Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Sorry to ask; my used Rick 12 string came complete with the manual last Friday. However this manual is vague and states "some models of Rickenbacker guitars come with..." Also I am 100 milesto the nearest Rickenbacker dealer. I can't yet determine:

1. What does the smallest knob do?

I know there is a 3 position pickup switch, then for each pickup there is a bass and treble control. Those have a dramatic effect on the sound. But I can't figure out that small knob. I am playing at very low volume so far.

2. What are the 2 different chord connectios for? What difference does the "Ricksound" have over the "Standard" So far I use a Fender Acoustasonic strereo amp and don't notice much difference between the 2 connections.

Than you in advance,
Craig

The small knob is a second volume control for the front pickup although it is not tied to ground so it dosen't cut it out completely. Many people find it usefull. I always left it at max.
Rick-O-sound is a stereo mode, that when used with a stereo cable, sends each pickup to a different amp or channel. This gives you the opportunity to adjust the volume and tone at the amp differently for each pickup. If using the Rick-O-sound jack with a mono cord only one pickup should operate.

ken_j wrote:The small knob is a second volume control for the front pickup although it is not tied to ground so it dosen't cut it out completely. Many people find it usefull. I always left it at max.

To add more clarity, max headroom is counterclockwise on the blend control; it is wired up in reverse to a normal volume control, in addition to it not having the third lug grounded.

The small knob is a second volume control for the front pickup although it is not tied to ground so it dosen't cut it out completely. Many people find it usefull. I always left it at max.

To clarify, the small knob is a second volume pot in series with the main volume control for the neck pickup (and ungrounded). So when you're playing with the switch in the middle position (both p/u on) twiddling the small knob adjusts the relative contribution of the neck pickup. You could accomplish the same thing by making small adjustments to the neck pickup volume knob.

When you're playing with a stereo cable plugged into the Rick-o-Sound jack the small knob still does the same thing, but since the signals from each pickup are now split into two channels the small knob affects the relative volume of the neck pickup channel vs. the bridge pickup channel.

While in one sense the fifth knob doesn't really serve any purpose (since you can get the same result by tweaking the main neck p/u volume knob) I find myself using it all the time anyway.

Adjusting the neck pickup volume does drop out the treble like an ordinary volume knob, whereas I don't hear the highs go away when adjusting the 5th knob. Right?

The elusive fifth knob... When I first got a Ric, I thought it was the coolest thing. I use it all the time for various effects, and you'll find it takes some treble off in the middle position if you just use it a tad (If you're looking down at it - nine o'clock makes a good blend). I think having it full on, for me, drowns out the treble too much.

Thank you for the info. My guitar room is small enough, that at low volume it doesn't make that much difference. At a barn jam next week, I will have some room to crank the volume and give it a full test run.

Already I have been notified that for this area no one will show up with a Ric 12 string, much less probably not a Ric 6 string either. Thats unfortunate, since these are a truly fine electric guitar. Its mainly Strats, Telecasters and Les Pauls here.

I love the way the notes and chords sing out on this guitar for so long, and it appears to play with some sort of tremelo sound in there somewhere.

-Craig

Adjusting the neck pickup volume does drop out the treble like an ordinary volume knob, whereas I don't hear the highs go away when adjusting the 5th knob. Right?

According to the schematics on the RIC website, it is just two pots wired in series. As I understand it, at least in theory all that should matter is the total resistance between the output jack and the other side of the circuit. So (again in theory) any change you make by twiddling the 5th knob should be reproducible by some twiddling of the bass volume knob that causes the same change in total resistance (since resistance in series is additive).

John Hall has also said (I think it was on the RIC board, and I am paraphrasing) that the 5th knob is redundant and that they would have gotten rid of it were it not for the fact that we would all flip out.

It is only redundant on guitars that do not have the inline .0047 microfarad pickup to the bridge pickup, with all due respect to Mr. JH. If the knob has the effect of cutting highs, then there is an impedance issue somewhere: either the pickup has a fault, or the pots aren't full value, or the amp doesn't have the correct input impedance.

The fifth knob is a second volume knob to the neck pickup. It's main use is to balance the volumes of the respective pickups when the selector switch is in the middle and the two primary volume knobs are on full, and the player wants more control over the difference between bridge pickup/both/neck pickup settings.

iiipopes wrote:It is only redundant on guitars that do not have the inline .0047 microfarad pickup to the bridge pickup, with all due respect to Mr. JH. If the knob has the effect of cutting highs, then there is an impedance issue somewhere: either the pickup has a fault, or the pots aren't full value, or the amp doesn't have the correct input impedance.

The fifth knob is a second volume knob to the neck pickup. It's main use is to balance the volumes of the respective pickups when the selector switch is in the middle and the two primary volume knobs are on full, and the player wants more control over the difference between bridge pickup/both/neck pickup settings.

Is it my imagination, or is the neck pickup a great deal more powerful than the treble in Rics? The cool thing about that fifth knob was that I can leave the volume at a normal volume level in reference to the middle position, so when I switch to the neck, I can pump up the volume for warm jazz or loud Robert Fripp style licks.

To me, the fifth knob is totally relevant. I'm sure Mr. Hall knows all about his own guitars, but I find it comforting that it's there.

I totally dig the fifth knob. I don't mess with the tone knobs generally, just the 5th. A wide variety of tones, leaving both pups on.

Also I find the neck pup more powerful, and flip to it for a slight boost for most solos.

I agree with Jerry,i play mine with the 5th rolled back a tad and roll it back to full to fatten up the sound when i want it.i do this with the 6s and 12s

shamustwin wrote:I totally dig the fifth knob. I don't mess with the tone knobs generally, just the 5th. A wide variety of tones, leaving both pups on.

Also I find the neck pup more powerful, and flip to it for a slight boost for most solos.

Exactly. When you put on some gain or distortion, it doesn't feedback like the treble pickup would, either.

Here is something to be aware of too.

Today I just played a beautiful used 360/12 at my local Guitar Center. But, some fool rewired it with two mono outputs where each pickup was going to it's own jack! I'm not sure why they did this rather than using the rick-o-sound, but it certainly threw me off until I figured it out! The serial number was still intact on the jack plate, but this person took the time to remove the black lettering around the jack holes. Weird!

Matt Clark wrote:.....this person took the time to remove the black lettering around the jack holes. Weird!

The black lettering can easily wear off, how old was this guitar?