Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I spent close to four hours today restringing my lovely new 360/12V64 and nearly pitched the beauty out the window at least four times. The only way I could accomplish this task was to cut all of the strings on a side off, then string the slotted pegs, then the regular pegs. In the meantime I now have the beginnings of a gouge in EACH slot from the tag end of the string scratching it as I wound the string.

Does anyone know of an easy way to restring this beauty/beast without scratching the headstock and retaining string tension? I love the look and feel and sound of my 360 but..........I don't have four hours to waste restringing the thing every couple of months!

This was the factory way we strung the 12 string with the "R" tailpiece.


First we put a piece of tape across the 'hooks' on the bottom to retain ALL the strings.

2- install all the strings in the tailpiece

3-Because this tailpiece rocks back and forth as you string ,we installed the LOW E first then the 'standard tuner' HIGH E

4-now the slot tuner E strings (both the treble and the low E octave.
When you do this ,pull the string tight (the length of the guitar) and cut the string TWO tuners past the one that you are putting the string into! this is critical.
Also wind the slot strings toward the outside of the headstock.This is also critical.This will eliminate the dragging of the string across the nameplate.

NOTE: if the nameplate hangs over the slots,this is an excellent time to reshape it to original style .Look at all the older 12 strings .ALL of them have this done .Since 1985 this is a rarity and I constantly do this for customers.I makes a difference.

CONTINUATION:
5-Don't overlap the windings ...this will cause slippage.
I have a pegwinder that has a shallower throat so that it does not clank into the other tuners.I keep this with my 12 string.

6- Next install the LOW A string and the B standard

7- now the A octave and the other B string .Again the length is cut to TWO tuners past the one it is going into and wind the string to the outside of the headstock.

8-Now the standard D and the octave G

9 Now the octave D and the Standard G

The strings should not be tuned as you do this ,but rather keep tension on them as you go.

When all of the strings are on ,TUNE the STANDARD 6 strings first ,then the High E pair and the B pair.Now all you have to do is the octaves.

Start with the LOW E octave ,then the A then the D .

SKIP the G octave till later.

STRETCH the pairs of strings out .Pull on BOTH at the same time .Then retune when you have finished.Tune up AGAIN the standards first ,then the octaves.

NOW tune the G octave.AS this is the highest pitched string and the smallest and the easiest to break I leave it till LAST!

Now if you do it this way ,and you make a habit of it ,it becomes fairly easy.I can do this in under 10 minutes start to finish and without racing.

When you are through ,check to see that the ball ends are seated ,use a flat head screw driver to pop in any unseated ones ,retune and you are done .
REMOVE the tape.

Mark,

Thanks for your help.....especially about running the strings on the slotted pegs out to the perimeter of the headstock. I have a reissue with the straight, angled tailpiece. Would this affect any of what you told me? Also, where would I find the serial number of this guitar? I don't see it anywhere on the headstock or output plate!

Mark--interesting point on the nameplate issue concerning re-shaping it---I have a 1968 370/12 that the low G string does just what you said--lays somewhat across the nameplate,but just a tad. Its lasted this long with the nameplate in its original (shaped from the factory) configuration. Is it best just to leave it alone due to its age and rarity???

A note on the nameplate shape .

I use a sharp felt pen to mark out the key locations of the truss rod cavity on the face .This will not permeate the plexiglass.

If you want to see the difference ,EMAIL me .

I sand the edges smooth to 400 then knock just the edge off and then polish the edge .

This allows the wound strings to NOT catch on the edge .
Winding the slot strings to the outside of the headstock keeps the strings away from the nameplate as much as possible and also pulls them into the tuner,back at the first wraps.This helps in locking them into place so you won't be tuning them constantly.

I have done this to EVERY Rick 12 that I have worked on to excellent results.

Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane/Starship had horrendous tuning troubles for years.Then he met me at 'Don Wehr's Music City ' in San Francisco ,Calif.USA.After one tune up on a Rick 12 ...I got a trunk of guitars from him to work on .He used to come in a lot .I know he was not happy when I left the Bay area .

So come up to Seattle Paul ...happy to see you again and to help you out.

Chuck-

The vintage tailpiece is THE tailpiece .It does not rock back and forth.BUT....it does not have 12 holes and if you break a string .the other one of that pair always goes out of tune .

[email protected] has 12 hole tailpieces that he makes .These are direct replacement and require NO modifications at all .I'd talk to him about getting one .

All Rick serial numbers are on the jackplates.
The letters are on one side /edge and the numbers on the other side/end.

The new serial numbers appear to be straight forward.The two (by themselves) are the month and year in numbers .The older instruments were a letter code.

The 4 or 5 numbers are just a number and repeated monthly .This does not mean that your instrument was the ,300th guitar that month ...it's just a number at random.


On the vintage guitars ...if you string this way you should have little pressure on the nameplate .Still ,if there is a really sharp edge on it ,lightly beveling the edge will help and I doubt anyone will be offended by this .EXCEPT extremists ...and they usually don't play .They are only into guitars as a pure investment .I find them to be a bore .No offense but it is a tool and meant to be played.Do you buy every thing in your life to look at and not enjoy what it was meant to be in the first place?

I now step off my soap box and we return to our regular programming

I hear what you're saying, man....I am going to look and see if the last time I put strings on it that maybe I wound it too far inboard..didn't think of that till now....Thanks Mark...

Mark - Your process is fine for a "start from scratch" string-up. I rarely completely de-string a guitar when I re-string. If I follow your process, would I remove strings outside in in pairs? Or, do you suggest that all strings come off (essentially allowing the bridge to go anywhere) or what?

Why NOt take all the strings off if you are restringing?

I do this ALL the time .Granted I do a lot of it ,but it won't freak out the neck.

All guitar shops do this ...they are having troubles.
If you are doing this because of concern for the neck (this would be due to the old style truss rods and you are worried that it might change the neck relief) I could possibly see your point ,but only on a guitar that has been problematic over the years.

If you must do this ,a pair at a time ... you will find it hard to string the slot strings.THAT is time consuming if you have to slip under and then play around .

Me....take 'em all off .The bridge goes right back where it was .If you have a guitar that is older than 1985 then have a shop use a small end mill to re-drill the feet hole to the same diameter ,ust deeper and even.That takes care of that .

I guess the reason I've developed the habit of NOT taking all of the strings off is because I'll take one off, restring and tune - the rest of the guitar is to pitch and the string I'm tuning is easier to tune as a result? or so goes my logic. Perhaps when it gets to be time to restring that fire-glowing beast in the corner...

BTW - I ordered a 490 strobe this morning, so all my tuning worries will be over...

At one time I too had the 12 string restringing
phobia.Once I did it the way Brian Carman showed me,when he was in charge of checkout ,it was fairly easy ...now it is a breeze.

The thing of it is ...you need to change your mind set.Is stringing a 6 string guitar hard...how about a bass.

On the assembly line we only had a Tuning fork !!!An A 440hz fork.
Nowhere was there a strobe tuner or even a quartz tuner.We did 45 guitars per day that way.And that included nut slot cutting ,saddle cutting ,set up and stringing.

Take 3 guys and divide 45 up ..that's what we did .And one guy only did basses.

Joel Helin ,even with 9 fingers was FAST!!!!

Here's something you might do to help your headache.

Set your 12 string on a table and hang the headstock off the table edge.

Put a couple of books under the neck so the headstock is in the air and the body is only touching the table at the edge at the butt.

Now when you are using your peg winder ,you won't be clanging into anything .

Keep only the tuner in front of you ,a set of wire cutters and a pegwinder and the strings in front of you.

Hanging the guitar this way will really help you .

AND think of it as a 6 string first .It just has an additional set of strings on it .You will find that once you approach it in a different way ,it will be easier.It did for me .