Playing Unplugged

winston · Post by **winston** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 1:52 pm

I am just curious if there are other Rickenbacker owners who enjoy playing their Ric unplugged as much as I do.

I keep my 350 in my work space and when I need to consider a question, I quite often reach for it play it while I contemplate an answer to a question that has been posed.

This does two things for me it keeps my mind sharp, plus it is very good practise for the digits.

I find that I tend to play my Rics unplugged much more than I do my other guitars. Both my 350 and my 360 sound great in acoustic mode and they are comfortable instruments to play.

If playing unplugged is something you do, perhaps you could share with us which is your favorite Ric to play in acoustic mode and also what factors lead you to play it that way.

admin · Post by **admin** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 1:56 pm

I probably play my Model 350 unplugged more than my other Rickenbackers Brian as it has rather nice acoustic properties and is such a comfortable player.

I am waiting for someone to tell us that they play their Rickenbacker acoustic unplugged.

winston · Post by **winston** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 2:07 pm

Good point Peter, but if the answer is they prefer to play their Rickenbacker acoustic unamplified, then that's OK too.

melibreits · Post by **melibreits** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:30 pm

My very first Ric, a 330 (incidentally, one I just sent away to Paul for a refin), plays beautifully unplugged. It seems to sound better unplugged than any of my other Rics do unplugged, and I'm not sure why....It also sounds great plugged in....

I can ONLY play my Ric acoutic unplugged, as it does not have a pickup....

It sounds great, too, BTW.

But I do mic it if I am playing in public.

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 6:57 pm

I know this may sound a bit strange (being a solid body guitar), but I play my 660/12 unplugged occasionally, and it still sounds nice and jangly!!

winston · Post by **winston** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 8:39 pm

Its not strange at all Howard. I understand that Jimi Hendrix once commented that he could tell if a Strat was going to be any good just by the way it sounded unplugged.

I have a Strat that has incredible acoustic properties and is just as incredible when played through an amp. So in my mind that sort of proves his observation in that regard.

My 360/12 is unbelievable unplugged. It is never too far away from me. I quite often play it when I watch TV. I also like to look at it so it stays pretty close to me when I am home.

I am just curious if there are others who are similarly effected by their Rickenbackers.

steverok · Post by **steverok** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 4:34 am

My 330 sounds fuller, unplugged, than my 360, while the 360 seems to provide more of a percussive sound, both are very enjoyable unplugged, but my 360/12 is also! I will play any one of them unplugged, the preferred location is on the couch, watching TV, or in front of a mirror, looking, not at myself, but my guitar. I often choose a Ric over the acoustic, unplugged, simply because I like to touch and coddle my precious Ric's.

red_rob · Post by **red_rob** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 4:54 am

That made me laugh Steve! I've just fitted a new long horizontal mirror at home. It's too low to see your face in it but just the right height to see strapped on Rickenbackers...

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 7:25 am

The one gtr I play unplugged is my 360V64-12. It sounds fantastic unplugged.....doesn't sound too bad plugged in either.

bitzerguy · Post by **bitzerguy** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 7:29 am

Howard: I play my 660/12 unplugged a lot as well. It has great tone. You are not alone!

Steve: Actually I prefer to play unplugged in the bathroom. Better reverb acoustics. Even with the solid body. Great in steel tubs, not so deep in fibreglass tubs. Oh... only when the tubs are empty. Don't want to chance any water damage.

I try to always play any potential purchase unplugged first. It is the only way to ensure great tone when amping, IMO.

...Dean

rob · Post by **rob** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:28 am

I play my 330 unplugged because my old Premier combo amp is a power sucker, and it just sounds nicer unplugged.

As for my 4001, I have an amp but no speaker cabinet for it. So, therefore it gets played unplugged.

melibreits · Post by **melibreits** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:47 am

Dean, are you SERIOUS??? Hahaha.... I have never even thought about trying to play a Ric in a bathtub, LOL! That is a hilarious thought!

wim · Post by **wim** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:54 am

I play all my electric guitars unplugged most of the time. I have no acoustic guitar as I feel that they are too big, too loud to play quietly and not loud enough to play loud.
The rickenbacker has great tone acoustically, I guess careful acoustic research etc..
As for bass : I play that sitting on the sofa with my chin on the upper horn to let the vibrations find their way through my bones up to my eardrums.

lol @ dean

bitzerguy · Post by **bitzerguy** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 11:17 am

Melissa, it is very humorous, but true.

In the early 80s I used to play my acoustic (Takamine) in the bathroom for the quality reverb tone I could get. That tone became a small obsession with a friend of mine, Roberto Aspri, and myself (no.. not together!). Roberto came up with the idea of using a spring reverb device that could be attached to an acoustic guitar, based on the Fender Strat mod that was going around at the time. I helped engineer the bridge "pickup" and body mass characteristics/tone transfer properties for a device we called the "Aspri". About 3000 were made an sold.

It is a 3 spring device that has fingers that slip in between the strings in front of the bridge, and then slide back between the strings and the bridge, lifting the strings off the bridge slightly (yes, pitch was affected slightly). The other end of the Aspri would slip over the acoustic body near the strap button, and would put a slight tension on the 3 springs. This device would give a great "bathroom" reverb sound from the acoustic guitar, no amps needed. We even tried to design a "built in" device.

All from playing in the bathtub. You know, I never lost that habit.

It is too funny!! Try it. You'll see what I mean.

...Dean

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 11:52 am

Serenading the rubber duckies! How cute......