Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

.010-.012 set, roughly...years ago, players would sometimes use .008 and .009 Slinky sets on these. Problems ensued.

I am not positive what's on it now (they feel too light, though) but I am going to put .010s on it first. Right now the B sharps a bit and the lower strings were a bit sharp at first so I angled the bridge back a bit and it is better.

Here's what most all the English players from Clapton to Harrison did in the early 60's: some used flat wounds and some used round wounds. Most gages had a high E of .012 0r .013 with a wound G. They would toss the .056 or .060 low E pushing the string set up and replacing the high E with a .010 Banjo string...In the mid 60's Ernie Ball changed all that. Rock&Roll Baby..

That is interesting info; I am not sure I could handle .013s! .011s maybe. I still want to bend them a little bit without killing me.

I played with an .11-.52 set for awhile. It was okay, but I like the .10-.52 set better for doing bends, except on the Ricks, on which I use a .10-.46 set. The only guitar I've used a .12 set on is my `53 Gretsch Electromatic, but I think I have a lighter set on it now-I'm not sure, the luthier put the last pair of strings on it for me after dressing the frets, et cetera:

Nice! Can you post a closeup of the bridge on your Electromatic?

That IS a really good-looking Gretsch Electromatic!

I don't have one of those yet.

MY eyes go immediately to that cracking DeArmond single-coil. It's a classic pickup.

jingle_jangle wrote:MY eyes go immediately to that cracking DeArmond single-coil. It's a classic pickup.

And made by Rowe Industries, same as the pickup in a 1957 Rick Combo 400, right?

Same manufacturer, but dfferent pickups. We know all about that situation, don't we, Dr. Rand?