Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I'm looking for a new guitar as you know I
have a (1) 350V63 Rickenbacker (2) Gretsch
6128TBEE Duo Jet. Here are some of the guitars
that I have looked at Fender Tele Epiphone
Casino, reissue Vox Teardrop & Phantom, used
Steinberger GR4. They are all in my price range
does anyone have any ideas on this.
Thanks in advance.
Lou D

I still say go with the Casino.

What kind of music do you play? A Casino and a Stienberger are not even remotely in the same league.

John I play 60's music Beatles, Byrds,
Searchers, Paul Revere and The Raiders,
Jan and Dean. These are just a few there
are others like The Knickerbockers, The
Bobby Fuller Four,and Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs. Besides the two guitars that I
have the 350V63 & 6128TBEE Duo Jet I want
something that will cover all grounds. I
had a Steinberger in the early 90' when I
played thru a reissue Fender Twin Reverb and
I did get a good sound with that setup. I don't
want to be like every body I like being different. Right now the Steinberger GR4 looks
like the one that I'll get.
Lou D

There are a couple of guitars that I would
buy over all the others. Rickenbacker 1997
used and a reissue Vox Teardrop or Phantom.
I always like the way Brian Jones looked with
his Vox guitars. Years ago I could have bought
a 1997 when they were reissued I wish I had.
If I could find one I would but it.
Lou D

I'd go with the Casino....it's my favorite "non-Rick" guitar.

Casino for me too.

I understand what you are saying the only
thing is this. If I go with the Casino is
it the MIK or the MIJ? Should I go with the
MIK do you have to change out the pickups and
everything else. I'm also looking at a reissue
Rickenbacker 1997 in Mapleglow which I like.
My other two guitars are Beatle style 350V63 &
6128TBEE Duo Jet.
Lou D

You already have two semi-hollow single-coil guitars. Go with the Tele, dude - maple neck - not the Casino.

A chap brought one of those Steinberger 'sticks' into the studio the other day. I'd never heard one before. He put it through my Marshall & the sound was SUPERB...I was quite blown away by the sound. It did the rock thing brilliantly, but also did the out of phase Stratty stuff....really flexible in the range of sounds it produced.

Mind you, I wasn't blown away enough to consider buying one....I just couldn't get on with the concept of the thing, but what a great sounding gtr!

On the other hand, he was blown away by the Marshall, impressed enough to start looking for one!

Raider: It is definitely time for a Rickenbacker 12 string. This will give you more versatility and a must have for Beatles, Searchers, Byrds and other British Invasion numbers.

Anthony, what sort of Marshall do you use? There are so many different models out there (used and new) that it's tough to know where to start. Every Marshall I've played through -- i.e. badly maintained rehearsal room amps -- has been pretty poor, but I wouldn't have known what kind it was, whether it was good or bad, solid state or tube, etc. Is there an affordable, flexible, nice sounding combo in the current line-up, or do you have to buy vintage?

John, mine is an early '80's 100w Master Volume valve head, with an old slant 4x12 bass cab & a newish gtr straight 4x12. I don't believe that ANY Marshall valve amp could be called poor....however, the solid state amps are a different story. I know they have their fans, but for pro use, most solid state gtr amps are pretty poor IMO, regardless of manufacturer. I think that most would agree that if you stand a valve & solid state side by side, there would only be one winner.

As a result, although Marshall do some very good amps in their present lineup, the valve models are the 'real' Marshalls & unfortunately, affordable & top quality don't go hand in hand. I would argue though, that if you compare prices, then Marshalls offer incredible value & are quite a lot cheaper than their competitors in many cases.

Peter, I looked around and one local music
store has a 12 string 360 in Fireglow. I have
big hands and I have tried 12 strings in the
past and they are very hard for me to play.
I don't know if its the neck or I'm not that
good with a 12 string. I sold a guitar to a
friend at church and I'm getting it back from
him. Its not a Rickenbacker its a Steinberger
GR4 and its in my price range. I would have
loved to find another 350V63 or a 1997 but I
didn't. At this point I don't want to take the
Rick or Gretsch on the road but I will record
with them.
Lou D

Don't be put off by first impressions, Lou. I'm six ft four and thought I'd could never play a 3/4 scale guitar. But you warm up to the sizes quickly if you stick with it.

Plus it takes a little while to get used to 12s. But it's worth it. I had not played one in a while myself and got back into it recently. It was weird at first but in no time I had it down.

As for the Casino, a ES-330 will do in a pinch. Same guitar.