RIC 12-strings. Which one should I get? GOT ONE! (Pics on p2)

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spindizzy
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Re: RIC 12-strings. Which one should I get?

Post by spindizzy » Wed Dec 01, 2021 3:30 am

The 660 is the one you want if you've got human hands, not those of an pixie. They're actually nice to play and they come with toasters.

Hands down they've been the nicest Ric 12s I've ever played, almost as nice as my beater Danelectro 12 (which is surprisingly high praise - that thing is a beast.)

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Re: RIC 12-strings. Which one should I get?

Post by Mechanical Birds » Wed Dec 01, 2021 3:42 pm

I bought a 12 Strinng Danoblaster in Cleveland, TN for $150 out the door in 2009 and the coolest thing about it was trading it to a former band mate for their Fiesta Red Jag Stang a few months later.

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Re: RIC 12-strings. Which one should I get?

Post by SignoftheDragon » Thu Dec 02, 2021 4:22 pm

Whelp... I think I've talked myself out of the Ric thing (for now)

Just not prepared to drop that kind of cash on something all signs point to me not getting on with.

Got a couple NGDs coming up here... picked up 3 guitars for perusal.

Time to try out some more 12s!

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Re: RIC 12-strings. Which one should I get?

Post by SignoftheDragon » Fri Feb 11, 2022 12:51 pm

Whelp....

A 620/12 just basically fell into my lap- just too good of a deal to pass up. Mint condition with case & all the candy. Black & white classic color scheme. I guess we're going to give this monster a whirl with my big ol' man-mitts.

I'll post pics & thoughts when it arrives.

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Re: RIC 12-strings. Which one should I get?

Post by cestlamort » Fri Feb 11, 2022 1:56 pm

Congratulations! Enjoy!

I think people make too big a deal out of the neck width, honestly. (That said, it is close comfort). You can also always get a new nut with adjusted string spacing for a little more separation (if it's an older model). The 620 ain't a big guitar by any stretch of the imagination, but really cool nonetheless.

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Re: RIC 12-strings. Which one should I get?

Post by Telliot » Fri Feb 11, 2022 2:28 pm

I can tell you from experience how special the Guild Starfire XII is. I'm pretty fickle when it comes to bonding with guitars and don't regret this purchase in any way.
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.

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Re: RIC 12-strings. Which one should I get?

Post by øøøøøøø » Sun Feb 13, 2022 10:36 am

I do like a 330-12

Mine is from the 90s and has toaster tops…. I assume maybe the “hot toasters?”

They were on the guitar when I got it four or so years ago.

The neck has never bothered me—I’ve never noticed anything unusual about it beyond the fact that it has 2x as many strings as I’m used to.

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Re: RIC 12-strings. Which one should I get?

Post by SignoftheDragon » Mon Feb 14, 2022 1:15 pm

Now I have a bug in my brain after seeing a couple 'blackout' Rics on Reverb.

Like this, but SEXIER with the fb inlays:
Image

The Rickenbacker site seems a bit one-dimensional when it comes to aftermarket parts- (The one dimension being 'mostly NO') like, saying that they won't supply truss rod covers or "R" tailpieces without taking one in exchange.

The parts I'm ruminating on replacing would be:

Tuning machines: trading chrome for black
Truss rod cover: trading the white-with-black-text for a black-with-white-text one
Pickup rings/covers: trade chrome for black
Bridge cover: Chrome for black
Bridge: 12-saddle upgrade (I'll do this regardless of the yea/nay color change-up) seems actually like they have these available from the website/factory.
Pickguard: Replacing the white acrylic for black
"R" tailpiece: Chrome for black

Fool's errand?

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Re: RIC 12-strings. Which one should I get?

Post by cestlamort » Mon Feb 14, 2022 5:14 pm

SignoftheDragon wrote:
Mon Feb 14, 2022 1:15 pm
Now I have a bug in my brain after seeing a couple 'blackout' Rics on Reverb.

Like this, but SEXIER with the fb inlays:
Image

The Rickenbacker site seems a bit one-dimensional when it comes to aftermarket parts- (The one dimension being 'mostly NO') like, saying that they won't supply truss rod covers or "R" tailpieces without taking one in exchange.

The parts I'm ruminating on replacing would be:

Tuning machines: trading chrome for black
Truss rod cover: trading the white-with-black-text for a black-with-white-text one
Pickup rings/covers: trade chrome for black
Bridge cover: Chrome for black
Bridge: 12-saddle upgrade (I'll do this regardless of the yea/nay color change-up) seems actually like they have these available from the website/factory.
Pickguard: Replacing the white acrylic for black
"R" tailpiece: Chrome for black

Fool's errand?
Probably... I'd suggest either painting it yourself or having someone powder coat the relevant parts.

The black 12 string tailpieces were really prone to breaking (the normal ones somewhat, but the black ones failed at a high rate).
If you did want a black-out 12 string, I'd consider getting a set of black pick guards and painting the truss rod cover rather than dealing with Rickenbacker.
For the tailpiece, I'd just get a black harp one from Winfield
The bridge + saddles were chrome, but with a black cover.
Pickups were black; not sure the best way to get those.

That said, I'm sure there are folks out there who might be into trading the (less desirable or at least less "classic") black hardware for the chrome stuff.

Also worth noting, the binding on the 80s/90s black trim ones was also black, so a 330 (no binding) might be an easier road than a 360.

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Re: RIC 12-strings. Which one should I get?

Post by Tafarel » Tue Feb 15, 2022 7:28 am

If functionality is important to you, the harp or trapeze tailpiece is a better bet than the 'R' tailpiece. I had a contemporary 360/12 with the 'R' tailpiece -- they are a PITA to change strings on. The harp or trapeze tailpiece saves a lot of time and headache. Also, a capo is your best friend when changing strings as it holds the strings in the tailpiece whilst you tune up.

It's not only the black 'R' tailpieces that are prone to failure. A buddy of mine has a chrome one and his started to split last fall. He still has been unable to replace it, because, as someone said, you have to remove the part and send it to Rickenbacker (and pay) before a new one is sent back to you. He was unwilling to wait the 2-3 weeks because he is in a working band and needs the guitar every weekend. He bought one on Reverb from a seller in England instead -- $225US -- and it got lost in transit.

I sold my contemporary 360/12 (10" crown radius) and bought a 360/12 C63 (the George Harrison model). It has a 7.25" fretboard radius and is, strangely, easier to play. I think it is because the width of the fretboard is the same as the 10", but the fact that it fans out due to the reduced radius makes the distance between the strings slightly greater.
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Re: RIC 12-strings. Which one should I get?

Post by SignoftheDragon » Tue Feb 15, 2022 9:05 am

I guess I'll get it in-hand first before making any cosmetic decisions.

The white binding will kinda prevent a full blackout- and I'm not interested in covering that up. I'll do some photoshop mockups to confirm if I want to spend any money.

The 12-saddle bridge is a definite, though- I'll get one on the way here as soon as I have tracking info confirming the Ric is in route.

(seller sez he'll be shipping tomorrow- hopefully he's not trying to pull any kind of a fast one... it's through Reverb so I'm not worried about 'real' fraud- the only scenario I can possibly forsee is him selling it to someone else at a higher price on another platform, and refunding me my Reverb payment.)

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Re: RIC 12-strings. Which one should I get?

Post by cestlamort » Tue Feb 15, 2022 12:12 pm

Tafarel wrote:
Tue Feb 15, 2022 7:28 am
I sold my contemporary 360/12 (10" crown radius) and bought a 360/12 C63 (the George Harrison model). It has a 7.25" fretboard radius and is, strangely, easier to play. I think it is because the width of the fretboard is the same as the 10", but the fact that it fans out due to the reduced radius makes the distance between the strings slightly greater.
Interesting! They did change the string spacing on the nut at some point relatively recently (in the last 10 years or so, +/- ), so that can have an effect, too. (I think it's safe to say if the headstock doesn't have the cut outs, it'll be the old, slightly more cramped spacing).

The R tailpieces look great but are cruddy when it comes to function, both by design (pretty bad) and execution/materials (can be really bad: uneven slots, sloppiness, breakage, etc.). Tips: use painters tape to hold strings in slots when restringing. And/or I've found that thread (or floss... minty!) through the ball end can help get it back into the slot if (= when) one pops out. (True for 6 strings, too)

Re: 12 string bridge.
I've had 3 Rickenbacker 12 strings over the years, all with the 6 string bridge. That said, the saddles have been recut by a tech to get closer to good intonation.

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Re: RIC 12-strings. Which one should I get?

Post by Larry Mal » Tue Feb 15, 2022 1:47 pm

cestlamort wrote:
Tue Feb 15, 2022 12:12 pm


The R tailpieces look great but are cruddy when it comes to function, both by design (pretty bad) and execution/materials (can be really bad: uneven slots, sloppiness, breakage, etc.). Tips: use painters tape to hold strings in slots when restringing. And/or I've found that thread (or floss... minty!) through the ball end can help get it back into the slot if (= when) one pops out. (True for 6 strings, too)
Yeah, get rid of that R tailpiece:

https://www.winfieldvintage.com/product ... -tailpiece
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Re: RIC 12-strings. Which one should I get?

Post by ryland » Wed Feb 16, 2022 12:53 pm

I just happen to have a 660/12 on the way...can't wait to hear what you think of your Ric. I have always loved the sound of a Rickenbacker, but the one I played in college had such an uncomfortable neck that it put me off of the thought of owning one for 25 years. I very recently found out that the have a few models (650, 660, and 1993plus) with a wider fretboard and immediately started shopping.

Now I have to decide on what to sell to fund it! :fp:

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Re: RIC 12-strings. Which one should I get?

Post by SignoftheDragon » Tue Mar 01, 2022 4:21 pm

Well, it's here... and it's pretty nice!

Neck-width thingy isn't as much of an issue as I feared- I can still noodle & jangle around the neck with no problems. Yes, it's a bit cramped, but not a deal-breaker.

It still feels a bit, I don't know- dated? Like, they should have updated it more over the decades instead of just doing the same thing for 50 years. Does the headstock angle on these seem half-hearted to anyone else?

I'm trying to decide if I like it enough to invest in the 12-saddle bridge and a full setup to my playing specs.

The pickups sound good enough- definitely a departure from my usual lipstick & split-XII favorites. Sharper highs and clear mids without too much support in the lows. ("that's what they make basses for, sonny!") The Ric definitely has its own sound going on, even without the Rick-O-Sound treble-fest.

Here's a pic:
Image

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