Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

After quite some time of looking for another guitar to complement my twangy Stratocasters, I have found it Saw the 650 Dakota at the local music store, and after playing it just fell in love with the wide fretboard and the SOUND!

I have noticed that this guitar seems to have a bit more "give" in the neck than my others (Strat, Dano 12). One thing I noticed...as I am sitting and the guitar is on my lap, while my right arm keeps the guitar in place, my left hand can pull back on the neck and actualy move the neck enough to cause the strings to change pitch by a half-note.

I checked this against my Strat and I was able to bend its neck enough that the strings were vibrating just a millimeter above the 12th fret...and the change in pitch was almost unnoticeable. The Dakota does NOT bend as much as the Strat...with a lot of pressure, the strings were not right on top of the 12th fret as with the Strat....BUT....the pitch change was very noticeable. All the strings went sharp just shy of a half-note (e.g. E almost reached F). Hmmmm....

I would guess a lot of this might be due to the Strat having a floating bridge...but then my Dano does NOT have a floating bridge, is a bolt-on, and is as sensitive as the Rick (which is not a bolt-on).

Ultimately, is this the result of the 650's unusually deep pickup cavity? The fact that the 650 has a shorter nut-to-bridge sting length than my Strat? Do I need to worry about the strength of the neck overall? I am assuming this is common to all 650s?

Secondly...this being my first humbucker guitar, I am curious about each pickup's volume. Specifically, my neck pickup is considerably louder than the bridge pickup....I had to screw the low-"E" side of the bridge pickup up as high as it could go (and then to even out the sound out of the high "E" side I screwed it down just about as low as it could go). Seemed odd that there would be such a difference in volume and that the balance of the neck pickup would be such that one side had to be all the way up with the other all the way down. But again...perhaps this is normal?

Lastly, the shop I bought the guitar from claimed to have checked the intonation....but it was way off. In the end, I wound up having to pull the saddles back quite a bit (in fact, the low "E" string was back so far I nearly had to cut the spring....just like on every Strat I have owned). Again....is this pretty typical?

Sorry for so many questions....I'm way too anal, I know. But I love having things *just right* And I do LOVE this guitar! Sounds great

Thanks again....

Joe

Anyone?

well, most of us here also frequent alt ric, where these questions were already answered

as to you PU height adjustment, I never had that problem. Maybe you just dont like teh sound of HBs, and are trying to compensate...

for the neck bending, you said it yourself
"I would guess a lot of this might be due to the Strat having a floating bridge...but then my Dano does NOT have a floating bridge, is a bolt-on, and is as sensitive as the Rick (which is not a bolt-on). "
being a bolt on has nothing to do with it.
the strat has a floatin bridge which lifts as you pull the neck. the other 2 guiters just stretch the string when you pull the neck, hence ahigher note.

Since you state that your Ric does not physically bend as far as teh strat, I would say you are not experiencing a problem.

Quit worrying, and go play your guitar.
The Pu route mod is a mod. something you do to alter the guitar to make it more to your liking. Noone can say if you wil like the results...

JP

Joe: Thank you for buying a Rickenbacker and for your questions. Many are familiar with the behaviour of Fender and Gibson but less well acquainted with the differences associated with the adjustment and playing characteristics of the Rickenbacker. You are off to a great start when you comment on SOUND.

Some necks tend to have more inherent flexibility than others and this finding is apparent in some Rickenbackers and other makes for that matter. Some owners have made similar observations to your own with regard to the flexibility of the Dakota neck. After all, we are faced with trying to tame wood grain with truss rods and design and it pays to remember that "wood has a memory." The flexibility of this instrument is something that does not seem to be out of the ordinary from your description. You will adjust your playing style to it without knowing. Just in passing, I am not a great fan of changing strings all at once and I would change them one at a time. In necks with this tendency I feel more comfortable keeping a steady tension on them. Frequent pressure/relief cycles may increase flexibility to the point of what some refer to as the "rubber neck." By typing in Dakota 650 or 650D in the search function you will be able to see what comments have been made about the Dakota bo other visitors to this Forum.

Pickup adjustment is a matter of personal preference and I would not consider your observation to be unique. Your playing style and music preference will dictate the extent to which you will change pickup height. It sounds to me as if you are in the right ball-park already.

Intonation changes with the wind, or so it seems. Expect your instrument's intonation to change with the environment in which it lives. Where I live, family memebers crank up the heat of the stove and I bend accordingly. The same goes for your guitar. So expect that slight adjustments to your intonation may be required a couple of times a year.

I hope your questions have been answered. Sorry to be so long responding. We may be slow, but we love Rickenbackers. Without owner questions and comments, we would have little reason for existing. Ask away and enjoy your Rickenbacker.

Many thanks for the reponses....I really do appreciate them! I am really diggin' this guitar!!!!


Joe

THis may be waaay off base here but regarding the string-to-string output problem, have you considered fiddling with string gauges? Perhaps more metal on a thicker string will "bite" more and sound louder. Just a thought;)

Joe, funny you should mention these things, as my brother and I mentioned these same things to each other soon after I got my 650D and he first played it. I had to intonate my guitar as well, and the spring on my E6 string is tightly compressed. My brother noticed right away how he could really change the pitch by pulling and pushing the neck. The bridge is very solidly fixed to the body, and that probably accounts for the bigger change relative to your Strat. My neck pickup is a bit louder as well, but that is the way you want it since most heavy guitar sounds utilize the neck pickup more. The bridge is utilized more for clean playing, and a lower output is OK for that. Reducing the windings and thus the output will also allow a wider bandwidth, all other things being equal. The bridge pickup needs a more extended output in the treble, so it may have less windings and a lower output. I'd say it's probably nothing to worry about unless it is radically lower in output.

My brother and father also agree that the 650D is a very fine sounding guitar. My father's Gretsch solidbody guitar is a bit more mellow sounding, but both guitars sound WAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY better than the vast majority of guitars hanging in the local shops.

Thanks for that reply Philip....

It's ironic you bring up a comparison between the Ric and a Gretsch....I was originally going the route of buying either a Setzer Hot Rod or a Rose. True, these are hollowbodies and the Ric is a solid....but the Gretsches and the Ric all have that mellow tone you mention.

Ultimately, there were too many quality issues with modern Gretsch guitars for me to want to buy one. Once I played the Ric, though....it came very close to *that* sound that I am looking for...very surprising from a solidbody. Really has a unique tone.

This guitar has quickly become my fave. And I do thank everyone here (and on the ng) for answering my anal questions!

Thanks!

Joe