Curious about Rickenbackers

spellcaster · Post by **spellcaster** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 4:53 pm

I don't see much about the Rickenbacker six-strings here on ShortScale, although I've read online that they've made 22.5" scale guitars (such as the one Lennon played). I know Rickenbacker's not a bad word around here, as evidenced by the fake Ric bass thread, so i'm wondering....Are the Ric short scale's really rare, or terribly unpopular because of the narrow fretboard, or something else? I watched a PBS special on classic rock bands last night and I was surprised how many groups were using them back then.

Billy3000 · Post by **Billy3000** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 5:32 pm

Rickenbackers in general are just pretty rare, but especially the short scale models. Before moving to Atlanta where my favorite shop tries to keep a decent stock of both the guitars and basses on hand at all times I had only seen one rick in person and it was used at Guitar Center. It's pretty funny actually, that one which was the only one I had ever actually seen in person and played for many many years, was actually purchased by Tom Gabel, the singer of Against Me!

I own a 4003 bass and I love it! It's my favorite sounding bass and it just feels amazing! I would love to own a 6 string one day.

James · Post by **James** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 5:33 pm

They're not too common around here and my guess is that's because of the price. I've played a few and loved every one but have never been close to buying one because it's a hefty investment. I'm not saying they aren't worth the price they go for, but you can buy vintage Fenders for less and most people here would prefer that option if they're spending over a grand on a guitar.

Billy3000 · Post by **Billy3000** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 5:54 pm

Do they still not export them to england? I remember reading something about Rickenbacker not exporting their guitars and it being a pretty big deal that the Beatles played them because of that.

spellcaster · Post by **spellcaster** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 6:13 pm

One of the things I found surprising on that show I warched last night was the early clip of the Beach Boys. I'd always seen them with exclusively Fenders, but although Brian was playing a Precision, both the guitars were Rickenbackers. Incidentally, in the opening "British Invasion" segment of the show, there were quite a few Rics being used. Gerry Marsden of Gerry and The Pacemakers looked particularly comical, as he wore his guitars super-high, and the Ric was so wide-bodied that it looked huge on him. Maybe Rickenbacker wasn't formally importing them to the UK, but it seemed like lots of guys found ways of getting them.

toez10 · Post by **toez10** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 6:24 pm

spellcaster wrote:I don't see much about the Rickenbacker six-strings here on ShortScale, although I've read online that they've made 22.5" scale guitars (such as the one Lennon played). I know Rickenbacker's not a bad word around here, as evidenced by the fake Ric bass thread, so i'm wondering....Are the Ric short scale's really rare, or terribly unpopular because of the narrow fretboard, or something else? I watched a PBS special on classic rock bands last night and I was surprised how many groups were using them back then.

For the most part, Rickenbacker guitars stick to a 24 3/4" scale for their guitars with a few deviations, including the John Lennon 325 model which is a 20.75 scale. I've been able to play every rickenbacker model that's currently in production, and will say that I absolutely love some of them, and some of them I didn't particularly care for, including the 20.75" scale model. The neck shape didn't translate particularly well, but it was definitely a well-built guitar. In my personal opinion, out of the higher end guitars, Rickenbackers are the best deal for the dollar - part of the reason why their resale values stay relatively high. When you compare a guitar a neck-thru rickenbacker with all parts (except for the tuners, and a few other milled metal parts) built in one factory by a small number of skilled builders, to most current U.S.A. built fenders or Gibsons, the price is actual pretty reasonable. You can pick up 600 series Rickenbacker's brand new in the 1500 dollar range with quality on par or better than many 3000 dollar Gibson and PRS guitars. I'm definitely more of rickenbacker and fender guy than a Gibson and PRS guy, so I won't try to hide my bias.

As far as scarcity is concerned, from what I can tell, and from my experience buying my rickenbacker, they really aren't scarce in terms of the number available, but they are scarce in terms of the number of dealers they work with. They are almost always in stock through musiciansfriend etc..., but they are pretty selective about how many they will ship out to individual shops.

Someone also mentioned the export models. I know they are still selling them globally, but they might be harder to find elsewhere in the world, as from what I can tell, U.S. sellers cannot sell Ric guitars or parts outside of the country, so the only way to get them is through an international Rickenbacker dealer. When the beatles started using Ric guitars, they were still a relatively unkown, small brand compared to Fender, Gibson, and Gretsch, especially in Europe. There was concern over whether the European market would be open to the non-traditional "cat-eye" holes in the hollowbodies, so for a long time, many exported rickenbackers were redesigned with traditional "F-holes." Check out the "beatlebacker" or the Pete Townshend models to see the difference.

spellcaster · Post by **spellcaster** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 6:45 pm

Wow, 20.75" scale? That would make my 22.5 and 22.7 DuoSonics seem big, lol! Now I've really got GAS for a shorty Rickenbacker.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 10:58 pm

a guy i play in a band with has a ric; a mapleglo 620, i think. you don't see people playing them at shows very often but they're not especially hard to get as far as i know. just pricey.

ultratwin · Post by **ultratwin** » Mon Aug 13, 2012 12:04 am

Not much to add here in terms of shortscale-ness and the like.

But speaking of the 620, it genuinely feels like a "small" guitar. Aside from not being a chunky hollowbody (Can you say heavy solid maple plank?), the bridge is close enough to the tail to look quite diminutive next to the 360...as well as a Tele, for that matter. I've hesitated to bring the little guy back to Korea because of impending duty I'd have to pay, but would love to make it a part of my regular repertoire. Oh yeah, it's an '86 and I paid $950 for it used...There's a small chip off of the headstock, but I've seen worse for the cash.

Fatty & Little Dude

ekwatts · Post by **ekwatts** » Mon Aug 13, 2012 1:54 am

Billy3000 wrote:Do they still not export them to england? I remember reading something about Rickenbacker not exporting their guitars and it being a pretty big deal that the Beatles played them because of that.

You might be thinking of Hofners. The UK did not import US guitars in the post-war period due to austerity measures so it was mostly European guitars or various methods of trying to bring in US guitars under the radar. So it was all Hofners in the early days. Rickenbackers came a little later.

Rickenbackers have been available in the UK ever since as far as I'm aware, their current distributor is Rosetti. They're still quite an exclusive instrument with a price to match, though.

Leisureclub · Post by **Leisureclub** » Mon Aug 13, 2012 2:54 am

A big reason that Ricks are in relatively low supply is that they still make them basically the same way that they always have. The rest of the guitar manufacturers have adopted modern factory techniques and Rickenbacker has had more or less the exact same setup since the 50's.

I've got a 325v64 on order from a local dealer. Should be here by February. I probably would have bought a used one from the internet but this new one was cheaper than I usually see them anywhere. The downside is the 9 month wait.

They can only make a couple of models at a time, so if the guitar you want just finished its production cycle, you could be waiting a long time. The owner of the shop that put my order in has been waiting on their electric mandolin. They told him 18 months.

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Mon Aug 13, 2012 4:58 am

Remember when Guitar Center had a sale on The Rickenbacker 325c58? I think it was in 2003 that they had a "Buy one for $999 get one the second one free! Rickenbacker was so pissed of that they removed Guitar Center from their list of approved dealers.

I bought this one on ebay in 2004 for $1150. The only guitar I really regret selling.The pickups on these are wound to 50's specs so they have a lower output than the ones on the 325c64,about 4k vs 7K.

ekwatts · Post by **ekwatts** » Mon Aug 13, 2012 11:36 am

They're very expensive, but they're one of the few hugely expensive guitars that I really would bag if I had the cash. Forsythes currently have one of these in for Â£1499. It's tiny, hot and sort of way modern for a Rick. And I love it.

Post by **Mike** » Mon Aug 13, 2012 11:40 am

Really great guitars (loved BobAC's when I played it) but really, really expensive in the UK, hence rare.

DanHeron · Post by **DanHeron** » Mon Aug 13, 2012 11:51 am

My dream guitar is still a Rickenbacker Capri, in black:

soooooooo pricey though.

NickS · Post by **NickS** » Mon Aug 13, 2012 2:54 pm

I have a friend who used to work in a guitar shop. He said that with their limited production capacity, Rickenbacker prioritised domestic customers over export and that it could take 2-3 years between placing an order and actually getting a guitar in the UK. I'd be interested to hear from any Shrotscaler who works in a guitar shop whether they've heard this.

xrleroyx · Post by **xrleroyx** » Mon Aug 13, 2012 3:16 pm

I had a Jetglo 330. The neck was far too thin for anything involving lead, but for chording it felt like a dream. I couldn't afford to keep it around though unfortunately, but if I had some spare cash I'd get one again. Can't comment on the pups as I didn't own an amp...

Ankhanu · Post by **Ankhanu** » Mon Aug 13, 2012 3:20 pm

Mike wrote:Really great guitars (loved BobAC's when I played it) but really, really expensive in the UK, hence rare.

I think you can just drop the "in the UK" part

The company intentionally maintains low product turnout to keep their value up. That said, as far as I know, they don't release a dud into the wild, unlike their competitors (e.g. Fender, Gibson, etc.); if you find one, it's almost guaranteed to be a solid playing instrument with superb craftsmanship.

The 4003 is pretty much my dream (standard) bass... I may never own one.

BobArsecake · Post by **BobArsecake** » Mon Aug 13, 2012 4:11 pm

Further to what Ultra said, despite the 24 3/4 scale of the 620, it does feel tiny, though relatively heavy, and that's one of the many things I love about it. This thread's making me realise how much I was in the right place at the right time for mine. Got it brand new in the US for Â£570 in 2005, shortly after that the prices rocketed. Got my heart set on a 360/12 as the ultimate, though the one Dan posted trumps that for me.

Gabriel · Post by **Gabriel** » Mon Aug 13, 2012 4:49 pm

A fireglo 360 is one of my dream guitars, bit pricey though.

Curious about Rickenbackers

Curious about Rickenbackers

Re: Curious about Rickenbackers