My Rickenbacker Experience

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bcalvanese
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My Rickenbacker Experience

Post by bcalvanese »

I've been playing guitar off and on since I was a teenager. I could strum out some chords and I wrote a few songs, but thats about it. I got away from it for quite a few years. In 1983 I had a kid, got married, and joined the army (in that order). I spent 6 years in the army, had two more kids, and didn't realy have time for guitar. In 2005 I started getting back into it, but this time I started learning about the guitasrs them selves. It started with acoustics, and in the past couple years moved into electrics.

The more I learned about guitars, the more compulsive I became. I went through Taylors, Martins, Ovations, Takamines, Yamahas, Breedloves, and probably others. The think about acoustics is that nobody has yet to design a pickup system that sounds exactly like the guitar un-plugged. I have probably tried just about every pickup system on the market, and just was never happy with them for one reason or another. I spent tons of money trading this one for that one, and trying this pickup system and that pickup system, and I took so many baths at GC that I started bringing soap and shampoo with me...:)

I decided that I wanted to try an electric guitar one day, so I traded my acoustic towards a Gibson Les Paul. I didn't know anything about electric guitars at the time so I asked the guy at GC what a good electric was and he said that the Gibsons and Fenders where good, so I did the eenee meene minee mo thing and wound up with the Les Paul. Then I started learning about electric guitars and started getting compulsive with them. I wanted an electric guitar that I could apply my acoustic style of playing to. Then I discovered the Stratocaster. I could run it through a multi effects pedal and straight into a PA and get great strumming sounds with some chorus/delay/reverb, and there was no need to worry about getting an acoustic sound (thank god) and no feedbasck issues either (another problem with acoustics).

My compulsiveness grew. I started experimenting with the different Strats and strings to better fit my style. I discovered D'Adderio Chromes. They are flat wound steel strings and sound amazing on a Strat. I used 12's (because thats what I used on my acoustics) and they gave the Strats a fat mellow sound and realy brought out the wound strings when strumming. I went through several Strats over the past year, and during a series of bad deals at Sam Ash I decided to try something else. I tried a couple of the Gibson semi hollow bodies, but wound up with a PRS Custom 10 Top. All the accessories where missing and the case was damaged, but the guitar was in good shape and they ordered me a new cas (I assumed ther accessories would come along with the deal). The case came in and when I asked them about the accessories and the hang tag, their attitude was like... "oh well...sorry". I was not happy about that so I decided to return the PRS and just get another Strat.

I went to go buy some strings and look at some Strats, and I saw this Rickenbacker 330/6 hanging there. It must have just came in because it wasn't there 2 or 3 days before. I asked the guy about it and he told me it cam in 2 days ago and nobody had even played it yet. I told him I was returning the PRS and getting the 330/6. I played it for aout five minutes and that was it. I knew my search was over...:)

I got it home and started learning about it as much as I could (that is how I found this forum), because I wanted to do a good setup on it. I learned about the dual truss rod and that the neck should be just about dead flat with low action. I have never been able to get a Strat action low (1/16th) with hardly any neck relief without any buzzing at all, so I assumed it would be the case with the Rickenbacker, but I was dead wrong. I can tell they put a lot into their necks to be this percise. I could not find much info on pickup height so I just set them 2/32nd's from the top of the pole piece to the bottom of the string. I adjusted the whole pickup for the low and high E strings, then adjusted the A, D, G, and B pole pieces individualy so all the pole pieces where the same distance from the strings. I hope thats a good way to do it.

I put a set of the D'Adderio Chromes on it and it sounds absolutely amazing for my style of playing. I never see these guitars in stores before or I would have discovered this a long time ago. I've only ever seen one at an open mic in the past 6 years that I have been going to open mic's.

I made this test clip so you could hear the result of my setup & string choice, and my style of playing, and it's just 4 to 5 minutes of me noodeling around (and I'm not that good either...:( )...

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=10537102

Anyway, I'm glad I discovered Rickenbacker guitars.

Cheers
~bob~
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jps
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Re: My Rickenbacker Experience

Post by jps »

bcalvanese wrote:The think about acoustics is that nobody has yet to design a pickup system that sounds exactly like the guitar un-plugged.
The closest I have heard was a Rick Turner pickup in an Olson Guitar; I don't recall for sure what amp was used, but I think it was a SWR California Blond. This was at Rick's shop in Santa Cruz, back in 2001.
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eljayski
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Re: My Rickenbacker Experience

Post by eljayski »

good story! owning a ric or rics means you know something not all guitarists do.
330/12 fg
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381/6 fg
4003 mg
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bcalvanese
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Re: My Rickenbacker Experience

Post by bcalvanese »

jps wrote:
bcalvanese wrote:The think about acoustics is that nobody has yet to design a pickup system that sounds exactly like the guitar un-plugged.
The closest I have heard was a Rick Turner pickup in an Olson Guitar; I don't recall for sure what amp was used, but I think it was a SWR California Blond. This was at Rick's shop in Santa Cruz, back in 2001.
Rick does make some top notch stuff.

LR Baggs also makes very good stuff as well. and their Anthum is probably the closest out there right now.

The thing I have learned about acoustics is I can get just about any acoustic to sound great in my little bedroom studio (if ya wanna call it that) at low volume, but in an open mic stuation at high volumes, everything changes, and it's extremely difficult to get a great sound, and feedback is also an issue. Acoustic guitars just get harsh at high volume levels. I have gotten good results with the magnetic soundhole pickups like the LR Baggs M1 and Fishman Rare Earth. They have a bit of a metalic sound but if you cut the mids you can get a very pleasing sound even at fairly high volumes.

In my opinion an electric guitar with some chorus/delay/reverb gives a very pleasing to the ear sound. It's not an acoustic sound, but then again it doesn't have to be. It's just very nice to listen to. When I get up on stage with an electric at an open mic, I know people are thinking right away that I'm gonna be doing some high gain electric guitar stuff, and then I suprise them with my clean chorusy sound. I get a lot of compliments about my guitar sound from both the audience and other musicians, and I never have a feedback issue either.
~bob~
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bcalvanese
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Re: My Rickenbacker Experience

Post by bcalvanese »

eljayski wrote:good story! owning a ric or rics means you know something not all guitarists do.
You hit the nail right on the head.

I just wonder why I don't see more of these around.
~bob~
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Grey
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Re: My Rickenbacker Experience

Post by Grey »

bcalvanese wrote:I just wonder why I don't see more of these around.
Availability. There simply arn't as many Ricks as there are Gibsons or Fenders. Plus, most people hear "waiting list" and run away crying.
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wmthor
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Re: My Rickenbacker Experience

Post by wmthor »

bcalvanese wrote:I played it for aout five minutes and that was it. I knew my search was over...
Congratulations on your acquisition and welcome to the RRF.
'96 1997 LH MG
'98 360 LH MG
'00 360/12 Carl Wilson LH FG
'07 730S Shiloh LH
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ken_j
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Re: My Rickenbacker Experience

Post by ken_j »

bcalvanese wrote: ... and I took so many baths at GC that I started bringing soap and shampoo with me...:)
Too funny :!: :lol: :lol: :lol: Welcome to the RRF Bob.
"The best things in life aren't things."
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jimk
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Re: My Rickenbacker Experience

Post by jimk »

Spike- wrote:
bcalvanese wrote:I just wonder why I don't see more of these around.
Availability. There simply arn't as many Ricks as there are Gibsons or Fenders. Plus, most people hear "waiting list" and run away crying.
Ah yes, but just like The One True Love of your life, it's worth waiting for. :wink:
JimK
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360girl
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Re: My Rickenbacker Experience

Post by 360girl »

I listened to your Soundclick test (I also have a Soundclick account) - NICE clean tones! 8) It sounds like you're using a little delay or a chorus on a very slow rate of sweep. Welcome to Ricworld! :)

Also, as others have said, you have to do a little more searching to get your hands on a Ric (they aren't always readily avaiable), but if you you do some looking, and and aren't fussy about the color, you can usually find one, without having to go on a wating list. I'm on my second 360 (after foolishly selling the first one [which I found at a Music Go Round, by sheer dumb luck, 9 years after I sold it in 1999, to pay some bills] in a fit of Gretsch GAS). Have fun with your new 330!
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