Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hmmm, interesting read, and finding out how others change strings on their 12's.
I guess it goes without saying, change one string at a time (it keeps the tension proper on the guitar). I usually measure out the string length, clip it, slot it with help of a small Allen wrench, lightly applied, to hold it in place, and keep the string as taut as possible when pulling it up through the tuner. Takes about 20 minutes, if you're calm.

In the course of refinishing Ricks, I of course do a "strip down" on each instrument--even for many touch-ups; it's hard to buff out a fully-kitted-out instrument.

This means removing all of the strings and keeping them off for a period of time. There is a span of time when strings are off and truss rods are still tensioned; then a time when truss rods are out, then a time when rods are back in and retensioned, then strings are refitted, etc.

My point? That it doesn't hurt the guitar to have all the strings off, and as long as you are restringing with the same gauge or close to it, the chances of having to do a dreaded truss rod adjustment are nearly zilch.

There may not be any problems with removing all the strings before re-stringing, but according to RIC's Owners Manual they recommend you change one string at a time to keep adjustments in place. Obviously if you've done a refin, or replaced the tailpiece it's unavoidable.

Steve, to answer your question about playing, I would say no. I rock hard. I rock so hard I loosen my straplocks sometimes. Sometimes I play real pretty like though. So it could be a neck angle or some burrs in your saddle that are making that B buzz.

Only reason I can think of for changing out one string at a time on a 12er is that you have another string pair to use as a reference when bring up the new strings to pitch. At home, I prefer to tune by ear rather than use a machine.

JimK

Ditto to a piece of tape under the R tail piece, and putting a little bend in the end of the cut string. I'm down to about 45 minutes with the 360, but that also includes some polishing and cleaning. 30 minutes or less with the 660. (15-20 minutes with my Ovation, but that's another story.)

Regarding the weird sound on the B, I had problems a while ago because of the angle the string was breaking over the saddle. But my problem only came with the open B not fretted notes.

On the speedy note, I managed to restring, clean the fretboard, and whipe down the body of my friends telecaster, tool me 10 minutes tops, and I had never even held a tele before that day!

Just wondering... why does Rick use the current R tailpiece design? I mean, I look at my Casino, and there's a hole to slide the string in, and it stays there throughout the stringing with no problem as long as I don't "accidentally" pull the entire lengh of the string out the other way...

Wouldn't it be nice if R's didn't have the open bottoms? you wouldn't need tape or anything

I just use a piece of approximately 10mm thick soft foam under the R while re-stringing. That makes it no more difficult than re-stringing a Les Paul, as well as protecting the finish. The foam holds the string in place.

I simply pull the string into position, pull it taught until it engages on it's slot, and wind.

I've changed the strings on my 2006 360/12FG once since it was new. I followed Roger McGuinn's DVD, but added a few tricks.

- I attached all the strings to the R tail piece with masking tape.
- I placed a soft cotton cloth under the R
- I clamped all the strings, in order to the second fret with a Kyser capo
- I trimmed each string to the length of the next tuner post (or the equivalent for the longest post on D and G)
- I put a small kink in the end of the trimmed string to catch the hole in the slotted tuners
- I threaded the low E and one high E first, tuning them almost to pitch - enough to hold the R tailpiece in place while I did the rest (learned this trick from changing the strings on my '81 320JG.

I did the whole thing in under an hour with no problems. The cut-through headstock is fairly easy to negotiate. I've never threaded the old style so I can't compare.

Aren't the Rickenbacker 12's strung differently than the standard 12 string accoustics?

I thought I had read the root and octive strings are opposite than other accoustics. ie octives on the bottom and roots on top.

Is this true?

Rick acoustics and electrics have the non-standard Rick 12-string pairings.

What does that mean exactly?

It means that the lower pitch strings are on the top and the octave strings are on the bottom.

JM and JB...our 12-string tag team!

Does anyone know if that was the way George Harrison had his 360 set up?