What's YOUR attraction to Ricks?

[jch]

I wanted one from the first time i saw Paul Weller of The Jam with his.
But when i saw George Harrison in A Hard Days Night that was it,that was the one for me!
Of course Pete,Tom and Roger are up there too!


I'm more of a Gretsch guy ,i have 7 and only 2 Ric's, but there are a few more i'd like, 1997 and a 381 would be nice!

[bradj]

3 words in this order: 1. Beatles 2. looks 3. sound

[Rickygirl]

I had been playing guitar for just two weeks and then went to a gig and stood a few feet away from Peter Buck playing his Rick. I knew zero about guitars but I was trying to catch a glimpse of the make and then I saw "Ric" something. I got home and checked out my Ultimate Guitar Book and found it.....Rickenbacker.....and I thought, so that is that great guitar sound I love in R.E.M.

Then I realised they were not just the best sounding guitars, but also the best looking. THEN I realised they were not seen as commonly as Fenders and Gibsons and then discovered what a great company RIC is and THEN I discovered what fantastic people play them, so I was hooked and now I have 6!! (just for the moment).

They make me happy and I love them.

[stringsncords]

I'm thinking that perhaps because Ricks are not mass-produced "commodity" guitars like G & F, their scarcity actually adds to their mystique. When I started playing, during my high school years in Philadelphia (a LONG time ago!), my friends and I would frequent the local music stores where most of the major brands were readily available. Back then, it was Gibson, Epiphone, Fender, Guild, Hagstrom, Gretsch, Danelectro, and some of the less-expensive imported brands that were the most popular; I can't EVER remember seeing a Rickenbacker guitar or bass anywhere in Philly. The fact that they were (seemingly) only played on TV by the biggest band in the world - The Beatles - even made them more desirable for me. I can't even remember the first time I saw a Rick in person, but I knew I had to have one; I got my first one (a 360/12V64) in the early 90's, and even though the neck was too narrow for me to play comfortably, I had a RICK!

FINALLY!

After a few years, I traded it to Chris at POTR, and thus began my RAS; I'm up to 10 (and waiting patiently for a 360/12C63), and I'm totally hooked.

In watching the Hall of Fame concerts, I was surprised not to see ANY Ricks, thus the basis for starting the thread.
They're such great, iconic guitars, I can't figure out why more of the major acts don't use them.


Bob

[cjj]

Quite honestly, I could care less what other people play. In fact, when I got my first Rick, sometime around 1978 I think, in general I had no idea what various bands played and I'd never even heard of Rickenbacker. Ok, maybe I lead a sheltered life...

Anyway, I was playing a Guild bass at the time and just wasn't happy with it. The keyboard player in our band found an ad for a 4001 in the local classifieds and suggested we go check it out. I went, saw it and said, "Wow, what a cool looking bass!" Then I played it... there was no turning back at that point, the sound, the feel, it was just so perfect!

I was quite surprised after that how often I found that some band or other used a Rick bass, and also how often if I really loved the bass sound on a track, it happened to be a Rick.

So, I guess my attractions are:

1. The sound
2. The feel/playability
3. The looks

[winston]

This is easy. 360 WB's, 360v64's, 350v63's and 325's are the coolest guitars on the planet and they are extremely versatile. The 4001 and 4003 and 4004 are the best sounding basses ever made.

In reality, along with most noteably Paul A and a few others on this forum, I am a confirmed double bound Rickenbacker addict. There I said it and I don't care who knows

Professional musicians who don't use them have no idea what they are missing. It's their loss IMO.

[rickenbrother]

So, why is such a popular brand as Rickenbacker not more widely seen at gatherings like this? The two most obvious Rick users, Tom Petty and The Byrds, were not in attendance at these concerts.

Because RIC doesn't buy their popularity.

I saw a 4001 in a music store when I was about 12-13 years old young and I thought it was the coolest looking guitar I ever saw. Then I realized it was the bass guitar that Paul McCartney and Chris Squire used, which was great because I wanted to play bass!

So, I guess my attractions are:

1. The sound
2. The feel/playability
3. The looks

99% of my bass playing is done on a Rickenbacker for the same reasons.

[beatbyrd]

I'm with you fatcat. Jim McGuinn had me hooked with the first 2 bars of Mr. Tambourine Man, back in '65. Or, maybe it was George's first 2 bars of Ticket to Ride. Those 12 strings sounded to me like the auditory equivalent of a thousand flashbulbs being fired at random times. Pure sonic sparkle.

I'm primarily a bassist and got my first Rick in '73 (a 4001) because it looked and sounded cool. It took me 44 years to get around to the 6 and 12 string models.

In 2009, I decided that I wanted to get back into music and bought a 24 track recorder, a new synth, lots of recording gear, and 3 new guitars, two of which are a 330/6 and a 360/12. It's a struggle to put the 360 back in the case. I love that guitar. My goal is to learn McGuinn's finger style and get that 12 string singing. I used the 360 (twice) on a song I entered into a recent song contest that Mr. McGuinn was running. There's a link in the Recordings forum, if you want to hear it. I didn't place in the top 3, but at least I got to 'record' with Roger. I used his tracks as the chorus of the song I submitted.

Tom

[libratune]

Mc Guinn

+1
I had the good fortune to acquire my first Rick in 1967, a 360-12 MG, and played it for 2 years in a band in the '60s. We did lots of Byrds and Beatles covers. Now I own a few more Ricks and never tire of the aesthetic and sonic appeal, not to mention those thin '60s necks!

[bosco64]

For me, it's quite simple, my favorite bands played Rickenbackers, and they are truly the coolest guitars on earth.

[BAD RONBO, KiLLeR DWaRfS]

i think the different shape of the 4001 did it for me. first pic i saw was the a stampeders fan mag i got after a '73 concert which ronny king had a '73 fireglo. then the inside gatefold of "bto not fragile" jetglo 4001. next was "rush caress of steel" gatefold. deep purple machine head gatefold ,then of course chris squire and starcastle in the mid '70's. i was hooked forever.

[johnallg]

Bizarre sexual attraction.

Actually, Rick basses are the sound I hear in my head. Then I find out most of the songs I loved through the decades had Rick basses in them. Add the look and feel to the sound and it's a done deal.

[Danotron]

For me it was a combination of REM and Tom Petty.

When I was just learning to play I remember watching their music videos on MTV and trying to figure out what kind of guitars those were. I had seen Les Pauls, SG's, and Strats but what the heck were those things!

It's funny because growing up I had always been a big Who fan, and I liked the Beatles and the Byrds too, but before I started trying to learn to play guitar myself I never really paid too much attention to the specific equipment.

[wittyair]

I needed a 12 string for the few songs we did in my "oldies" band such as "Feel a Whole Lot Better", "Hard Days Night", etc.
It wasn't even a conscious thought on my part........Get a Rickenbacker 12 string........no other brands even came to mind.
I sold that guitar eventually and several years later thought that I'd like to have another one to play around with......that opened
the flood gates.....I don't even know what hit me ( nor does my wife ). My "RIC" collection has a life of it's own......I became
completely engulfed.....and then discovered the RIC ebay one of a kinds. The rest as they say......is history.

[freshmattyp]

Peter Buck. Still don't have that 360 JG, but it's nice to have goals. My 360 FG works pretty good.