Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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jakeisjake
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Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by jakeisjake » Wed May 27, 2020 4:21 pm

Larry Mal wrote:
Wed May 27, 2020 5:44 am
I mean, it's not really something you are going to regret, you know?
because you can pretty much sell it for what you pay for it
Larry Mal wrote:
Wed May 27, 2020 4:17 pm
I traded my 330, but I would get another one.
me too.

and a 620-12.

I shouldn't have gotten rid of either of them.
If I was a byrd, I'd be mighty sore every time they shut the door and I don't think I'd sing...

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Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by somanytoys » Wed May 27, 2020 7:55 pm

I feel the same way.

The Ric is one of my very few regrets for not holding on to. I can’t say I truly miss anything else.

Edit: except for my first good bass, a Peavey T-40. About 72 pounds (slight exaggeration) but a lot of fun and really versatile sounds. Miss that one, too.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by marqueemoon » Wed May 27, 2020 9:02 pm

Can't get down with a Ric neck generally.

I do love the look of the 650D though. So many neck though instruments are overly ornate. I like this simple treatment that doesn't distract from the clean lines.

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Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by andy_tchp » Wed May 27, 2020 9:09 pm

timiscott wrote:
Tue May 26, 2020 4:35 am
Obviously, I can't get out to try one out at the minute so can anyone help?
I wouldn't recommend buying without trying first.

I was very happy to see the back of my 620/12, which was a straight trade for a brand new Japanese Jazzmaster. I still feel I came out ahead on that one.

It was pretty though.
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Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by UlricvonCatalyst » Thu May 28, 2020 1:14 am

jakeisjake wrote:
Wed May 27, 2020 4:21 pm
Larry Mal wrote:
Wed May 27, 2020 5:44 am
I mean, it's not really something you are going to regret, you know?
because you can pretty much sell it for what you pay for it
Larry Mal wrote:
Wed May 27, 2020 4:17 pm
I traded my 330, but I would get another one.
me too.

and a 620-12.

I shouldn't have gotten rid of either of them.
I was going to say the same thing. If you can hold out for the best possible deal on a Rickenbacker, you'll probably never see it go below what you paid for it. I have the best of both worlds - a 12-string with toasters and a 330 with hi-gains. Having never previously cared much for the 360's looks I'm gradually coming round, and if I could find one in Autumnglo or Montezuma Brown (and had the funds available) I'm pretty sure that would swing it.

As others have noted, the jingle-jangle, wonderful as it is, isn't the only game in town for those of us who grew up listening to Weller, Marr and Buck. Only other thing to note is its visual cachet; people will draw conclusions about your music before they've heard a note. Whether those conclusions are confirmed or confounded is up to you, but either is equally good.

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Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by somanytoys » Thu May 28, 2020 8:15 am

That’s an interesting point. I’m sure I’ve made assumptions on the type of music the band would be playing based on the instruments a band uses before they play a note, even if only subconsciously.

Some instruments are more indicative than others, like Rics, Gretsch guitars, the offsets, etc. Very often, the people that play strats, Teles and Pauls do what you think they’re going to do with them, but once in a while they can really surprise and impress you. The amp can also be pretty telltale, but sometimes people don’t dial in the sound that’s so typical of that amp style, and it can be really refreshing from what you expected.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by Jestapali » Thu May 28, 2020 11:23 am

I have a 360 Montezuma Brown with toasters. A piece of art. It is surprising how similar it can sound to a Jazzmaster.

Actually I have a question about the Ric-o-Sound that maybe some of you can answer. I have never really used it and I don't own a stereo cable at the moment, but if I get the right cable and the two mono jacks, could I just plug to both of the channels of my AC30 and get the effect?

it seems that most people use two amps, but there seems to be a lot of variation.

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Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by Professor Bill » Thu May 28, 2020 1:25 pm

I've had, I think, 4 Ricks since the 1980s, and still own one. My first electric was a 1970s fireglo 481 – an oddball, shaped like a bass, with a bolt-on neck, weird humbuckers, and slanted frets. I wanted a Rick, but not that one. I traded it pretty quickly for a 1960s Mustang, which I should have kept. But no regrets about the 481.

Fast forward some decades, and I bought an early 2000s 350v63 in turquoise, the best Rick color ever, imo. It's a super cool guitar: full-scale but looks pretty much like John Lennon's 325. It has 3 of the more recent scatterwound toasters, which sound pretty great (although not like anything else). I upgraded to a Mastery bridge and a Winfield vibrato (a drop-in mod) and it plays really well (although, again, not like anything else). I'm not sure I'd want it to be my only guitar, but I don't think I'll ever sell it.

I've also had a recent 330 in midnight blue, which I shouldn't have sold, but don't really miss too much. I did like the recent hi-gains quite a lot, having learned to play copying Peter Buck.

And I also had a jetglo 330/12c63 (double-bound like George Harrison's). This also had the newer scatterwound toasters. It was beautiful and had that sound. But I really couldn't get along with the relatively narrow neck, and the glossy fretboard made it hard to play. I've heard that Rick 12s are pretty easy to find used at a good price because so many folks buy one and then sell it right away. And that's pretty much what I did. But no regrets there either. After trying a couple of other 12s, including a CIJ Fender Strat XII, which was pretty nice (and burgundy mist) and trying out one of the newer Reverends, I found a 1990s Jerry Jones, which are a great value and play and sound great. (Just ask Nels Cline).

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Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by cestlamort » Thu May 28, 2020 8:45 pm

Jestapali wrote:
Thu May 28, 2020 11:23 am
I have a 360 Montezuma Brown with toasters. A piece of art. It is surprising how similar it can sound to a Jazzmaster.

Actually I have a question about the Ric-o-Sound that maybe some of you can answer. I have never really used it and I don't own a stereo cable at the moment, but if I get the right cable and the two mono jacks, could I just plug to both of the channels of my AC30 and get the effect?

it seems that most people use two amps, but there seems to be a lot of variation.
This is more of a question about your AC30 - does it blend the inputs or keep them in stereo?

The ric-o-sound feature seems like a cool idea but, since I use effect pedals, I’ve never found a use for it as it would take two discrete effects chains. Bass players may have a different experience.

I don’t believe circuit alters the output otherwise, but I haven’t compared a 330 and 360 of the same year/era to be sure.

As for recording, I always plan to go with a 330 but end up using a 370/12 for more than I intended.

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Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by zhivago » Thu May 28, 2020 10:35 pm

I had a 660 with the wide neck, and it sounded spectacular. The problem for me was the ultra-low frets and the lacquer on the board...I found it sticky to play after a while, especially on warm days when my fingers would sweat more, I guess.

Image

The sound though, was classic Tom Petty. :-*

One day I will get a double-bound 360, have it re-fretted and keep it forever. :)
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Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by somanytoys » Fri May 29, 2020 8:29 am

With the basses, the Ricosound rolls off some of the bass, as I remember, to get the classic Ric sound, the other is more of a full sound. I didn’t use it in stereo because I only had one bass stack back when I had my Ric.

I don’t know how it works with their guitars exactly.

I think that the AC30 only blends the 2 channels, if you plug them both in, but different models may be able to do different things. I really think you’d need a separate amp to get a true stereo sound from both outputs of the guitar and really appreciate the effect. You may not even need much in the way of effects for one of the sounds, it may sound best with one signal/amp pretty clean, but you’ll have to decide that for yourself.

I almost always use 2 different amps and 2 different chains, from a single output guitar. Each amp complements the other’s sound, even with small amps like the AC4 and a Bugera T5. So you don’t need to have/use 2 big amps to do it, unless you plan on playing out with them and need the extra juice.

If you want to try it blended, I’d try one output with each channel, then the other output with each channel, and see which output goes best with which channel. Then either get a stereo cable or just use 2 regular cables, hook it up and adjust the volume of each channel to taste. I think I’d start with either both clean or only 1 with effects, and decide how to go from there.

It’s a place to start, anyway.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by nanamour » Fri May 29, 2020 9:48 am

zhivago wrote:
Thu May 28, 2020 10:35 pm
I had a 660 with the wide neck, and it sounded spectacular. The problem for me was the ultra-low frets and the lacquer on the board...I found it sticky to play after a while, especially on warm days when my fingers would sweat more, I guess.
I had a 660/6 (Jetglo) for a while; from a fit-and-finish standpoint easily the nicest guitar I've owned (and this is including vintage and AVRI Fender). As others have said, the toasters will certainly do the jangle thing in spades, but I found the sounds it was capable of making far more versatile than Rics get credit for--great for everything from spanky country twanging on the bridge pickup to warm jazzy chords on the neck.

The 660 is a fantastic option for anyone leery of the narrower Ric neck width. Like Zhivago, the only thing that kept it from a permanent place on the stand was the combination of tiny frets and fretboard lacquer that my rosewood-boarded Fender-acclimated hands just couldn't get used to.

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Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by Pacafeliz » Fri May 29, 2020 11:07 pm

I want a 360 SO BAD but maaan they ain't cheap.
I have two old Vester copies of them but I'd sure like the real thing...
i love delay SO much ...that i procrastinate all the time.

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Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by garyfanclub » Sat May 30, 2020 12:14 pm

I’ve got a 620 that I bought a while back when I was head over heels for one - got it on a blow out sale at a local music shop so it was a bit of a no brainer.

High gains + neck-through maple body are an amazing combo. The guitar has tons of OOMPH, but the maple keeps it focused. It’s not brutally bright either, would say it sounds like a beefy telecaster with a high end haircut. Sounds incredible clean, very bell-like. The blend knob gives the middle position a ton of versatility, too. If I was 100% a rhythm guitarist, I would consider this being my #1.

Can’t complain about the ergonomics, I’m used to low frets, doesn’t bother me. Kind of love how compact it is, and it feels super solid to boot.

Had an 80s jetglo 360 that felt great, but didn’t sound amazing. Crazy hot hi-gains made it sound muddy and compressed no matter what. Thought about a swap, but decided to dump it instead. I guess that’s the 80s Ric sound, and some people want that? Sold it to a guy that was turbo stoked about it, so that’s that.

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Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by fuzzjunkie » Sun May 31, 2020 8:57 am

The blend knob is a cool feature that not many use.

I tend to stay in the middle position on a Rickenbacker more than any other guitar and use the blend knob to change tones.

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