Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I played a friend's 330 when I broke a string on stage (playing a strat) in the late 80's & I hated it.
Almost 20 years later, I picked up a 330 in a store because it was so pretty. After playing it for 10 minutes, I realized I had to have it. It was like I had found my soulmate. It just felt 'right' in my hands. I realized that I hate my friend's guitar because he had one of those elastic straps & I tend to jump around on stage.

I switch back & forth with my strat, no big deal. I have a sentimental attachment to it, so I'll never get rid of it, but I prefer my 330.

I found it very easy to go from my LP to the 350. I also found no issues switching live from 350 to LP to 660 to 620 to Godin to LP. No probs at all.

I agree there is more effort required to bend on small frets, but I find there is finer vibrato and more soul in small frets as well. Perhaps because of the extra effort and finer technique required?

...Dean

All I can go on from personal experience is the first time I played a Rick. It was a '65 360/12, probably had a 6" radius fretboard, too. Up to that time I'd only played a cheap folkie acoustic and a Tele.

It was a revelation. Incredible revelation. Like finally scoring that cheerleader...never mind...anyway, it was the darned easiest-to-play thing I'd ever encountered, and I think that EVERY guitar after that point suffered in unconscious comparison. NOTHING felt like the Rick.

(Well, I DID have a 335 Gibbie-styled Framus 12 with a laminated neck that was very close. It's long gone, because there was no jangle, dammit!)

Then I got my 660/12 and it was almost like old times. My 360/12 WB cemented the deal. Out of all my own Rick 12s and all the ones I've worked on and set up, this is the most like that long-lost love that I got to hold for 10 minutes, 42 years ago as a young teenager.

Happy together.

Well there you go.

We're all like crayons... all different, but it takes all of us to complete the picture!

I use mine for music that's probably not what most people think of with Rick players. With my home recording project, it doesn't see much use, because I rarely use electric guitars, it's more an acoustic thing. When I do use an electric, it's usually the one though.

But when playing with my friend's band, it's used for a lot of country rock, the occasional KISS cover, or other 70's rock stuff. It always works well and sounds fantastic when I use it. I have it an old Antigua 70's Telecaster Deluxe, and I prefer it from the playing aspect for stage work, and the Tele's my backup. Everybody seems to prefer the sound too. I think Rick's just have this Jingle/Jangle stigma. If Jimmy Page or Jeff Beck had picked up a Rick for a while, they'd be ridiculously famous too.

If Jimmy Page or Jeff Beck had picked up a Rick for a while, they'd be ridiculously famous too.

Which, the Rick or Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck?