Re: Anyone own a Rickenbacker?
Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2020 11:20 am
I’m curious about the Creamery pickups too. The Hi-Gains in my 360 are useable, but definitely lacking in clarity.
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The Creamery pickups are a definite upgrade to the stock hi-gains that my 360 came with, but there's a couple things that kinda irked me. First, the pickup leads do not match where the original pickup's leads are, so I had to have a separate small hole made to accommodate it (covered by the pickup rings luckily). Second, you have to buy separate foam rings that kinda fit on the bottom due to the same lead wire placement issue. I wish they would match the placement of the stock ones, but maybe this was an isolated issue for my set. Also it took almost two months to get them to the US, so there's that if you are in a hurry.Gav Haus wrote: ↑Sat Nov 14, 2020 2:06 amI can’t rid myself of 360 gas! How are the Creamery pickups? Am I correct in thinking you’ve basically chosen a toaster bridge and a hi-gain neck? My 330 sounds absolutely great, but as a consequence I’d maybe consider new pickups for the 620 as it doesn’t shine in quite the same way (despite sounding very nice in its own right)
It's true that Paul Weller switched and never went back, due to his feeling that Gibsons were more versatile, however your examples aren't that great.CivoLee wrote: ↑Thu Nov 26, 2020 12:40 am..... Which brings me to one final, and kind of sobering, observation; it seems like any guitarist that broke using a Rickenbacker will inevitably switch to a different, more popular guitar. John Lennon and George Harrison switched to Epiphone Casinos and Fender Teles. Johnny Marr switched to Gibson ES-335s and ES-295s. Even Peter Buck started playing Les Pauls, Strats, and various other guitars.
So my advice to the Ric-curious: no matter how much you like the look/sound, play before you pay.
I've been playing a PRS SE with a Wide-Thin neck for a few years, plus I've had some time with Wide-Fat models as well. So I think I could get used to a 650 neck pretty easily. I've tinkered with the idea of getting one over the years, but I don't really have the budget right now. Plus, I realized a few years ago that for me the holy trinity of electric guitars goes like this: Gibson Les Paul → PRS Custom 24 → Fender Jazzmaster, and all others just seem secondary.BoringPostcards wrote: ↑Thu Nov 26, 2020 7:12 amAll that being said, I really wish they would release more modern designs, however every time they do, the Rickenbacker fan community kicks up a stink, they don't sell, and back to the original specs they go. RIP 481, 650, 480, and Hamburg models. They even discontinued the 4004L basses, which had modern hardware and humbuckers, and they were AWESOME.
650s are great. The neck is almost too wide though, honestly.
I agree with most of this assessment. Not the bit about Les Pauls and PRS. Always preferred SGs and have not spent enough time with a PRS to form an opinion. For me the trifecta is Jazzmaster, SG, and RIC330(I have played enough of these to know I need one. It fits certain aspects of my playstyle).CivoLee wrote: ↑Thu Nov 26, 2020 11:51 amI've been playing a PRS SE with a Wide-Thin neck for a few years, plus I've had some time with Wide-Fat models as well. So I think I could get used to a 650 neck pretty easily. I've tinkered with the idea of getting one over the years, but I don't really have the budget right now. Plus, I realized a few years ago that for me the holy trinity of electric guitars goes like this: Gibson Les Paul → PRS Custom 24 → Fender Jazzmaster, and all others just seem secondary.BoringPostcards wrote: ↑Thu Nov 26, 2020 7:12 amAll that being said, I really wish they would release more modern designs, however every time they do, the Rickenbacker fan community kicks up a stink, they don't sell, and back to the original specs they go. RIP 481, 650, 480, and Hamburg models. They even discontinued the 4004L basses, which had modern hardware and humbuckers, and they were AWESOME.
650s are great. The neck is almost too wide though, honestly.
I agree that the Ric fanbase is the company's worst enemy. They want Rics to be Rics and feel other sounds/feels can be covered by other guitars. They're a small company, so they have no choice but to kowtow to that crowd's wishes. They might've had a chance at modernizing if they'd come up with something like the the 650s in the late 60s, but by the 90s the preconceptions of certain electrics were pretty solidfied: Strats and Les Pauls were for dirty rock 'n' rollers, Teles were for country pickers, JMs and Jags were for alternative outsiders, PRSi for "modern rock", and Rics were for British Invasion revivalists and "jangle" music. And with guitar music beginning to fade into the background, they'll be in big trouble in the near future because it's unlikely they'll get some burst of popularity among younger musicians from the next "guitar hero" coming along playing a Ric. Their best bet is to start to go the route Gibson has gone with the Les Paul by offering Traditional and Standard models (or Classic and Modern as they call them now). Why not offer the 660 neck on the 330/360? How about a "Peter Buck" option for a non-lacquered fingerboard with larger frets? Maybe offer humbuckers on every model? Offering these as options instead of full models would be much cheaper, and if anyone complains about these options just for existing the company can tell them, "screw you, we're trying to stay in business here."
Then again, that idea that everyone can afford a whole stable of other guitars to cover all the bases if you're not totally in love with the traditional Ric sound/feel does speak to a certain mentality, prone to "screw you, I got mine" thinking, so perhaps they wouldn't care if the company went under so long as they had theirs. And all that would mean to them if the world's supply of Rics became even more finite than it is already is their guitar(s) just became even more valuable if/when they had to turn them over
Midnight Blue is gone? It's still listed on their website; then again, it seems that the only thing that ever gets updated on RIC's website is the copyright date, though this year they have a 90th Anniversary banner added for next year. Maybe they'll celebrate their Anniversary by taking my suggestionBoringPostcards wrote: ↑Thu Nov 26, 2020 12:42 pm
I have seen a few popular math rock players using RIC 620s in the past few years. Not sure, if this is noticed in their sales.
Another thing they do, which really bothers me, is discontinuing non standard finishes.
I suspect this was also due to the conservative nature of Ric fans. They want Mapleglo, Jetglo, and Fireglo, and everything else can go away.
Ruby Red and Midnight Blue were late 70s/80s colours, and they have both been shelved in the last five years.
It's probably less common, now that they have gone to CNC. All the newer 300 series seem to be consistent.MrFingers wrote: ↑Fri Nov 27, 2020 1:21 amThe trouble with Rickenbacker is also that they change their neck dimensions every 14 days it appears (okay, that is exaggerated, but still, nearly every year or every other year, they change the neck profiles ever so slightly), meaning you have thick necks, thin necks, wide necks, narrow necks, chunky necks, flat necks,... for all models across all years. They'll all feel like Rickenbacker necks, but they also all feel vastly different. That means you have to test a guitar before you buy, just to make sure the neck profile suits you. I've played a 1998, 1999 & 2001 Rickenbacker 360 side to side, and they all had different neck profiles, noticeably so!
I've seen the Matte Black Ric 330s and 4003 "Noir" editions, but nothing else. I didn't know they had a thinner finish on the fingerboard, so maybe if they offered that on the 660 I'd be interested.BoringPostcards wrote: ↑Sun Nov 29, 2020 4:47 pmThey have a Matte Black finish now, that has a thin matte finish on the fretboard, but not on the frets, unlike the thick coat of lacquer they use on the standard finishes.
They also still make the Walnut versions, which started in 2015 or so, which have maple fretboards with no lacquer.
I haven't seen a Matte Black in person, but I played a 330W and a 4003sW bass, and they felt wonderful, and did not get sticky.
Yea, it's hard to get them cheap nowadays. A 330 is only 1999 though, which is not overly expensive for a US made semi-hollow with two pickups.CivoLee wrote: ↑Mon Nov 30, 2020 12:15 amI've seen the Matte Black Ric 330s and 4003 "Noir" editions, but nothing else. I didn't know they had a thinner finish on the fingerboard, so maybe if they offered that on the 660 I'd be interested.BoringPostcards wrote: ↑Sun Nov 29, 2020 4:47 pmThey have a Matte Black finish now, that has a thin matte finish on the fretboard, but not on the frets, unlike the thick coat of lacquer they use on the standard finishes.
They also still make the Walnut versions, which started in 2015 or so, which have maple fretboards with no lacquer.
I haven't seen a Matte Black in person, but I played a 330W and a 4003sW bass, and they felt wonderful, and did not get sticky.
The price on Rics has flown through the roof in recent years. Hard to believe neither of mine were over $1000.