Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

So, I wondered into my local vintage guitar dealer today and tried two 12 strings that I'd always wanted to play. They had a '68 Fender Electric XII and a Danelectro Belzouki. The Belzouki sounded exactly as it should: cheap and awesome. I started up with some Count V "Psychotic Reaction" before moving through some other garage greats. The Fender was awesome too. Candy Apple Red with that great hockey stick head stock. Awesome sounds out of it. If only I had the cash...teaching does not pay what it should.

Yeah, other brand 12ers are quite an experience.

I wouldn't even say they are "worse" than Ric 12's, just different. You can't approach it expecting them to sound or feel like a Ric 12, they are just totally different beasts.

I love Fender XIIs, and I wish I owned one. Wider necks and different tone is cool. Also vintage Gibson ES-335/12s are great guitars.

collin wrote:Yeah, other brand 12ers are quite an experience.

I wouldn't even say they are "worse" than Ric 12's, just different. You can't approach it expecting them to sound or feel like a Ric 12, they are just totally different beasts.

I love Fender XIIs, and I wish I owned one. Wider necks and different tone is cool. Also vintage Gibson ES-335/12s are great guitars.

Yeah, I was really impressed with the Fender. I really like the feel and design of the Jags and Jazzmasters and have always wanted to try one. The neck on it was harder to get used to because of it's width, but over all it was much more comfortable.

What was funny, and I don't know if it was original to the model, was that the Danelectro was strung like a Ric with the heavier string first. It had a very cool Ric-like sound through the lipstick pickup.

lennon211 wrote:Candy Apple Red with that great hockey stick head stock. Awesome sounds out of it. If only I had the cash...teaching does not pay what it should.

My problem is best described as "if only it didn't have the smurfhat headstock" - the sound of the Fender XII is okay.
The headstock however is a clear miss, imo!

I don't like the look of the Belzouki - even if I would be playing electro-folk I wouldn't get it! It's a parody!

I love the Fender XII - great sound, lovely wide neck. Only thing I didn't like was the "traditional" 12-string stringing.

And if I'm not mistaken, all Jimmy Page's Zep 12 string studio recordings were the Fender. Played the Gibby live, though.

Peter Buck used Mitch Easter's Fender XII on the opening bit of "Pretty Persuasion" if I'm not mistaking - at least I read that somewhere, no idea if it's true. Sounds wonderful though!

This Fender XII sounds great.

I have a '67 Gibson ES-335 12 that I used on one of our recordings and was/am very pleased with the sound. It plays great too. This was at a time that I didn't have a Ric 12, that has changed, but I still have the Gibson too.

Some of the "Tommy" album by The Who was Pete on a Fender Electric XII.

http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guit ... icxii.html



My keyboardist and I were talking about the Fender Electric XII. He said, "I'm sure it sounds great, but I think the Ric is more classic" I agree with this statement, but the Electric XII has it's own level of coolness. Fender SHOULD reissue this one. It's got it's good points: 12 saddle bridge!

jps wrote:This Fender XII sounds great.

Yes it does. But to my ears I can hear a little of that Fender twang in it, which is cool in it's own right, and to me makes that difference versus the Ric. Therefore, it would be nice to have both in the arsenal!

The Squier Venus is a surprisingly acceptable substitute for the Fender XII.