Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi guys and gals,
I have this perception about Rics being a clean sounding guitar. I hear lots of great gritty,dirty, crunch sounds come out. Played out of the same Amp against other guitars, like a Strat, the Ric pickups seem so hot, capable of crunch if you want it. I guess my point is that with my limited knowledge, I don't see a lot or Rockers or Blues guys these days using Rics dirty. Maybe I am just missing it. Thanks in advance for your time. Gerry

Heh. Just for fun, check out the thread "Rickenbokker" on Gearwire video.

Gerry, I don't think you're missing a thing. I'd guess that your knowledge isn't limited at all. I think that is my favorite pickup out of everything made. At least it works great in a Rickenbacker. I play mine every which way, from clean to dirty. I have even done some fairly "industrial" music with my 12-string.

The vid on gearwire in question doesn't even make any note of how great it is clean, which it is.

I've noticed the cool dirty, crunch sounds on my 360 DCM. Very balanced too.

I love overdriving my amp with my 330. It gets some great distortion perfect for the classic rock I play.

My toasters can get pretty damn dirty as well.

The only fender I've ever been able to get a good amp-only overdriven sound out of is my telecaster. I hate strats....

An interesting observation Robert. I find that one of the best tones on Rickenbackers and any guitar, for that matter, is when both the neck and bridge single coil pickups are used. The separation of the pickups is central to the "golden tone." Unless you wire your stratocaster this configuration is not available. For me, the placement of the pickups under the natural harmonics is also a key, which is problematic for those instruments using 24 frets.

I think the perception that RICS can't do anything except clean is just inertia more than anything else. Guitar players are really historically a conservative lot and since 'everyone' uses Strats, Teles, and Les Pauls, then thats what new players gravitate too. The real connisours try something different to stand out and some of them choose RICS.

For me, stock toaster 7.4k pickups are pretty clean and you have to get more out of the amp or pedals to get them to give it up. Hi-gains strike a good middle ground between the toasters and the humbuckers. The humbuckers really rip and crunch BTW. I haven't played 12k toasters since I was first starting on guitar in the late 80's and trying them out on **** amps in the stores. Maybe someone else can shed some light on their impressions of those.

Howdy,

You've got a choice: You can follow the herd and use a Strat/Les Paul/Tele or be distinctive and use a Rickenbacker 330 w/ Hi-Gains.
FWIW, I used a 325 as a back-up for leads in a C&W group in the 80's. A 330 is easier to play with it's full scale neck. Dare to be different!

Eggman

I have a 330 with Hi-Gains.(I actually bought a set and replaced my toasters.) At the time we were doing a lot of rock stuff, very cover bandish. And although my tastes lied in early 80's new wave and 70's glam, we often had to play things like Blink 182, Green Day, and the like. It handled all of them fairly well. My favorite setting was both pickups with the neck volume rolled off to about 60%. Since then I've been playing a lot of country rock (for lack of a better term) and it handles that was incredible ease. It can go crunchy, slightly dirty, and crystal clean and sound like an angel singing throught it all. Hi-Gains are completely and totally underrated. I know a lot of Rickenbacker guys can appreciate them, but even among guitar players before (who didn't play Rics) I've heard "You should have left them toasters in there. They're what the Beatles used." But usually when they hear how the Hi-Gains sound they say something about how they were "better than I expected." There really aren't a lot of players in current music who use Rickenbackers with a crunchy tone, but that's what makes it cool to me. It's almost like being a secret club.

If it sounds good, do it. That's pretty much the only rule to playing guitar. I follow it all the time.

It's a good thing no one ever told Paul Weller that he could only use his 330 in the clean channel :0)

Rob

I think Hi-gains are better for the bridge position than toasters or Rick humbuckers because they account for the differences in string height (which matters less at the neck position).

admin wrote:For me, the placement of the pickups under the natural harmonics is also a key, which is problematic for those instruments using 24 frets.

Wouldn't this only be true for open strings ? With the expection of the 12th fret, once you fret a string, I would think the natural harmonic would no longer reside at the 24th fret. Anyway, I agree that the golden tone is when both pick-ups are used, but I find this to be the case with my 24-fret Rics, which is all many of us know.

Steve: Yes I agree. It applies to open strings but there are a fair number of classic sounds that involve open strings. Two of my Rickenbackers, my 350 and 480 have 24 frets and I love their sound. There is, however, a chime that I find comes with instruments with 21 frets that I particularly enjoy. Additionally, I find the 21 or 22 fret instruments easier to play. I appreicate that latter is a function of my limitations.

can someone make some recordings of their ric overdriven crucnch? a semi hollow one preferably.

and also i just have this one question---

ok so im looking down at my guitar as i hold it in my lap--- the selector is in the middle -both pickups right- now i push it down so what pickup is that? i noticed when i pushed it up the sound is a lot less