The Fretboard Rickenbacker Club (NSFW)

munckee

JerkMoans said:

Paging @munckee  

So it's official I qualify for the club, need to restring it back to 12 string but I'm to busy playing it at the moment!

https://i.imgur.com/hEHab1s.jpg

merlin

Welcome @munckee.

I'm sure you don't need any introductions here mate, you know everyone already! 

prowla

Creed_Clicks said:

@prowla that Laredo stands out !

You know, I’d probably not have picked it as the standout one there. 

Creed_Clicks

While the 330 sounds great the two big pointy horns are off putting visually to me. The 360 looks nicer...

Creed_Clicks

Someone please talk me out of a Ric down the line. "Don't buy online". "Necks are rubbish etc" "Can´t play up the neck" etc....

p90fool

Creed_Clicks said:

Someone please talk me out of a Ric down the line. "Don't buy online". "Necks are rubbish etc" "Can´t play up the neck" etc....

The frets are too low and the fingerboard too sticky for me. 

I had a great deal of difficulty playing it accurately, but my hands are knackered, so there's that. 

If I'd been able to try it in a shop I would've passed on it in ten seconds tbh. 

Loobs

mart said:

munckee said:

ICBM said:

munckee said:

I've always felt left out of this club having never even played one of these knickerbocker things let alone owned one.

So I've bitten the bullet and a 12 string 360 is on it's way to me.  NGD to follow!

Wow! Brave decision . 

I went used im not that brave!

If you'd bought a new Ric 12 without ever having played one, you wouldn't be being brave, you'd be being stupid. And I say that as a Ric 12 owner.

Hope you get on well with it when it arrives - they are amazing beasts, if you can get on with their quirks.

Why do you say this, out of curiosity? I'd absolutely love a Ric 12 string. 

mart

Loobs said:

mart said:

If you'd bought a new Ric 12 without ever having played one, you wouldn't be being brave, you'd be being stupid. And I say that as a Ric 12 owner. 

Hope you get on well with it when it arrives - they are amazing beasts, if you can get on with their quirks.

Why do you say this, out of curiosity? I'd absolutely love a Ric 12 string. 

They have an amazing sound and look, but quite an unusual feel. In particular, the necks are usually very, very narrow for a 12-string, making it quite a challenge to finger notes in a conventional way. On the plus side, that means you can easily do things like play an open A major chord with just two fingers, but it's not something to buy without trying.

The feel of the lacquered bubinga fingerboard is also slightly unusual, and the necks can be an unusual profile, but the neck width is the main reason I'd advise caution.

ICBM

Loobs said:

Why do you say this, out of curiosity? I'd absolutely love a Ric 12 string. 

They're *very* different from almost any other guitar you may be used to - to the point that a lot of people find them either unplayable or just too hard to adapt to.

The main differences:

Very narrow neck - even for a 6-string - 1-5/8" (41mm). The 12-strings are the same width! (The 660 model of both has a wider neck.)

Lacquered fingerboard with small vintage-style frets fairly deeply buried in it. (Many old ones have had the lacquer stripped.)

The neck is set very high relative to the body and parallel to it, unlike either a Fender where it's parallel but low, or a Gibson where the bridge is high but the neck is angled back, or even a Gretsch which is closer to the Rick but still angled. As a result all the hardware is set above the body not recessed into it and the strings feel very high.

The controls are oddly laid out and don't work especially well, apart from the quirky 5th (small) 'balance' knob which is very useful but is different from other guitars.

The 360 model even has the whole body 'backwards' - it's rounded on the front edge and sharp-edged and bound on the back.

There are a couple of other features that you won't find on most other guitars either, although less noticeable in normal use - double truss rods, and on some models (including the 360) 'stereo' outputs for the two pickups.

Basically, unless you're willing to take a large financial hit, don't buy a new one without having played one first. The good news is that second hand ones hold their value well and are easy to sell on for what you paid if you didn't pay too much. Many second hand examples are in perfect condition as well, due to the above!

TonyR

Loobs said:

mart said:

If you'd bought a new Ric 12 without ever having played one, you wouldn't be being brave, you'd be being stupid. And I say that as a Ric 12 owner.

Hope you get on well with it when it arrives - they are amazing beasts, if you can get on with their quirks.

Why do you say this, out of curiosity? I'd absolutely love a Ric 12 string. 

I’ve owned two Ric 12 strings in the past (381/12 and 620/12) and they are a real nightmare when it comes to restringing them. It hasn’t stopped me wanting to get another (360/12) though!

slacker

munckee said:

JerkMoans said:

Paging @munckee  

So it's official I qualify for the club, need to restring it back to 12 string but I'm to busy playing it at the moment!

https://i.imgur.com/hEHab1s.jpg

You're free to do what you want any old time.

Loobs

ICBM said:

Loobs said:

Why do you say this, out of curiosity? I'd absolutely love a Ric 12 string. 

They're *very* different from almost any other guitar you may be used to - to the point that a lot of people find them either unplayable or just too hard to adapt to.

The main differences:

Very narrow neck - even for a 6-string - 1-5/8" (41mm). The 12-strings are the same width! (The 660 model of both has a wider neck.)

Lacquered fingerboard with small vintage-style frets fairly deeply buried in it. (Many old ones have had the lacquer stripped.)

The neck is set very high relative to the body and parallel to it, unlike either a Fender where it's parallel but low, or a Gibson where the bridge is high but the neck is angled back, or even a Gretsch which is closer to the Rick but still angled. As a result all the hardware is set above the body not recessed into it and the strings feel very high.

The controls are oddly laid out and don't work especially well, apart from the quirky 5th (small) 'balance' knob which is very useful but is different from other guitars.

The 360 model even has the whole body 'backwards' - it's rounded on the front edge and sharp-edged and bound on the back.

There are a couple of other features that you won't find on most other guitars either, although less noticeable in normal use - double truss rods, and on some models (including the 360) 'stereo' outputs for the two pickups.

Basically, unless you're willing to take a large financial hit, don't buy a new one without having played one first. The good news is that second hand ones hold their value well and are easy to sell on for what you paid if you didn't pay too much. Many second hand examples are in perfect condition as well, due to the above!

Thanks! 

munckee

So clanger news, the case came with a broken latch and after a few days one of the other latches broke.  Luckily @JerkMoans had left some of the 62,000 latches he bought in the case, so I did what any red blooded male would do and took it to my dad's house and he replaced them for me....

So my dilemma now is it didn't come with a bridge cover.  They are £30 from what I can see assuming I can find one that fits, ( and assuming no-one here has a drawer full) would I buy it, put it on once then take it off and never use it again.

Also I was exhausted just watching the video on how to re-string it as a 12 string!

Last question for the group has anyone changed the newer style high gain pickups for toasters - is there a huge difference?

GavRichList

You certainly won’t want the bridge cover on. 

mart

GavRichList said:

You certainly won’t want the bridge cover on. 

This. If you get one and put it on, you'll take it off pretty quickly. 

 
It might look fractionally better with it on, but it stops palm muting and just gets in the way. 

ICBM

I took the one off my first Rickenbacker immediately after I whacked the top corner of it quite hard with the side of my hand, cutting myself and knocking the whole bridge backwards at an angle under the strings - putting the tuning instantly into Mongolian Diminished or something . Apart from the large amount of blood coming out of my hand it would have been hilarious - luckily at a practice not a gig too.

If you really want one after that I think I have a spare somewhere...

slacker

ICBM said:

I took the one off my first Rickenbacker immediately after I whacked the top corner of it quite hard with the side of my hand, cutting myself and knocking the whole bridge backwards at an angle under the strings - putting the tuning instantly into Mongolian Diminished or something . Apart from the large amount of blood coming out of my hand it would have been hilarious - luckily at a practice not a gig too.

If you really want one after that I think I have a spare somewhere...

spare bridge cover or hand?

thermionic

I must be the only one who leaves it on then! I think it looks better and don’t find it affects playability in any way.

Jim-Bob

Munckee, Well done on getting such a cool guitar - I always liked the Soup Dragons.  Just been through the cover on/off dilemma on my new 330.  It looks lovely and shiny but I have taken it off and I think I can play the thing better without it...  Palm muting, string damping all sooo much easier for me with it gone. I am chopping and changing with other guitars so it makes it much more familiar than playing with your picking hand a few mil off the strings.  I would not worry about it if its not there - it's been taken off for a good reason.

munckee

ICBM said:

I took the one off my first Rickenbacker immediately after I whacked the top corner of it quite hard with the side of my hand, cutting myself and knocking the whole bridge backwards at an angle under the strings - putting the tuning instantly into Mongolian Diminished or something . Apart from the large amount of blood coming out of my hand it would have been hilarious - luckily at a practice not a gig too.

If you really want one after that I think I have a spare somewhere...

If you find you do have a spare let me know please and I'll send you some cash for it.


Thanks for all the other responses - anyone have any thoughts on toasters vs high gain, which seem pretty low gain to me?