Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

As the new guy I have to confess I know next to nothing about Rics. I can tell you more than you want to know about Gibsons (I own 4) Fenders(4) PRSii (I own 2 now but have sold a few over the years), but I hardly know anything about Rics other than friends have told me the necks on the 300s are narrow and tough to deal with.

Welcome Jack! The necks on most Ricks are narrow but if that's not your cup of tea you should check out the 650 or 660 models. They both come with wider necks and the 650 especially has a fatter neck which will remind you of a Gibson.

Because we can't afford them all at the same time?

I'll take a whack. Here's a short answer to a huge question.

600 series has great sustain. 300 series has great jangle. 4001/4003 basses have THE tone. An added 3rd pickup means glassier tone. 12-saddle bridge (vs. 6 saddle) means better intonation up the neck. R tailpiece allows more flexibility with changing individual strings, while trapeze is easier to change quickly. Modern tuners are a little smoother to use than vintage style ones. Modern TRCs are harder to scratch up when removing for TR adjustment. Binding protects edges better but breaks up the continuity of the finish. Some finishes show smudges and sweat in the light easier than others. Walnut finishes are easier to repair. Ric-o-sound allows stereo output to split up the pickups. "Fifth" knobs allow more tonal variations and blending. Toasters are brighter and more vintage sounding than hi gains. Some have lacquered frets, some don't. Some have frets, some don't. Many have straplocks as standard, vintage style doesn't. Howzat?

Short, sweet, and to the point, Jdog.

Now, let's see, what did he say???

As a guitarist for over 12 years I prefer my Ric any day of the week (Ric 610) I love the sound and feel of the Ric. But I have little hands so the neck just feels great to me.

I'll just add this to Jason's response: A quality American-made guitar at an affordable price.

They just look so...so...cool.

I think Jack was asking why we pick one Rick over another, not just "why Ricks."

Really?

Part of the appeal of threads (other that getting together and making a fine piece of clothing) is that the topic can evolve, or at least take colourful twists-and-turns.

To each their own, I guess. It drives me nuts when I click on "Accent vibrato question" and see something like "I had to change a flat tire last week too."

But you make a good point - look at where this thread is now! (Partly my own fault with this reply, I admit.)

You make a good point; I meant my answer with no malice.

So, in good spirit:

Like many here, I had to (HAD TO) have a Rickenbacker 12 string; preferably a 360-12. I love the Beatles too, but I didn't just want a guitar to hang up on a wall...I wanted to play it.

As I'm not interested in duplicating the Beatles sound, I don't need to have the exact duplicate of their Rickenbackers.

Now, having said that, they would be nice to own, but it's not a priority.

The Beatles already did that, I wanna do my own thing.

Also, up here in Toronto, there's not a ton of Rickenbackers just waiting to be bought. So, when I finally had enought cash and ventured out into the stores, the first Rick I came across was a fine, fine looking Jetglo 381 6-string.

So, naturally, I bought it. Didn't know the first thing about 381's. Do now. Love this guitar.

Did get my 360-12 when I was in NYC this past January. Saw one in a store, jumped at it. Bought it. Thought about it later.

Glad I bought it.

Now Jason, as for the flat tire, hey, it could have been triggered by a vibrato in the tire rim.

I liked the look of the 330 more than the 360. One day I saw a MG 330 BT and thought it looked really nice.
Like Mick says, there's not an overabundance of Ric's up here, so I decided I'd better get it or regret it. Other than that, I had no real reason to buy any guitar, let alone a Rickenbacker.

Yeah, gotta agree...I like the look of the 330 more than the 360, but my 381 kinda covers that area, so I have the best of both worlds.

Of course, in Rick Land, there are waaay more than two worlds to explore.

Jdog, I agree that threads tend to be hijacked a bit too often, and I admit to having been the instigator on a few occasions. However, the hijacks often instill some welcome humor every now and then!

Back to Jack's question. The two Ricks that are my primary jamming guitars are my 1981 460 BG and one of my 370/12RMs (I usually use the FG, but it's in the process of restringing/setup, so I'm using the MG for now). Why those and not any other of the all-too-many that I have? Mainly that those give me the playability and sound for the songs I jam on. Of course, I would prefer to have the 730L mic'd for songs that would sound better with an acoustic, but the logisitics of dragging along a third guitar and setting up a microphone etc. are two time-consuming for the jam venue. If we wound up doing something like Walk Don't Run that requires a guitar with a vibrato, I'd have to take the 325v59. I think that you can see where I'm going - every guitar has its own unique 'voice' which sounds 'right' for certain songs, but one can make do with an 'all-purpose' guitar when one needs that.

Now, for home recording, anything goes, and I would figure out which guitar/bass sounds best on a particular song.