Short Scale Rickenbackers

Reports from Germany
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admin
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Short Scale Rickenbackers

Post by admin »

Markus: While there are 114 Rickenbackers in our Register from Germany, only a handful of them are short scale instruments.

Do you know others who play the Model 320 or 325? What made you purchase yours?

Also, I have heard your version of Sleepwalk on your 325 if I recall correctly. Was it a challenge for you to record this track using a 325?
Life, as with music, often requires one to let go of the melody and listen to the rhythm

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doctorno
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Re: Short Scale Rickenbackers

Post by doctorno »

Peter, such a short post and so many interesting questions :wink:

No, personally I know nobody else in Germany who plays a short scale Rickenbacker. I have heard from Walter Kraushaar, a very good luthier in Aachen, that Ina Deter - a local rock musician who was quite well known in Germany in the 80s - owns one and has once brought it to him for repair. And from time to time 320s or 325s appear on ebay, mostly sold by people who play or have played in Beatles cover bands.

When I discovered my 325 in a shop in Cologne I was a student at the university there and the 2000,- Deutsche Mark that it did cost (used) were far too much for my budget then. I used to take a streetcar to university and from the window of the streetcar I could see the RIC in the shop window every day. After a year or so the price tag dropped to 1500,- - still too much money for me, though it was a ridiculous price for this model. Nevertheless I went into the shop to play the guitar and I talked with the shop owner about it - not once, maybe three or four times, before the shop owner said: "Well, everybody is sceptical about this guitar because they think the short scale is a problem and nobody wants to buy it. I can see that you know how to play it, so I would give it to you for 1000,- DM." Somehow I borrowed the 1000,- DM. Since then it has been my favorite guitar and it will ever be my favorite.

The strange thing is, that I never cared much for the John Lennon connection of this model, although I love the Beatles ever since my parents played their records when I was an infant. But when I bought this guitar I played in an indie rock group and was heavily influenced by The Velvet Underground, Bauhaus, The Fall, New Model Army. It was the sound of Brix Smith´s RIC 330 that increased my interest in Rickenbacker guitars. Her sound on "This Nation´s Saving Grace" and "Bend Sinister" was the reason I tried out this little RIC in the shop in Cologne, that looked almost like John Lennon´s on the cover of "Something New" ... And I think the first song I played on the guitar was "What goes on?" by The Velvet Underground.

At the time I bought it, I thought, well maybe I can use this guitar for three or four songs that we play in our band. But I quickly realized that the 325 was very easy to play and sounded absolutely amazing.

When I recorded "Sleppwalk" on 5 different guitars (2 RICs, 2 Fenders and my Burns) it was not a big challenge for me to play it on the 325. Nevertheless I must say that the Burns Marvin is my favorite for this kind of music followed by my 650AVH. But it is also possible to record such a song with a 325V59. The guitar has less sustain and you need a little more compression - and it will not sound exactly like The Shadows - but nevertheless it will sound very good as well.
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