Rickenbacker guitars

[allclaphands]

Watching some videos of groups in the 60's it would seem
that a lot of groups used a Rickenbacker guitar (not The Shadows)
Just as general interest are there any members who have one or
has played one and might like to pass on there thoughts or opinions
of them from what I have seen and heard they sounded very impressive

Pete

[shadfan4]

As a Beatles fan & poster of some instro's, I considered getting a 12 str Ricky, and or 6 str to get that distinct Beatle sound.

The cost is not justifiable for the limited use they would get. I did however buy a Burns "double six" and could justify the £500 odd it cost for the use it gets.

Mike.

[somebodyelseuk]

Always wanted one. Very hard to get hold of here in the 80 - Rickenbacker refused to export to the UK after the distributor was found to be making/selling cheap knock-offs of them.
Finally got to try one in the mid90s when a new distributor finally persuaded them to let us have them. Stunning guitars - their build quality is second to no-one. The sound you either love or hate. I couldn't get on with the necks - very thin. They're heavier than you'd think as well - the semi acoustic body is routed from a solid block rather than the more traditional top/back/sides/centre block approach.

Cheers, Julian

[harley]

Not sure where you are Pete but here in Scotland we have loads of music shops, especially in Glasgow and Edinburgh. A few of these shops stock Ricks. Kennys in Glasgow is a good example. I recently bought a variax from them and spent 2 very enjoyable hours comparing the real things (various Fender and Gibson models as well as Gretsch and of course Rickenbacker) to the variax models. They were more than happy for me to try these guitars. Very helpful too. I suppose that also raises another question, perhaps a variax might be worth a try. I personally didnt get on with it, more to do with the guitar itself than how it sounded. Hard to say what i didnt like about it but it used it live for a few months and went back to a strat. hard to fault it sound wise though

[martyn]

Back in the late sixties I p/ex'd my 1960 strat (rosewood neck, single ply pick guard, Fiesta Red - or Salmon Pink as it was then called) for a Fireglo Rickenbacker 340 (rarer Rose Morris imported three pickup version of the 330 with vibrato) for two reasons. Firstly the strat was almost impossible to keep in tune so despite it nowadays being considered valuable/collectable vintage, back then it was in fact a bit of a dog and I wasn't the least unhappy to see it go. Secondly Rickenbackers were suddenly popular with their distinctive looks and The Who were classic users (who can forget those spanky intro chords or the rich burbly lead section on Can't Explain?) and of course The Beatles used six and twelve string ones for a while.

For me, with quite small hands, it was the easiest of (narrow) necks to play having a very low action, it kept perfect pitch at all times and, unlike the strat, didn't bite its way through sets of strings at every opportunity. I loved the look of it with its Fireglo redburst finish and rich red matching rosewood neck and for the type of music our group was playing at that time it made a perfect rhythm guitar and was OK for the minimal solos required at that time - we mixed Beatles, Soul and Tamla Motown plus a bit of Who and Rock as well. Ricks have a fairly distinctive sound (more obvious on their 12-strings - think Beatles and the Byrds) with the bridge pickup being bright, jangly and which can sound a bit strat-like) and for the 330 two pickups models, combining bridge and neck gives a notably unique tone that's a bit like a Telecaster but richer and more burbly if that makes sense. If anyone remembers the hit song of that time: Friday On My Mind (google it) the intro guitar features a 330 bridge/neck blend and was a favourite sound for me at that time.

Much more recently I succumbed to nostalgia and bought a mint used 330 in the quite unusual pretty blue-burst colour, bought the correct Rick Accent vibrato unit online (can be difficult to source) and fitted that to it and three weeks later I sold it again! I bought it in a shop so I'd had plenty of time to try it and re-familiarise myself with its fabulous neck so why didn't it stay? Well I thought I could use it as a change from my strats but it was only after a few sessions at home I quickly realised why I'd sold the original one to another group guitarist back in the day, when I switched to keyboards - it's essentially a bit of a one-trick (possibly two) pony. The Rickenbacker sound is quite unique but once you've done the Who/Beatles repertoire, there's not much left if you're trying to emulate the tones of other bands and a Rick really isn't suitable for Shads stuff because if you're expecting any strat-like tones you'll be disappointed. If you're into heavier metal material that requires lingering sustain for finger bending, Rickenbackers really weren't designed for that, which is why you rarely see them used by modern bands. If you look at YouTube videos of Ricks in use, nearly all the amateurs demonstrating them are playing Beatles or Byrds tunes because that's what they do so well and they easily capture the sounds of that time. It does exactly what it says on the box, but you may not want to open the box very often.

The guitars are beautifully crafted as the original small USA company still only makes a limited number each year. I've never seen or played a poor quality one and they are always easily resold because of that. I actually sold mine at a small profit, which is a rare thing these days. If I came across another with white edging just like my original, I'd be tempted to buy it but suspect it would hang on the wall to remind me of my lost youth rather than be played in anger very often. If you're still tempted, don't buy one online because you can't try before you buy that way. Try one in a guitar shop first, try the neck - they don't suit everyone - and if you like the sound then buy it. New they're not cheap, being around the £1300 to £1800 price range, according to model but a new 330, for example, should come with its own Rickenbacker hard case that has to be one of the smartest and best made luxury cases out there. I found myself just opening and closing the clasps because they sounded so crisply smooth, which probably makes me rather a sad person . . . as does the following poor quality photo of some strange young bloke looking vaguely familiar, wearing a gold/yellow kaftan and playing my Rickenbacker . . .

[abstamaria]

Here's a photo I took of my friend's 12-string Rickenbacker. He's left it with me over ten years now. I find it difficult to play, actually, but of course it has that distinct Beatles sound.

Andy

[Stu's Dad]

Nice to see you back on line Andy,

All the very best,

Len

[allclaphands]

Hi Andy
I would like to repeat what Len (medad)said.
Thanks for posting the picture it looks a Beauty.
Pete

[abstamaria]

Thank you, Len, Pete. I'm still very much around, and do try to keep up with the forum and Charlie. It is just that I retired last September from the firm I joined since school, and the transition has kept me very busy. I am hopeful that things will settle soon, and I can get back to playing more.

My best wishes for the New Year to all.

Andy