Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

This is a follow up to my re-stringing thread of 3/30. Had some tuning and intonation issues with strings 5-6 (I hesitate to call them G-strings). I needed a buddy's eyes and ears, but after a few minutes of adjustment, it set up and intonated beautifully. The 12 saddle bridge worked great and the guitar set up like it's supposed to. I love it when the whole is greated than the sum of the parts.

One question, while Ricks generally don't need major adjustments, they seem to require a lot of fine tuning. Is this a common thing?

Sometimes. But sometimes they arrive on your doorstep in tune, too, so it's a bit of a gamble.

You're right. That's how the 450-12 came.

I think Ric 12s need regular tweaking of the necks. I take mine in every three months or so, when the seasons change, for this reason, and my tech just straightens the necks out. It's quick and painless. I wouldn't try to do it myself.

If you watch Roger McGuinn's video, he carries a tool he made for this purpose, and I seem to remember he said something about tweaking the neck all the time.

Maybe McGuinn's need regular tweaking because of the travel they do. I own 6 Rick 12s of various vintages, and don't find myself adjusting the necks at all. Thank God for that--it would mean 24 tweaks per year if I did them every 3 months.

FWIW, I haven't had mine but a week, but consider this: the thing was built in Santa Ana, California, traveled all the way to the opposite coast, to a dealer in Pennsylvania, who then shipped it to me in Kansas. Quite some climate and weather changes there, you'll agree. And all this took place in the month of April. I pull the thing out of the box, open up the case, get a tuner out, tune the strings, and sit on my living room floor merrily jangling away. Just my 2¢ worth

JimK