Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

This weekend I saw a new 360/12, and picked it up and played it. Good intonation up and down the neck. With the 6 saddle bridge!!!! ARGGHHH! Usually the 12's I'd pick up and play were in need of a 12 saddle bridge or some magical set up.

When I got mine I HAD to go with the 12 saddle, ric strings or not, it was just badly out of tune all the time. Now its awesome, but...

I am gonna have to save up and buy another one!

Hmmm... my 1993 370/12v64 has a six-saddle bridge, and I don't recall having an intonation problem on it, either. I'll check later tonight when I tune it at practice.

That is cool that your worked right out of the case, but mine was unplayable really till I had the 12 saddle installed. It wasn't just chorus-y out of tune, it had audible "beats".

I love it now though, and it's my main guitar. I am going to go to the shop and a/b the guitars just for fun.

I know I am not alone because I have seen pictures of 12 saddle bridges installed on other 360/12's that have practically the same saddle placement, and the same slightly off center from the bridge thing happening.

I took my 12 saddle bridge off a few months ago and put the 6 saddle back on my 360/12. I kept getting strings caught in the spaces between the saddles when I would restring my guitar. Some of the string slots were really close to the edges of the saddles and this made me wonder about overall stability.

As a result, my intonation is just OK. There's only one set of strings where you can really hear it and you have to be playing way up the neck. So, it's not perfect, but I like it! Kind of a Rickenbacker charm thing. But let's not get this debate going again. We totally beat it to death a couple of years ago:-)

I don't mean to open up any old wounds.

I am just wondering if Rickenbacker is doing anything different now that makes the 6 saddle bridge work better, or if it's just one of those things where some work with it, some need the 12 saddle, you say toe mae toe, I say toe mah toe.

Hey Jeff,

Have you noticed any sound difference with the 6 saddle vs. the 12 saddle?

My 370/12v64 appears to track both strings (the pair on each saddle) equivalently with regard to intonation.

I do believe that I need to change the strings - it has its original strings still on it (remember, it's a 1993!).

Profjeff wrote

There's only one set of strings where you can really hear it and you have to be playing way up the neck.

Jeff, to what string pair are you referring?

I really felt that I needed to go with a 12 saddle bridge on my 360/12v64 but my 370/12 seemed fine. I ended up putting 12 saddles on each. When I installed on my 360, I felt a need to move the bridge plate. The 370 was fine.

I suspect part of my problem with the 360 involved that fact that when I got it, it was strung with 9's (not sure of the brand).

I run RIC compressed rounds on both.

I may switch from the original RIC strings to Pyramids on the 370/12v64, but I haven't decided yet. I'll post an update to report on the intonation with whichever strings I wind up using.

When I had a 1998 360/12v64, one of the D strings would even come close to intonating (even with Pyramids), so I had to resort to a 12-saddle bridge.

My current 12-string, a 1966 330/12, intonates perfectly with its original 6-saddle bridge.

FWIW, I can't get my 610 to intonate with a 12-string bridge. It seems the springs prevent the saddles from moving back far enough.

My experience is that you have to put the 12 saddle bridge in a slightly different location.

Doesn't RIC make a new base plate that is specifically for the 12 saddle bridge, that slides back and over a bit?

Yes John, there is such a baseplate which allows for adjustment toward the tailpiece.

Has anyone noticed a differnece in tone / sound between the 12 saddle and 6 saddle?