Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey Guys-

Been getting several emails from Byrdmaniax members regarding how the mods turned out on the Rick 12 String, after being delivered to the Dr., Mark Arnquist.

Well, all I can say is WOW!! What Mark has done with this instrument is absolutely superb. The first thing I did, right in his living room, was pick it up and play Gene's "I Knew I'd Want You", and I swear the guitar just played itself while I watched, LOL.

The "Playability factor" of this guitar has been bumped up more than just a few notches.

As most know, Mark is a former Rickenbacker employee (1973-78), and since around 1980, something like 1/3 of all Rick 12 strings made have passed his bench!!

The steps, in 23 pics, can be seen here:

http://www.facebook.com/craviola990?ref ... =679021990

If you are unable to view them there, I have uploaded the entire works, along with Mark's commentary word for word, PLUS his 11 step "SRM" (Standard Rick Mods) sheet, which describes what he does to every Ricky 12 that passes his bench here:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/5euate

The file is around 5 mbs, and takes around 30 seconds to download. You will then have to "Unzip" the folder with the method of you're choice.

This is fascinating reading & viewing for any guitar player, even if you have no intention of getting any work done, plus lot's of "Insider Rickenbacker Info".

I have always dreamed of an non-laquered fingerboard on a Rick-12, and after getting the guitar back, I'm so glad I did...

The new nut, which I call Mark's "Secret Weapon" is FABULOUS, freeing up more room on that skinny neck. This is particularly valuable on songs like "All I Really Want To Do", where you have constantly changing "Full fingered chords" during the verse, all around the second fret and stuff, and potential "Finger overspill" is now a thing of the past!

I'm now running the instrument like this:

Rick 360/12CW/JangleBox/Digi-Tech 2700 Double Play/VOX AD-100VT.

Not the world's greatest amp, but it's getting the job done.

Amp model setting: 4X10 Tweed (Seems closest to "Original Five" sound)

Reverb on about 6, gain about 3, tone & volume to suit...JangleBox I ended up at about 2/3 up on both knobs as Steve suggests, and toggle in the middle (Don't have a JB-2 yet)

Chorus & delay on the 2700 I set at about 1 or 2 at the most...almost non existent...just enough to sail over the cliff, but barely noticeable, to "Keep it '60s".

These settings, all combined together, is the very closest I seem to be able to get to Roger's sound circa 1965 with the equipment I'm using. Yeah, the amp could be better, and certainly there are now better effects processors out there than this old mouldy Digi-Tech.

At any rate, all the details/specs/pics of the mods are in the download.

My parting words here..."If you think that you're Rick-12 String cannot be improved, think again!!"

Best, Christian

I saw the pictures in Facebook. very interesting but more questions are raised than answered:

why does the bridge have to be moved back?

what improvement do you perceive by removing the neck lacquer?

just curious, I have a 1966 370-12 MG (purchased 1967) which is essentially stock and I don't have any tuning problems, with the original 6 saddles and nut. The only mod I've done is to simplify the electronic controls, and that is reversible since I built a separate controls pickguard, I still have the original safe and secure.

Yup, I had the same treatment done to my 370/12WB by Mark several years ago and the playability difference is huge, especially for those of us with big hands. I can't really say that the lack of varnish on the fingerboard makes much difference to me though. My 340/12 has an expanded nut but still has the varnish and I can't really hear or feel any difference in playability due to the varnish or lack of varnish. I can certainly feel the difference in the full-width frets on the 370 vs. the standard 340 frets though, when it comes to string spacing and finger room. My old 360/12 had the "basic" Arnquist treatment (with a new nut, bridge clean-up, etc. but without the full-width refret) and while a bit roomier than the stock set-up at the nut, that extra little bit of space offered by the re-fret really makes a difference. I also really like that shaped truss-rod bar that he makes to fit the cavity, as the skinny steel stock ones were already digging into the wood and it wasn't a pretty picture. These obviously aren't inexpensive mods (mine ran around $500 in 2006 plus shipping) but if you're fighting with playability issues on your twelve, especially if big hands are part of the problem, it's likely worth every penny. I think I tweaked the truss rods on the 370/12WB about 1/4 turn and gave one of the bridge height screws a hair of adjustment when I switched from Ric rounds to TI flats a few years ago, but haven't had to do anything else to it since it came back in 2006 and I play it far more than anything else I own. The drawback to this is that it makes my Martin twelve (which is a very good one) feel like a tank and I get terribly spoiled by the Rickenbacker and terribly out of practice on the Martin.

just my opinion but I always felt that Martins were over-rated and over-priced. I have an 1960's Kent acoustic 12-string (with a "Hofner" decal and a sound hole "Hofner Anno" sticker that someone must have applied), that plays a lot easier and sounds very resonant when compared to a Martin 12 that I once played. Garage-sale find. Best 12-string acoustic I ever played, I have big neandarthal hands too but that was never a problem, in any case I can stretch my hand wide to play extended chord voicings.

one day I started polishing the guitar and while polishing the headstock I noticed the "Hofner" decal was rubbing off, (Simoniz rubbing compound !!), at the same time I noticed a shiny abalone logo underneath the decal, kept polishing until I saw it said "Kent".

Someone's joke or a factory hoax ?

Oh yeah guys, I wouldn't say that an unfinished board is better than a varnished one, it's a personal preference issue to be sure. I love the look and feel of natural rosewood, and seems to have a "Wamer & cozier" feel in my left hand, and I've just always prefered that natural feel anyway. I almost didn't have Mark do this...There is that Rickenbacker "Cool & different" factor of having a laquered fingerboard, and I know it does kill some value on the CW, but since he had to strip it anyway for re-fret, I bit the bullet, and had him just oil the board.

I think the bridge is moved so that all saddles, when intonated correctly, are closer to the middle of the chassis (As opposed to being to close to the screw head side) for more give in either direction, like a bridge set-up on most other guitars. More for the "Math", then anything else I think. There is definitely a valid argument out there too about the six saddle bridge...I've never noticed myself, but several players have claimed better tone, and certainly, I won't disagree with that.

In my situation, the two low E strings were so far out, that I pretty much had to go with the 12 saddles, as spot on intonation is quite important to me.

Luckily, I've always had rather slender "Spidery" fingers, but the new nut is really fabulous, and takes that little bit of edge off the tightness down around the first fret, and is just that much more comfortable to play.

Really, more of a post for one of the other forums here, but with so much great reading at RRF, I just can't get to it all as much as I'd like, so I pretty much "Hover" here at Byrds.

Zurdo, that's a great looking set-up! Is that Vox an old Series 90???

Best, Christian

Christian,

that is a 1969 Series 90, complete with tremolo/reverb footswitch. The Vox and the Rickenbacker are the only two pieces of equipment I have kept since my youth. Prior to the Series 90, I had a 1965 Royal Guardsman which I sold in 1969 to buy the 90, which has more watts. same size as the Guardsman, but with a Midax horn. best sounding Vox I've had, it sounds very "Beatleish" with the Rickenbacker, more midrangy than a Fender amp, which sound so shrilly.

I suppose that the 6-saddle Rickenbacker bridge has more "mass" per saddle and the tone is, well, the original factory tone. I do like the idea of the 12-saddle bridge, that's a great invention, but I have not needed it.

i too have an Arnquisted 360-12 (mine was done about two weeks after Todd's was done) and I enjoy this 12 string's neck and spacing better than my 660-12 (which has the wide neck). The Arnquist mods are highly recommended.

8mileshigher wrote:i too have an Arnquisted 360-12 (mine was done about two weeks after Todd's was done) and I enjoy this 12 string's neck and spacing better than my 660-12 (which has the wide neck). The Arnquist mods are highly recommended.

+1. On first consideration you might not think such a relatively slight mod would make such a big difference, but it does. Mark's work is terrific.

I've recently been in contact with the good doctor about my 370/12. We'll see where it leads.

My Rickenbacker could never replace my Martins .

This is all very interesting and has me seriously thinking. Thanks for the discussion everyone.
JimK

jimk wrote:This is all very interesting and has me seriously thinking. Thanks for the discussion everyone.
JimK

This thread has me doing some seriously thinking too.