Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

The Gene Clark Fyve~Eight Miles High
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zLz2jfcVW8

Roger McGuinn Gene Clark CBC Toronto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdItDZJqi0Y

The Byrds's "Eight Miles High": 12 String Guitar Lesson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OqdYzI87Qg

I jsut thought of something. I recall reading something about Roger McGuinn adding a third middle pickup to his Rick, which wasn't used when he played it. I don't know if that's true of rnot. I haven't read anything else about it. One thing I thought of is that adding another pickup would tend to increase the magnetic field under the strings and give more magnetic damping. On one guitar I had years ago, one pickup I had on it had a strong magnetic field and helped give it a jangly effect along with using microphonic tubes placed close to the speaker.

In the new Rickenbacker book Roger said he had the middle pickup added because he thought it looked cool, but that he only used the bridge pickup.

Yep - the "Byrd" wiring would have the 3 way switch wired to select each pickup one at a time. None of the normal "neck/both/bridge" stuff most of us are used to.

I have also read that Roger added the third pick-up because John Lennon's Rickbacker(s) all had 3 pickups, and Roger liked the look of that.

I'll see your three pickups and raise you one!

https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/ ... fqa9ro.jpg

I used to drool over the Kimberly Big Horn in the Lafayette catalogs!

Kiddwad57 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 13, 2023 6:07 pm I'll see your three pickups and raise you one!

https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/ ... fqa9ro.jpg

I used to drool over the Kimberly Big Horn in the Lafayette catalogs!

I'll see your four pickups and raise you two!

That's a whole nother level!

Two thoughts:

1. A few of the rock star types I’ve known who are known for playing Ricks seem to have *a* pickup or setting they use, and that’s it. Weird to me, as I switch around to different settings for different songs. So this may be less uncommon than we think. (Sorry for the double negative.)

2. On a 21-fret 300 series: Does the third pickup look cool? It can, and it may. Does it get in the way of the strumming hand? It does for me. My main 12-string is a 24 fret 370/12 and somehow I never find myself bumping the pickups with my hand, but I do on a 21-fret with three. (Similar thing when I play a 400 series - the strings being closer to the body make me play the guitar differently.)

Your mileage may vary.

If I had a three-pickup Rick I'd want to be able to have five settings, similar to a Stratocaster. Jeff LEvenson said this could be accomplished with the existing 3-way toggle by using push-pull volume pots for the the neck and bridge pickups. Since I own only double-bound models, it is unlikely I'll come across a 370WB to try this out on. Rich Ferguson is the last person I know who's found the "unicorn" Jetglo 370 WB model.