how great it was. I took it to my local tech (who has worked with Rics prior to my 360, believe it or not), who fixed the intonation, adjusted the truss rods and raised the action (a tad, not too high and not too low). I was happy to know that TP endorsed such a fine instrument, and I tried to make it my main guitar, but realized that I couldn't do hard rhythms on a 12-string. I have a '62 RI Strat that serves as my main guitar. I do use it for all my 12-string needs these days, though, and it is my favorite guitar.

If I can get a hold of $4k, I'll be able to get my dream Ric, my go-to guitar, my main instrument and the possesion I want to be buried with me, a 1998 PT. People I've showed pics of it to say it is the guitar for me, and my best friend from school said "it's the [stuff], man!" And boy, would some people agree with him! I'm choosing it as my next Ric, and my go-to Ric because it looks cool, it's a Rickenbacker and will get me any sound I feel like getting from it. I'll probably never touch my Strat or Tele again!

[yettoblaster]

... I'll probably never touch my Strat or Tele again!

I am SO over bolt necks!

Try 50 Fenders and hope for a good one.

My 620 is a GREAT guitar!

[37012player]

Less distance to reach?

[AQuickOne]

Well let me just say, I was in high school when the 1998PT came out. I did not understand it at all. I really wanted a RIC bad, but I just thought the f-hole looked way wrong on a RIC; I wanted a 330FG with high gains. Of course, at 17, I was not "schooled"in guitar history, and I did not have a couple $$$G's laying around so I gave up the dream. Way later, I became a huge Who fan. The Marquee poster was about the coolest thing I'd ever seen, I had to have that guitar. It was then that I put the two together, that it was the one with the f-hole I had seen years earlier. I guess if I were running for office, I'd be called a "FLIP-FLOPPER". It was the first two Who albums, and the poster that led me on my quest to find that weird f-hole RIC. I learned about the 1997SPC reissues, since the 1998PT's were still a pound of flesh! It took me a few months to track one down, but I found one and jumped on it....a 1997SPC/VB in FG,made in 1998! DId some tweeks to get the tone I was after, and now I'm set for life! I have already decided that it will be an heirloom set aside for one of my sons, the other gets my Gretsch Double Anniversary.

[scotty]

330 first then it and I fell out then another 330 then a 620 then a 360 but i aint finished yet i`ll tell you when i die...im sure there`s a RRF in Hell

[arbiter]

I had always been attracted to hollowbodies, and liked the curves and binding on the 360's. Now im jones-in to try out a solid body. Of course my local store gets solid bodies for the first time since becoming a dealer, while im out of the country....

[RonLovesRic12strings]

When I want to express the ultimate 12-string tone and vibe, I go for my 360/12 RM Limited Edition with the built-in compressor set on #6 position which is compression with treble boost. I will run this through either a Fender Blues Deluxe (original early 90's) or a Vox AC 15 CC with the 12" Celestion Alnico Blue speaker. No other effects are necessary except for a splash of delay or reverb.

My all-around, go-to 12-string is a 360/12 V64 (1996 year) because I like it's "woodsy and open" character, and I especially enjoy the sound of the 12K Toasters. I like running this through a MXR Dyna Comp or a JangleBox compressor.

However, I recently ventured into solid-body territory and purchased a 2008 660/12 in AFG.....instant Guitar Heaven! Talk about infinite sustain...this guitar is amazing. I really like the wider neck and the smaller body size. The Amber Fireglo on this model is the best RIC color I've yet to see. Frankly, for the moment, I can't put this baby down. Although I dabble only occasionally in home recording, this would be the axe for laying down tracks.

So if you have the means, IMHO, you must have both a semi-hollow and solid body RIC 12-string in your guitar arsenal.

[vanceen]

For me it was all about adding a 12-string to my arsenal about ten years ago, and not just any 12-string - I had to have "that" sound.

I played a number of Rickenbacker 12's (and some other brands) at a great shop in Doncaster, England. The only one that grabbed me at all was an old 450/12. The hardware and overall quality of the 450/12 was not as good as the new 300-series guitars I played, and it cost about the same, but it captured the classic Rick sound perfectly (or at least the sound I had in my head). I learned later that that was because of the vintage "toaster" pickups in the 450/12.

I struggled with the 450/12 for a long time, really liking the sound and really wanting to like playing it. But the neck was just too narrow for comfort, as I have large hands.

Just a couple of months ago I picked up a Jetglo 660/12. It has reissue toasters, and nails "the sound". And it's very playable indeed.

So, one Rick over the other, for me, comes down to:

1. vintage sounding pickups
2. a little extra neck width

[jaymi]

it is all about the neck profile. I favor a little larger neck and it seals the deal if I find one.....Not a lot of the basses from my favorite years have larger necks so it can be a challenge sometimes....