Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

btw, i did play with the tone controls and the 5th knob a bit. i have the tone knobs open all the way. Funny, tho, they aren't very gradual -ie, the high freq roll off occurs toward the very end of the rotation. im wondering if i have right handed pots in there and they should be left handed - or would it matter ? I had changed my strat and teles to left handed tapers and the roll off is more smooth.

anyway, i should also measure these pots - what should the values be ?

I have a 1966 Rickenbacker 335, which obviously has toasters. When I bought in 1985 I was expecting jangle and all kinds of Rickenbacker "tones". I got none of them. This guitar plays rock, punk and pretty much anything really well, and is pretty versatile. My expectations were that it would sound like the Rickenbackers I heard on the radio, too.

To get that "jangle" you are looking for, or even brightness, I think that you need to play around with some pedals (maybe a compressor? I always use my Route 66 and sometimes my Keeley) and your amp settings. The brightness comes out a lot more with those on.

I can't imagine there is anything wrong with your guitar, although it is possible. I think this is a case of your expectations not being met at the moment. It happens all of the time and probably for everyone here! But I think that if you can stick with it, you will find what you are looking for. Also, don't forget that a lot of stereotypical "Rick" tones have come from 12 strings or overdubbed 6 strings with a lot of help.

Jangle comes from 12 strings!!!

Joe, you might have to succumb to the "solution" that many other Forum members have, which is to get both a 6-string and a 12-string and venture down the path of Ric Acquistion Syndrone.

And if you enjoy that solution, you can broaden your pallette of Ric tones, by pursuing the acquistion of additional models, with Toasters, High Gains, and HB1s, etc. so you get adequate representation of the spectrum of Ric tonal capabilities. You will get plenty of the right moral support around here for coping with R.A.S.

The compressor suggestion is one you ought to look into.... there are dozens of threads here on the subject of Compressors and Jangleboxes, etc.

joshcamp wrote:btw, ... Funny, tho, they aren't very gradual -ie, the high freq roll off occurs toward the very end of the rotation. ...

That's to be expected with audio taper potentiometers, they aren't linear taper potentiometers.

Paul A can tell ya all about the Accent, I love the way they feel on his guitars!

whojamfan wrote:Paul A can tell ya all about the Accent, I love the way they feel on his guitars!

Thanks, Mike. I regularly use/abuse the Accent vibrato on my six string Ricks. I recommend them; easy to string your guitar, and the vibrato is highly functional. I wouldn't worry about break angles or anything like that; in my experience they don't matter; most of my Ricks have minimal break angle and the vibrato works fine.

If you order one for your Rick, I advise that you buy some grey felt pads from your local hardware store, remove the black rubber feet from the bottom of the Accent unit, and apply the grey felt pads to the underside of the Accent where the rubber feet were; the black rubber feet will stain the finish of your Rick.

Tha Accent, to me, is like a more focused Bigsby-with nowhere near the "goosiness". I couldn't knock any of his Ricks out of tune using it, and I'm a bull in a china shop

thanks guys!

when i come across a lefty accent - i will buy. however, im almost tempted to just get a right handed accent and stick it on there out of frustration finding a lefty..

is there anything about the functionality of a right handed unit that wouldn't work on a lefty guitar ?

Take this for your starting site on your machine, so you won't miss it if it's available again and you can strike immediately !

http://www.rickenbacker.com/cart.asp?vi ... y=Vibratos

thanks !