620/12 Folks... Talk to me!

Low End Lover · Post by **Low End Lover** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 10:47 pm

Hey Rickers,

So far, I have a 2008 4003FL, 2009 330 & a 2010 4003 and am really wanting to add a 12-string to the roster in the coming year. I am really interested in the 600 series guitars. While a 660 would be nice, I just can't see paying the hundreds more for it. I am thinking a 620/12 might be the ticket, so I will ask some questions about it and see what folks have to say:

1. A lot of people say the neck width is too small to chord well. How true is this? For the record, the people playing this will be my wife and me and we have smaller hands. I mean, can it be done comfortably?

2. Will it chime/jangle? I have heard a lot of 660/12 clips and it seems to chime/jangle well and I don't know how much of that is the Toasters. I tend to think the differences between the Toasters and HiGains aren't as dramatic as people say, but I know there is a difference. For the record our 330 seems to chime/jangle well enough.

3. How would a 620/12 differ from a 330/12 in terms of sound? I have bought all my Rics sight unseen and been happy with them. Unless someone on the forum living in the middle of Missouri or even KC or STL areas has one that I could play, I will not be able to try before I buy and hear it as I have found no place closer than Chicago that has one in stock. Also, are these easier to maintain setup-wise as they are solid bodies?

Well, I think that is it for now. Please feel free to add any additional information you think might be helpful or ask me questions.

Thanks for the help,

LEL (Jason)

Ilikewater · Post by **Ilikewater** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 8:11 am

the chord fretting issue is something that most rickenbacker owners take with pride (I don't

). I don't think small hands really help the situation because the strings are so close together near the nut that playing certain 7's and sus chords are basically impossible. This forces most players to learn how to play a rickenbacker by switching to bar chords up the neck and creating different fingerings/voicings for chords. There are a just a few videos on youtube showing higain vs toaster comparisons, and I remember one where a lady had the same model of rick (330?) with the two different sets on it. I will see if I can't find that one and post it here.

I sat down just recently and played a 330, 360, and a 660 back to back. The toasters are a big part, but the hollow bodies do add a certain airiness and brightness to the over all sound. I fell in love with the 660. Upgrading the 620 to toasters is still cheaper than buying a 660 in the end. There are some REALLY good deals to be had on a 620.

Good luck.

Ilikewater · Post by **Ilikewater** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 8:14 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5xL1HCj77o here is a link to that video...could not figure out how to post it in forum.

Low End Lover · Post by **Low End Lover** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 9:49 am

Jimmy,

Ah, so the chording issues is about more complex chords. I just wanted to make sure we weren't talking about your basic open major chords here. Good to know. I had the same thought about the Toaster upgrade and how that would still be cheaper. The cheapest I have seen as new 660/12 is $2K. Where have you seen the best deals on 620/12's?
Thanks for the video link. She is a RRF member and I had seen it before when I was learning about 360 WB's.
I am coming to the conclusion that the 620/12 is not a popular guitar amongst Ric players. In fact, the only big players I have seen use it on a regular basis are Tom Petty/Mike Campbell (yet Tom is responsible for the impetus behind the 660 design) and Peter Buck has one he plays with regularly. I wish I could pick Peter's brain about his 620/12 experiences as he is also one of my favorite guitarists.
Well, thanks for that feedback. I hope to hear from some other folks in the coming days as there has got to be a least a couple of people who own these.

Thanks again,

LEL (Jason)

Clint · Post by **Clint** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 11:34 am

1. All it takes is a little patience and practice. I don't have small hands and I have no trouble making any chord shape I want on a Ric 12 string. If people can fret mandolins...

2. A 620 has plenty of jangle and chime. I'm one of the people that don't believe that there is that great of a difference between hi gains and toasters. Hi gains are bit more aggressive and will push your amp a little harder. If you want more treble or less bass, just twiddle the knobs on your amp.

3. Set ups are pretty much the same. Soundwise, the 620 has a bit twangier bite to it, not unlike a Telecaster.

scotty · Post by **scotty** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 11:43 am

I had a 620/12 but i didn't gel with the guitar.I am not a giant but the smaller body didnt sit right with me.I much prefer the 330/360 shape.This is based on purely body size alone.Its easy to swap out the pick ups and mix and match if you like.
Id have a 330/12 over a 620/12 any day of the week but thats just my opinion.

Low End Lover · Post by **Low End Lover** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 11:44 am

Clint wrote:1. All it takes is a little patience and practice. I don't have small hands and I have no trouble making any chord shape I want on a Ric 12 string. If people can fret mandolins...

Clint,

Excellent point! That puts things into perspective IMO. Yes, one of my basses (4003FL) has a Toaster and a '76 HiGain and the other has modern HiGains. What I notice sonically is lower output on the 4003FL as opposed to a large tonal difference. I mean, it is there, but is not like the difference between single coils and humbuckers. The video Jimmy posted a link to I think illustrates this quite well.
BTW, what 12-string model do you have?

Thanks,

LEL (Jason)

Clint · Post by **Clint** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 12:29 pm

My 12 string is a 360. My 620 is a six string. They have the same size neck but Scotty has a good point, the body size gives the 300 and 600 series guitars a totally different feel both sitting and standing.

scotty · Post by **scotty** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 12:46 pm

Sitting was a no no for me and to be really honest i didnt feel the guitar was balanced when i used it with a strap.It always felt neck heavy.
But it did find a nice home and im glad it did.

stringsncords · Post by **stringsncords** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 1:30 pm

Hey LEL!

Pick of The Ricks has THREE 620/12's in stock (MID, JG, MG) - at special pricing!

Give Chris a call, and let him hook you up!

Bob

8mileshigher · Post by **8mileshigher** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 2:01 pm

You may want to take a look at the Roger McGuinn 12-string guitar instructional video (some excerpts used to be posted on You Tube). Roger shows some adaptations for making an "A" chord for example, (and a few other chords IIRC) because of the string spacing on the Ric 12ers.

http://www.amazon.com/DVD-12-String-Gui ... B0000E0ZYE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B579egG4oNQ

The comment about playing a Mandolin is right on point. Most players find a way to adapt. I have big hands and both 360-12 and a 660-12 models and I ended up prefering the narrow necks overall for the 12ers, because I play these size necks more often on my 6-string Rics (370WB and 330). So I think it's all about adapting and getting used to the feel of a neck.

The 600 series guitars are smaller bodies -- that's another aspect of adapting. On the High Gains- Toasters aspect ... there are dozens and dozens of postings and opinions about that subject. It will come down to a matter of your preference. My choice is Toasters for the 12ers and High Gains for the sixers.

I think Peter Buck's 620-12 looks pretty cool in the recent posting a few weeks back....

Testing the different models and embarking on this journey is half the fun !!!

Good luck !

Ontario_RIC_fan · Post by **Ontario_RIC_fan** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 3:03 pm

I haved played a 620 12 since the mid 1980s and have had no problem with the neck width.

I also have very large hands... My guitar jangles with the best of them - compression being mroe important then the pick up choice to nail that "sound"

Bottom line always is personal preference... I have found no two guitar players are precisely alike.

Only thing I don't like about new Rickenbacker 12 strings is the slots through the headstock.

Hope this helps you

Low End Lover · Post by **Low End Lover** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 5:12 pm

Ontario_RIC_fan wrote:Only thing I don't like about new Rickenbacker 12 strings is the slots through the headstock.

Any reason why other than looks?

To all,

Thanks for the feedback. I did talk to Chris and POTR and he was most helpful. Now, just need to wait to see if my tax refund will cover it and there has a string dying appliances as of late and $ is tight.

Thanks again,

LEL (Jason)

Ilikewater · Post by **Ilikewater** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 12:31 am

I just got my 660/12 from Pick of the Ricks, he is very competitive on price. Dave's Guitars and Willcutt guitars also have great prices just to shop around. After all, its your pocket that is the most important, and all those guys understand that. good luck

Folkie · Post by **Folkie** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:16 pm

I have medium-sized hands, and my fingers have never had a problem with the necks of either my 330/12 or my 360/12. The 330/12 was made in 1991, almost 15 years before Rick started to tighten up the octave pairs on their 300 series guitars, and I never had any need to use alternate voicings like the ones Roger McGuinn suggests on his DVD "The 12-String Guitar of Roger McGuinn." One thing I do have a problem with is hitting the right string pairs when I'm playing fingerstyle with metal picks, but that's a separate issue entirely.

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