For the few on here interested in such things, I really have to draw your attention to the astounding Rickenbacker 101 site, the work of one Richard Smith. I own all the available books on Rickenbacker, including the wonderful tome by the Kelly brothers, but this site has appeared from nowhere in the past 12 months to become the definitive source for all things Rick. It is well written, superbly illustrated and operates from the maxim that no rabbit hole is unworthy of exploration. What’s more, he adds new content every few days.
And it really is a fascinating topic: an absolute minnow in the guitar world that had lightning strike three or four times, saving it from obscurity and making it one of the most distinctive product lines in rock and pop history.
A family-owned company where seemingly no harebrained idea was rejected out of hand. You want a guitar with lights inside that flash on and off as strings are plucked? Sure! Slanted frets? No problem! A 12 string that converts to a 6 string with the pull of a lever? Of course! A company so obstinate that after two members of the biggest band in the world started playing their instruments, they changed the designs so that it was actually impossible for fans to go into a shop and buy models the same as their heroes.
The fact that Rickenbacker spent their golden years seemingly in a perpetual prototype phase means that there are lots of nooks, crannies and diversions in the story, which is catnip to guitar tragics like me. It also makes it more interesting than the corporate spiral of the Fender and Gibson stories.
If you are looking for a place to start, try the story of the Pete Townshend Rickenbacker fragment, a disputed holy relic.
Enjoy!
Thanks for the link! I’m a Rickenbacker nut, loving the look and sound of them since watching TOTP as a kid. After getting a large redundancy payment a few years ago, I bought a blonde – sorry, mapleglo – 620. This spring, I was sucked into Wunjos Guitars in Denmark Street by their fiendish tractor beam, to be faced by a second hand, but ‘as new’ 660/12 in fireglo (sunburst). It’s the Tom Petty model without the signature, basically – toaster pickups, checkerboard binding, mono output and, most importantly, a wider neck. I have a lovely understanding wife, two lovely jangly Rics and a considerably smaller bank balance.
Like you Pod, I have books but this link will mean I don’t get much done this weekend. Chapeau! Do you have a Ric, or Rics? Anyone else?
I have a Ric. It’s a bit of a problem that if you’re shit at guitar and only want one guitar, (I think) a fireglow Ric is the only solution but mine is so devilishly hard to keep in tune that I normally just pick up my wife’s acoustic!
Ironically it’s not Tom’s, that’s Mike Campbell’s guitar!
Yes, amazing story. They only made one of them as a prototype pretty much the same day they made the one for George (also a prototype). Then a spotty, young Mike Campbell answers an ad for a 12 string Rick, expecting one like George’s, is hugely disappointed but buys it anyway, and once again Rickenbacker don’t have the model available when the guitar ends up on the Petty album cover.
Fun fact- Petty and Campbell converted all their Ricks to ‘standard’ stringing, with the octave note on top.
Now that IS a fun fact: do you know the rationale? I thought part of that Rick 12 sound was catching the octave string on the upstroke!
It seems obvious to me to have the octave string struck first. It’s the jangle maaan.
But isn’t that eccentricity which contributes (in part) to the unique Rick-12 sound?
Dunno. Tom Petty clearly has the unique Rick-12 sound and he reversed it.
Ironically there is no 12 string on American Girl – it’s just Mike Campbell playing the perfect part as usual. On a Tele!
I bought my 330/12 second hand without knowing this about Ricks and assumed the owner had had it reversed the octave string order himself. Took it straight to the guitar shop to have it turned back into a ‘proper’ Rick – took bloody ages. Not long after I got it back I read about how octave-second was standard Rick practice! Oh well: at least I’m in good company with Petty and Campbell.
Johnny Marr has also shown that many of the Smiths songs that people assume are Rickenbackers are not. I believe This Charming Man was a Telecaster.
Confession time: I use a Digitech Mosaic, rather than bring a 12-string to a gig for one or two tunes…
At least it’s not a Variax!
One of these gives a vaguely 12 sound.
The Mosaic does a good job – even the rest of the band think it’s a reasonable facimile!
Maybe not for recording – but sitting in a live band, it’s fine!
I have a 360/12, and have owned a 360v64. My dream is a fireglo 660/12, just like yours!
I’ve written on here before about my biannual descent into madness when time comes to restring the 360/12.
Nerd detail: After having the guitar with Hi Gain pickups for 20 years, I just swapped them out last week for a set of Creamery Toasters. Wonderful.
I’ve got a Tele with a Bigsby. Without a one-handed capo it’d never get restrung.
The joy of a Bigsby. I do the same with my Gretsch – plus masking tape to mark the floating bridge position!
Wow! Thanks for that – I can see where I’m going to be for a while…
I learned to play bass on borrowed instruments, from about age 14. But when I got my own first bass, it had to be a 4001. For many years, it was my only bass – I now have something a bit lighter as an option, due to a damaged shoulder.
The guitarist in my band hated it, kept nagging me to get a Precision. But he wasn’t listening properly – it’s a wildly versatile bass, not just a “twang monster” (sorry, Twang!). Set of flats, neck pickup turned up, bridge pickup turned down – sorted! Let’s face it: no-one ever accused Chris Squire, Macca and Lemmy of sounding the same…
Macca is most associated with that Hofner but I believe the Rick 4001 was his bass of choice in the studio from around ’66. That warm fat tone he got on Pepper was gorgeous.
Also used the Rick live and in studio with Wings for a good chunk of the 1970s.
I remember reading that his Rick lost a pound or two of weight when he stripped the finish off! I’ve occasionally thought of doing the same, but always chickened out…
Chris Squire’s famous cream 4001 is the lightest ever, due to him covering it in various paint jobs/wallpapers in the 60s, then changing his mind and getting it stripped down, again and again.
Similar story here! Played a mates (actually the guitarist from Catherine Wheel) 4001 when I was about 18 and loved it. So when I got a decent redundancy payout about 25 years later I treated myself to a lovely new black one. Guess what! I couldn’t get on with it and I barely play it. I much prefer my 38 year old Squier Jazz.
That’s unfortunate – and expensive! Personally, I’ve never played another bass which suited me better.
Having finally got a beautiful black US built P I have sadly come to the conclusion that I am a short scale guy.
Have you tried stack heels?
Oh the bantz.
Make me an offer I can’t refuse!
Well, that’s very kind – but, TBH, I only need one 4001.
I think they look brilliant but I’ve never found one I liked. Still going to nerd out though.
They are exceedingly idiosyncratic. They have narrow, clubby necks, narrow frets and a highly glossed fingerboard. I don’t think anyone picks one up and says “This is the one!”. It takes me an hour or so to settle into my 12 string, as I have to change my picking (and use a skinny pick), change my chord fingerings and change my general playing strategy. But all is forgiven once I plug it into a deluxe reverb and arpeggiate a simple chord.
My Martin D28-12, however, was love at first strum.
Will investigate!
I have a 1999/2000 360 in JetGlo. (Hard to believe a guitar I purchased is now probably considered a vintage guitar.) My rig is basically that into an MXR dynacomp, a bunch of Boss pedals, into two Vox AC 15s in stereo. There’s something about that guitar that just sings. I’ve tried many others to broaden my palette and have settled on a nice Jazzmaster (especially for wang bar action) but only that Rick ‘gives back’ when I play it. Plug in, hit a D chord and the universe vibrates.
I also bought a used 330/12 about 20 years ago which sounds great but I do struggle with the neck width given that I’m not a particularly precise or intricate player. Had the R tailpiece explode on me a couple of years ago. Took it to my local guy who said that Rickenbacker were impenetrable to deal with – dismissive at best and, after months of ballache, we decided on an aftermarket tailpiece ala the earliest models.
Fun fact: Rickenbacker won’t sell you replacement parts unless you send them the broken piece first.
The R tailpiece is diabolical for stringing a 12 string anyway. Check out the article in the website on the R tailpiece and it’s issues: the exploding certainly seems related to a metal formulation change in the late 70s and was hopefully fixed by the late 90s when mine was made.
You can buy aftermarket nuts with wider string spacing that just slot in. May be worth a shot.
Here’s one. I didn’t know HB do a Rick copy but I was in Thomann’s actual bricks and mortar shop in Germany – which is one of the best music shops I have ever been in – and there it was. Obviously I had a go! Jangle tastic of course.
I appreciate that you weren’t doing a blindfold test – but how did the sound compare?
Well I didn’t play a real Rick, just a HB but it was a decent sounding electric 12 string. Much like the Danelectro one I used to have.
Interesting! I do like the Dano, while accepting that it’s not trying to be a Rick.
Sounds like the HB might be worth a try in its own right…
They have a good return policy…
Dave Gregory has some great nerdy Rickenbacker stuff on his site, along with other classic guitars: http://www.guitargonauts.info