First guitar/project of 2012 - which one?

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:40 pm

Once I finish my Musicmaster and get my Supersonic back, I want to start another project. Here are the options in my mind right now:

#1- Mid 90's MIK Ric 325 Copy (Richman Custom brand, made by Cort), $185 used. I've always wanted a Ric for the look, but I'm not a big fan of the sound... and with how much a Ric costs, I'd feel terrible doing any mods to it.

I'd be replacing all of the pickups with GFS's, NYIII humbuckers for neck and bridge/NYII single coil in the middle, adding a Bigsby, potentially replacing the bridge (I haven't had much time to examine what it has on it now), and getting a custom truss rod cover.

The entire budget for this would be about $550, a bit less if I can get a used Bigsby B5/bridge and haggle the price down on the guitar. The guitar has been hanging on a rack at a local music shop for about a year now, so I think I can get the price down on it. However, it's also the only one of its kind I've ever seen on this island, so if it sells, the project is dead, since I have no intention of shipping an instrument here from the states.

#2- Squier Strat (or really, any decent strat copy. $50-100 used and dropping in a GFS wired pickguard with the brighton pickups, and locking the trem in place.. to start. I'm really curious about these pickups, and would like to try them out on a new instrument (to me).

From there I am not a certain what I should do as I am with the Ric copy. This one could be a quick and relatively cheap project. I think this could be done easily for under $300.

What do you guys think? Which of these two should I start 2012 with?

gaybear · Post by **gaybear** » Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:42 pm

ric copy just sounds more fun

singlepup · Post by **singlepup** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 5:03 am

Ric copy. If nothing else, you'll piss off all the hardcore Ric fanatics.

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 6:10 am

Yeah the modded Rick would be kewl !

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 12:45 pm

mkt3000 wrote:
#1- Mid 90's MIK Ric 325 Copy (Richman Custom brand, made by Cort), $185 used. I've always wanted a Ric for the look, but I'm not a big fan of the sound... and with how much a Ric costs, I'd feel terrible doing any mods to it.

If it's the one with three toasters and a hofnerish headstock I may have owned the same model (the nameplate had been replaced so I don't know for sure.)

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 2:09 pm

Nick wrote:
mkt3000 wrote:
#1- Mid 90's MIK Ric 325 Copy (Richman Custom brand, made by Cort), $185 used. I've always wanted a Ric for the look, but I'm not a big fan of the sound... and with how much a Ric costs, I'd feel terrible doing any mods to it.
If it's the one with three toasters and a hofnerish headstock I may have owned the same model (the nameplate had been replaced so I don't know for sure.)

It's the same as this one, minus the name on the truss rod cover

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Fri Jan 06, 2012 2:48 am

Today I finally got my hands of the Ric Copy, and it's a hunk of crap. I actually pushed a fret out completely without as much as making an effort. I'm gonna pass on it.

So I've decided on the second project, but making it a bit more interesting - a lefty strat flipped righty (ironic, cause I'm a lefty that plays righty), with the brighton rock pickups, and a mirror image Hendrix decal. Inspired by this video, and not hendrix:

[youtube][/youtube]

Now to keep an eye out for deals in the classifieds and the local pawn shops, since I'm not gonna buy a new instrument for this, nor am I gonna ship something in for this.

gaybear · Post by **gaybear** » Fri Jan 06, 2012 2:57 am

bummer that the ric copy was crap, but am excited to see your project come to fruition

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Fri Jan 06, 2012 3:24 am

That ric copy looked EXACTLY like mine, all the hardware, and everything, only mine had a hofnerish wave headstock.

Mine was playable but it definitely felt like a cheap chinese made guitar. Nothing particularly stood out as rubbish but it just was "dead". No life, no vibration, no chime, and the pickups were muddy for a Ric, which I attributed somewhat to the three pickup switching.

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 10:52 pm

Update... the closest thing to a lefty strat I've found used locally was a strange knockoff, but the owner wanted too much, and had already modded it (neck with a gibson firebird headstock and H-H-H configuration with 3 coil splits). So I've called various Guitar Centers that show used instruments in their inventory.

And I found a Sunburst Affinity strat in Oklahoma for $90 + shipping. I know I could do better on price, but I've discovered that used lefty guitars don't last, and new ones are expensive. Here's to hoping that they'll ship to Puerto Rico

I spoke to the guy that sets up my guitars, and he likes the idea, since if I get bored with it, I can set it back to lefty and sell it locally for what I paid for it.

--edit--

They called back. They've never shipped to Puerto Rico, and the sales manager is off tomorrow. They put the guitar on hold for me till Wednesday, and I'll call them then.

Or I'll search other Guitar Centers until a lefty sunburst affinity comes for sale.

Joey · Post by **Joey** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 1:57 am

cool video & guitar. I'm a sucker for a flipped guitar.

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 1:59 am

do an RIC

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 2:20 am

Joey wrote:cool video & guitar. I'm a sucker for a flipped guitar.

Me too... KC's lefty Jag as played by Eric Erlandson in the doll parts video would be my project if I had the cash. Ironically I'm a lefty, but I play righty. I can't fret with my right hand to save my life.

Maybe I can do them both. One project before summer, one project for after. I swung by the music store again where the Ric lives, to see what else they had. The Ric is still there, and if I can get it cheap enough, I think I might make it work.

Here's pics of the "Ric" I took this afternoon. After the frets (which after playing around it ended up being only the one fret), the biggest concern for me is the buildup by the upper horn (last picture)

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 3:53 am

Pretty sure that's the same one I had. Paid $250, returned it within a week (return period) because it wasn't doing it for me, plus I couldn't sell it on eBay, and I didn't feel like being bothered with selling a guitar online that I just bought either.

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 3:56 am

Nick wrote:Pretty sure that's the same one I had. Paid $250, returned it within a week (return period) because it wasn't doing it for me, plus I couldn't sell it on eBay, and I didn't feel like being bothered with selling a guitar online that I just bought either.

You think with a new bridge, tailpiece, and electronics + a professional setup it could be a fun guitar?

Oh, and a brand funny truss rod cover. Shitsngiggles?

Joey · Post by **Joey** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 4:18 am

Pens JS

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 4:21 am

Joey wrote:Pens JS

Sex. Fucking want.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:10 am

mkt3000 wrote:
Nick wrote:Pretty sure that's the same one I had. Paid $250, returned it within a week (return period) because it wasn't doing it for me, plus I couldn't sell it on eBay, and I didn't feel like being bothered with selling a guitar online that I just bought either.
You think with a new bridge, tailpiece, and electronics + a professional setup it could be a fun guitar?

Oh, and a brand funny truss rod cover. Shitsngiggles?

I think my main problem with it was the switching, which in traditional 3 pickup fashion let you choose between neck+mid, all three, and bridge pickup alone. Made for a very dull experience, and if I was more committed to it I think a rewiring could have brought it to life, probably simply by bypassing the middle pickup altogether. Considering what a far cry from a real Ric it is I would probably swap out the fake toasters, which are probably just ceramic bar magnets with no poles, in favor of some GFS top mount Alnico pickups.

The finish was also glopped on pretty heavy. I like to imagine this also dampened its potential but I'll never know cause I never stripped it.

All in all you could probably make something out of it, if you're not expecting a proper Rickenbacker out of it, and are buying it for looks and as a modding platform. It is not a poor man's Rickenbacker any more than an Epiphone Les Paul Special Jr is a poor man's Gibson Les Paul standard. Keep that in mind as it felt very similar to lower end Epis to me. If you end up getting it and modding it I am curious as to your findings.

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:31 am

I'm working on a parts list for the "Ric". So far:

http://www.allparts.com/Rickenbacker-St ... lick=19167
http://www.bigsby.com/vibe/products/vib ... igsby-b50/
http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-NYIII-A ... c_102.html
http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-NYII-Su ... c_101.html
http://www.guitarfetish.com/Full-Sized- ... p_274.html

louis · Post by **louis** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 12:59 pm

Yeah bitches.

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First guitar/project of 2012 - which one?

First guitar/project of 2012 - which one?

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