Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I tried out a 650 Sierra the other day that belonged to a fellow collector in my home town and was suitably impressed by the looks, playability and sound of the guitar.

So much so that I went looking for one and was able to purchase a 2005 Rickenbacker 650s in near-mint condition. The original owner had never bonded with the guitar and decided to sell it.

I also have a 1990 620-12 that I use in my band for some of the Sixties Classic Rock that we play.

They're very well built guitars that have a distinctive look and sound. I really like the sound of the 650s buckers. Quiet and articulate.

650S pic:


more pics at: http://s416.photobucket.com/albums/pp24 ... ic%20650s/

620-12 pic:


more pics at: http://s416.photobucket.com/albums/pp24 ... 0620%2012/

Welcome to the forum, Michel, and congrats on your new acquisition! You're gonna love your 650S - I've had one for about six years now, and it's my main guitar that I use in the classic rock band I play in. It's a great guitar for Rock'n'Roll.

Welcome Michel. Congrats on the new 650S.

Thanks for your responses,

I'm really enjoying the 650s. It's got a great sound and is so easy to play. My main gigging guitar is a 1987 PRS Custom 24 which has very high output pickups compared to the 650S.

I switched from the PRS to the 650S at band practice this week and though the 650s sounded great it was somewhat overpowered by the band. So I would definitely have to tweak the amp and/or put something in front of the guitar to have similar output from the 650s. Not that we play loud but I've managed to fine tune my sound with the PRS so that everything is well balanced.

Just having fun switching guitars up.

Very nice...ever since I got my 660, I've been wanting a 650 too! Glad to hear the humbuckers are good for classic rock. I can't believe how nice the 650/660 necks are to play. I love the wider neck!

Yup, I love wider necks too thin or fat. The 650s humbuckers sound great. It's a really nice guitar all around, not to mention the looks!!

I have a 650C that is just dreamy. Yes, it isn't as high-output as some other humbuckers, but way more balanced for tone (more treble- more "Rickenbackerish"). I don't have to put it down for another Ric between songs, but, well, you know. I can always turn up the input and/or output volume of the amp to compensate.

The only slight downer for me with this guitar is how easily it can swamp an EF86 in a DC30 amp. It sounds great, but it absolutely crushes it (no clean headroom), so I need to use the 12AX7 channel for much of what I do with that amp. Of course, your PRS would have more troubles with it.

Congrats, Michel, and welcome to the Forum.

The other nice thing about the 650S is the ease of care ... if you get a finish blemish on it, it will be easy to fix.

Thanks for your responses folks,

Hey Sharkboy, I know what you mean. I play through a Peavey Classic 30 and I have to be real careful with the PRS guitars because they swamp the amp very rapidly if the volume knob on the guitar is too high. It may still sound great but not exactly what I need for any given song.

You're so right doctorwho. My 650s is practically mint except for a very slim indentation on the back of the body which can only be seen at a certain angle when the light shines just the right way. I'll probably buff it out at some point but I'm in no big hurry. I also like the feel of the uncovered wood.