660/12 vs. Arnquist Mod

wormdiet · Post by **wormdiet** » Thu May 20, 2004 5:13 am

Well, GAS is striking again and I am semi-seriously considering adding a 12 to my stable. (celebrating a promotion + tax return

) I'm well aware of the significant differences between the 360/12 and the 660/12. My brain is saying 660, My heart is saying 360, and my wallet is saying neither!

- Financially it seems to be an even proposition, or near enough not to matter.
- Cosmetically the 360 wins out heavily (fer me)
- In terms of playability, a stock 360 is fairly difficult for me to play - on the basis of a few tryouts at local stores. I think I could work around a regular 360 fretboard but don;t really see the point with these two more attractive alternatives.

At any rate, can anyone comment on the playability differences of a 660/12 in comparison to a 360/12 AFTER the nut mod & 12-saddle installation? I won't probably get the re-fret for wider frets.(as that would be the most expensive part of the "arnquist" process.)

Apologies for rehashing a tired topic.

fergs40 · Post by **fergs40** » Thu May 20, 2004 10:26 am

Well I have two fave guitars - my 620/12 and my Tele. And when I swap between the two I do embarrass myself by screwing up chords on the Ric 'cos the neck is sooooo thin. But I figure I'll work that out.

I can see, however, that there might actually be a physical barrier to playing a 620 (or 330/360?) neck - if your fingers are any way big you will not make it happen...

Lucky me that I can make either work (or I WILL!). Good luck to you...

wormdiet · Post by **wormdiet** » Thu May 20, 2004 10:36 am

Well, I did price it out - after adding in labor + $80 for a new bridge the 660/12 STILL works out to be a bit more reasonable - for a guitar that I presonally would not need to modify and void the warranty. If this happens I might go 660/12 Jetglo for a Lennon-Meets-McGuinn vibe

If anybody is has small fingers and is interested, North Coast Music had extremely good prices on a Burgundy 360/12 w/toasters. Droolworthy!

jps · Post by **jps** » Thu May 20, 2004 2:07 pm

Before I got my 660/12 I tried a 381/12V69 and found it difficult to play; the 660/12 is a breeze by comparison. In addition, the small size and very light weight of the 660/12 is just plain fantastic. I vote 660/12.

johnashfield · Post by **johnashfield** » Fri May 21, 2004 12:45 pm

I vote 360/12 with some of the Arnquist mods.

With the string pairs spaced out just a little bit the difference in playabilty is amazing. It is a small difference but it's also a huge one! Just make sure your luthier is good.

I'd say leave the frets as they are. The fret profile is very important to how the guitar plays in tune. Especially the 12.

I had the 12 saddle bridge put on my 360, and while that's a different subject, I would reccomend it. Indeed the 660 comes with one.

I prefer the 360 because to me the 660 never feels balanced when I try playing one, it feels real head heavy.

But the 660 is a fine looking guitar, I just love the 360 so much.

As far as voiding the warrenty, I've bought 5 new RICs (in addition to some used) since 1992, and while that is nothing compared to many of the people that post here, I have never had an issue that needed the warrenty anyway.

jps · Post by **jps** » Fri May 21, 2004 1:40 pm

Interesting, as my 660/12 does feel nicely balanced. Perhaps this may be due to the specific density of the wood used on each particular model. Also different straps could make a difference (lenght, grippiness, etc.) maybe.

wormdiet · Post by **wormdiet** » Fri May 21, 2004 1:47 pm

"With the string pairs spaced out just a little bit the difference in playabilty is amazing. It is a small difference but it's also a huge one! Just make sure your luthier is good. "

Anybody had any experience with Darren Riley? He did the setup on my 330 and I was pleased, and the fact that he works with Mike Parks is a strong favorable indicator.

Thanks for the feedback folks. . . I'll probably reach some sort of decision over the next week or so.

The next problem is finding something in a good color at a fair price. . . .

wormdiet · Post by **wormdiet** » Tue May 25, 2004 3:15 pm

Bumpity.

After messing with a 360/12 extensively over the weekend, I still didn't feel comfortable, both physically on the instrument and mentally, with the prospect of ordering one. So I decided to go 660/12. The one I have reserved (jetglo for the Lennon vibe) was ordered in December of last year. So now the wait begins.

Then again, waiting for a new guitar is a problem that's good to have

jimbunch · Post by **jimbunch** » Tue May 25, 2004 5:12 pm

I also struggled with the narrow neck on my 360/12 and eventually bought a 660/12 to get around that problem. After practicing on the 660/12 I was able to develop my playing skills to the point where I can now also play the 360/12. I plan to keep both guitars because they do have different sounds.