Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Question for those 480 players. It seems there may be some design difference from the original 480 and the 480XC, however could you share your opinion on what guitar (if any) that it may compare to such as a tele or strat etc...?

I really like the looks of the 480XC JG but would like to know where it sits in my arsenal.

Thanks!
Andy

It’s hard to draw a parallel between a guitar like this and almost anything else on the market, namely due to the construction: neck-through, solid-maple body.

Conventional wisdom states that this is going to be a bright guitar straightaway, based on construction alone. Top it off with two scatterwound toaster pickups, and you are definitely looking at bright, “jangly” guitar.

One advantage that this has over other Rickenbacker 6-strings is that the neck pickup is not right up against the end of the fretboard - this should make for a less woofy/dark neck pickup (I find the neck pickup on Rickenbackers pretty much unusable generally).

Thanks, John! I appreciate your opinion. Hope you’ve been well! I miss our friend at mandolin bros...

Neck and p/u seem to be similar low style like 650s due to the tailpiece

The original 480s had a very flat (non-radiused) fretboard; it's likely that the 480XC does not carry that feature into the 21st century ...

I'd be most curious about the size and feel of this neck. I loved the very flat and thin neck on an original 480.

Anyone around here pick one of these up and want to report out/give a review?

Spence got one, just search on here. He posted about it..


Just to correct something I noticed earlier in this thread... the 480XC supposedly has hot toasters, not scatterwounds. Can't wait for my JG to arrive! The 4005XC's are amazing so I expect the same in the guitar.

It's funny, it just occurred to me, they made a guitar-like bass, and a bass-like guitar!

jdogric12 wrote:Spence got one, just search on here. He posted about it..

Tried that, every post that comes up I've read already, no review of any 480XC to be found searching!?

After much thinking I decided not to get one. If you get yours Jason, please make a video!

For 100th they should do a 360/380 mashup without ramp with some sort of tailpiece bridge combo like on the 380s and 1993Plus neck width

Hah, I read that one, Jason. I was expecting more of a review.

electrofaro wrote:Hah, I read that one, Jason. I was expecting more of a review.

That terse post of mine was merely to address the concern that people wouldn't be seeing these guitars until Christmas or later.

Anyway, I'm guessing Jason was recalling a post I wrote in the RRF page on Facebook. I was a bit more "wordy" there.

I believe in the past, Jason has owned guitars equipped with the hotter "pre-Scatterwound" Toasters and... when he gets his, will be able to vouch for my suspicion that these "hotter" Toasters in the 480XC are similar sounding.

I have compared my 480XC with my 660 and can perceive the difference, which was quite as expected. The 660 being more "jangly" ... and the 480 being more "ballsy" (for lack of a better term). However, using the "pull" feature on the bridge pickup's tone knob on the 480 gets it a little closer to a jangly sound.

While both of mine play well, I might have to give the nod to the 480. Maybe it's because the Schaller bridge has rollers? Or because it sits lower? Whatever it is, the 480 plays just a slight bit easier in my opinion.

The 480 has the standard neck width, but the neck shape (the backside) feels the same as my 660. Switching between them is quite seamless for me.

From an aesthetic standpoint, they are both gorgeous. My 660 is mapleglo and very flamey. But the 480 is just as flamey... and it has that lovely Tobacco-glo finish, too.

If there is anything "specific" you wanted to know... ask away!

jdogric12 wrote:It's funny, it just occurred to me, they made a guitar-like bass, and a bass-like guitar!

Yes, it appears some experimental "cross-breeding" has taken place.

Andrew the 1970s 480 fretboard radius was very flat. How does your new 480XC feel compared to the radius of the 660?

It feels the same. I'm sure it's the 10" radius that other Rick guitars have. It's certainly not flat.