Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi folks. I've been playing electric guitar since 1963, and have finally purchased my first Rickenbacker; a beautiful Burgundy 660/12. What a nice little intrument! Great sound, and it's a joy to play (for a 12-string).

I have questions. What is the standard 12-string gauge setup for these guitars? I'm assuming that my new one is strung with 10's. I have always liked a .008 or .009 strung guitar. Will the 660/12 respond well with a set of .009's on it?
Just curious. Does anyone use .009's on theirs?
Thanks,
Mesadude

Craig: My preference is to stay with the 10s as the lighter the gauge the less the chime, at least to my ears. The RIC 10s set is just the right tension for me, intonate well and easy to play.

Thanks Peter for your reply. I found that the 660/12 plays quite well the way it came setup. So I will order a few sets of 10's for it.

Craig

Hi all,
I've had my 660/12 for about three years and have been playing around with different string sets since then. I have a medical issue that causes severe pain in my hands and hands cramping up, so I've been trying to set up the 'perfect' set for me - minimum of strain for the fretting hand and the classic tone... I've tried all of the setups below including cannibalising various 6 string sets. The lessons I've learnt are:

All of them give the Ric jangle but Pyramids silver plated wire strings (not the wound strings) are the best for the Ric 'chime'.

No amount of fiddling will make a 660 sound like a 360, solid-body sustain is not acoustic sustain.

Making changes constantly means having to reset truss rods - a pain in the .. hands. And finding that you've looped the 008 G through the brass ring end on the 017 G - rather than through the tailpiece - can leave you feeling pretty stupid.

D'Addario 10/10s sound good, are easy to get, and means you spend more time playing than obsessing over string choices.

If only I'd known then .. etc.
Cheers LK (Oz)


12 STRING OPTIONS
===================
Pyramid Gold 6s: p/w
10 13 16/19 30 35 45

Pyramid Gold customised LK: [2x6 sets + 1x10 from 6set][1 x 12 set + 1w19 from 6set]
10 13 16 19 30 35 xx 45 10 13 19 19 30 35 xx45
10 13 10 16 19 30 xx 35 45 10 13 10 13 19 30
pp pp pp wp ww ww total: pp pp wp wp wp ww
20 26 26 35 49 65 20 26 29 32 49 65

NB: can: 35 bottom E, 30 bottom A, 16 Octave D* work? [*19 bottom D for option B]

Pyramid Gold 12s:
w/p wp wp ww
10 13 19 30 35 45
10 13 10 13 19 30 total:
20 26 29 43 54 75


D'Addarios 12 (roundwound)- current:
10 13 17 26w 36w 46w
10 13 08 12p 18p 26w total:
20 26 25 38 54 72

Ric factory 12 strings (comp/rounds)
10-13-20-26-34-42
10-13-10-13-20-26

GHS stainless steel flatwound Custom x2 -
10 13 17 26w 36w 46w
Would leave me with just the -08-12p-18p/w to find...

What's the difference in feel between the D'Addario sets and the Rickenbacker sets? I've just ordered a few sets of 'both' brands.


My thinking at this point is the stay with the Rickenbacker's for now. But I was wondering if the D'Addarios make the guitars play and sound much different? Sets of D'Addario's can be found for about 1/2 the price of the Rickenbackers.
Thanks,
Craig

D'Adario's are round wound, RIC's are compression wound. Round wounds are generally brighter and not as smooth to the touch.

After trying different guages and makes on my 660/12, I feel the Rickenbacker strings are best suited. Weird, but when playing without an amp, they sound muted, soft. But with amp on stage, they and the guitar are loud and biting. Exactly the sound I hoped for.