Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I hope to be buying my first Rickenbacker tomorrow and I was wondering what is considered the best string gauge? 9's, 10's, 11's?

Keith: Congratulations. You will get a lot of fifferent perspectives with regard to this question. The Model 330 comes stock with Rickenbacker compressed wound strings with the gauges of 10, 13, 17, 26, 34, 42. In practical terms this would be 10s, with the exception of the A and E strings which, off the shelf, would typically be 36 and 46, respectively.

Thanks Peter. Sounds a bit like the strange mix on my strat of 10-38's.

I have been told it is a real pain to change the strings on a Rickenbacker, especially at the R tailpiece. What is so different?

Keith, welcome and good for you

You will see for yourself what is different about the R tail tomorrow

Kidding aside... its not so bad. Lay a rag on the body under the tailpiece! Use a piece of masking tape to hold the ball ends in their slots and a capo to hold the strings over the fretboard while you wind em up.

I string my 360/6 w/ D'Addario 11s. I find the 10s to be a little too skinny for my tastes. You may want to do a search on this board - many people have very definite opinions on makes and guages.

Unless you want to do a cleaning of the fretboard, I find it easiest to change only one string at a time so that the tailpiece retains its tension. If you take off all of the old strings at once, restringing can be a real hassle!

Andrew: D'Addario 11s work fine and you are exactly right when you say there is considerable variability in string slection with Rickenbackers as in the case of all makes of guitar. The higher you go in tension, the more likely a truss-rod adjustment will be necessary and so for owners of new guitars it is sometimes easier to go with the stock-set tension.

Also changing the strings one at a time is my preference as well. It makes the task much easier and keeps a steady tension on the neck which I consider to be a good thing.

I was at the luthier's shop a few weeks back when a guy came in with an electric strung for "metal" with strings that ran thru .70!!!!! I was told it was the "Zakk Wylde (sp?)" influence that had kids using those ultra-heavy string gauges.

Think about the string tension excerted by a set of *those* monsters. Karl Wallenda used to walk across canyons on smaller cables than that!

I tried some NOS Gibson Sonomatic flats on a '66 Rick 330 I had back in the mid 80s, which were like med-heavy guage. The neck on this Rick took the tension just fine, was straight as an arrow, and had this fabulous, huge rhythm guitar tone to die for.Another one that got away[bought for $450
in '85!!]

Gibson Sonomatics, round wounds, are still made and I have used them often on my Model 350. I find them to be excellent.

I agree with one string at a time. That's how I change all my strings. Thanks for the advice guys!

One vote here for the stock RIC strings.

David (Rick Rocks) - Thank you, that is one of the most helpful suggestions I've ever gotten.

You could try some Pyramid Flat 13-52's.

I like them, but I assume them to not be a populat choice.