Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

We won't tell hubby that you're having a great time without him, Melibee........

Oh, I do miss him, but when he's away it doesn't stop me from having fun!

....As long as I do the list of chores he left for me, LOL! He's a workaholic, and we have a home business, so it's kind of nice when the "boss" goes on vacation once in a while....

Come to think of it, if I were a full-time musician, I would be a workaholic too.... They don't call it playing a guitar for nothing, LOL! When work is play, life is great!

Thought maybe you were coming to confess that YOU, Melissa, are buying all the Rics! Ha! Glad your weekend was cool. I polished my upright bass today, too! Hey, I am answering my own question and also wondering about why more women don't play guitar and found this
http://www.womanrock.com/features/the_dirtmitts.html
Haven't heard them but they have a couple women players who play Rics! Right on!

Yes, Brian, it matters! I would also LOVE to see someone well known play blues on a Ric. I can't imagine why they don't? I am scratching my head to think of who would. It is just a Fender/Gibson kindof deal. Herd mentality maybe? Of course, if that changes, how will Rick ever get the guitars out of the factory?

A lot of young bands have them, some fairly well known bands. I see them a lot, a few years ago you wouldn't see a Ric in a whole year of bassplayer magazine, now you see three in one issue. They're around, maybe the dinosaurs many of us like don't use them anymore but a lot of the up and coming bands do.

Thanks Kaia.

Well come to think of it, I saw a pic a while back of Jimi with a Ric and I understand SRV had one too.

But of course neither one of them are with us anymore so we probably won't ever know if they used them in the studio.

The Smithereens play Rics, or at least they used to. They have some very bluesy lead parts in some of their songs. Anyone else come to mind?

Hubert Sumlin used a Ric for a while when he was playing with Howlin' Wolf. I think Ric guitars have been unfairly stereotyped as not being a good blues guitar. Most blues players picked up what was handy and cheap. That's why so many players had those cheapo Japanese guitars. Rics were expensive and not readily available to most blues players. Listen to Peter Buck on the Hindu Love Gods album. Some pretty tough blues guitar coming through a Ric.

As far as who's buying them, I just bought a Ric 620-12 from a music store that just got 3 used Rics, the 620 I bought, a '90 350, and a 2000 330. They were all gone within two weeks. I think some people buy them because they hold their value, and very well in addition to being great, well-made instruments. I use mine when I gig, but I also know I've got a good investment. It's not like you buy a disposal Squire Strat or Tele.

On the local club scene I very seldomly see Rics in use. They're great guitars with a great sound but they are somewhat scarce on the local club level.

John Kay used to play a Ric with Steppenwolf back in the day.

He still plays a RIC today.

Steppenwolf Live, one of my favorite albums of all time has some great live guitar tones on it!

John Cougar may have used a Ric on "Hurt So Good." We just recorded that tune for our band demo and my 360 nailed the tone!

Regarding what Bob Young said on the last page, I see a fair number of younger guys playing Rickenbackers now a days. I'm 23 now and have been using a 4001 for about six years now and off the top of my head I can think of three or four other bands playing in the same circles as me (Central and Northern New Jersey) using Rickenbackers (a couple bass players with 4001s and three other bands with guitarists using either a 330, 360 or Dakota). I definitely see the players out there, just off the beaten path of more traditional outlets.

It sure would be nice to hear more Rics up here in Connecticut. This here is Strat country and it's getting old!

I was in the host band at an open mic for three years and we had a name for those black hat, Strat weilding SRV look-a-likes.

When one of those guys walked in we'd chuckle, "the Strat in the hat just walked in."

Bob, everywhere is Strat country. It's the guitar of choice for Rugged Individualist Musicians.

I know I'm among Rick-O-Philes who own Strats because they, er, need them for...

Whatever.

And those of you who are convinced that I absolutely hate Strats, don't give it another thought...I simply don't mind them and think they're belly-button guitars, simultaneously.

But I own a green Duo-Sonic that looks like a Strat, with a Strat neck, that I built myself. So green doesn't particularly offend me, either, as long as the shade is right.

There's a few newer bands I can think of that use Rics. Boys Night Out and The Fall of Troy to name a couple. I'll dig up some pics.

Hahahahahaha!!!!

Paul, I think we KNOW what you "need" a Strat for!

Aitch can refresh your memory, LOL!