A unique Rickenbacker 650

[ken_j]

[... "shave off" a little of the bulky neck of the 650D ...

The neck on my former 650C was not at all bulky. I am surprised that the 650 neck would be much different unless they were still hand made at some point.

[doctorno]

[... "shave off" a little of the bulky neck of the 650D ...

The neck on my former 650C was not at all bulky. I am surprised that the 650 neck would be much different unless they were still hand made at some point.

From my experience (and some research I did) I can tell that the 650D usually has a "heavier", "bulkier", "beafier" neck than the 650A and 650C. Walter had to "shave off" a little of the wood of my 650D´s neck, which had a rather "thick D-profile", to make it similar to the "modern C-shape" of my 650AVH.

[Oskar]

Nice guitar. Just curious, what makes it a 650 and not a 610? Is it the Bigsby?

[sloop_john_b]

Nice guitar. Just curious, what makes it a 650 and not a 610? Is it the Bigsby?

1. The wide, 24 fret maple fretboard.
2. The walnut/maple body construction.
3. The bridge/tailpiece.
4. The pickguard and 4-knob configuration.

http://www.rickenbacker.com/model.asp?model=650D

[scotty]

Nice guitar. Just curious, what makes it a 650 and not a 610? Is it the Bigsby?

40

im shallow i know....

[electrofaro]

Anyway looks very cool - how will it age, is what I wonder about though.
Will it slowly turn yellowish in spots, or is it supposed to stay white?

[jingle_jangle]

Nice guitar. Just curious, what makes it a 650 and not a 610? Is it the Bigsby?

40

im shallow i know....

Isn't it "42"?

[IHeartRics]

Now it is a unique 650 with a white polyurethane (DD) finish, a black metal pickguard, a Bigsby B5, a Schaller roller bridge, Schaller locking tuners M6 topmount and a 12k toaster pickup in the bridge position.

Very nice!!!! I too like the 12k in the bridge and Ric HB in the neck. Thats the set up I use on both my 480's, but I also put in the 0.0047 cap. Note that I put vintage covers on my HB's to keep the vintage vibe going and match the 12k's. I think that would look sweet on yours too!!

[scotty]

Nice guitar. Just curious, what makes it a 650 and not a 610? Is it the Bigsby?

40

im shallow i know....

Isn't it "42"?

Maybe my waist line

[doctorno]

Anyway looks very cool - how will it age, is what I wonder about though.
Will it slowly turn yellowish in spots, or is it supposed to stay white?

This finish will probably stay white for a very, very long time. Walter uses high quality modern materials - like me he is not a fan of artifical "vintage effects".

I too like the 12k in the bridge and Ric HB in the neck. Thats the set up I use on both my 480's (...)

Do you also get that hollow "out of phase" sound in the middle position? First I wondered about the polarity of the pickups, but everything seems to be wired in phase. I like the tone of the 12k toaster on its own and the humbucker on its own but the combination does not sound very good to my ears.

[ken_j]

One of the pickups may have a flipped magnet or they just are not in phase with each other. I had that problem with my 650C from the factory. I checked the magnet polarity with a Schatten Magnet Polarity Tester and found that I needed to rewire one pickup (per RIC customer service).
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Speci ... ester.html

[electrofaro]

Anyway looks very cool - how will it age, is what I wonder about though.
Will it slowly turn yellowish in spots, or is it supposed to stay white?

This finish will probably stay white for a very, very long time. Walter uses high quality modern materials - like me he is not a fan of artifical "vintage effects".

Good to know Markus! I love the white as it is, but the smokey yellowish ageing is something I don't like on white guitars at all.

I don't like the poser fake vintage look either

[Oskar]

OK, thanks for the reply. I guess it's basically the Dakota. Nice job on that. Like that white look.

[doctorno]

I guess it's basically the Dakota.

Yes, it WAS a "Dakota", now it IS the one and only "Erkelenz" ...

By the way, if somebody would like to buy the chrome pickguard, the fixed bridge or a set of Schaller M6 Minis, just send me a PM. I would even consider to sell the humbucker, if you can make good use of it.

[paologregorio]

That finish is absolutely stunning and the Bigsby and other accessories look cool !!!
Enjoy !

+1! Very cool, thanks for posting the photos! I think that's my favorite 650 ever.