The Rickenbacker thread

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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hwestman
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Re: The Rickenbacker thread

Post by hwestman » Wed May 08, 2019 12:42 am

i love sharin foo wrote:
Fri Apr 26, 2019 5:27 pm

I want to make some changes to this 330 I have now. I think it is time to finally give a set of toasters a try. I plan on having Creamery make me a set of the Mid '63s with a lower output neck. I think I will go with 500k pots. I might go with the older style knobs then, too. I definitely want to back date to the old school strap buttons and tailpiece. I'm throwing around the idea of swapping to a set of Klusons (or the Gotoh equivalent). I just like the way they look so much more. I prefer a tuner with a slower gear ratio as well. I've never really had an issue with the stock bridges, but I've still be reading a bit about the Mastery for them.


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I have a set of Creamery 64's in my 360WB and really like them. I do think it is a good idea to order the neck pickup a bit weaker than spec since it is a bit louder than the bridge one even with the bridge one jacked up high and the neck one set low. I ended up turning the Mix control into a bass cut which improved balance. Also installed treble bleeds.

The Mastery is a great upgrade although pricey.

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Re: The Rickenbacker thread

Post by i love sharin foo » Wed May 08, 2019 5:02 am

hwestman wrote:
Wed May 08, 2019 12:42 am


I have a set of Creamery 64's in my 360WB and really like them. I do think it is a good idea to order the neck pickup a bit weaker than spec since it is a bit louder than the bridge one even with the bridge one jacked up high and the neck one set low. I ended up turning the Mix control into a bass cut which improved balance. Also installed treble bleeds.

The Mastery is a great upgrade although pricey.
Thanks for the info on the Creamery pickups! I can't decide but I am almost tempted to go with one in just the neck position. This particular Hi Gain in the bridge actually sounds pretty good. The neck is way too bloated and woofy though. I snagged a '94 360/12V64 though, so the 330s plans are on a bit of a hold right now.
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Re: The Rickenbacker thread

Post by CS » Thu May 09, 2019 4:46 am


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Re: The Rickenbacker thread

Post by i love sharin foo » Thu May 09, 2019 2:38 pm

CS wrote:
Thu May 09, 2019 4:46 am
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Nice! 8)

I like the full width inlays so much better. They really complete the look for me.
The whispers cut like hard rain, Like sugar in a hurricane

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Re: The Rickenbacker thread

Post by jimboyogi » Thu May 09, 2019 2:45 pm

i love sharin foo wrote:
Wed May 08, 2019 5:02 am
hwestman wrote:
Wed May 08, 2019 12:42 am


I have a set of Creamery 64's in my 360WB and really like them. I do think it is a good idea to order the neck pickup a bit weaker than spec since it is a bit louder than the bridge one even with the bridge one jacked up high and the neck one set low. I ended up turning the Mix control into a bass cut which improved balance. Also installed treble bleeds.

The Mastery is a great upgrade although pricey.
Thanks for the info on the Creamery pickups! I can't decide but I am almost tempted to go with one in just the neck position. This particular Hi Gain in the bridge actually sounds pretty good. The neck is way too bloated and woofy though. I snagged a '94 360/12V64 though, so the 330s plans are on a bit of a hold right now.
Congrats on the 360/12V64, love the look of these.
I've spent a bit of time modding the electrics on my 330, and I second the mods that hwestman suggested above - treble bleed caps on the volume pots (especially the neck), and especially changing the Mix control into a bass cut for the neck pup by putting a capacitor across it. In fact I would try this before you order a new neck pickup, it may tame the hi-gain enough for you to be happy.

Here's a thread from a few years ago where I describe the mods I was trying out on mine -
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=97411

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Re: The Rickenbacker thread

Post by cestlamort » Thu May 09, 2019 11:09 pm

i love sharin foo wrote:
Thu May 09, 2019 2:38 pm
CS wrote:
Thu May 09, 2019 4:46 am
Image
Nice! 8)

I like the full width inlays so much better. They really complete the look for me.
I agree. The full width inlays and smaller headstocks just look so much better/"right".

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Re: The Rickenbacker thread

Post by fuzzjunkie » Fri May 10, 2019 9:16 am

I also agree on the inlay, headstock equation.

Not as much on the cat eye hole binding or the R-tailpiece. I didn’t even notice the lack of binding until I read some Rick purists discussing it. I thought I might miss the R, but the trapeze is so much easier to string that I have learned to like the minimal aesthetic and the R looks out of place now.

I use the blend knob a lot and park the selector in the middle. I guess that makes it more versatile and less versatile at the same time?

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Re: The Rickenbacker thread

Post by i love sharin foo » Fri May 10, 2019 4:55 pm

The 360/12V64 showed up today. I am really pleased with the feel and sound. I swapped in a set of Pick of the Rick's custom set of Thomastik Infield flats right off. They were money well spent. I love the look of it. It looks and feels more like a vintage piece than any other Rickenbacker I've had (the oldest I've owned was a '91). I really like these hot toasters. They are much more clear than Hi Gains, but still have enough output that my amps and pedals react favorably. Even the neck pickup alone is very useable. After one string change, I am sold on the tailpiece! I know there are techniques to make an R more manageable, but this one was absolutely painless. I :-* it! I am really gad to have Kluson type tuners as well. I feel like it balances a bit better with them, plus I prefer the look and feel.

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Re: The Rickenbacker thread

Post by Danley » Fri May 10, 2019 5:08 pm

Damn. Next time I reward myself, it's probably going to be a Rickenbacker (450 Sierra is my initial lean.)
King Buzzo: I love when people come up to me and say “Your guitar sound was better on Stoner Witch, when you used a Les Paul. “...I used a Fender Mustang reissue on that, dumbass!

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Re: The Rickenbacker thread

Post by jakeisjake » Fri May 10, 2019 7:15 pm

Danley wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 5:08 pm
. Next time I reward myself, it's probably going to be a Rickenbacker.
i like the sound of that...
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: The Rickenbacker thread

Post by fuzzjunkie » Sat May 11, 2019 5:51 am

i love sharin foo wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 4:55 pm
The 360/12V64 showed up today. I am really pleased with the feel and sound. I swapped in a set of Pick of the Rick's custom set of Thomastik Infield flats right off. They were money well spent. I love the look of it. It looks and feels more like a vintage piece than any other Rickenbacker I've had (the oldest I've owned was a '91). I really like these hot toasters. They are much more clear than Hi Gains, but still have enough output that my amps and pedals react favorably. Even the neck pickup alone is very useable. After one string change, I am sold on the tailpiece! I know there are techniques to make an R more manageable, but this one was absolutely painless. I :-* it! I am really gad to have Kluson type tuners as well. I feel like it balances a bit better with them, plus I prefer the look and feel.

Image
Image
Image
Excellent looking guitar Justin, glad the pickups are going to work for you. The R does seem iconic until you get an alternative. My younger self thought it wasn't a Rick without the R and now I much prefer the trapeze. Black or Fireglo is the way to go on Rickenbackers for me. Such a classic look. I know they have plenty of other options, but if mine weren't Fireglo, they'd be Black.

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Re: The Rickenbacker thread

Post by i love sharin foo » Sat May 11, 2019 11:32 am

fuzzjunkie wrote:
Sat May 11, 2019 5:51 am


Excellent looking guitar Justin, glad the pickups are going to work for you. The R does seem iconic until you get an alternative. My younger self thought it wasn't a Rick without the R and now I much prefer the trapeze. Black or Fireglo is the way to go on Rickenbackers for me. Such a classic look. I know they have plenty of other options, but if mine weren't Fireglo, they'd be Black.
Thanks!!!

You should've seen the bridge before I restrung and started to set it up... The front adjustment screws were set at about half the height as the rears were. The bridge was tilted so far forward that the strings behind the bridge were resting on the back edge of it :wtf: It had been setup with just 6 strings for who knows how long so I wasn't sure how much I would need to do to restring as a 12. So far, so good. The relief hasn't changed and it plays cleanly in all registers. I have the action a lot lower than my old 330/122, too. I hope the relief stays this way since it's pretty well impossible to get the truss rod cover off with the octave strings in place.


While we are on the topic of Rick 12s, I found a pretty neat article on Reverb with Tom Petty talking about them. It's a good read.
https://reverb.com/news/tom-petty-descr ... -interview

Here's a particularly hilarious part of the interview from the writer's perspective:
And how about the song that for many is The Heartbreakers’ signature song, "American Girl?" It might sound like there’s a 12 on that, but in fact it’s octaves on a six-string. In an accompanying interview I did at the same time with Mike Campbell, he tells me that when they finally got to meet Roger McGuinn, he said he’d heard "American Girl" on the radio and thought it was him. He was with his manager, and turned and said, “When did I do that?” And the manager said, “That’s not you.” Roger thought it was something he’d recorded and forgotten about, and then when he found out the truth, he wanted to meet Tom and Mike.
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Re: The Rickenbacker thread

Post by cestlamort » Sat May 11, 2019 11:38 am

That’s pretty much my ideal of a Rickenbacker. Just lovely.
The Truss rod cover is hard to wrangle with the octave strings. One trick: only use the screw on the very tip. The strings hold the rest in place (for better or worse).

I just got some TI flats. Looking forward to checking them out.

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Re: The Rickenbacker thread

Post by Bert Camenbert » Sat May 11, 2019 1:54 pm

Lovely guitar! And it has its neck pickup in the proper place! Who the fuck needs 24 frets on a Ricknebacker?

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Re: The Rickenbacker thread

Post by fuzzjunkie » Sat May 11, 2019 2:52 pm

You should've seen the bridge before I restrung and started to set it up... The front adjustment screws were set at about half the height as the rears were. The bridge was tilted so far forward that the strings behind the bridge were resting on the back edge of it...
I wonder if the previous owner also sold a black Gretsch recently?!? My Silver Falcon was set up like that and the pickups were setup totally wrong for a Gretsch. The poles were jacked really high on both! Some people should let professionals do the work.

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