Historical Comments
The main thing the above photograph clearly shows is the rare 2-toggle 1+3-knob set-up that McGuinn's
second Rick 12-string had (the replacement for his first one), minus the Vox treble
booster mini-switch between the two toggles. I have noticed that the term "Blonde" has been
used on other Rick models as an early version of "Mapleglo", and is apparently an acceptable
reference. When I ordered my Rick, speaking directly to F.C. Hall, I used that term and he did not correct me or say "you mean Mapleglo,"
or "we call it Mapleglo," or whatever. He did try to sell me the 6/12 string converter and (crazy
as it may sound) a tremolo! (Has anyone ever dared to put one on any brand of 12-string other than Vox and
Mosrite?
What a tuning nightmare!) Rather than decline his offers (I didn't want to sound negative or ungrateful in
any way, since I was talking to the company's #1 man), I simply stated that I wanted my Rick exactly like
McGuinn's. The photo above was taken in the fall of 1972 and shows the instrument prior to Schaller
keys, acoustic pickup modification and strap locks. The truss-rod cover is clear plexiglass.
Toggle Switches
The 370/12Byrd pictured above is wired such that the upper toggle switch is the pickup selector and
the lower toggle switch is the tone selector. The pickup toggle switch allows for the neck, middle
or bridge pickup to be selected individually. The position of the tone toggle switch allows for the
standard rhythm, bright lead or extra bright lead (two low-pass tone caps plus a clean bypass).
Potentiometers
The upper volume knob was originally the master volume and was rewired to control the volume of
the acoustic pickup mounted under the bridge. The lower row of knobs controls the volume of the neck,
middle and bridge pickups respectively. When the guitar is held in the playing position, the upper mono
output jack is for the acoustic pickup and the lower mono output jack is for the standard three pickups.
(From the factory, the Model 370/12Byrd was a mono guitar which featured dual "parallel mono"
output jacks.)
The Sound
The only sound change/addition was the Barcus-Berry acoustic pickup. It doesn't have the power output of the standard
pickups, but it does give the guitar an interesting, more acoustically-rich type of sound, although not as
thick or "deep" as a regular acoustic 12-string. If I run it to a different amplifier, match the
volume level and add chorus....well, you can imagine, it sounds pretty fat all by itself! Try to imagine how
the guitar sounds running in stereo (i.e., both outputs)!! Whenever I've played any 12-string material
(especially The Byrds),
my Rick hasn't needed extra treble-boost of any amount to sound like it should. (I've been told that
McGuinn even went so far as to use a Vox wah full-forward and gave
the first several rows of fans a crew-cut!)
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