Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

oops...stuck trigger...

A wise man once told me "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him fish" and I think it is especially true in this case. Its like religion, you cannot force it on them, they must be willing to see the light on their own. Just give thanks to the God of your choice that you can see that light...

I personally hate the thought of playing Ibanez guitars. They sound alright and when I tried one in a shop, it actually felt pretty nice, but it's the image that puts me off. They look rubbish. But anyway, next time you spot a Ric 600 series around your area, have a go at snapping it up and letting him give it a go. A 620 clean lead sounds amazing, put some distortion on it and it really sings! But, everyone's different...

I suppose if someone can record themselves shredding it up on one, then giving him (and us) a listen, he might just be swayed by the sweet sounds of a Ric.

Howdy,

Just a thought. Have you considered renting a video copy of "A Hard Day's night" and having the bad watch it together? Sort of a "look how things were back in the day" type thing?
He might understand more about Rickenbackers and thier mystique after one viewing. Just MHO.

Eggman

I suppose in the end, it really does depend on the sound and the look that you want when you play and/or buy a guitar. There are guitars that I have that aren't Rickenbackers, but the reason I have them is simply because they do things that a Rickenbacker can't (the most recent being a Brian May model guitar). The Brian May model guitar doesn't really come close to the style and sound of a Rick, but, I wanted the sound of a Brian May guitar and I felt this was the best way to achieve it. It's a different "thing" entirely. I would easily purchase a Gretch, Gibson or a Fender for this reason too.

Rickenbackers are still my favorite guitars for a lot of reasons, but if I need a certain sound, I have to go with whatever gets me closest. I personally don't really care for Ibanez guitars, but if this is something your guitar player is most comfortable with playing, then he should definitely stick with it.

It is, after all, about the *music*.

I agree with Charlie a lot here. The Brian May guitar is a good example of one that can do a multitude of different things well. I think you might be surprised at how close you could get to some of May's tones with the right combo of Rick and amplification (I haven't noticed BM getting all of the tones he could even out of his guitar.)

This said, I think a lot of people think they can't play speed metal or Satriani stuff on a Rickenbacker. When some people think Rickenbacker, they think of an outmoded sound of the sixties, and don't fully realize the incredible sonic pallet of the instrument. That said, there are some places that even the Rick doesn't really venture, sonically, or even stylistically.

It is certainly less likely that a song like "Eruption" would have been inspired by Eddie playing a 360WB than a strat-like thing with a whammy bar and humbuckers, which is not to say that he couldn't have gone in a great direction with one.

Some of the resistance to Rickenbackers seems to have to do with self image- that "no guitarist of my ilk would play a (blank)." Sometimes I wonder if much of my deep appreciation for Rickenbacker is along these lines, in that the stylings seem to agree with my own self image. (Hmmm, maybe I just think too highly of myself!)

In the end, there are lots of great brands, but the right guitar for the individual does come down to their perception of it an many levels. For a host of brands of instruments taking issue the quality of the guitar brand just seems like a hollow rationalization for wanting to play something else.

I'd say forget it and learn to live with what he's doing, and where he wants to go musically.

JimK

Referring to the original post... If he likes Santana and Satriani, I wouldn't waste my breath.

"I think you might be surprised at how close you could get to some of May's tones with the right combo of Rick and amplification (I haven't noticed BM getting all of the tones he could even out of his guitar.)"

I have gotten pretty close to Brian May's sound (in some of the tones he uses) with my Rick 360, so I agree that effects and amplification(s) can bring you closer to different sounds that go beyond the "1960's a go-go" stereotype that the Ricks are often associated with.

But, I don't think that the Brian May guitar or the Rickenbacker 360 are trying to be something that they aren't. In short, I agree with Mark completely.