Any Rickenbacker fans in the house?

[partytrain]

Ricks are the one guitar that I don't often see discussed here, so i wondered if anyone else has one.

I've got a beautiful 330-12 in jet-glo (I think that is the name they use for black). I don't use it that much, occasionaly at church, but it is a blast to bust out every once in awhile.

Who else on BAM has a Rick?

[CAFeathers]

I ordered a Left-Handed Rick 370/12 in April of 2003 and I'm still waiting for it.

[TieDyedDevil]

I had a beautiful blonde 360-6 back in the 70s. Traded it for an acoustic guitar, and eventually stopped playing altogether for about 20 years. When I got back into playing, the Rickenbackers were the first guitars I looked at. Today, they just don't do anything for me.

[PRSpark]

I bought a used 330-6 in Black last summer, and I really love it, especially for Beatles tunes. The little part time, at work group I play in, seems to always do one or two Beatles numbers. Love them for other stuff as well.


PRSpark

[george4908]

Used to have a 620-12 in black. Loved the sound, loved the looks, couldn't deal with the pencil neck and the tiny frets. Subsequently tried the 660-12 and Tom Petty variants with the fatter neck, but still didn't like the feel of the shape -- squarish, bulky shoulders, with a relatively flat back. I'd actually inquired about a custom order, but they don't do them, or at least they didn't at the time.

I'm hoping the new PRS 12 will take care of the neck issue for me.

[omikl]

I snaggged a Jetglow 620 6 string from Indonesia (yes, perhaps the first and only successful deal done on a guitar to that place). It was a bit worse for neglect as it'd been on a stand in someone's house where they obviously fried a lot of food and as a result it had many year's accumulation of cooking oil residue on the finish. I got that off after much effort and naptha but it'll never look good as new as the finish on the fingerboard edges crumbled off like candy. I really like the way it plays and sounds. It has the Hi-gain pickups and is heavier than you expect being all maple.

[MarkU]

I sold my 370-12 last fall. I loved the sound, but never got comfortable with the narrow and thin neck.

Mark

[Buffalosix]

I had a mapleglo 330-6 for a while. I liked the guitar, but I couldn't get used to the thin neck. I also didn't think that newer "button" as opposed to "toaster" pickups had the vintage sound I was looking for... I also had some questions about the construction. The woodwork and finish was great, but some questions remained with the hardware. In particularl the bridge seemed potentially flimsy to me, and the foam backing on the pickups seemed like it had the potential to dry out and flake away. I've seen this on some of the older Ricks in the vintage shops I've been to.

[Chiba]

My bass player has a recent 360/6 and a Susanna Hoffs, both of which are very cool guitars. I prefer the 360, tho, it just jangles away like a madman. Always wanted a /12, but the necks are too darn narrow for my monster hands. One of my other buddies has a Ric bass that I worked on - weird bridge on that sucker, but it sounds growly.

Interesting article in this (or last) months' (Brit) Guitar mag - guy with a totally unhealthy obsession over Ric basses.

--chiba

[Chops]

I've had a number of Rics, and currently own a 330-6 in JetGlo with Toaster pickups. It's a nice rhythm guitar. I've had twelve strings as well, but I am currently using a Hamer Newport 12 that is working out real well for the infrequent occasions when I need an electric 12.

[Buffalosix]

Not to sidetrack the thread - but if I was ever going to get an electric 12 again, it would definitely be that Newport 12. You got any pictures of yours to post, chops? Those things are gorgeous.

[jas]

There's my Rick 12 string over there on the right.

I agree with John P - I used to get some great distorto sounds out of it. A great guitar to play rhythm on because it's so full, it sounds like an orchestra.

It was my main squeeze for quite a while but I barely play it any more because it's so hard to tune. Not the guitar's fault - I'm lazy. :o

I had a Rick 6-string 30 years ago - borrowed from a friend, I don't know the model - but when you played barre chords and did the chunka-chunka thing it sounded JUST like John Lennon. Ah, the ones that got away.

-John

http://www.automaticdevices.com/jas/studio-4.jpg

[SCruz]

I still have my 1980 Rickenbacker 360WB in fireglo. It was given to me by my parents in 1985 for my 16th birthday. It was new old stock. At the time I was a huge Paul Weller and Pete Townshend fan so I knew that was the right guitar for me.

Today I find myself playing my PRS guitars more frequently, although I still love that Rickenbacker. Last Friday my band played and on a whim I decided to bring the Ricky. I played it on three songs and received many compliments on how great it sounded. A few even recommended using it for the bulk of the tunes.http://community.webshots.com/photo/81664815/106609570CCYDbz

I seem to have mixed results with posting photos in these places, so if it doesn't show and you'd like to see it, go here:

http://community.webshots.com/user/guitarguy104

My Band:

http://www.faintinggoats.net

Don

[Dave Cowley]

I had a beautiful blonde 360-6 back in the 70s. Traded it for an acoustic guitar, and eventually stopped playing altogether for about 20 years. When I got back into playing, the Rickenbackers were the first guitars I looked at. Today, they just don't do anything for me.
So, Dave, I could interpret that as meaning you quit playing because of the Rickenbacker... or the pain of giving it up for the acoustic. ;)

[Buffalosix]

SCruz, I just want to mention that the photos on your webshots page (esp. the PRS ones) are fantastic. Thanks!

[nyrkickazz1]

Sorry to bring back an old thread, but I'm a huge fan of Rickenbackers and own four of them. Check 'em out:

http://www.rickbeat.com/gallery/johnbiscuti/johnbiscuti.htm

Not pictured: My 1997 330 Jetglo, which i'll recieve from my girlfriend on Christmas. :cool:

[WaltKH5]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v506/donapronobis/stratred0001.jpg Here is a pic of my 1988 330 model. The paint shines like new. I used to have a lovely 1997 model which I regretfully sold.

[Big Mike]

You know, I've never really played one! I checked out a 12 string one time, but that's it. I always thought they were cool (plus I had a crush on Wendy Melvoin from Prince's band when I was 13 or so) and just cool tones. I love Mike Campbell's playing and he's been known to use them on occasion.


Anyplace local to SF/Oaktown place to check one out?

[CAFeathers]

I did get mine finally earlier this year.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/CAFeathers/Rickenbacker_37012.jpg

[barrysrq]

Some beautiful Rickage here :cool:

Always have loved the look, the sound, and the style of the Rick, but could never play the twelves. Most recently, a Carl Wilson sig (360-12?) had been hanging way up on the local big-box wall for too long, the manager offered me a great deal, but I just couldn't fit the neck.

As a committed 12er, though, I feel I owe Rickenbacker a huge thanks for keeping the faith alive all those years, after Gibson and Fender and the rest quit making electric 12s.

[Mike Duncan]

My parents and grandparents all went in on a 360/12 in JetGlo when I graduated from high school in '91. I've had some of the minor complaints with the six saddle bridge and the skinny neck, but I really do love the tone. When I bought the guitar, it was funny - everyone from school had to come over and visit it. R.E.M. was at their best with "Out of Time" and we were the "alternative" kids that thought nothing was cooler than a black Ric. I was really looking for a Roger McGuinn model but they were nearing the end of the production run and music store guys were not selling them (at least at reasonable prices).

Mike

[Taller]

Back in the mid-80's, before the retro thing kicked into high gear, I bought a '59 Rick that was hanging in my local store. I think it was a '59 - the case keys had a hang tag that said 25th Anniversary - can't remember the serial number, I've probably got it written down somewhere. It was a hollowbody [semi?] and had 3 pickups and was finished in a tan to reddish 'burst.

It was all original from what I could tell, but the second pick guard was missing. By that, I mean the guitar had a large pickguard that covered the area from the neck pickup all the way down to where the controls were situated, but right near the pickups where your hand would end up strumming a chord, there was supposed to be a second guard raised up above the larger guard.
A couple years after I acquired the guitar [for @$450 I think it was :eek: ] Rick started making some of their reissue guitars, so the gold painted smaller pickguard became available.
Oh yeah - it came with smaller Rick knobs, and I believe the correct knobs for that guitar were the larger 'oven' knobs, so I was able to outfit it with repros from Rick.

It was a very cool guitar, but the body was a slightly different shape than more modern Ricks. I remember the curved part where you'd rest the guitar on your lap was almost too far forward and I found it uncomfortable to play sitting down.

Check it out - I found a picture on the Rickenbacker Registration Page of a '59 that is very similar to the one I had - minus the trem. Mine had a trapeze tail I think.http://www.stthomasu.ca/~pmccorm/research/NA59375WBMG.jpg
See how the body shape is different?
I ended up selling mine after getting George Gruhn to appraise it for me in 1990.

[pink heart birds]

but i've played some vintage dandies :dude: