Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
User avatar
timiscott
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 422
Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2018 12:38 am
Location: London

Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by timiscott » Mon Jun 01, 2020 10:50 am

Just watched Pete Hook's band run through a set of Joy Division songs with all guitar parts played on a 330. Nice.

User avatar
lususnaturae
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 76
Joined: Thu May 07, 2009 3:40 am
Location: Philadelphia

Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by lususnaturae » Mon Jun 01, 2020 8:08 pm

Image

User avatar
amplituden
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 804
Joined: Wed Dec 03, 2008 8:51 am
Location: Turanna Ontarya
Contact:

Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by amplituden » Tue Jun 02, 2020 11:23 am

I have a Jet-Glo 330 and I love it. I don't find it any less versatile than any other guitar I have had. (and I've had a lot). It can sound really aggressive or it can sound really clear depending on what you are doing with your amp and pedals. I think its great especially for rhythm guitar its pretty effortless to play.
Guy Piccotto used one in Fugazi through a Marshall or Park 1/2 stack and I love the way that sounds, it has a nice full sound clean. I think putting flats on it sort of takes off a bit of the high end and gets it more into the ballpark that i like tone wise.

User avatar
Maggieo
Expat
Expat
Posts: 13446
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:36 am
Location: Nebraska, USA
Contact:

Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by Maggieo » Tue Jun 02, 2020 12:50 pm

lususnaturae wrote:
Mon Jun 01, 2020 8:08 pm
Image
:-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*
“Now I am quietly waiting for/ the catastrophe of my personality/ to seem beautiful again.”- Frank O'Hara
I am not an attorney and this post is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a licensed attorney in your state for legal advice.

User avatar
sunburster
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1064
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2015 3:04 pm

Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by sunburster » Tue Jun 02, 2020 4:36 pm

I have a 2018 360-6 in Mapleglo. I bought it brand new. It's wonderful! The nut width is 42mm, which is the same as my JM, Jag and Strat. Very comfy neck. Sounds great (and different from the Fenders), plays great, looks awesome (love those full-size shark inlays). What's not to love?

Image

User avatar
timiscott
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 422
Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2018 12:38 am
Location: London

Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by timiscott » Wed Jun 03, 2020 12:36 am

Showing me all these beautiful guitars is sooo going to cost me! The key thing above is that it can do different things to a Jaguar and JM. At the minute, I've got these and a Gretsch.

User avatar
danbind
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 659
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 5:43 pm
Location: VA - US of A

Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by danbind » Wed Jun 17, 2020 4:44 pm

My Fireglo 360V64 (a 1990's version, looks more like a 330, but with toasters) is my favorite guitar. It took me a while to get it set up right--the nut slots were cut WAYYYY too high when I got it, I don't know how anyone played it before me (and I don't think they did, because it looked brand new when I got it in the mid-2000's). But once I did, and once I connected to the guitar (small frets and lacquered board, etc), it just CLICKED--and through an AC15 it is a REAL SOUND. Everything else sounds two dimensional. And people always come up to me and say "man, that is a beautiful guitar!"

I love the Weller sound (which I think on Setting Sons was through a Peavey Bandit), and Jim Babjak of the Smithereens (through a Marshall live, although I think a lot of those big records he was actually playing a Tele). And Peter Buck--oh man, what a sound on those early records. It doesn't work for EVERYTHING--it don't shred (BTW, neither do I), and sustain is meh--but there is so much there. I need to try a Mastery...

Bottom line--it is worth the investment.
remember / to kick it over

User avatar
fuzzjunkie
Expat
Expat
Posts: 7276
Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:32 am
Location: Seattle

Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by fuzzjunkie » Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:19 am

My little corner of the Rickenbacker world.

Image
Last edited by fuzzjunkie on Fri Aug 21, 2020 6:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
BoringPostcards
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 7046
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 8:50 am
Location: Newfoundland

Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by BoringPostcards » Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:54 pm

I love the 330 and 620 Models so much. I was shopping around for the right jetglo 330 before the virus hit, and now I have to wait yet again, because the Canadian dollar took a bad hit and what was once 2100 or so, is now about 2700+.

I was so close this time, but I will have to wait until the dollar gets better.

As much as I love Rickenbacker guitars, I am not paying near 3K for a 330. Friggin economy.
Det er mig der holder traeerne sammen.

User avatar
kamillebidan
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 309
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2017 1:00 pm

Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by kamillebidan » Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:17 pm

Dammit, I want a Rick so bad and this thread isn't helping!

Always dug how they sounded on The Smithereens' records. Nostalgia in aural form.

User avatar
kamillebidan
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 309
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2017 1:00 pm

Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by kamillebidan » Wed Jun 24, 2020 1:54 pm

Well shit, this must have pushed me over the edge but I went and ordered a new 360 in Fireglo!

Heard that the new batch is coming in early July, so I might get it in the next couple months, lol. Excited!

User avatar
iStringz
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2015 6:14 am
Location: Thurgau, Switzerland
Contact:

Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by iStringz » Mon Jul 06, 2020 12:15 pm

I've owned a couple of Ricks until now. But only had one at a time. I think they are great guitars and often overlooked. Once you start digging in all of the possibilities that they give you, you'll learn to love them.

I had a Jetglo 1994 330 first, which was good, but the shape of the body bugged me quite a lot at the time.
I exchanged it for another 1989 330 in Mapleglo, but still, I couldn't get along with the body shape and the hard edges (LOL obvious, I only changed colours)
Then I exchanged that one for a 1992 360 in Mapleglo, and I was able to settle. The 360 has all the goodies I need.
Now my hunt for a 12 String Rick has started, in order to get rid of my Danelectro's.
Preferably a 360-12 to exchange with my 360-6 and a 381-6, both in either Jetglo or Mapleglo.

However, moral of the story: I love Ricks and I really would suggest you try one as soon as you can. They're fantastic guitars!
Current offsets: Fender Jaguar 65 AVRI IceBlueMetallic & Fender Jazzmaster LTD w/ Rosewood Neck Shell Pink.

User avatar
Mojo Johnson
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 106
Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2016 6:19 am

Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by Mojo Johnson » Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:17 am

kamillebidan wrote:
Wed Jun 24, 2020 1:54 pm
Well shit, this must have pushed me over the edge but I went and ordered a new 360 in Fireglo!

Heard that the new batch is coming in early July, so I might get it in the next couple months, lol. Excited!
Congratulations!

I got my first RIC, a Jetglo 360/6, late last year after selling a bunch of gear, including a vintage Fender lap steel to fund to purchase. I felt at the time like I was driving off a cliff because I had sacrificed a lot to get it and didn’t have much real-life experience with a RIC. You read forum posts where everyone says “the necks are awful, they have finished fretboards, one-trick pony, yada yada yada...”

Anyway, I’m happy to say that after 8 or 9 months of using the 360 as my #1 axe, I have no regrets and couldn’t be happier. I’d say it is much more versatile than most people give RICs credit for and it plays like an absolute dream. The sound IS unique but I appreciate it and, most importantly, every time I pick it up I’m inspired to write something new.

I read a post in this thread where someone said it’s like a guitar from “the same ecosystem as a Jazzmaster, only from another continent.” Very apt description! My style invokes a lot of open string drones and unusual layered chord voicings underneath chimey, arpeggiated leads and I’ve yet to find a guitar that can do that better than a Rickenbacker (but a Jazzmaster is really close).

If more traditional rock is your thing, fear not, the 360 has a really punchy quality under gain that makes it tear through the mix. I think the 100% maple construction contributes to the snappiness. There’s nothing more satisfying than hitting an A7 really hard through a cranked Vox AC30 on this thing. Banging out power chords somehow reverberates through your whole body, it’s a feeling thing.

On the down side, I will concede that it’s not the best guitar I have for playing solos. The frets are small/short so bending will feel a little harder than you think it should. I occasionally “drop” strings trying to bend because the small frets (bolstered by the finished fretboard) don’t give you the same amount leverage to grip the strings during bends as you’d get on, say, a Fender with jumbo frets.

The RIC is like the coolest looking guitar, and they’re pretty rare out in the wild so I’ve learned to live with the shortcomings for live performances. In the studio I’ll grab a Strat to track guitar solos.

User avatar
MrFingers
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1560
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2007 11:50 am
Location: Puss Creek - Brussels - Belgium

Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by MrFingers » Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:32 am

I used to own a 1999 Rickenbacker 370/12 Mapleglo, one that was featured on the official Rickenbacker instagram before they purged that page. Easily the most beautiful guitar I've ever owned, instantly recognisable in terms of sound and looks.

Image

But with my long slender fingers, it was really hard to play in the lower positions, due to the narrow neck. Also in terms of workmanship and attention to detail (crooked tuners, minor finish flaws, shoddy workmanship underneath the pickguard) it did not live up to the price those guitars fetched, not even on the 2nd hand market. This was also the John "snobbery" Hall era, so the brand also suffered from a rather poor reputation of exclusivity and "if you don't like it, suck it up". Nowadays under the new leadership they appear to be more customer-oriented, which is a good thing. Still horrendously expensive though.

I also owned some 4001 and a 4003 bass. The 4001's where nice, the 4003 was "expensive for what it was", also a really wonky neck profile (but that differs year from year).

User avatar
øøøøøøø
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5984
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2008 8:26 pm
Location: Los Angeles
Contact:

Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?

Post by øøøøøøø » Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:56 am

I have a Jetglo 330-12 from the '90s that's had its original hi-gain pickups replaced with toaster tops. I keep flatwounds on it.

It does "the thing" well enough for me when I need "the thing." But I think the 360s are just a little prettier-looking.

My favorite thing is to use it in contexts where people normally don't use 12 string electric guitars. There is a lot of uncharted territory with the electric 12 string

Post Reply