For me, it’s simply price that stops me playing one. Love the look, love the sound (clean and driven), love the heritage, love that most of my heroes played one. But I’ve never been able to justify the £2.5k+ price point.

@WhoTheFxCkAreYou

8 ай бұрын

And then the fear to take it to a gig where you might have it stolen...

@TheBalloonHoax

8 ай бұрын

Yep. This. I honestly think the day they create a more affordable, even like 1,000$ guitar, they're gonna invigorate a new generation of players to pick em' up.

@phayzyre1052

8 ай бұрын

For me, it’s price that stops me from owning a lot of guitars! One thousand US dollars is about as high as I will go when buying a guitar. Anything over that they can stick it where the sun don’t shine.

@KennedyIvy

8 ай бұрын

Its also pretty ugly guitar and doesn't have steller reputation

@theyearsshallrun6641

8 ай бұрын

@@KennedyIvy Agree to differ I’m afraid :) Think it’s a thing of retro beauty!

I don’t care if they are hard to play or unpopular. They sound incredible.

@houseofsolomon2440

4 ай бұрын

Fred Sonic Smith thought so - his 450 sounded Amazing!

@Sadness57

2 ай бұрын

In my opinion. No pickup is as nice as a ric. No pickup of any kind

I think it's because they're expensive, don't make import models, feel weird compared to Gibsons and fenders, and were never that popular outside of a handful of big artists so there aren't many used ones out there. I think Gretsch was in a similar boat but they started making more accessible models and now they're all over the place.

@fargeeks

7 ай бұрын

I heard they do not even give you a price when you browse them

@mr_bassman6685

7 ай бұрын

@@fargeeks Apparently Rickenbacker doesn’t have set retail prices for their guitars (only suggested list prices) so dealers can set their own prices as long as they’re not advertised, so that they can be sold based on availability. Honestly, if that means you could potentially get a good deal on a Rick, I can sorta see the benefit in that.

@adamprice3466

6 ай бұрын

Ovation needs to use that strategy, they're still making that same Glenn Campbell guitar

@ds97853

6 ай бұрын

You want to get laughed out of the room, show up with an ovation.

@6catalina0

6 ай бұрын

If you want to play Rockabilly - you need a Gretch - No other electric guitar has that “Wall of Sound” needed to create the true sound of Rockabilly. And no other guitar benefits from the Bigsby like a Gretch. The most versatile guitars are the Gibson ES 335, Chuck Berry, BB King, Steve Howe of Yes, Eric Clapton in his Cream days - and the Les Paul, Slash of Guns N’ Roses, Ace Farley of KISS, and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. The Rickenbacker 360 12 string semi hollow body has that chimmy sound that that made The Beatles and the Byrds pick it up and later, Tom Petty and his Lead guitarist. There are many guitarist that play Stratocasters. But for me, the Strat doesn’t come into its own unless Jimi Hendrix is playing. He’s the only guitarist that needs a Strat.

Must be missing something as it all sounded absolutely fabulous! Love the sound of Rics

All you’re doing is making it sound beautiful, it is an awesome guitar and the unique sound is making me ecstatic😅

@TheStudioRats

9 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoy it

@jimnagel5611

8 ай бұрын

ME TOO -- LOVE THE SOUND OF IT

@socallars3748

8 ай бұрын

I must admit, while you're grimacing and demonstrating the issues you have with the guitar, all I can think about is how wonderful it sounds! @@TheStudioRats

I have a 2023 360, has zero tuning stability issues and love the lacquered neck haha

The sound of that thing just gives me gooseflesh. It’s so lovely. Of course, half the credit for that goes to the player.

@professorweedington4962

8 ай бұрын

Gooseflesh?

@hfjjor3681

8 ай бұрын

It means goosebumps. I think the Brits and Aussies use that term. ​@@professorweedington4962

@j0zart

Ай бұрын

ive never heard anyone call it gooseflesh 😭 we say goosebumps where im from

I've been playing for 55 years and never once have I heard a bad sound come out of any Ricky. My good friend had a brand new 360 12 that I used to play with a 50 watt amp with the master at 10 through a Tube Screamer while my slide was a light bulb. Heavenly sounds.

I love both my Ricks. Hands down the best rhythm guitars I've ever owned, and when I solo on a Rick I keep it short and sweet. Moreover, I find audiences love the vibe and gravitate to the sound of an old friend. All I see is grins and smiles, transcending generations as people enjoy themselves. It's why you play. 🎈

@TheStudioRats

9 ай бұрын

Well said

@tululublue

8 ай бұрын

Ditto. I have a 360 and 330 and wouldn’t trade them for anything. When I track rhythm I try to vary in choice of guitars but so frequently end up with one of the Ricky’s in my hands. Clean to filthy they just sound so good.

@Hiwatt100W1

8 ай бұрын

I love mine too. My comments above are similar to yours, Rickenbackers (especially with toasters) just fill out a nice space in a band, and they can absolutely be used to play leads- they just are not fat, but kind of a lean trebly timbre that cuts through the mix. Good example of this the late great Peter Banks when he was in Yes.

The best use of the blend knob is to blend the tone of the neck pickup with the bridge pickup when you have it in the middle position. It's like a resonance control like that, blending in your perfect amount of low end. On another point, I've had my Ric nearly 30 years and it's never been unstable in it's tuning, quite the opposite. And lastly, if you don't think it does well with gain, just give The Smithereens a listen. 🤷‍♂️

@tombeckner404

8 ай бұрын

Yes ! Rick through a Marshall!

@samburkes7552

8 ай бұрын

..That is exactly correct! Owned 3, 360/12s, one a Harrison model, a 1988 doublebound Fireglo..didnt exactly do it for me like my 2 older 1967 360/12s..I too bad to sell one. a Mapleglo, for a house payment or two..Wish I had it back..Still have my orig Fireglo, sounded front Deluxe 360/12; we met Me F.C. Hall, he helped us get a dealer in Orange CA, then back to Santa Ana. to pick out my 360/12..We got 10% off, Dad paid with ctedic card, was a present to me..Yes, I've still got it. Lots of gigs on it!

It sounds great to me. I've played the same '69 Tellie all my life, but if I were ever to consider a second guitar I'd consider a Rick.

Am not a musician, but that's a _gorgeous_ sound - despite the drawbacks.

@bigtimehikingguy4976

3 ай бұрын

he's completely overstating any "drawbacks" that might exist. This is just content creation - nothing more.

@notreallydavid

3 ай бұрын

@@bigtimehikingguy4976 I don't know enough to have a worthwhile opinion on this, b. Even if it's nothing but a 'must post something + must overstate to get comments'' exercise, I'm grateful to have heard that tone. I'm easily entertained. Best regards from Nottingham

Expensive; narrow frets, etc. i loved my McGuinn signature 370RM 12 and owned a few 330’s which were great. The Jam, XTC, Tom Petty and REM reinvigorated them in the late 70’s & early 80’s.

@stuartpowell255

8 ай бұрын

Johnny Marr too

@Scott__C

8 ай бұрын

It's funny because of all the "problems" talked about, it's not like Gibson has fixed tuning problems in all their years of making electric guitars. And if they try, everyone says they want the old version.

When you were saying it doesn’t handle gain well, I thought that overdrive sound was pretty killer.

@user-qe4rs4gy9i

9 ай бұрын

Johnny Ramone was known to play a rickenbacker from time to time

@fossilmatic

9 ай бұрын

Lol. I thought the same.

@fossilmatic

9 ай бұрын

This guitar sounds great. Partly it’s because of all the reverb and delay you have going on, but also because the tone is rich with overtones, uncompressed and dynamic. This is especially an advantage when you play rhythm guitar, a lost art these days where most guitarists think two notes a chord will make 😊.

@timothyvanburen3431

9 ай бұрын

I own two Rickenbacker guitars and they handle overdrive/distortion/fuzz better than every other guitar I have.

@roughcutguitars

9 ай бұрын

"Doesn’t handle gain well" said Paul Weller NEVER :-D

For me, the Rickenbacker is what the best of the 60s sounds like❤

I’ve played the same Ric 350 for 40 years. It’s never let me down. It always stays in tune. It takes pedals very well (I especially like a RAT with the Ric). I’ve had no playability issues at all, and doing bends is no problem. It’s like a thoroughbred, once you know how to ride it, you’ll have no other. The light weight (the 350 has a very small body) and a full dual scale neck, so when you’re up by the 12th fret you still have half the neck to go! Mine came with three of those “high gain” pickups. However I removed 2 of them, and replaced them with a Ric humbucker and a Ric “toaster” pickup (toaster/bridge, high gain/middle, humbucker/neck). I also added a Bigsby and a roller bridge. So I had access to a wide range of tones. In fact, during many gigs, people would comment to me how the Ric cut through the mix so well. That’s playing everything from heavy distortion, blues, and even slide. Rics rule!👍

@pgroove163

7 ай бұрын

I love em'.. just honestly can't afford them..

@Rickenbacker4005XC

7 ай бұрын

I agree, once I got the 24 fret 350 I stopped playing any other guitar. I agree, set it and it stays set. Such a fun little race car.

@hw2508

7 ай бұрын

Partly proves the point that the Rick stuck in the past and with modification the guitar becomes even better.

@TR4Ajim

7 ай бұрын

@@hw2508 well the humbuckers are Rickenbacker, and Lennon had a Bigsby on his second 325, so if theyre stuck in the past, I’m all for it!

@hw2508

7 ай бұрын

@@TR4Ajim No offence. No problem with adjusting stuff to your needs.

Sounds like effects mostly. I'd like to hear it straight into a known clean amp like a Deluxe or AC30, with no tone rolled off on guitar or amp. Good educational narrative. Great overdrive sound, I enjoy how the drive retreats as the loudness dissipates, and the clear clean reasserts itself. Thank you.

Fantastic review. I don't care what flaws this guitar has I WANT one

The 5th knob (blend) deserves a lot more praise! It can also blend between the two pickups when both are selected..which comes in very handy when using the stereo feature. Spending some time exploring the 5th knob can unlock a whole new world of tonal possibilities in a Ric.

@melvynobrien6193

8 ай бұрын

We used to call a Rickenbacker guitar a Ricky; where did this Rick and Ric bullshit come from?

@Minnevan

6 ай бұрын

@@melvynobrien6193it can have more than one nickname

@dougferrell7047

6 ай бұрын

​@@CapraObscuraPlenty of Americans call them Ricky. Settle down.

@montag4516

3 ай бұрын

The blend knob has always been my favorite knob on a Rick guitar. I would leave all other controls wide open and use the blend as an overall tone/contour shaper.

Every Ric I've played was just lovely. Really fell in love with a vintage 330 that I got to try earlier this year, but alas. I didn't have several thousand on hand. Ric very much has its own thing going, and the price and the fact that it's "different" than a Fender or Gibson puts people off.

I have a black 360 but that blue looks awesome. So many bands that I like from the 60’s to today use them.

I love my Rick 330. They truly sound unique.

A friend of mine, when I was still a kid, had a Rick 12 string, similar to his idol, George Harrison. He let me noodle on it occasionally through his Fender Twin Reverb, and I was dead envious of his available cash to own such great equipment, but I was also really knocked out by how rich the tone was with that setup.

@worldlycashmoneyenterprises

6 ай бұрын

i have a twin reverb 76 and just use a danelectro 12 string works fine for me. dont have thousands to blow on a 330/12

As a 45 year owner of a 1974 maple 360 model I can't attest to them being terribly well built. The bridge is weak and will start buzzing as the screw ends lose their knurl and fall out of the hole. The neck needs to be set up differently than other guitars. It has 2 weak truss rods in the neck. To adjust the neck you can't just tighten or loosen the tension. You have to bend the neck with your hand and tighten or loosen each truss rod. If you don't do this you can unseat each truss rod and then have to replace them. I have the tremolo tailpiece on my guitar. It isn't the best for maintaining tuning, using the tremolo or not. The guitar is too pretty and feels fragile so it never gets gigged. It does record well though. I have never cared for the stereo feature.

@jackhargreaves1911

8 ай бұрын

Important points. Especially the neck problem.

@nuthinbutlove

8 ай бұрын

All of the above!

@nolantaylor656

8 ай бұрын

Rickenbacker has switched to a new single truss rod system. Only the older models forced you pull the neck down and set the rod where it was needed.

@ifarted2hard

8 ай бұрын

A 38. Revolver caused it

@DeadKoby

8 ай бұрын

The Truss rod design was changed from 1984 onward. There's still 2, but they can move the neck on their own now.

Thank you Paul for the video. The Rickenbacker in it's own element is a gorgeous sound! Your style of playing ,such as those lovely chord changes and your lead work, are so soothing to listen to. Reminds me how in the Bible when King Saul was troubled by an evil spirit he would call for David to play on his harp for relief. Quite a while ago Eric Johnson stole our hearts with "Cliffs of Dover," I think the world needs you to step up to the plate with a song that is peaceful and so full of beauty that it would motivate people to seek to be a loving to each other as possible!

I have 3 Ric guitars. I absolutely love them. Production of them is modest, so even in dealer's shops, there's maybe one or two on the rack. The guitars are stigmatized with the "jangle pop" genre... but I've played everything from Punk to Country on mine.

@docsspot1953

8 ай бұрын

I love the 360 12.

@RandomNonsense1985

8 ай бұрын

Stigmatized? Jangle pop is fucking awesome!!!

@DeadKoby

8 ай бұрын

@@RandomNonsense1985 I like it too.... but a Ric can do more than that... that's all I meant by that.

@karmicselling4252

Ай бұрын

For sure, RICs are versatile instruments. You can play a lot of different styles with them. But they excel at the jangle and chime, particularly the 12 string models. Nothing can produce a sonic landscape like a RIC 12 can.

Man, you make that guitar sound so fluid and wonderful.

What a gorgeous sounding instrument. Well played!

They’re definitely not for everyone and they’re not easy to play but to me absolutely no other guitar has such a singular unique sound.

@michaelmoon8856

8 ай бұрын

Gretsch is equally distinctive. In a different way .

@marjeziorny924

8 ай бұрын

@@michaelmoon8856 and Guild..

@BlindingSun_

6 ай бұрын

Fender Jaguar has a unique sound so.. wrongggggg

@karmicselling4252

Ай бұрын

I agree. The Rickenbacker sound, particularly the 12 string, is unique. It's quite easy to distinguish between a Rickenbacker 12 and any other guitar, including any other 12 string electric guitar. Gretsch guitars do not produce distinctive sounds in the way Rickenbackers do. You would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a Gretsch and a Guild electric. The Fender Jaguar sounds like many other guitars too. Fender's distinctive sound is the Stratocaster Bridge and middle Pickup "Out of Phase" sound and the Telecaster Bridge pickup sound. Lots of guitars out there but none sound like a Rickenbacker 12. Greco made some decent clones but even those sounded a little different because they weren't strung the same way as the RICs are.

Rickenbacker is small company that sells every single guitar they make in any given year. For me, it's always been their 12 strings. I have two 330--12s, and love them both. Ricks are quirky guitars. You have to adjust to them. They will not adjust to you. but if you make the effort, the sonic rewards are many. They've stuck with their traditional business model, and it works for them.

Very nice job explaining the blend knob. Great playing, too.

Every example sounds outstanding!!

I agree that they are not like all the other brands. But last I checked, there is a pretty long waiting list for a particular Ric you want. I still see indie bands play these all the time. Kevin Parker does wonders with one.

Had a 1982 Ricky 330 24 fret neck. I played mostly rhythm at the time. Had that guitar 30 years and had to sell it for a house payment. Regretted it ever since. Had great intonation all around and I have a very picky ear. Sure, it’s not great for leads, unless you’re John Fogerty, but it was a gem. I miss it.

@lawrencerasmus

8 ай бұрын

I had to sell my Guild D50 and Guild Starfire for a house payment too😢

@brendencarlson5220

8 ай бұрын

@@lawrencerasmus Sucks, don’t it?

Love, love, love, love, love them! Such distinct tone.

I have a ric 340 with the extra pickup, and I find it hugely adaptable to all kinds of styles. It just has a sound that really cuts through, especially when you get your head around working the knobs out! My only real quibble is the narrowness of the low end of the neck. I love it though, use it all the time live, and in the studio, and would never part with it! Long live the Ric! Sounds particularly cool through a crowther hotcake.

I have a 1968 Rick 370 with the toaster pickups. It’s fantastic. It does take gain really well. Sounds awesome through an AC30 - all your REM tones are right there. Also handles fuzz pedals great. Smithereens, Fugazi - Rics with gain

@chrispodesta8105

8 ай бұрын

"all your REM tones right there." Hnnnnnngh 🥴

@attentiondeficitsquirrel7660

8 ай бұрын

@@chrispodesta8105what’s with the REM hate? They were a great band.

@chrispodesta8105

8 ай бұрын

@@attentiondeficitsquirrel7660 lol I think you misunderstood the intended meaning of the onomatopoeia there.... To say I like REM is an understatement. No hate from me. Trust me.

@attentiondeficitsquirrel7660

8 ай бұрын

@@chrispodesta8105 sorry brother. I was just having a conversation with some friends about if you could have any band play in your backyard whether they’re alive or dead who would it be and a friend of mine chose REM. Everyone thought he was crazy for even mentioning them. This was followed by tons of criticism of both his taste in music and of REM themselves so I guess I’m still in defending REM mode.

@chrispodesta8105

8 ай бұрын

@@attentiondeficitsquirrel7660 I've been in that mode frequently since about 1999 myself so I get it, hehe.

Adding to the difficult bends topic is the long portion of strings behind the bridge. That’s a problem common to other guitar models, of course. The longer is the string behind the nut and the bridge, the more you’ll have to travel to reach the target pitch during bends, because some of the energy from your fingers is lost in those two portions of string (which increase tension together with the playing part of the string, during bends)

Looks amazing Strikingly beautiful in person sounds tight glad you pronounce it right

Beautiful tone!

I have a Rickenbacker 330. I do agree that the vintage style frets take the most getting used to. In the end, it took me about a month of regular playing to adapt. Other than that I have no issue with how the guitar player is whatsoever. I also find that I really like how mine sounds over driven. I have fenders, and Gilson’s and a couple of Grestch’s and I’m used to switching between them with no issues. Perhaps that has helped me with the Rickenbacker, but it is a really great guitar.

Man, that is a lovely clean sound. I never have liked their body styles on their guitars although I love their basses. But it does sound pretty damn good

@user-nq6sg3vd8c

6 ай бұрын

Check out the 480 model that came out in 73....its got the bass style body

they all sound great to me. Thank you for this.

Awesome clean tones!

The Rick 330 I owned had the most amazing pickups I've ever heard (same ones as in your 360). So much better than Strat single coils.

@poesybeat

9 ай бұрын

I should add that the neck/fretboard design made it nearly unusable, which is why I reluctantly sold it after about a year.

@Lalairu

9 ай бұрын

​@@poesybeatwas it too thick or too thin or something like that? I have always wondered why some people didn't end liking Ric necks

@poesybeat

9 ай бұрын

Yeah, narrow neck all the way up with low frets and lacquered board. Just its own thing that I suppose might or might not appeal, depending on what you’re used to. Didn’t suit me. But like I said, I loved the sound of it so getting rid of it wasn’t an easy decision.

@Lalairu

9 ай бұрын

@@poesybeat I see. Thanks a lot for your reply :) sorry you had to sell it in the end :/

Rickenbacker 360's fell out of favor when The Byrds fell out of favor with commercial radio. I bought my used 366-12 in 1975 when everyone in Detroit played Les Pauls unless they played Stratocasters. I recorded with mine for over 45 years. Roger McGuinn and I both had no trouble bending strings and they were both 12 string electrics. Maybe the demonstrator here has sticky fingers. The creep who stole mine in 2021 had sticky fingers. I'm still looking for him. ☠☠☠

You're making me want one! Thanks!

What an excellent presentation. I have a Rickenbacker and I don't use it much but o do love the sound because it is quite different to anything else. Thanks for the explanation and your playing is exquisite.

Sometime in the 1960s Rickenbacker sold guitars under the name Electro. I believe they were sold in department stores as a starter set with a small amplifier also branded electro. A dear friend gifted me with the set his father bought him (he never played it). It was the model 425 cresting wave solid body. The headstock has a square piece of metal with the “Electro” logo.

@chickberth

Ай бұрын

Those are great guitars, absolutely a true Ric.

This almost made me yearn for my 330. 92 Mapleglo with a black guard and hardware. Great sound - just like in the vid here. Mostly played clean into a Fender Deville amp (that felt like it was bolted to the floor at the end of a gig). It was my main guitar for 15 years but then slowly I found that other guitars were getting all the airplay. Eventually it was sold to help funding a Martin. Like I said it almost made me yearn for it, then I remembered that for the last years I had it it basically stayed in its case and even when out on the rack my hands drifted past it to other toys. No - it’s better off with someone who will play it like it deserves and I got something fantastic to replace it.

Thanks for demystifying the Blend knob! Informative vid that'll help me get a little bit more out of my 330-12 (which does indeed only really come out a couple of times a year for studio stuff!)

Lovely guitar . Excellent sound .

Nothing like a beautifully set up Rickenbacker! Some of the most beautiful sounding and aesthetically pleasing guitars ever made. New bands like Blossoms, Fontaines DC, The Molotovs, Alvvays, Tame Impala, all use RIC’s extensively.

@Scott__C

8 ай бұрын

REM's early stuff was a lot of Rick as well.

@melvynobrien6193

8 ай бұрын

NONSENSE

@jimaronson2323

8 ай бұрын

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers used Rick's a lot

@darkhorse21xx

8 ай бұрын

Tom Petty approves this post!

@RandomNonsense1985

8 ай бұрын

I love how Alvvays marries the Ric REM/Byrds jangle with noisy shoegaze.

Peter Buck played his 6's and 12's on every REM album. That's a ton of great songs and sounds/arpeggios. He had his JetGlo 360 stolen and though the thief asked for a million dollars, Peter offered him 10,000 or 30 years in Jail for extortion..

@void0094

8 ай бұрын

He always had very thick strings on his 360. Even flatwounds in the early days.

@Scott__C

8 ай бұрын

I think Peter Buck is vastly underrated.

@patrickhopkinson1851

8 ай бұрын

And a lot was on a Telecaster to begin with and then on a Les Paul from Document onwards.

@paultown6572

8 ай бұрын

@@Scott__C The only people that under rate him are metal heads

Regardless of the gripes you seem to sense about the difficulty of playing the example guitar - you make it sound gorgeous to my ears.

Sounds great!

I always use mine, as I also found the amp that achieves the sound I like. It’s a perfect match. I find my 🎸 easy to play btw. And it stays in tune really well, too.

@montag4516

3 ай бұрын

So what amp is it?

To me, they're a guitar that does one thing really well. That's great if you want that one thing, not so much if you don't or if you want/need something more versatile. When you couple that with the fact that they have some ergonomics that are generally considered quite cumbersome, I can see why they're niche instruments.

@mikek8553

8 ай бұрын

Well said. They are clunky looking.

@sonsauvage

8 ай бұрын

exactly the point. Anyone whose played a rick or a rick bass knows that, you really gotta love that sound to put up with that instrument lol

@user-do2ev2hr7h

8 ай бұрын

IMHO the basses are better in those regards than the guitars.

@user-do2ev2hr7h

8 ай бұрын

TBH I was thinking more about the fact that many players aren't fond of the necks.

@fargeeks

7 ай бұрын

So what is that one thing they do well?

Lovely sound! They’re great!

What a beautiful sound!

Horses for courses, Rick does the Rick thing perfectly.

It's a shame they fell out of favor, cause I absolutely love the way they play and sound. They're just too expensive compared to the competition.

Nice demo. Yes, saw The Beatles on TV in '64 and knew of The Byrds later. After trying to play guitar since '72 when i was 15 (gigged some) i only played one Ric, a wave crest solid in fire glow after about a year. Bought a book and that was it,,,the Susana Hoffs model looked good,,,,so did she ;) Thanks for the memories.

I love my 2021 330JG. I held off getting one for many years and I'm sorry I waited so long. A perfect addition to my other guitars.

Sounds very good, clean. But also with the overdrive I like the sound.

I bought my model 330 when I was totally ignorant about Rickenbackers. I like it. But if I could go back...I'd hold out for a 360. Sadly, the musicians I've played with over the years haven't facilitated the 12 string sound it has to offer. It does sound gorgeous.

i don't know anything about guitars but that was a great video and helped me understand something.

Beautiful tone. Lovely finish on that one.

Price might be high, but personally, I think that they sound incredibly good. I own the John Lennon model and a 330 semi hollow and also quite a few Fender guitars (Mustang and Strata). But the Rickenbackers are my absolute favourite. If you've never played one, you really have to check them out once. Fantastic instruments. Reall really special.

The playing at 5:30 with the ringing open B and E strings -- what I always called "the R.E.M. chord shapes" because of how prevalent they are on Chronic Town and Murmur -- is the sound that made me HAVE to have a Rickenbacker. This was THE sound of a certain niche of 80's "college rock" (which would later be rechristened as "alternative") bands like R.E.M., The Smiths (first album at least), Let's Active and many others. No, they are not good for fast lead guitar playing. If you are a PRS player, you will think that anyone who chooses a Ric must be out of their mind. But if you are a fan of other quirky, "difficult" guitars like the Jazzmaster or Jaguar, the Ric will reward you with tones that you can't even come close to reproducing on any other make of guitar. Also, for what it's worth, Mastery also makes a bridge for Rickenbackers and yes, I installed one on mine as well as my Jazzmaster and Jaguar. Concerns about price are totally fair, even if they can be explained by Rickenbacker never having modernized their manufacturing process. As much as I love the look of the 360, I absolutely couldn't justify the $1000 price difference (this was five years ago) over a 330 model for literally only cosmetic differences and the ric-o-sound dual output jacks.

That guitar sounds beautiful. I love it.

I love my 2 Rics- FireGlo 360-6 as well as a Cresting Wave 420-12 in FireGlo. Of all the ones in my Gibson/Fender collection, those two Rics garner the most favorable reaction from acquaintances & relatives when I show a pic of my collection. Sound-wise, there's nothing better for capturing some of those iconic Tom Petty & THB songs! When the time comes to sell them, I have no doubt there will always be a loyal market.

I think you are wrong in your assertion that Rickenbacker guitars have fallen out of favour. Just look at the average cost of a decent second hand Rickenbacker guitar on places like Reverb etc. Their resale values would suggest they are still very popular. If you mean they aren't used by many prominent musicians anymore. Well that's an easy one. It takes a certain level of patience and skill to master playing a Rickenbacker guitar, especially the 12 string models. Many modern musicians simply don't have the skill to get the most out of such instruments. Playing the usual LPs, Teles, Strats or clones thereof requires a lot less skill to get a decent sound out of them. Hence their popularity at all levels of the spectrum. Anyways, RICs have been around for many decades with little change. They are works of art. They will appreciate in value over time so the idea that they are expensive is a subjective one. Buy a RIC, look after it properly, and you most likely will sell it for more than you bought it several years down the track. And anyone who doesn't appreciate the RIC sound should listen to this ... kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZKh8rsxrqrGqgto.html Pretty much sums up why RICs really have no peer. Cheers from the Land Down Under.

I knew someone who had a Rick 2001 bass. It had an awesome sound like no other bass. It had "twangy" overtones that made stand out instead of just filling the bottom end like a Fender..

@347Jimmy

8 ай бұрын

My dad always described it as a "snarling" quality, very noticeable in some of Chris Squire's tones It happens because Rick basses have a cap removing a lot of bottom end from the bridge pickup You can mod a Jazz bass to do the same thing, which becomes its own take on the sound, but doesn't match the Rick

@samburkes7552

8 ай бұрын

..I think You meant the Rick 4001..I have one, bought used in1978, Fireglo, studded pickups..sounds wonderful..punchy as he'll. Decent hinrnd when both pickups are on!

Great tone and natural sustain.

One of the most beautiful looking guitars there is an they are very underrated and sound just a good when cranked up with overdrive

This is one of those guitars that is just one of a kind. I remember when I was learning guitar, and I saw Peter Buck from R.E.M. using one, and I've wanted one ever since. My biggest gripe with this guitar (and the brand, technically), is that they are so expensive (~$2000).

@duranfriendlystudiosassoci1351

7 ай бұрын

I love Peter Buck's use of the Rickenbacker especially on the first Chronic Town EP and Life's Rich Pageant

@moosey62

6 ай бұрын

Me too! I saw REM in about 1984 in a small club. Man, he played the shit out of that Ricky.

@gnlout7403

5 ай бұрын

​@@duranfriendlystudiosassoci1351yes! I can listen to chronic town on repeat for hours. That sound had me hooked. Still love it

I’ve never wanted a Rickenbacker guitar before hearing this. That tone sounds wonderful! I’d always associated Rickenbackers with jangly guitar tones.

@cafeface

9 ай бұрын

Roger McGuinn with 12-string Ric!

@billydelacruz1500

9 ай бұрын

People tend to forget early Pete Townsend and Paul Weller ROCKED their Rickenbackers! I’ve used with Marshall JMP/ AC-30 and Deluxe Reverb cranked ( also with a vintage Gretsch) and it rocks!!!

@tonydalton459

8 ай бұрын

You say jangly guitar tones like it’s a bad thing 😁

For a Guitar that has got issues.... You sure made It sound good.... thank-you for the lesson ...!!

Love this sound OVER anything today.

I've been in two all or mostly Rickenbacker bands, currently in one now: the guitarist plays a Rick as does the bassist. They do sound amazing and with Rickosound the guitar can sound as if two guitars are playing as the amps and effects can be set quite differently from one another. They're amazing instruments. Btw I'm not a guitarist, I hit things with sticks in rhythmic fashion.

@anfrankogezamartincic1161

8 ай бұрын

You are the spine of the band. Without your drumming...they don't exist. I love Rickenbacker sound, sounds like sunshine. Not when LEMMY plays, but i love the guy,he played only Rickenbacker basses,saw few photos before MOTÖRHEAD, he had some other bass, HAWKWIND era?

@Darrylizer1

8 ай бұрын

@@anfrankogezamartincic1161 Yeah I wouldn't accuse Lemmy of sounding like sunshine either, haha. I'm not sure what he played in Hawkwind though I have seen a picture of him playing a Gibson Explorer back then.

@hw2508

7 ай бұрын

@@anfrankogezamartincic1161 Lemmy played sometimes a Thunderbird, and there are pictures from the studio when he played other basses. But his go to was the Rick. Although, they changed the pickups I think.

A friend of mine has a 12 string 360. We often jam in psychedelic/shoegaze style and it sounds fantastic in that context.

@jonsdavis

8 ай бұрын

The defining sound of Ride's "Nowhere" album!

Great tone, clean playing e vary tasteful. Following now!

It sure has a wonderful clean sound!

Cool looking guitars for sure. We can all thank Leo Fender (I mean sure Stradivarius knew this) for realizing that the strings needed to go straight as possible to the tuner.

@douglasthompson8927

8 ай бұрын

it`s never too late to get your GED

They're "high gain" in comparison to Rickenbacker's original "toaster" pickups. To most of us who love Rickenbacker, the lower output (7k ish) toasters are THE Rickenbacker sound.

@sixbladeknife44

9 ай бұрын

The toasters are the Ric sound if you’re into the 60’s Ric tones. If you’re into Buck, Marr and Weller etc., the high gains are the Ric sound. Different eras of iconic Ric players w/ different tones.

@jameshocking1188

8 ай бұрын

Also note that the toaster pickups have 2 versions. The earlier years had 7.5k ohm resistance and the newer versions are around 12.1 to 12.5 respectively , also there was a .oo47 uf capacitor wired in series from the bridge pickup on the pre mid 80s models which cut some midrange,, increasing the Jangle This was an attempt presumably to increase the versatility of the sound for a more modern application. Higher gain less treble which in my humble opinion was a mistake but if you listen to the tones of the earlier vintage Rick's you can definitely tell the difference. I own a 64'360V12 reissue and rewired the electronics and replaced the toaster pickups to vintage specs. Of course I saved all the old parts to hold the original value but it's the tone that makes this guitar so special to me. I'm never planning to sell this beauty but one never knows...

Good review... I play a Rickenbacker bass.... I never really heard anyone play a Rick guitar in person... Sounds really good... Good job...

Great video and great question. I get it - for YEARS I struggled with the appeal of these instruments. Expensive, kind of "weird" feeling, and typically are to actually play - on the occasions I'd get my hands on one I didn't like it. Then, like literally six months ago, I "got it". A guy I know at a music store saw me come in and literally threw one in my hand. I think it was a late 70s, 22 fret, and while the neck is narrow, I liked the sounds of the pickups. It felt like a "jazz" guitar, though others played it and I could hear it doing the rock thing wonderfully. Then literally a day after that I went into another music store and a young friend of mine had dropped everything to buy a more modern one. This was 24 fret (which I typically avoid) though it had a lot of the charm and versatility of the OG. Honestly I get it - they're cool instruments with a lot to offer.

As to the subject of why Rickenbacker guitars fell out of favor, I couldn't help but notice over the years that hardly any heavy metal guitarists play Ricks. I vaguely remember seeing Glenn Buxton from Alice Cooper playing one once, but that was as close to high amplification as I ever saw one get. Having said that---they do have a very dreamy quality to their tone, and would be appropriate on rock ballads

I'm one of those weird guitar players who love low-gain pickups and the tones you got in this video are kind of everything I love. There is a giant, warm, resonant sound with the chambered Ric bodies that this video exemplifies beautifully (Especially around 5:30. You're also making me want a Tonex now because that Matchless model sounds superb!). The one complaint that I have is that the tuning/intonation often seems dodgy. I hear it on this video on -some- chords you play, but not all. I have a 330/12 which comes with a 6-sadde bridge and never seems in tune to me. I purchased an aftermarket 12-saddle bridge which I haven't put on yet, so I hope that helps. There's nothing like the tone, though. If you like it, you love it. If not, it's just not for you. It's a very specific guitar, both tonally and feel-wise (not to mention visually). It's not going to be a Swiss Army knife like a Strat or a Tele, which I could probably use for any guitar gig. It's always going to impart that Rickenbacker sound and because of their feel, you will always play it like a Rickenbacker.

@alholdway2003

6 ай бұрын

Great sounding tone and natural sustain.

Dude that middle position is gorgeous

Love the sound of it.

Actually, that guitar sounds awesome...Fell out of favor is a catchy title for your video but as you can see from the comments a lot of people still love them. I have several guitars in several brands I was showing them to my granddaughter the other day. She wants to learn to play guitar. When I opened the case for the Ric her eyes lit up and she said "That one is awesome" She is 16, so maybe a new generation of Ric players is coming...

@Scott__C

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, and if it was that bad, they'd be out of business or blowing them out for half price.

@caiusmadison2996

8 ай бұрын

Maybe they stop lathering the fingerboard then, it's a well known fact it's death to harmony lead playing. If I owned one, I'd remove the lacquer first thing, and substitute an oil. Don't care if value drops, I could play it much better then.

@samburkes7552

8 ай бұрын

..I surely hope so!! I still have my orig. Fireglo deluxe 360/12..Have played many a Beatles, Byrds, Who, Wilburys song on it during gigs, usually they a 60s Fender SuperReverb Amp..nothing shy of awesome!!..That shimmering, twinky jangle!!

@Scott__C

8 ай бұрын

@@caiusmadison2996 I think no one should buy a guitar because it's supposed to go up in value or anything. If you like and you need to modify it to suit you, do it.

Thanks for the review! All of the tones sounded fine to me, including the overdriven ones. I feel that Rickenbackers look great, are generally well made, and have a unique finish & tone, but have inexcusable design quirks on some of their guitars & basses. In the case of the 360, the "R" tailpiece often fails from metal fatigue, the strings scrape against the truss rod cover, and the "horizontal" machine heads (on the 360/12) are only held in place by a single screw, and no post nut, meaning that they can easily fall off if the screw fails. If Rickenbacker actually listened to their customers, and made small improvements to their guitars, I'm sure they would be more popular.

@melvynobrien6193

8 ай бұрын

they're SHITE.

Nice Demo!

It sounds AMAZING driven!

One of the main reasons why they aren't as popular is because the cost of admission is higher. Not just the cost of the guitar, but there is no alternative. Unlike fender and Gibson and many other brands, there is no Indonesian version. And so if you want the guitar you have to know in advance that you really wanted. You can't just get the cheaper Indonesian version and then upgrade to the US version.

I own this exact guitar. I’ve spent a lot of money on its setup. Intonation wise it’s a total plank and nightmare. I can bend it a 1/2 semitones out of tune by putting pressure on the neck. Love to know how intonation is on this even when you are just playing simple chords on the first 3-4 frets

..you forgot to mention how friggin cool it looks. Sounds fab, looks like a Corvette Stingray and sounds "Unique" and that colour!!!❤

Thanks paul honest review of the 360