Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I am starting to think that my 360 nut spacing is very cramped, compared to other guitars, or even my 330. Usually, we talk about the 360-12 being cramped, but I am having trouble with basic licks in open A and D on my 360/6. Would the Ric replacement nut be an improvement over the stock 360 nut, shipped in 2005 ? Anyone try this yet ?

Reportedly, the new nuts have the 330 spacing, which is an improvement over the 360 nut. Your other choice is to get the Arnquist mods done.

I know that the 360/12 models are now shipping with the 330/12 nut. Is that also the case with the six strings?

Ric 360's just plain need wider necks for some of us to be comfortable playing them. I know that they've been made with skinny necks since the time the earth cooled but that doesn't necessarily make it right. They are cramped and a bit unrealistic for many players. Having contacted Ric customer service about this issue, I was told that neck size on the 360 comes up often but hey, we sell every one we make so it's not likely to change.

I know I sure would dig my 360 a lot more if it had the neck from the 380L on it. What's the big deal? It's not like the tooling doesn't exist and it sure would please a lot of people to be a little less cramped.

Well, Bob, your screen name kinda reveals where your basic loyalties lie, hey?

Had you been at RIC75 and taken the factory tour, your question would have answered itself. RIC is amazingly compact and busy. To get involved in custom orders is simply out of the question.

If they started offering different neck widths to please a tiny minority of players, then why not custom colors, binding, and 7-string options? Why not have your name inlaid in the fretboard a lá Buck Owens (rest his star-spangled soul...)?

It's not just that they sell all they can make, plus; it's a tradition and something that most buyers expect from a Rickenbacker instrument.

The wider nut fixes things for most people; perhaps a luthier can address your own preferences.

I guess the screen name is a little misleading. It's a throw back to an old forum and was chosen out of desperation when all the other names I wanted were taken!

Anyway, I have heard it enough times to know that there is more than a "tiny minority" of people who really enjoy a wider neck. I respect a certain amount of tradition but a slightly wider neck on such a popular model doesn't seem to be a lot to ask. Then again, if they can't meet current demands, what good is an improved model if it simply will not be available. I suppose I can dream about it.

Have you tried the new nut?

I sold off my beautiful Mapleglo 360-6 last year for the same reason. If I still had it these days, I'd simply send it out to Mark and have him do the same full-width re-fret and nut replacement that he did on my 360-12WB. If, for example, I decided to remove all of the octave strings on my twelve and temporarily make a six-string out of it, the width between the center of the low E string at the nut and the center of the high E string would be about 37mm - which is about one millimeter more than the same measurement on my Telecaster, which I have no trouble playing. On a six-string, where you wouldn't need to worry about having space allotted on the nut for two high E's you could probably even get another one to two millimeters of space in there. The re-fret/re-nut is around $375, so you would want to be sure that you're planning to keep the guitar, but if you have big hands it's worth every penny and the thing plays like a totally different guitar.

Thanks Todd, I'll consider that.

(the following transcript is from the files of Rick-Cop)


Okay folks, let's get something clear...

BACK AWAY FROM THE 360!!!
LEAVE THE 360 (and 360-12, for that matter) ALONE.

IF YOU WANT A WIDE NECK, BUY ANOTHER MODEL.

Okay folks, move along...nothing to see here...

I actually dropped $1,600 last year on a new 660-12 and didn't like it either, so I sold it. The mods that I had done to my 12WB make it a superb player and everybody who tries it is blown away at how much better it is. It still has that fast, narrow neck, but the string pairing is tighter and I don't damp strings on open chords with my fingertips. It makes me a better guitar player and makes my music better. What on earth could be wrong with that? As an added bonus, the intonation is drastically better than it was from the factory. Had I known that Arnquist could do the same thing to my 360-6, I'd still be playing it instead of a different brand of guitar.

I understand that the Factory doesn't have the time or manpower to custom-build me a guitar with a neck that fits me perfectly, so I don't expect them to do so or complain that they don't. They also don't make guitars in Purple or Mink colors or replace broken-off necks, so these types of modifications and repairs have to get farmed-out to other craftsmen. In forty-three years of playing guitar and bass, both just for fun and for a living, I've never bought a perfect guitar yet, so it doesn't bother me to do what it takes to make the best music. If your hands fit well on a stock 360 or 360-12 that's great. If they don't, there are things that can be done to help you play better. It may not be a perfect, untouched, virgin wall-hanger when you're done, so if that's what's important to you, don't do it. On the other hand, if the mods make you a better guitar player, the people who have to listen to you play it certainly won't mind. Rickenbacker's best advertising is, always has been and always will be good music.

Here, here

(or better yet, Hear, hear)

Well put.

And what the 'ell would a Mink coloured guitar look like???

You haven't been paying attention, Mick. This bass was done for Paul Boyer, and was on display at the RIC75 gatherings. Paul described a Les Paul he'd seen sometime in the '70s, which the owner told him was painted in a finish called "Mink". I sent him a couple of swatches based upon his description, and the 4001 turned out the color you see here:



Many confluence attendees loved it!

You are correct, sir. I am humbled.

Nice...but then, what Ric doesn't look nice?
(excepting the ones people have mangled).

This one looks a bit like the coffee table my mom owned in the late 70's. Very classy.

Now I'm wondering if Paul knew your mom...

...or her coffee table...

I'm glad you don't think this one was "mangled".

We had the pleasure to meet a very happy Paul and his wonderful and supportive wife at the Confluence to beat all confluences in Santa Ana a few weeks ago.