Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I just got a fine maple glo 360 from 1989. Does anybody out there know the SKU#, or the type and gauge of strings that I should use?

Would "#95403 - All Full Scale Six String Guitars - Compressed Round Wound: 10-13-17-26-34-42" be the type that I should get?

I know it says to use only Ric strings, but are there other brands that would be all right?


- Lee

Lee: The sky is the limit when it comes to strings for your 360 or any Rickenbacker guitar. In answering this questions what you will get is each guitarist's personal preference depending on the sound and the type of music that they play. Your instrument is basically set up for 10-42 when it comes from the factory so any type of string that produces about the same amount of tension overall will do fine. I really enjoy the Rickenbacker 95403 sets and if you are able to get them for a reasonable price and enjoy the sound then by all means stick with them. Keep in mind that if you use heavier gauge strings that you may well need a truss-rod adjustment for your instrument. I have tried just about every type of string on my Rickenbacker 350 and in the end have come back to the type that intially came with the instrument. I am sure that others will be able to add to this post and give you their point of view.

I have been wanting to "test" out other strings and compare them to my Ric strings. However, when looking I am finding that the closest guage I can find is 10-13-17-26-36-46. Will I need a truss rod adjustment to use these strings?

Alex: In my view you will not need a truss-rod adjustment for this slight difference in the A and E strings. However, you will need to change the intonation. You can get most strings in bulk from many music stores and suppliers and so you could select these gauges precisely if you wanted to go to the trouble.

before yu rush out and reintonate ...try the strings for a couple of days and if they are fine then consider intonating the next set you get .I would first get the gauge you want then find the brand you like or feels that lasts the longest for you.
Nickel round wound strings are darker sounding than stainless.
Round wounds are brighter than half rounds

halfrounds are brighter than flat wounds .

Brands are all a little different in sound ,feel,and should be judged by comparision.Write down some impressions at first ,after a week and then change them to something else.I think you will be surprised .

I use 4 diferent gauges on my 6 string electrics and 3 brands
On my acoustics I use 2 gauges or 3 and 2 different brands.

By the way ..............A plane string from any brand is the same as every one else.
They ALL buy the same steel from the same source.
The ball end is applied differently ,but a .010 from any company is the same ...universally.

Mark~

Wow. I did not realize that the same guage string would be the same despite the company. I guess that does make sense though since they are all from the same material (stainless strings, nickel, etc.)

Any recommendations to start my "string hunt"?
I like to play rock music with fair distortion and plenty of clean.

.010 to .046 is a good standard place to begin.

If you played acoustic as your main instrument before going electric then try the .011 to .048 -.050 sets ...these have a plain 3rd/G string and are also a standard set.


I want to clarify something ....

To make a .024 string you can make it many ways .

You could start with a core wire of ,012 and wrap it with a .006

you could start with a .010 and a outer wrap of .007

you could get a string that has even less tension by using a smaller core and wind fast .
there are many variables to a wound string.

The size of wire as a core and a wrap plus how fast you wind it.And what the materials are .

The plain strings are for the most part (this is about 99% true)are all the same except for the winding of the ball end.

I finally got those Ric strings (#95403), and like them a lot! They seem to have better tension and thickness than the ones I used before.

Everything seems to be fine with the sound, but sometimes it seems (and maybe it is just me) that the high E string isn't quite as loud as the B or the G when playing lead (doesn't seem to effect rhythm). It's not very obvious, a very slight frequency difference. Everyone else says that it is just fine. I wonder if maybe it's the amp, although it works fine and the treble is up nearly as high as it can go. I admit that it's not a real fancy amp, a 60w Kustom solid-state that I've had for a few years, but it doesn't sound bad. In fact, the reverb I get from it and the Ric is simply AWESOME! Maybe it's the nut? I replaced the original nut with one made out of bone that a friend and I cut. Although, We (mostly He) did a real fine job, and the white bone looks great against the maple-glo finish. The nut was cut to near perfection, and, really, all the strings sound fine, so I doubt that this is the problem.
Oh well, maybe the slight frequency thing is just my hearing starting to slip again OR my utter infatuation with perfection in sound quality. Nevertheless, I will say that the Ric strings really ARE better.

This is nutty! Rickenbacker says to use compressed Round Wound strings (10-13-17-26-34-42)
And I cannot find find them anywhere! No one on the net sells "Rickenbacker" strings in my searches and if you go to Musicians's Friend and try to buy in bulk you're fine...except the .34 gauge! They just don't have that gauge, nor does D'Addario! Is the Ric neck that fragile that you cannot vary the gauges slightly? The Ric service dude that answered my e-mail says to stick with those gauges! HOW? HELP!

John,
Try Mike Parks site http://www.the-music-connection.com, he has RIC strings.

I just picked up my first Ric guitar, a 360/6, today. I need to restring it, as the guitar as been in this particular shop for what the owner thinks is 6 years and the strings are shot.

From what I've read here, the factor sets up the guitar for a regular set of 10s. Is this correct?

And if so, are there any recommendations for brands?

TIA,

-T

Tom...I use D'Addario XL nickel wound super light gauge 9, 11, 16, 24, 32, 42.
I usually change the 9 only to a 10 to avoid a too 'thin' sound.
I think a complete set of 10's is a little too stiff for me but the moidfied set of 9's works pretty good.
I think you will find that the DA's have a nice gutsy tone and will last a long time too.
Some brands of srings have an inconsistant diameter wire as you use a micrometer....this will make the guitar impossible to intonate correctly. I have never had this problem with the DA's and I use them on all my guitars.

I have a relatively new 330 (born over the summer some time)

I've tried the factory-installed 10's, D'addario 11 roundwounds, and Pyramid Gold 11 flatwounds. I personally think the Pyramids are great and worthy of a shot. The tones on my set are still great after a few months. They jangle really well, but don't have some harsher overtones of roundwounds that I personally find irritating. (Unlike a lot of Rick lovers, I am not a huge treble freak) Weirdly, I've played in this set long enough that I think string wear is starting to affect intonation, if that's possible. But, still, a very good sounding string. They are more expensive than anything else but last a good long while too.

Although I know he uses a totally different string, I can get fairly close to Pete Buck's tones on any of the first 4 REM albums.

[Edit]
OMG didn;t realize this thread was years old Oh well, hopefully somebody will find our suggestions helpful
[Edit]

Thanks for the suggestions. I did manage to find a set of Ric compressed roundwound 10's, so I'll give
that a shot first. I'll almost certainly try out some other brands as well.

_After_ I stop being nervous I'll break something.

Followup:

I put a set of D'Addario XL 9's on the guitar and it plays and sounds very nice. I'm planning on leaving this set on the guitar for a while, but I also want to try some regular 10's and Pyramids.

-T