Wow, this is a Rickenbacker...?

[ric330]

So I'm finishing up my buddies dot Epiphone pickup replacement with 57' classics and he ask me what in that case (pointing to the RIC 360/6 JG)?
I told him it was a real fine guitar but it wasn't a Fender Strat or a Gibson Les Paul Custom (which I also work on for him). He plays a bit of acoustic too in his band and has a real nice Guild 12 string with a K&K pure western I installed for live shows. Anyway, he asked if he could look at the RIC and I said sure.
Well I opened the case and you should have seen his eyes light up . "Wow, this is a Rickenbacker...?" I'm like yeh -Gleeming Jetglo in the light as I pull it out of the case.

I checked the tuning and handed the sweetheart over to him to give it a whirl........I went back to finishing the install of the pickups in the Epi and put his guitar back together as he strummed away. I just let him soak up the different feel and tone of the guitar. He stops for a minute and says "Man, this thing has great action..." So I asked if he wanted to plug it in to hear the RIC sound for himself up close and personal. "Yeh!" He exclaims. I pull out my trusty ol' Blackface Deluxe Reverb equipped with a Celestion G12H and Mercury Mags and set it up for a real sweet clean tone and put the guitar in the neck position pickup.

Now remember he's Gibson guy with also a Strat with noiseless Lace Sensor pickups (go figure)...he immediately says "this guitar is quiet " (it has the stock High Gains on it - which incidentally, I was quite amazed at how quiet they were when I bought it). He fools around for a while playing some bluesy stuff then some jazz riffs and I can hear him from the other room ... "this guitar is great". I get the Epi done and stung up and we plug her in - yeh it sounds like a Gibson 335 sorta and in a few minutes he says "Hey, let me try that RIC again..?". I turn up the Deluxe now to about 6 - I say.."Go ahead , dig in" . Well any of you that have the high gain pickups on the recent RICs know the story. They sound really great pushing a Lower wattage tube amp. I couldn't get my guitar back.

Remember he just spent $200.00 on his guitar for the Gibson pickups and he isn't the slightest bit interested in playing it. So after he finally got through changing the molecular structure of the Celestion in my amp - He notices... "Hey, this is made in America...? AH...yeh!
He wants a RIC 12 string. Another sways......

[johnallg]

Great story. Ya gotta love it! Thanks for sharing, Kevin.

[winston]

That is a great story Kevin. Another convert to our secret society.

[goofyfoot]

Epiphany!



Regards....Goofyfoot.

[eggman]

Howdy,

Ric330: Why didn't I think of that? Perhaps Rickenbacker enthusiasts like us woudn't be so alone in our enjoyment of Ricks if we allowed the "unenlightened" to play our Ricks! Recently I offered to let a teen-aged son of our friend play my MG 360/6 when they visited. "Nah..hey, ya got an Ibanez with super-distortion pickups and the built in handle!!?" I could only sigh in my dismay.
Eggman

[ric330]

"Nah..hey, ya got an Ibanez with super-distortion pickups and the built in handle!!?"

I love it...
Well at least you were saved from the possible damage to your guitar.

[jingle_jangle]

So many knock Ricks without having given them a sympathetic tryout. They're rare, quirky, and at times I'm led to believe that more gossip than truth permeates the airwaves regarding them.

Rick owners, spread the word!

[johneek]

Great stories!!!!!

[lennon211]

Howdy,

Ric330: Why didn't I think of that? Perhaps Rickenbacker enthusiasts like us woudn't be so alone in our enjoyment of Ricks if we allowed the "unenlightened" to play our Ricks! Recently I offered to let a teen-aged son of our friend play my MG 360/6 when they visited. "Nah..hey, ya got an Ibanez with super-distortion pickups and the built in handle!!?" I could only sigh in my dismay.
Eggman

I've talked about this before on another forum, but I do a program with the high school that I teach at with the music club. I bring in a number of guitars and do a "show and play" for the guys and talk to them about sounds, famous artists, and whatever else they want to discuss. This year instead of my V-series guitars, I took in a '05 360/12 and a '06 330. They immediately took to the 330. I don't think that any of them had ever had the chance to try out a Ric, much less be that close to one. Everyone wanted a turn and they all played their own style on it. When watching them play though the expressions on the faces changed as they realized that this wasn't just a "Beatles guitar" as they saw it. It was something substantial that they could dig into. I had students playing originals on it, as well as some of the others doing blues, and one tapping on it. It was the one that they all wanted to try out. It was really nice to see this, as there were a number of other guitars in the room such as a Gretsch Duo-Jet, Gibson Custom Shop Firebird, and a '62 reissue Tele.

[ric330]

lennon211
Thanks for sharing that. Breaking some ice out there - Good for you. I was one of those guys a while ago until I picked up a RIC.

[lennon211]

Just doing my best to extend what knowledge I can impart to students beyond the Social Studies realm.

[jwr2]

So many knock Ricks without having given them a sympathetic tryout. They're rare, quirky, and at times I'm led to believe that more gossip than truth permeates the airwaves regarding them.

Rick owners, spread the word!

Don't tell anybody ... at least until they catch up on the backlog ...

[ric330]

Good point but we could lean the new comers to the used lot..
I was tweaking a Buddy of mines Presicion Bass Friday night (he also plays a Jazz Bass) and I ask him have you ever tried a RIC Bass
he said that the neck tapered too much from body joint to nut I played it for a few minutes and then the Jazz...I think the Jazz bass tampers a far amount too.
Now I'm not a Bass player but I love to get my hands on a RIC bass and do a blind fold test for feel and tone with him. He may have tried a RIC that wasn't set up like
his Basses - which he has me set up with fairly low action. Fenders certainly have a tone that he really prefers but I'd still think he could be persuaded I personally think the RIC bass is about as cool as it gets especially the 4003's.
I love to get one for myself.

[jingle_jangle]

Our bass player, Joseph, played a cheapo and very nasty-looking Fender MIM Jazz, spray-canned in nasty black, until shortly after I joined the group, when George picked up a new and clean MIM Jazz in Sage Green and sold it to Joseph.

Last Summer, a totally mint JG 4003 turned up on craigslist here for $800.00. George was all over that one, and we presented it to Joseph, who was very pleased at both the bass and the price, and promptly went out and bought a new Ampeg 450W SS head and 1-15" cab to go along with it.

Still, every practice, I'd glance over at J. about halfway through, and find him reverting to the MIM Fender. It took a couple of months, and there were times that he talked about selling the Rick--he loved those cheapo Fenders. He also liked to palm-mute, which we cured him of with gentle reminders every few minutes. Now volume is up and the bottom end of our Unique Sound (ahem) is stronger.

We took off the treble pickup cover at his request; he's liking the Rick more and more and playing it 100% of the time with us. The green Fender has been relegated to backup chores, and the black spray-canned one is the one he uses at home.

Here it is, front and center, in a recent pic. Incidentally, the thing Rick is holding is the "Craggy" award that so many of you voted for.

[ric330]

Great story Paul and a very nice bass indeed.

BTW Paul is that a bolt on neck Rick ...sorry couldn'd resist.