Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Thought I'd post a few photo's of the repairs and modifications I made to my 325C58. I installed the Bigsby B-5 vibrato, I repaired the top finish gouge from Kauffman, I added a chrome cover to the roller bridge, and modified the Kauffman tailpiece bracket so I did not have to leave unsightly holes with just the strapscrew. It plays great and the action is better than when I recieved it, also staying in tune for hours of playing.
Thanks,
Jerry
[img]http://img64.exs.cx/img64/2920/Img_4346.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img64.exs.cx/img64/3092/Img_4343.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img64.exs.cx/img64/6765/Img_4340.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img64.exs.cx/img64/5814/Img_4338.jpg[/img]

Sharp!!

I like!!

Ok....I'm gonna have to do the same thing....

Jerry, thanks for the inspiration!!

Now, OFF to the C!!
:^)

Thanks Chris, glad you enjoyed the photo's.

Jerry,
Looks great! Nice metal work too on the tailpiece. Pics are clear and sharp. With all the issues you had with this I hope you can now enjoy it.

Hi Ken,
Thanks, I believe I have it where I can enjoy it now. It really plays great, the Bigsby give it an altogether different sound than before, I guess its due to the way the strings are firmly anchored to it and its resonance thru the body and pickups. Has like a chime ringing tone to it. The sound thru the tube amp is incredible

I am glad things worked out for your Jerry. You raise a most interesting point with regard to the Bigsby B5. It does provide for a different tonality from the trapeze or the "R" tailpieces. It seems to have more sustain as well, probably in part because it makes more contact with the body than other tailpieces.

Hi Peter,
Thank you, Yes I can't believe the way it sounds with the Bigsby on it. Every note is clear as a bell. I was playing some Beatles riffs and I couldn't tell it from the original recordings, as far as the sound. The Bigsby makes all the difference in the world on it. Yes, I also think its because it mounts directly on the body top with full contact giving the total resonance of the strings on the body, instead of just amplifying them suspended on top of the pickups. Now my Rickenbacker beats all my other guitars in sound, looks and playability.

What kind of tube amp are you using?

Hi Ken,
I use the Peavey Delta blues, all tube, 30watt. It reminds me of the old Vox tube amps/AC30 etc., with alot of the same features and sound.

Does it use EL84's? I have a Fender Blues Jr. 15watts with 2 EL84's. The 84's always seem to have that bright chimey tone to them. I don't think the Jr. sounds like a Vox but, it does a good job. My 610 equipt with high gains always sounded good through it. My other is a 50 watt DC5 Mesa Boogie. It has such a wide range of tone you can dial in any guitar to what you want. It is just too much power for me. I generally just play at home or at friends.

Hi Ken,
Yes it has 4, 6BQ5/EL84's, with a 12AX7 driver and 2, 12AX7's in the preamp section. It also has the reverb and tremolo for added effects. The speaker is one 15 inch heavy duty. The amp is not much bigger than the Vox AC30, actually its not as wide. The amp seems to do what I want and I don't think I need a bigger one for the sound I need. I've plugged the other guitars I have into the Peavey leaving the controls set the same, but I get an altogether different sound from the Rickenbacker 325 than any of the others, kind of jangle 60's sound to it.

"kind of jangle 60's sound to it." Excellent, the very thing we're looking for!