Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Thanks for the great review Paul! Glad you had a good time, and I was really glad you were there!

Translator are actually from San Francisco, it's kinda funny, I never made the connection of the name of their record company, 415!

I'll post some pics when I get around to resizing them!

Hey, 'zoukis have 8 strings, not three! Rick-A-Laika indeed. Don't you remember Dr. Zhivago? He played a Rick-A-Laika, a model 832v63 I think. It was modified though - sure, it had the classic "R" tailpiece but he had inserted the third pickup and replaced the knobs so, of course, it wasn't a true Rick-A-Laika. It was bloodredburst on white, remember?

Translator have the New York vision thing down pat. Underweight, underfed, carefully disheveled appearance...

Oh, you're right, that's San Francisco, too; mostly the SoMa art crowd...

I thought Translator were from NYC for years as well, they also had that early 80's almost british accent thing going on too when they sang, it wasn't till I met them that I found out the were from SF.

And boy, they are skinny! Looking at the old albums it's almost silly, even now they are still pretty thin.

I guess that's the difference with SF "alternative" 80's rockers and NYC ones, Translator stayed thin, and Pat Dinizio of the smithereens got fat? (yes, I called him fat, as a fat guy I get to say this!)

John, you are not fat.

You're magnificent.

Yes, seriously, of all the IPO bands I saw, I felt John's band was miles ahead. Well written songs. And his bass playing is very fluid and imaginative. He was the only one I saw with a rick, and that sound was on another level.

I agree. John takes full advantage of the Rick's potential as an instrument. "Fluid and imaginative" describes it perfectly.

The Rick really cuts; no mistaking that sound. Translator had a typical Fender Jazz, in which one note blends into another in perfect cotton-muffled sonic mud.

Wow, you guys are awesome... where do I send the checks again?