Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hiya.

A guy from my town wants to trade me his 360 for a Gibson acoustic I own. I have always wanted a 365 because of the tremelo on it due to my playing style (shoegaze stuff like Ride, My Bloody Valentine, etc...). I'm not too concerned about destroying the value of the Rick since I'm somewhat certain I'll keep it for ages, if not forever.
Here are my questions:
1. Is the only difference between a 360 and 365 the added tremelo?
2. Is it very difficult to obtain a Rick tremelo unit?
3. Do any of you forsee any potential problems modding the guitar like this?
4. How well do the Ricks with trems stay in tune? Some guitars go out of tune if you even so much as breathe near the tremlo arm.

The only difference between a 360 & a 365 is the vibrato unit. If you get an accent vibrato, you just attach it via the strap button...that's it! It also covers the screw holes from your R tailpiece, so the addition is completely non destructive & reversible.
I have three gtrs with an accent. You can't dive bomb, but with gentle use, the tuning is fine. I love them & depending on your demands for a vibrato system, I would recommend it.

Get an Accent. About $150.00 from Rick directly or one of the larger mail order dealers. Try Googling "Accent Vibrato".

This one stays in tune fairly well. Easy mod, too. Looks good on a 360.

Anthony, I recently put an Accent on my 330. It was simple to put on and is great.

However, if you're into playing MBV-style stuff, it's not going to be able to handle some of Kevin Shields' stuff. IMO, you NEED a Jazzmaster/Jaguar tremolo to pull some of that stuff off. The accent is very stiff, and provides a minimal vibrato.

Thank you for your replies everyone.

John -- I know exactly what you're saying. I've made do with my Bigsby for a few years now and have gotten use to the stiffness of that unit and it's inability to move beyond the stop piece on the arm holder. I assume the Accent piece will be even a bit easier to play with than a Bigsby. Ya, no?

http://svetlanamusic.com (my band...)

Ya. No. Sounds like you will be the first Rick owner with a Floyd Rose.

A Bigsby is stiff? Inability to move beyond the stop piece?

Yikes. Floyd is your Savior.

ummm.... riiiiight.

well, i can play 3,200 notes a minute and shred like no one you've ever heard SO TAKE THAT!

Anthony, I find the Accent more "stiff" then the Bigsby.

I listened to the two songs that you have on your site. While it is not the first genre that I would rush out and buy (I'm an old fart) I have to tell you that your band is very talented. I did not hear any big EVH dives in the music so you may well be OK with a 360 and an accent.

By the way your Gibson acoustic depending on what it is, may very well be worth more than a used 360.

Brian: Thanks for listening.

The Gibson acoustic I have is an J-180 EC (natural finish, not red). I've owned it for 10 years now.

Anyone know of any sites that give blue book values?

EDIT: Found the bluebook value to be around $1300 given the condition of my J-180EC.

The Accent is a great vibrato! I like mine much more than the Bigsby on my Gretsch. It's very musical and stays in tune wonderfully.

Yes, my band dips into the shoegaze thing from time-to-time.

Anthony, I liked the music. I expected it to sound more like MBV, but you did your own thing, and thats cool.

What guitar did you use on that recording?

Anthony, you're one of my Myspace friends.

Great music, Anthony. Come to Guelph on your next Canadian tour.

Thanks guys! I for that recording I used my DeArmond M75-T -- pretty nice guitar for the money. I ran it through my Silvertone 1484 and a ton of pedals.

Still waiting to hear from this guy about the trade. If it doesn't work out, I'll probably sell the acoustic and use the money for a Rick anyway.