Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I really like my 325 and use it quite a bit in recording. Sometimes I want the "Lennon" tone, and play it through an old AC 30. But I really love the sound of that guitar distorted. It makes for a real unique rhythm tone unlike any other guitar, even a long scale Ric. The short scale takes getting used to, but once you do it's a lot of fun. I play bass too, and after playing bass for a while, ANY guitar feels short. So going from a regular scale to a short scale guitar is less of an adjustment, in my opinion. But I do use Rics for crunch and distorted tones a lot more than you would think. They have a great balance of dirt and clarity. I'll do a demo of my super rare 365 capri prototype (as requested by Graham Griffiths) to demonstrate how you can hear every note when playing complex "jazz" type chords with full distortion.

I use roundwounds. I don't know the gauge because it still has the same strings! I never changed them out of laziness. But they feel like 12's with a plain G. So it like having 10's on a regular scale guitar. The strings are very slinky, great for bends and tremolo work. I use the tremolo a lot, but always always use Big Bends Nut Sauce on the nut and bridge saddles. It works great, BUT the guitar has to play and stay in tune pretty good to begin with. Luckily, my 325 stays in tune pretty decenly without the sauce, with the sauce I can whammy all day. No matter what you do, if the guitar is not good to begin with, it won't play, sound, or feel good. No matter what strings or Nut sauce you use.

This is my younger brother Brian (around Spring 1983) playing his 1979 320. He purchased it new from a dealer in Connecticut called (appropriately) Brian Guitars. He's used this Rick and hardly anything else for years. He just loves the short scale and gets some pretty good tones from it. He's also the proud owner of a 325JL.

Here's the same 320 guitar with added Ac'cent . I mistakenly called it a 1979, it's actually from June 1980 (TF2435). I am surprised how heavy this guitar is. I believe it outweighs my 1997!

Forrest... What a nice 320! Mine is from August 1977. Although I once had a FG 620 / 12 with a TF serial number!

Please post more images if you can...

Yes, that is nice. My own 320 is from July '82 and it also is heavy IMO for a small guitar.

Ontario_RIC_fan wrote:Forrest... What a nice 320! Mine is from August 1977. Although I once had a FG 620 / 12 with a TF serial number!

Please post more images if you can...

Unfortunately my brother took his 330 home and I only got those two pix of it. I'll try to take more detailed ones the next time he breaks it out.

To Collin: That's very interesting about what you mentioned about John L. and those difficult rythmn parts he played on certain songs and how the 325's supposedly made that easier for him. I agree with you - those rythmn parts he does on several songs are VERY hard to do and keep up with, with ANY guitar! In
particular in the songs "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You", and "All My Loving", just to name two, off hand. I don't know how he was able to flawlessly keep up those intricate rythmn chords and fast tempo going for so long in those songs....He was really such a superb rythmn player...to me - the best. I would love to get a 325 someday - just to see if I could duplicate some of those great rythmn patterns! (after months of practice of course) There is a young guy on Youtube however - who has been nice enough to post instructional videos on how to play the John L. rythmn of some of those songs. Does a very nice job...

Yup Greg-----having a short scale helps facilitate those long "stetch" rhythm parts that Lennon liked so much in the early days.


I've always wondered what an adjustment it must have been for him when he transitioned from 325s to full scale guitars (Casinos etc...).

kiramdear wrote:That's what I always liked about The Romantics:

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The energy here is amazing. These guys are just exploding.

That's right Collin - I too wonder how John made that transition! The Epiphones would be HUGE in comparison to his 325! I even played one years ago as a teen and thought they were very big, bulky, and awkward to play compared to the Telecaster I was used to - even though that was as heavy as several bricks to me
at the time. I wonder if John secretly wanted to just stay with the 325 most of the time. I read he did like it except for the keeping in tune problems. I AM going to get one I think at some point... Oh no - my wife will kill me if I buy another!

In the video he clearly is enjoying his self I agree id like to have a 325 JL

I also like the black & white paint job Its great!

And now for something completely different: terz guitar. String a 320/325 with 9, 11 1/2, 17w, 22w, 30w, 40w (you can get all these odd gauges as D'Addario XL singles) and tune it up four frets to G#, D#, B, F#, C#, G#. This gives some really nice chimey tones: not like a mandolin; not like a 12-string or any other guitar capo'ed. I've recorded with this setup as well. Really adds sparkle to the mix of the right song. The first time I used it I was accompanying a guy who wanted a particular song capo'ed up the four frets, but any regular guitar, with his voice, just did not have the clarity in the mix needed to accompany his particular tonality. This setup did it. And using a wound 3rd, I didn't even have to reintonate my bridge, and the gauge verses tension stayed the same so I didn't have to tweak my truss rods.

They're too small for me-both body-sized and tiny fingerboard. I'm even thinking about putting up my 660/12 for sale because that's on the tight side for a 12. Now a 360/6 would be cool...