Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Congratulations, Melissa. Another superb instrument from Curmudge.

Um, Peter.... that should be "Congratulations, Alisha!"

That's not my new acquisition, though part of me wishes it were!

Congrats! I LOVE the color. The only thing... I still don't care for Paul's acoustic pickguards. I know they are his thing and he created the curve and everything. They just look wonky to me.

Come on, wonky is where it's at! At first I wasn't sure about those acoustic guards, but now I rather like them. Why do they go around the soundhole? I don't know...but I like it!

1965 wrote:... Why do they go around the soundhole? I don't know...but I like it!

Wes, remember that Paul was not the first one to have the pickguard surround the soundhole. He's just improved on the original design.

http://johnrexreeves.com/jim7.jpg

http://www.rickenbacker.com/gallery_ima ... _year=1960

Yes, there's some historic precedent. The Jim Reeves copy which was made for Yokohama in '00 has the same guard as the original, although thankfully the initials were left off. I've built a 12-string to match. Both are now owned by Bob Singer, CEO of Waterstone Guitars.

When I built the 700S/12 for the 75th Anniversary acoustic concert at the Museum of Making Music, I thought it should have one special detail to distinguish it from all other Rick acoustics. I had designed a couple of 75th logos to laser-engrave, so I decided to put one onto a guard. I thought that the Reeves guard was a neat idea, but too thick and from a design standpoint, as it overpowered the rest of the face.

I thinned out the part that surrounds the sound hole and frames the checkerboard soundhole binding (making it a bear to polish), and reduced the size of the whole thing, so its lines flowed into the inside curve of the bridge. The reaction to this guitar was so very positive that I decided to make the guard standard on all the Rick acoustics that I built, minus the 75th logo, of course. These guards are handmade and are quite tricky to make, polish, and fit, but they do distinguish the guitars from any other acoustics made, without being too distracting.

Of course, everyone is entitled to his opinion, and I never expected that this feature would be 100% accepted. Differences of opinion, politely expressed, are the spice of discussion.

Congratulations Alisha!

That looks like a peach Sis! Congrats!!

Congratulations, Alisha! Your Rickenbacker acoustic is gorgeous. Another fine example of your work, Paul. Well done!

Congrats, Alisha! Enjoy!

Nice pair. I endorse your new acquisition, Alisha. Personally, when I pick up an acoustic, I like to feel like a real cowboy, so, my super jumbo Gibson J-100 works for me, but I think the sparkly blue Ric super jumbo with the wonky pickguard is very cool for a classy gal like yourself. That being said, I have never heard a Ric acoustic in person, but, based on the recordings I have heard, they do seem to have quite a snap to their sound. I hope that it brings you much joy, and that it inspires you to write many, many songs about sin, salvation, loneliness, desperation, and tragedy ...

Steve, they do have a fair amount of "snap", due to ideal scale length and string tension with the .011s and especially .012 strings with which I fit them, and the fact that most are of maple/spruce construction. My own impression is one of balance and definition, typically.

As I mentioned before, but which might have been missed, this particular jumbo has a huge sound, indescribable if you're not in the room or playing it yourself. It is the biggest-sounding Comstock I've heard, hands-down. And, right now it's strung with .011 Martins with a set of .012s having been included in the case compartment for Alisha to try out in six months' time or so. I'm particularly enthusiastic about this guitar because it is going to open up even more as time goes by...

Now, she gets to have lots of fun playing it and dialing in the parametric EQ on the Baggs iMix pickup. And I hope she writes happy songs, too.

steverok wrote: That being said, I have never heard a Ric acoustic in person, but, based on the recordings I have heard, they do seem to have quite a snap to their sound. I hope that it brings you much joy, and that it inspires you to write many, many songs about sin, salvation, loneliness, desperation, and tragedy ...

Paul, I think he means that he's heard another Comstock player who writes these types of songs....

I'm sure the Comstock will inspire Alisha to write some great music!

I actually use medium 13s on my Gibson. I love the jumbo sound. Notes just sound like they are bellowing out from a far away place, and chords are so thick and powerful. There really is nothing like it, and I simply must have one in my stable. Aside from Ric electrics, my biggest obsession is acoustic guitar. I have tinkered with many pick-ups and what-not. It's "where I live" ...

jingle_jangle wrote: It is the biggest-sounding Comstock I've heard, hands-down. And, right now it's strung with .011 Martins with a set of .012s having been included in the case compartment for Alisha to try out in six months' time or so. I'm particularly enthusiastic about this guitar because it is going to open up even more as time goes by...

Paul, do you understand what variables contributed to the particular monster tone that this piece offers? I hope you write things down. Maybe the PW post-oceanburst acoustics will be regarded as the "golden era" ?