The Mike Campbell - 1963 615/12 -String pairs

[Ric_MEL]

Anyone who has the new Tony Bacon Book: Rickenbacker Electric 12 String.

On page 114.. where they show a main page picture of the 1963 615/620 Fireglo 12 string that Mike Campbell bought. purportedly: only the second 12 string made by RIC.. right after George Harrisons..

Note: The Octave strings are on TOP..

I wonder if this was as original.. since it was only their second 12 string.. and maybe the non-traditional RIC approach putting the Octave below had not yet been determined ?

or did Mike change the stringing at some point ?

[jdogric12]

Off the top of my head, I think Suzi's (the 1st) had regular stringing.

Our own eagle eye JakeK noticed this a few months ago and posted about it in the Petty forum here, I think.

[jdogric12]

viewtopic.php?f=66&t=396867&start=0

knew it was here somewhere...

[JakeK]

Thanks, Jdog.

Mike and Tom for unknown reasons have all their Rickenbacker 12-strings strung traditionally. Maybe they liked it better, maybe they never bothered to check the nut for how the strings go, we'll never know, but they do make a heck of a good use from their Rics, and that's what matters.

Brian Simer has an accurate replica of the 625/12 made by Paul W and originally owned by Glenn Wall. The only thing that's not right about it, it has a round neck heel, while the original had a square, I believe. Brian, wanna show us some pics?

[jingle_jangle]

Yeah--while it was being researched and built, I couldn't find any pics of the neck heel of the darned thang.

The strings were strung trad Rick style deliberately, to avoid long 'splanations.

[Ric_MEL]

Mike and Tom for unknown reasons have all their Rickenbacker 12-strings strung traditionally.

You answered my next question.. then re: did Mike restring it traditionally , changing the way it left RIC? Sounds like he did.

Also interesting then.. is Tom's Artist model: the 660/12TP is strung the Rickenbacker way.. ( as is the stock 660/12 since then.)

[leftybass]

IIRC, the Suzi Arden 360/12 was strung the traditional way, i.e. high-octave on top.

George's '63 360/12 was the first to have the 'Rickenbacker' style stringing....

Mike Campbell's '63 625/12 was the next guitar built after George's (consecutively), and probably had the Rickenbacker stringing when it was newly made.

[jingle_jangle]

Thanks for clearing that up, John!

[leftybass]

The last time I was at the RRHOF, I spent about 30 minutes standing over top of Mike's 625/12--I only wish I had been allowed to take pictures. It was really awesome to have your face literally inches away from such a cool guitar. Great for near-sighted people like myself.

[JakeK]

Also interesting then.. is Tom's Artist model: the 660/12TP is strung the Rickenbacker way.. ( as is the stock 660/12 since then.)

Pic of Tom's prototype 1990 660/12TP

http://wbr.com/tompetty/img/12string.jpg

In other words, no. Perhaps, like all the Rics in the Heartbreakers' possesion, it left the factory the Ric way, but it "became" traditional after its first string change.

My theory to why Tom and Mike string it traditionally:

In 1966, when Tom was in the school band The Epics, one of the members had a Martin acoustic 12. Then in early 1977, Tom bought a Vox Phantom 12-string, obviously strung traditionally. That summer, Mike bought the 625/12. Thinking that all 12-strings were strung traditonally, Mike and Tom on all their Ric 12s thought someone had messed up the stringing and decided to "rectify" it, which is how it's been from 1977-present day.

Let's hope they never see a converter-comb Ric!