Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

These are my "magic" gauges, that I've been using since the late 70s:

10 10
13 13
17 9
22w 11
34w 14
44w 20w

Some guy in a music store looked that up in a book and made me a set. Nothing else has ever worked right for me.

still wrote:These are my "magic" gauges, that I've been using since the late 70s:

10 10
13 13
17 9
22w 11
34w 14
44w 20w

Some guy in a music store looked that up in a book and made me a set. Nothing else has ever worked right for me.

Happy July 4th! Thanks for sharing your "magic" gauges. Interesting that you use an unwound 3rd string and it works for you. Great to hear what others are using.

stsang wrote:

JakeK wrote:I've tried the Mangans before, and they're pretty good, if you're strictly a roundwound guy. They stay in tune pretty well and offer a great alternative to the TIs.

I finally got round to trying out a set of Curt Mangans and I'm impressed too! I got the FusionMatched Nickel Wound strings with gauges: 10/10 13/13 20w/10 26/13 34/20w 42/26 - very lightweight. I installed them on my '02 360/12 and I love the light feel of the strings - wild bends are no problem now. They sound great too - bright, good volume but still warm with nice harmonics and great sustain. Of course they don't have the very pure/clean "vintage 60s" tone that you can only get from flatwounds. Happily, with the Curt Mangans I don't seem to have any intonation problems with the low E and G strings. So I think I'll keep these strings on my '02 360/12 and TI flats on my 360/12c63. That way I get quite a sharp contrast in feel and sound between these two Rics. (The Curt Mangans are also considerably cheaper than the TI flats.)

Hey, Simon,

Like you, I have TI Flats on one 12-string and Curt Mangans on the other. That way the two guitars play and sound very different (and I can justify owning two of them!). I've been more than happy with the flats: great tone, comfortable low-tension feel, and amazing longevity. But ever since I put 7.4k toasters on my 330/12 last January, the tone with the Curt Mangan Fusion Matched Nickel Wounds has been much too trebly, even harsh. The extra treble edge also tends to magnify all kinds of string rattles, particularly when the guitar is played through a JangleBox.

I understand that the Curt Mangan Pure Nickel strings sound a bit mellower, but I'm looking for something way less bright, something along the lines of the Rickenbacker Compressed Roundwound set. I believe Rickenbacker no longer makes these strings, but Pick of the Ricks does, so I've ordered a set of Pick of the Ricks Custom Compressed Wound Guitar strings which are gauged: .010/10, .013/13, .020w;.010pl, .026w/.013pl, .034/.020w, .042/.026. I'll be stringing my 330/12 with them in the next week or so, and will keep you and everyone else posted on the results of my experiment.

Robert

Hi Robert,

Happy July 4th! I also have a set of the PoTR compressed roundwound strings waiting to be used - most likely on my '02 360/12. I'd be really interested to hear your experiences! I have 12K toasters on my '02 360/12 so the Curt Mangans sound pretty good on there - it's trebly but a good balance. With that set up, my Rics have different characters (and both sound even better through the Janglebox). The c63 with its different construction + flatwounds nails that vintage sound completely.

All the best,
Simon

stsang wrote:Hi Robert,

Happy July 4th! I also have a set of the PoTR compressed roundwound strings waiting to be used - most likely on my '02 360/12. I'd be really interested to hear your experiences! I have 12K toasters on my '02 360/12 so the Curt Mangans sound pretty good on there - it's trebly but a good balance. With that set up, my Rics have different characters (and both sound even better through the Janglebox). The c63 with its different construction + flatwounds nails that vintage sound completely.

All the best,
Simon

Hi Simon,

Happy Independence Day to you as well! How do the 12K toasters sound different from 7.4K scatterwounds? Mellower, I would guess? Also, I've been told conflicting things about the toasters that come stock on the c63. Didn't you say in a previous thread that the neck pickup and bridge pickup have different impedances? (One of the salespeople at Sam Ash told me otherwise.) What would those pickup readings on the c63 be?

Robert

Folkie wrote:Happy Independence Day to you as well! How do the 12K toasters sound different from 7.4K scatterwounds? Mellower, I would guess? Also, I've been told conflicting things about the toasters that come stock on the c63. Didn't you say in a previous thread that the neck pickup and bridge pickup have different impedances? (One of the salespeople at Sam Ash told me otherwise.) What would those pickup readings on the c63 be?

Robert

Yes, the 12Ks are a little bit mellower (more mid-range and bass), thicker, sounding than the 7.4Ks and somewhat louder. Regarding the c63, I haven't felt inclined to take mine apart and test the pickup impedance. Like you, I've read that the neck pickup is around 5K ohms impedance and the neck is a 7.4K. On the c63, the neck and bridge positions sound markedly different. Acoustically, my c63 sounds more like an acoustic guitar than my '02 360/12 and this is reflected in its amplified sound too.

dylumph wrote:I've been using Pyramid Golds for years and have no complaints.

+1

Another Pyramid user here - rounds on my Tele, flats on my Gent and 360/12 WB... The flats capture THAT sound I love so much from the 60s!

I have tried the following makes of strings on my Rickenbacker 12 string guitars. Some of my experiences have been as follows.

1. Rickenbacker Compressed Rounds- nice feel and intonated well, bright, hard to find
2. SIT Silencer Electrics - nice feel, intonated well, bright, a bit easier to find, cheapest
3. D'Addario Rounds - nice feel, mixed sets, intonated excellent, less bright, easy to find
4. Curt Magnan -nice feel, intonated well, on par with D'Addario, bright, fairly easy to find
5. Pyramid - rough feel, stiff, intonated less well, vintage tone, high tension, hard to find, pricey
6. Thomastik Infeld - nice feel, excellent intonation, medium bright tone, harder to find, pricey

admin wrote:I have tried the following makes of strings on my Rickenbacker 12 string guitars. Some of my experiences have been as follows.

1. Rickenbacker Compressed Rounds- nice feel and intonated well, bright, hard to find
2. SIT Silencer Electrics - nice feel, intonated well, bright, a bit easier to find, cheapest
3. D'Addario Rounds - nice feel, mixed sets, intonated excellent, less bright, easy to find
4. Curt Magnan -nice feel, intonated well, on par with D'Addario, bright, fairly easy to find
5. Pyramid - rough feel, stiff, intonated less well, vintage tone, high tension, hard to find, pricey
6. Thomastik Infeld - nice feel, excellent intonation, medium bright tone, harder to find, pricey

I have one addition to make: compressed roundwounds are no longer hard to find. They can now be obtained from Pick of the Ricks, as can the TI Flats and the Curt Mangans.

Since I use (and LOVE) Elixirs on my acoustics and 6-string electrics, I tried them on my 360/12.......Not Good!

TI or Mangans have worked out much better.

Dont forget Pyramid Gold flats.... I use the mediums for a bunch of my guitars both 12 and 6

brammy wrote:Dont forget Pyramid Gold flats.... I use the mediums for a bunch of my guitars both 12 and 6

Not a very popular brand around here anymore (with good reason IMO).