So why do you pick one Ric over another?

jdogric12 · Post by **jdogric12** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 10:45 am

Yeah, no biggie. I was just pointing out that the question was about Ric vs. Ric, not Ric vs. nonRic.

No 380L PZ, Gary? That would cover the acoustic parts!

doctorwho · Post by **doctorwho** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:02 pm

I sold it.

ram · Post by **ram** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:09 pm

I decided from hearing the likes of Paul and Chris that the 4001 was the sound I was looking for. So in Augest of '74 I showed up at a local dealer. They had one on display, a FG. I asked about different finishes and down we went to the basement. There were 5 or 6 cases there. One by one we opened them and I played them. I settled on the MG because if just felt the best in my hands.

shamustwin · Post by **shamustwin** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 9:27 am

Long, long ago, I bought a 4001 used 'cause that's what Chris Squire was using.

Long ago I bought a 4005 bass 'cause I needed a bass and this kinda looked Beatle-ly and it was cheap (the good ol' days)

Not so long ago I was in the middle of recording a CD that was sounding very Strat-heavy. I knew I needed different tones, and a 12 string was what the doctor in my soul was ordering. The recording was not a retro or Beatle-y project. But a Rick 12 was the only consideration

The only Rick 12 I could try out was a used 620/12. Too narrow! Then I read about the 660/12 on this forum, I believe, and bought a new Turquoise model sight unseen. Wonderful! I have since tried out many 3 series 12's that my fingers can manage quite well.

Well, reading this forum got me interested in different Rick models, and now I own six, with two on the way, and one bought as a gift for a friend!

All hail the almighty RAS! it's futile to resist!

firstbassman · Post by **firstbassman** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 3:44 am

Other than Kris' perfectly correct answer ("Because we can't afford them all at the same time").
The answer for me is: (a) HAD to have a 12-string guitar and (b) the 360/12 is the most beautiful guitar ever made. (Sounds pretty darn good too.)

raider · Post by **raider** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 11:49 am

Mick what do know about the group
KLAATU? I think there bass player John
used a Rickenbacker Bass. As far as
picking one Rickenbacker over another
I think that its an individual thing
some may like the 360 or the 330 others
like myself like the 350V63. I've had a
360 and a 330 and a 360 12 string they were
all great guitars but I settled down with the
350V63 its my all time favorite.
Lou D

rickaddict · Post by **rickaddict** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 5:42 am

I kinda like it when threads get hi-jacked. Its like a litte sub-plot or two going on!

expomick · Post by **expomick** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 10:10 pm

It's not threadhijacking, it's thread evolution...except, of course, for any Rickenbacker (never have any) fundamentalists out there.

What...me...Klaatu? Sorry, if you meant me, I have no idea about what they played, except I enjoyed much of their work.

jimk · Post by **jimk** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 7:33 am

So why do you pick one Ric over another?

There are several reasons, most of which I guess all come down to the fact that I want an electric guitar that sounds different than what I hear all around me.

And there's one more, too. I've been a folkie all my life, shunning anything that drank electricity in order to make music. So consequently, all my guitar technique has been developed around acoustic six string guitars.

Chalk it up to getting older and maybe wiser but I've had this urge to go out and get an electric. But which one? And how much would I have to relearn? Would I have to start all over again from the very beginning? I've been playing for over 35 years. Then I thought of two of my guitar heroes; Merle Travis, and Chet Atkins. They finger picked electrics, so why not I?

I stumbled upon Roger McGuinn's Folk Den and remembered another of my guitar heroes from my youth. I also checked out a short video clip of his 12 string guitar DVD. Eureka! I could still play the folk music I love plugged in, and I wouldn't have to radically change my guitar technique. (Heck, I even saw a video clip on Youtube of George Harrison using a capo of all things! I didn't know you were allowed to do that on an electric.) And then there was That Sound. That's it; that's the guitar for me, a 360 12 string. No other will do.

And as for blues...heck Leadbelly, and Blind Willie McTell played acoustic 12 strings. Why not mess around with the blues on a 360 12? You could really develop a new blues sound, something that maybe nobody has done, or at least very few. Yeah, I got 'em, and I got 'em bad. I got the Gotta-Have-a-Rickenbacker-360-12-String-Guitar Blues.
(And may I never recover!)

Jim

wj350 · Post by **wj350** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:09 am

I'll admit it. My initial interest was hero worship--I wanted a guitar like John Lennon's. Since my rebirth with music here about 4 years ago, I've been pretty much a F***** fan--still am a fan, but let's just say my horizons have widened

.

I saw my first Rics at a shop here in DC and was struck (first) by how small they were (6-something and 350), second by how beautiful they were in person, and third by how they felt and sounded.

My first was a 350 in Fireglo--I bought into the mainstream warnings that the actual Lennon guitars were unplayable by talent-challenged mortals like me. It was a beautiful guitar that sounded wonderful, but I still itched for the "real" thing, so I made the painful decision to sell her and order a 325c58.

Since then I've just fallen in love with these guitars. There's still a considerable amount of hero worship involved, as my continued interest in Rics is primarily focused on the Lennon guitars, though I did pick up Johneek's c63 a while back.

I've got a 325c64 on order with Gary, and someday, somewhere I'd like to be able to find/afford a 325/12.

Bill

squirebass · Post by **squirebass** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:26 am

Actually, I DON'T pick one Rick over the other, I'm just collecting them very slowly till I own one of every type.
Mama always says Ricks are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get!

lennon211 · Post by **lennon211** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 11:37 am

I'd say that a lot of it for me is that I live in an apartment and can't keep all of my guitars here. I keep my '05 360/12 and my '06 330 here with a small selection of others, never more than 5. I keep most of my really great ones stored somewhere safe. That includes a 1997, a 325v63, a 325/12v63 (which is an amazing guitar in my opinion), and a 360/12v64, along with all of my others from other makers. The point is, I keep my, what I consider utility guitars, here. They're the ones that can get me the best cross section of sound for whatever I'm playing.

henry5 · Post by **henry5** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 3:07 am

One Ric over another? Whether you mean a particular model or an individual instrument, most would chosse one over another based on the usual criteria, i.e. aesthetics, features, sound, playability etc. The main reasons I started playing a 4001 were (a) because my heroes played them and (b) because I thought they looked fantastic. Now, I break it down to individual 4001s, as not all 4001s were created equal in my eyes (or to my ears). Aesthetically I now prefer vintage features (checkered binding, crushed pearl full width inlays, toaster, walnut wings), but ultimately it comes down to tone. For instance my 72 4001 sounds far better to my ears then any other 4001 I've played (bar a couple which sounded almost the same). So obviously I pick that as my favourite; as I say, the same criteria as choosing any other make/model of guitar really.

studiotwosession · Post by **studiotwosession** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 3:22 am

Gary, have you posted pics of your 460? It sounds cool.

The last Rick I bough (78 FG 360/12 WB just a few weeks ago) I had no intention of buying. It just popped up and screamed at me. I've become a big fan of 70s era Ricks, and have only seen a few of these, from this era, ever.

I had no 360 or 330s in my collection. So it certainly filled a gap.

shamustwin · Post by **shamustwin** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 5:18 am

As far as purchases, the first was necessity, I needed a 12 string (Rick, of course)! After that, RAS set in, and I can't keep up with it!

At gigs, I usually bring 3 guitars, switch as the song dictates. Usually the 660/12, and either the 650 or 1997 RI, and a non Rick.

Same in studio, except nearly all of my players come with me!