Haven't had nitro since the 60's...They were finished in conversion varnish until 2008, when there was a brief stint with a UV cured polyester clearcoat until 2010ish when they began being finished in a catalyzed polyester clear. That remains the standard clearcoat today. Oh, and it's backer, not bocker..🙂
Rickenbackers are not finished in nitrocellulose lacquer, and have not been since the 1950s; 1990s era, Rickenbackers are finished in conversion varnish. Rickenbacker used conversion varnish from the 1960s through early 2000s, until approximately 2010 or so.
Rickenbacker 12's were originally equipped with Grover Deluxe tuners, each held in place by 2 screws. They also had small oval buttons and long skinny stems, so they didnt interfere with each other. No idea why they switched to modern Schaller pegs. Also, since 2005, the string routes go all the way through the headstock (except on vintage reissues), making it easier to restring.
We knew these issues 35 years ago. A tricky guitar to work with but if you can dial it in it is one of the best 12 string electric guitars ever. And iconic as well as great. Good luck with the guitar. Cheers from Hawaii
Really weird design flaw that the pegs come into contact with one another at a certain position! 😆 Love the modifications you made to the truss rod cover, and the string winds look so much neater now. Thanks for the cool vid.
The holes that the end-posts of the "2nd course" tuners sit in are *enormous* and so it would be theoretically possible to press-fit some kind of bushings into those holes, which are accessible from only inside the routered slots in the headstock; but it would be tricky, and you'd probably only get one chance at fitting the bushings snugly and squarely in those holes. If you press-fit them tightly in there, you'd never get them out again, and they'd have to be closely sized to match the diameter of the tuning posts. If you were to put bushings in there and then you decided to change the tuner's, the posts of the replacement tuners would have to be the same diameter as the posts of the original tuners in order to match the bushings that you already installed! Perhaps such bushings could be made out of a hard slick plastic like Delrin instead of metal.
Ive just brought my 330x12 back from my mums house where its been in storage for years and have just tuned it a step down in the key of D and I gotta admit its gorgeous sound and looking great as a sofa buddy I have a new set of strings to go on but can't face it today!
The "guy" that designed that line of Rickenbackers was the luthier Roger Rossmeisl. Worked for Gibson for a bit, the RIC, then Fender (The Tele Thinline and the Coronado are his). I think that he was given the usual design challenges. First, make it sound incredible, and they certainly do. But also make it manufacturable in the shop they had, no CNC, making sawdust by hand, and within a price range. Typical constraints. Roger was an old world hand-carved one-at-a time luthier. He met the requirements pretty well, and they're still manufactured 65 years later. (and a rarity these days, Ric never put a microprocessor in it. Not a one :) I have a Mapleglo 660/12. It's more... demanding? to play than a Tele, but the first time I played it, I was taken aback. Nothing sounds and feels like that. You hear all those sounds from landmark recordings. It has that fussy magic every time I play it. High effort, but high reward. I also have one of it's siblings, the 6 string 620. It's ok, but kind of.. normal. I think it has to do with the greater string tension on the 12 string or the needed extra mass. And also, did the nut get messed up by having the strings disordered? Many others are going to tell you, and they're right. The low-string-first courses break the guitar. Don't put Ernie Ball strings on it. Those might be a source of your neck bend. Try Thomastik-Infeld strings on it, just once. They make a set specifically for the Ric 12s. Airy and open and easier on the fingers. They sound like "a record". As always, thanks.
Speaking of Rossmiesl, 5WattWorld on CZcams did a video about the Tele Thinline just yesterday. One of my favorite fiery blues-rockers, Tab Benoit, plays a well-worn Tele Thinline version 2 with widerange humbuckers. It's pretty much his one and only guitar.
Rick guitars and basses are such an iconic sound. I think they are reluctant to do anything to improve the construction out of fear it will detract from that. Who is to say if that vintage tone isn't in the way the string mpinges on the truss rod cover? Personally I'd flip the side tuners to point up. Maybe get some 20-1 keys that have 2 screws.
Mine is a bit newer than yours. They did improve the headstock a little by opening up the slot so that it is open on back side- makes it easier to access those sideways tuners. Also mine is walnut, so no nitro. I replaced my R tailpiece and put the original away intact. But the best improvement I’ve made is replacing the nut with a brass Rickysounds nut. It moves the spacing of the strings so that the gap between each set of two strings is much closer. Makes it so much easier to play!
Fran, I know everybody has advice on how to do something, but I just wanted to pass on a tip that many luthiers have given for enlarged screw holes, and that is if the screw keeps giving you trouble, break up some wooden toothpicks, add a little glue and then insert your screw. You have to experiment on how many toothpicks to use before its too tight, and you probably don't need the glue, but that should suffice, other than completely starting fresh by inserting a dowel and re-drilling. Peace
My most expensive guitar is my U.S. built Rickenbacker 360/12. Right after the warranty was up, the neck twisted horrible. Took it to a luthier who knows people at Rickenbacker real well. He told them it had nothing to do with me, it was their design. Of course they wouldn't do anything. Some day I will get it fixed. Sad my cheaper built foreign made guitars have never given me a problem.
I don't think it was a case of trying to cram 12 tuners into an existing headstock size. I think that it was more of a case of trying to make as small a headstock as possible. I think that Rickenbacker was quite proud of this design. There are benefits to keeping the headstock small, especially balance on a guitar with a mostly hollow body such as the 360. I don't know if 12 string guitars with the usual enlarged headstock are more susceptible to headstock breaks than a 6 string guitar, that might have been a factor too. The company obviously didn't think through all the issues, as is pointed out in the video. I'm wondering if using banjo tuners, such as those used on the original Gibson Firebirds, for the alternate strings would have worked out better. They'd still have to enlarge the headstock somewhat, but not as much as for a conventional 12 string headstock. There are probably unintended consequences with that idea too.
Thank' for posting your design / troubleshooting tips for 360-12, perhaps you might consider share your thoughts with the Rickenbacker folks in Santa Ana, California. I do believe many of the concerns have been dealt with in later models .. but some have not. I own a newer, walnut 360-12 (named Woody, of course) .. Woody is usually in tune out of the case, has a phenomenal - rich tone and is a thing of aesthetic & sonic beauty. Musically it always brings the band up a notch when Woody starts to twang. Perhaps it might be like a Rolls Royce .. a few dated flaws, but a real joy to own and operate. PS .. there is a video by Roger McGuinn (The Byrds), in which he discusses may idiosyncrasies of his 360-12 and offers his tips and tricks for keeping his Ricks in top-professional touring condition. Thank's for sharing your post. BD
It is what it is, Fran. Guitars were not intended for scientists. I own four of them, all incredible, wonderful, quirky, collectible works of art. Kind of like yourself. 😁
I’ve had 3 Rickenbacker guitars. 2 6 strings and a 12. I want to love them, but they’re just not great feeling guitars. I especially hate the thick lacquer on the fretboard. I do love my Ric bass though.
@@FranLab , Jimmy Page actually played a Danelectro 12-string; I presume he would he had ample opportunity to try a Rick 12 at some point but went with the Dano instead. Take that, guitar snobs! ( No, not you, Fran). At Woodstock, Johnny Winter played a Firebird 12 string that was strung with just 6 strings. Considering that Gibsons are famous for broken headstocks, I can imagine that a 12-string Firebird headstock might be particularly easy to break with all that additional string tension on it ---- unless the Fenderish headstock of the Firebird is actually a more reliable design.
I had a couple of Ric 12s in the past and swore to never get another one. Since I feel the itch again I‘m glad I found your video so I can remember why they‘re not for me.
Never bought a Rick for the reasons you cited. I just might...only thing holding me back is the neck dimensions. They sound great. So difficult to play without adjacent stings muting.
In my rose tinted view of Rickenbacker, I believe many of the practicality/engineering concessions come in favor of aesthetics. There is no guitar quite like a Rickenbacker from a purely looks perspective. Sure many other designs are superbly elegant and timeless but something about a rick has a futuristic yet classic appearance that many people irrationally fawn over, myself included. All of this said, I know from both personal experience and anecdote, that they are difficult to live with.
Hence the chines made ones. Fun, cool looking, grossly imperfect…just like Rics.. oh but they are also cheap. Rics are super cool looking guitars, but a company as arrogant and stubborn (and often rude) as Rickenbacker doesn’t deserve the loyalty it often gets. I’ve played Chinese made Rics that were built better than the USA models, and at one-eight the cost.
@@dr.scanlan6112 Much like other "USA-Made" guitars, you are paying mostly for the fact that it's keeping jobs in the US and it's made (at least reasonably) responsibly (material sourcing, wages, employee benefits etc). With a chinese guitar (and I have a couple myself) you are paying for the object made as efficiently and cheaply as possible, so it's really up to the buyer to determine their value assessment. Because of this, extreme loyalty is garnered by the really high entry cost...
My friend has a Ric 12 string like Harrison He's having issues with intonation .. the one A string is flat while the other A is sharp.. any ideas to help him?
Sweet "Rick" 12 string. Making a new nut is not the worst job ... I would probably use the new Tusq material as I've had great success with it. I have a Danelectro DC12 1st reissue, similar vintage as your "Rick". Had to replace the original nut, made from cast pot metal (YUK!!). I used an aircraft structural grade (forget the number) aluminum. It brightened the tone just a bit. My "Dano" 12 makes the sound of angels !!!
The Danelectro 12 string was a secret weapon for Jimmy page. Everybody thinks he played his double neck Gibson 6/12 on all those records but in most cases it was the Danelectro 12 string.
@goodun2974 Actually, Jimmy had two electric 12-strings, a Vox Phantom and a Fender. The only electric 12 Danelectro made in the ‘60s was the Bellzouki, and I don’t think Page had one of those.
You loosen the Low Es and A Strings---The High E and the B strings and push them to to side of the Nut. The Truss cover is a little bit of a problem but you can get it off to access the double truss. . The R-String Holder is beautiful, but a design flaw in that they put slots instead of a Hold for holding the String in place. You aint lived until you try to change the strings. A tip. install the Low E first then the high E octive string As and Ds and then do the Gs Bs and High Es in reverse. I don't care what you say about the head. I think it is ingenious.
You brought up some good negative issues of a Rick 12 string. That being said they do require a bit of massaging to make them easier to play. I have a 360/12V 64 and replaced the nut with a wider spaced nut I got from Ricky Sounds in the UK. The vintage tuners are easier to deal with than the modern ones. Plus I had a custom brass 12 bridge saddle for more accurate tuning. I don't know why Rickenbacker doesn't address these issues. It totally boggles my mine. Once you get a Rick 12 string dialed in they are a dream to play and ooooooh that sound.
I have a 330/12 and a nice thing about it versus the 360 is that it has slots that go all the way through the headstock - so re-stringing is a bit easier. My only issue with it really is the narrow fretboard - I have "fat" fingers so things get crowded. It's fun to play and sounds magical.
Prince also agreed with the ricks being improvable. Wendy Melvoin had famously a cool modded one: pickups changed to a pair of Seymour Duncan telecaster hot stack, the red ones, toggle-vol-tone controls, tunomatic + stopbar and purple finish. A cool gutar to say the least! Strange nobody makes clone of this 🤔 Check the purple rain live footage out
Wendy Melvoin had two modded Rickenbackers. However after customisation, the only things that were Rickenbacker were the guitars' bodies and their necks. Everything else was customised. Her purple guitars had G&L pickups (not Seymour Duncans) and they were SIX string guitars not twelve strings. They produced a very lush twelve string like tone courtesy of the famous Boss CE-1 Chorus pedals that she used in her signal chain. Both of these guitars were used on Purple Rain and both were stolen and have never been recovered.
@@karmicselling4252 yeah, she says so for the G&L pickups. But zooming on photos of the purple one the thick bar and the 3 pickups screws and the deep red color looks a lot like hot stacks. Never found a g&l pickup that looks like that...perhaps a rare one. Or is the pickups on the second one that where g&l.
Wow!! I had NO idea the Rickenbacker 12 String was so dysfunctional in it's build! Great video, Fran in exposing what appears to be inexcusable short cuts taken by the Rick Techs of an otherwise beautiful _looking_ guitar! Too bad......
I think you already noticed this, but just in case, I don't know if it was like this before but on the treble side by the nut, there's a gap between the nut and the fingerboard. That tuning issue is crazy!
HELLO - I was hoping for a Saturday 6PM live stream... After watching YOUR Wilson Radio Phone video, in which you mentioned "having some crystals", and that some folks could communicate with them, I was reminded of the video in which you hold a paper bag of 7-segmen LEDs, that made you feel (possibly) warm and happy. I have at least one bag of (radio) crystals that I acquired years ago, when some folks meddled into my family's life, and I put virtually all side-projects on hold. The possibilities are quite endless, and perhaps some of us can test out some of that type of equipment, especially if for some unexpected reason, there is a computer network outage due to "Mother Nature" or something, that would curtail our abilities to communicate "this way", or by using typical mechanisms... :) _John_
Funny thing is, for me the ricky 360/12 is the aesthetically most beautiful guitar ever. I've wanted one for 30 years, but I have less money than the proverbial church mouse. It seems to me Rickenbacker could make a lot of the changes Fran lists and they wouldn't have to change the look much at all. Slightly longer headstock, metal bushings for the alternate tuners, mount the bridge via screw points, bronze coated chrome for the big 'ol R tail piece... You'd greatly improve the instrument and it would be 95% the same to look at. I also wish they'd get a high quality Indonesian factory to make cheaper editions.
My understanding is the Reverend 12-string is the only one that was totally designed from scratch to BE a 12-string. Was toying with getting a 360/12 but I can't justify the expense after seeing all the design flaws. Maybe a 330/6 down the road but not the 12-string.
For the loose tuners, pluging with a wood dowel and precise redrilling might do the trick 🤔 Also, might be chalenging, recessing a bit the 90° tunner inthe head might help with tuner interference. Another idea for the tuner interference is to apply a kind of bevel to the key heads, not easy and affects the look a bit. Hard choice...Keep us tuned with the improvement of this cool instrument 😜
OCD much? I had a mid "90s" rick 12 string and it was, despite all the issues, was my favorite guitar ever. I am actually getting ready to build a 12 string based on this guit but without the flaws.
You didn't tell us what year it was...or I missed it. Anyway, it better sound like an angel's harp for the flaws and what they are going for. 1500.00 - 4000.00 or so. Maybe you should have replaced that cover instead of modifying the original? That's important to collectors. I always mod old guitars with new parts and save the original parts just in case. Lots of good comments here. Lots to learn!
Rickenbackers are the perfect example of letting traditions get in the way of improvement. I have to wonder how good the Harley Benton RB-612s sound. Similar design, but improved, at 1/5 the price at least.
@@FranLab Good point. But it's hard to say. Collectors can be weird. Most seem to want completely original despite the flaws. Others don't care much about that - it can be a shoe box with rubber bands just as long as a name is attached to it. And that name could be your name for sure. But if that was Joe Bonamassa's 360 that he brought to you for mods, that would make a considerable difference as well. Anyway, I love what you do. And I love learning everyday. And that is a great combo. So here is a good related question: Why do some of your Peach Fuzz go for around $250.00, while others as much as $1000.00? Is there a difference between build years? Is it a collectors thing? Supply and demand? What do you think accounts for the difference?
Rick truss rod covers are a controlled substance. You cannot get a replacement without sending yrs in. Modifying one would reduce its value to Ric crowd. Rickenbacker is financially set, so they dont behave like a normal mfr. They don't try to improve or work to accommodate customers. It's a Ric, we only make em the way we've made em, and if you don't like it, don't buy it. That's Ric.
OMG, what a friggin' nightmare.. However I'm not surprised. I thought the bridge on the old Rickenbacker 4001 bass I had in the 80's was an un-elegantly designed piece of garbage. Replacing the bridges and tuners on all Ricky basses is standard practice. In the end I sold it, growing tired of its "Classic Tone" ; that of a flatulent old cow.
I have a 330/12 but have never had that problem with tuning, but it's from the 2000s so maybe they'd noticed the issue and fixed it. It has actually been really good at holding it's tuning except for when the tailpiece was on the way out. The R shaped tail pieces tend to have a limited lifespan and often explode after a few years. I did have to adjust the truss rods once and I hope I never have to do that again as it was a huge pain in the neck having to take all the strings off and all that. They also aren't standard truss rods that use an allen key, I had to use a wrench and even then could barely move them. Other than those 2 issues though, I've never had a problem with it. Restringing it with the R tail piece was a bit awkward, it's much easier with the trapeze style which is also much sturdier.
9:50. The 12 String Rickenbacker headstock is the way it is for two primary reasons ... 1/ A full sized 12 string headstock would make the guitar head heavy and very uncomfortable to play when standing up a la when playing live. 2/ A full sized 12 string headstock would require a special guitar case for the guitar. This would make the guitar and case combo more expensive. A Rickenbacker 12 string guitar fits into a Rickenbacker 6 string guitar case. Your point about the positioning of the tuners highlights the fact that one set of tuners is tied to the main course of strings and the other set is tied to the octave / unison pairs. This is actually another benefit because it allows the player to quickly identify which tuner is associated with which string. The traditional 12 string headstock layout is a little more clunkly except when tuning strings in sequence from top to bottom or bottom to top. Rickenbacker's twelve string headstock is one of the greatest innovations the guitar world has ever seen. That's why it continues to this day, fifty years after it was first introduced.
The weight of the headstock is the same,other 12 strings with full size head do not way a person down.That is nonsense.Also you left out this kludge uses a 6 string bridge on a 12 string guitar,what's up with that ? These are over priced junk. Let's tell it like is,no bull con stories please.
It's funny, but after watching this, I checked my 370\12, which I haven't played for a while. The tailpiece has fractured, exactly as you describe. As for the neckplate, mine, being lefthanded, has an old-style perspex with backing version which has been filed down to fit the upside-down right-hand neck - and further filed for the same reasons you give.
If I were looking for a 12-string electric, I’d get one of those modern Danelectro models. It’s got a bolt-on neck, an easily accessible truss rod, and lipstick pickups that sound really nice together in terms of their positioning
If these cost about 5 times the price of my danelectro 12 string, they also must have about 10 times the hassle factor. Paying the extra just wouldn’t make sense.
When you play that guitar you should wear a David Crosby/George Harrison '65-era bowl-cut wig and those little rectangular shades. (If you have time...)
In 1966 I saw The Byrds in concert. Jim/Roger Mcguinn was playing a black Ric 360-12. It was love at first sight (I mean the Guitar, not Jim/Roger). A few weeks later I bought a brand new Ric 360-12 in fireglo with a hardshell case for $400! I fell out of love rather quickly for some of the reasons you mentioned and bought a Gibson 335. Awhile later I sold both of them proving that teenagers (or at least this teenager) are idiots! I can only guess what those guitars would be worth today. Anyway, I enjoyed the video.
I had a 1968 360/12. I finally gave up and made a 6 string out of it. though I can't remember the keys hitting each other, it was still a pain dealing with the tuning issues on the secondary strings. So, off they came.. It was finally stolen, I never replaced it
Apparently, if you want a Rickenbacker that stays in tune, you need one of the 1930's Rick lap-steel guitars, the cast-aluminum" frying pan" guitar (purportedly the very first production electric guitar). They also made a molded Bakelite lap steel but I am told that those tend to go out of tune from hot stage lighting.
Intricate work, but that is what you're known for. I was wondering if you could place a rubber "thimble" on the end of those long rods going into the head possibly eliminating or last least limiting the play in those keys. Just a thought/
Ricky 12’s are supposed to be strungup that way. So you hit the tonic first on a downstroke. AFAIK, they’re the only 12 strung this way. Everything else, the octaves are first…
RIC 12s can be strung any way you like. They come from the factory strung with the Tonic string above the octave / unisor string. However, the first RIC 12 ever built was strung in the traditional 12 string manner. And over the years, the odd artist has flipped a factory model. Marty Wilson-Piper of The Church immediately comes to mind.
The peg holes can be linned with an insert guide, too remove all the play... Maybe You Could Desingn A New Head Stock Fran... ? It Would Make A Great Project At The Bench... 😉👍
You should put toaster top pickups on it! Also, before the R tailpiece explodes it is a TOTAL NIGHTMARE to restring it. You have to get a trapeze or Harp tailpiece.
I thought you might source or craft 6 little metal sleeves with lips to sheath those internal tuners. I've seen you make more complicated stuff than that. 🙄 Is there low friction cnc material for that type of application?
I sold my Rick 12 string because of the narrow neck. I never had the pleasure of restringing it. Great sound, not a great playing experience. They also have the string pairs the wrong way round but that could be an actual design choice but it has always seemed like they were modified 6 strings.
Probably why we don’t see a lot of these being played. Clever machining could result in bushings that reduce the wobble. Does a nitro nut play well? Maybe a bone or Tusq would be better. Those surgical tools are very handy for other applications.
@@goodun2974 I actually have a few hemostats, but only for special work. I worked in hospitals for 34 years, and collected them. inhaling isn’t my thing either.
The Rick nut should be made of Delrin. The brown spot looks like somebody filled the E-E space with baking soda and super glue. I've done it many times.
😊😊Fran really interesting content about this guitar. I learned to play on my mother’s 12 string after she passed. Love the sound of a 12 string. Question; Is it simply preference when stringing a 12 string whether or not the octave string is in the top position relative to the regular string? Every time I have mine restrung the octave string it is strung with the octave on top of the regular. Looking at a close up in your video it shows the octave string on the bottom of the regular. Hope you see this comment. Or if any other follower knows, I’d appreciate your thoughts as well. At 2:21 into the video you can see what I’m seeing. Love your channel!!❤❤❤ I’m hooked!
Rics are intended to have the octave strings being the bottom strings most other 12 strings have them as the top. I think you could string any of them how you prefer tho it would just be a matter of having the nut slots done correctly
I agree, I would have taken it right off & not only that, having another friction point may not ultimately improve the tuning as it could possibly bind there & at the nut. Fran's right: really badly designed..
Ric has forever been financially solvent.. owned their LA property , building and equipment.. apparently making their $ in real estate. The guitar biz almost an iconic hobby. They have NO interest in building the brand per se.. ie Improving design issues, making new colors/finishes, improving or offering pickup variations. etc. They make em as is, won't extend themselves to meet demand.. always a waiting list from dealers to fill orders.. is what is .. I agree.. if they hadn't had the marketing coup to go to NY when the Beatles did the Ed Sullivan show and GIVE George a 360/12.. they could have faded into obscurity.
I doubt it . Their order book is always full and over 12 months in advance. I have had 3 Ricks and never had a problem with any of them. It is easy to criticise a design but the fact is they work. I have had 2 twelve strings both of which were easy to tune and stayed in tune. The head of a twelve string is a work of art and engineering. The neck is narrow for a twelve string but there are models with a wider neck and there is no problem for people who want more space. I think the criticism is unfair and not valid in performance. And to top that Rickenbacker are the only US company that do not build outside of the USA unlike the other manufacturers. Last point they are not a one trick pony. That point is made by people who have never played one.@@tekism28
Just one of those typical Rickenbacker quirks! Reduces the cost for Rickenbacker because it only needs to source manufacture one type of bridge. Of course, aftermarket twelve saddle bridges are available for those who want to get the guitar sounding as in tune as possible. But even with a twelve saddle bridge, a Rickenbacker 12 won't be in perfect tune all the way up the neck and it won't stay in tune either.
@@karmicselling4252 yea ill get one when i get a twelve my 330 6 is ideosyncratic itself but i still love it i still dont much understand the high gain pickups because you have to do alot of work to your signal chain to get rickenbackers to sound good and it gets worse with the darker pickups
You are correct about the tuners, in the 60s Rickenbacker were using Kluson Deluxe tuners with both longer pegs and smaller keys than the Schaller tuners they use now. Those tuners couldn't interfere with each other on the 12-string headstock like the Schallers can.
nice looking guitar, does this one have the stereo out? so rather than designing & engineering an efficient 12-string guitar, they just shoe-horned 12 string parts into an existing 6-string design...FAIL, I also recommend you release the string tension when you aren't going to play it for a while, as you know, 12-strings have a tremendous amount of tension on the neck joint..seen a few 12 string acoustic necks broken off when people left them at full tension & leaned them on the head-stock against a wall
You do not release the tension, as the necks on all guitars are held in a balance of stress between the truss rod and string tension. You must keep it in tension and adjust accordingly as the wood slowly shrinks and compresses over time.
Haven't had nitro since the 60's...They were finished in conversion varnish until 2008, when there was a brief stint with a UV cured polyester clearcoat until 2010ish when they began being finished in a catalyzed polyester clear. That remains the standard clearcoat today. Oh, and it's backer, not bocker..🙂
So glad you're getting your equipment back in shape and playing music again! Do more of what you love, we're here for it ;-)
Rickenbackers are not finished in nitrocellulose lacquer, and have not been since the 1950s; 1990s era, Rickenbackers are finished in conversion varnish. Rickenbacker used conversion varnish from the 1960s through early 2000s, until approximately 2010 or so.
2008 to be exact...
Rickenbacker 12's were originally equipped with Grover Deluxe tuners, each held in place by 2 screws. They also had small oval buttons and long skinny stems, so they didnt interfere with each other. No idea why they switched to modern Schaller pegs. Also, since 2005, the string routes go all the way through the headstock (except on vintage reissues), making it easier to restring.
Kluson Deluxe tuners
We knew these issues 35 years ago. A tricky guitar to work with but if you can dial it in it is one of the best 12 string electric guitars ever. And iconic as well as great. Good luck with the guitar. Cheers from Hawaii
Really weird design flaw that the pegs come into contact with one another at a certain position! 😆 Love the modifications you made to the truss rod cover, and the string winds look so much neater now. Thanks for the cool vid.
Rickenbackers are as pretty as they are impractical
The holes that the end-posts of the "2nd course" tuners sit in are *enormous* and so it would be theoretically possible to press-fit some kind of bushings into those holes, which are accessible from only inside the routered slots in the headstock; but it would be tricky, and you'd probably only get one chance at fitting the bushings snugly and squarely in those holes. If you press-fit them tightly in there, you'd never get them out again, and they'd have to be closely sized to match the diameter of the tuning posts. If you were to put bushings in there and then you decided to change the tuner's, the posts of the replacement tuners would have to be the same diameter as the posts of the original tuners in order to match the bushings that you already installed! Perhaps such bushings could be made out of a hard slick plastic like Delrin instead of metal.
Ive just brought my 330x12 back from my mums house where its been in storage for years and have just tuned it a step down in the key of D and I gotta admit its gorgeous sound and looking great as a sofa buddy I have a new set of strings to go on but can't face it today!
The "guy" that designed that line of Rickenbackers was the luthier Roger Rossmeisl. Worked for Gibson for a bit, the RIC, then Fender (The Tele Thinline and the Coronado are his).
I think that he was given the usual design challenges. First, make it sound incredible, and they certainly do. But also make it manufacturable in the shop they had, no CNC, making sawdust by hand, and within a price range. Typical constraints. Roger was an old world hand-carved one-at-a time luthier. He met the requirements pretty well, and they're still manufactured 65 years later. (and a rarity these days, Ric never put a microprocessor in it. Not a one :)
I have a Mapleglo 660/12. It's more... demanding? to play than a Tele, but the first time I played it, I was taken aback. Nothing sounds and feels like that. You hear all those sounds from landmark recordings. It has that fussy magic every time I play it. High effort, but high reward. I also have one of it's siblings, the 6 string 620. It's ok, but kind of.. normal.
I think it has to do with the greater string tension on the 12 string or the needed extra mass.
And also, did the nut get messed up by having the strings disordered? Many others are going to tell you, and they're right. The low-string-first courses break the guitar.
Don't put Ernie Ball strings on it. Those might be a source of your neck bend. Try Thomastik-Infeld strings on it, just once. They make a set specifically for the Ric 12s.
Airy and open and easier on the fingers. They sound like "a record".
As always, thanks.
Speaking of Rossmiesl, 5WattWorld on CZcams did a video about the Tele Thinline just yesterday. One of my favorite fiery blues-rockers, Tab Benoit, plays a well-worn Tele Thinline version 2 with widerange humbuckers. It's pretty much his one and only guitar.
The strings are not "disordered". They are meant to be that way. It's part of the signature sound. It changes the attack and timbre. It's unique.
Rick guitars and basses are such an iconic sound.
I think they are reluctant to do anything to improve the construction out of fear it will detract from that.
Who is to say if that vintage tone isn't in the way the string mpinges on the truss rod cover?
Personally I'd flip the side tuners to point up. Maybe get some 20-1 keys that have 2 screws.
Great video. More guitar and pedal things, PLEASE😇
Very few people watch these kinds of vids on my channel, so I can not do many.
@@FranLab the guitar/pedal vids are what brought me to your channel, but I do really enjoy your other stuff too. :)
Mine is a bit newer than yours. They did improve the headstock a little by opening up the slot so that it is open on back side- makes it easier to access those sideways tuners. Also mine is walnut, so no nitro. I replaced my R tailpiece and put the original away intact. But the best improvement I’ve made is replacing the nut with a brass Rickysounds nut. It moves the spacing of the strings so that the gap between each set of two strings is much closer. Makes it so much easier to play!
I know nothing about guitars, but the thing that comes to mind for me is to wonder if someone makes an " aftermarket" kit to correct those problems?
Fran, I know everybody has advice on how to do something, but I just wanted to pass on a tip that many luthiers have given for enlarged screw holes, and that is if the screw keeps giving you trouble, break up some wooden toothpicks, add a little glue and then insert your screw. You have to experiment on how many toothpicks to use before its too tight, and you probably don't need the glue, but that should suffice, other than completely starting fresh by inserting a dowel and re-drilling. Peace
A thing of beauty, a joy forever.
My most expensive guitar is my U.S. built Rickenbacker 360/12. Right after the warranty was up, the neck twisted horrible. Took it to a luthier who knows people at Rickenbacker real well. He told them it had nothing to do with me, it was their design. Of course they wouldn't do anything. Some day I will get it fixed. Sad my cheaper built foreign made guitars have never given me a problem.
OMG! I was taught to only put 3 to 4 turns on the tuning keys. Holds tune fine and a little bit of flexibility on where the strings turn.
Channels in the secondary string slot will f you up because the strings will move sideways when wound and try to exit your made slots.
I don't think it was a case of trying to cram 12 tuners into an existing headstock size. I think that it was more of a case of trying to make as small a headstock as possible. I think that Rickenbacker was quite proud of this design. There are benefits to keeping the headstock small, especially balance on a guitar with a mostly hollow body such as the 360. I don't know if 12 string guitars with the usual enlarged headstock are more susceptible to headstock breaks than a 6 string guitar, that might have been a factor too. The company obviously didn't think through all the issues, as is pointed out in the video.
I'm wondering if using banjo tuners, such as those used on the original Gibson Firebirds, for the alternate strings would have worked out better. They'd still have to enlarge the headstock somewhat, but not as much as for a conventional 12 string headstock. There are probably unintended consequences with that idea too.
Thank' for posting your design / troubleshooting tips for 360-12, perhaps you might consider share your thoughts with the Rickenbacker folks in Santa Ana, California. I do believe many of the concerns have been dealt with in later models .. but some have not. I own a newer, walnut 360-12 (named Woody, of course) .. Woody is usually in tune out of the case, has a phenomenal - rich tone and is a thing of aesthetic & sonic beauty. Musically it always brings the band up a notch when Woody starts to twang. Perhaps it might be like a Rolls Royce .. a few dated flaws, but a real joy to own and operate.
PS .. there is a video by Roger McGuinn (The Byrds), in which he discusses may idiosyncrasies of his 360-12 and offers his tips and tricks for keeping his Ricks in top-professional touring condition. Thank's for sharing your post. BD
It is what it is, Fran. Guitars were not intended for scientists. I own four of them, all incredible, wonderful, quirky, collectible works of art. Kind of like yourself. 😁
I’ve had 3 Rickenbacker guitars. 2 6 strings and a 12. I want to love them, but they’re just not great feeling guitars. I especially hate the thick lacquer on the fretboard. I do love my Ric bass though.
Yea... I didn't even mention the low frets and narrow neck.
@@FranLab , Jimmy Page actually played a Danelectro 12-string; I presume he would he had ample opportunity to try a Rick 12 at some point but went with the Dano instead. Take that, guitar snobs! ( No, not you, Fran).
At Woodstock, Johnny Winter played a Firebird 12 string that was strung with just 6 strings. Considering that Gibsons are famous for broken headstocks, I can imagine that a 12-string Firebird headstock might be particularly easy to break with all that additional string tension on it ---- unless the Fenderish headstock of the Firebird is actually a more reliable design.
I had a couple of Ric 12s in the past and swore to never get another one. Since I feel the itch again I‘m glad I found your video so I can remember why they‘re not for me.
Never bought a Rick for the reasons you cited. I just might...only thing holding me back is the neck dimensions. They sound great. So difficult to play without adjacent stings muting.
In my rose tinted view of Rickenbacker, I believe many of the practicality/engineering concessions come in favor of aesthetics. There is no guitar quite like a Rickenbacker from a purely looks perspective. Sure many other designs are superbly elegant and timeless but something about a rick has a futuristic yet classic appearance that many people irrationally fawn over, myself included. All of this said, I know from both personal experience and anecdote, that they are difficult to live with.
Hence the chines made ones. Fun, cool looking, grossly imperfect…just like Rics.. oh but they are also cheap. Rics are super cool looking guitars, but a company as arrogant and stubborn (and often rude) as Rickenbacker doesn’t deserve the loyalty it often gets. I’ve played Chinese made Rics that were built better than the USA models, and at one-eight the cost.
@@dr.scanlan6112 Much like other "USA-Made" guitars, you are paying mostly for the fact that it's keeping jobs in the US and it's made (at least reasonably) responsibly (material sourcing, wages, employee benefits etc). With a chinese guitar (and I have a couple myself) you are paying for the object made as efficiently and cheaply as possible, so it's really up to the buyer to determine their value assessment. Because of this, extreme loyalty is garnered by the really high entry cost...
Have to say it.....I dig your channel so much. Thanks again Fran.
My friend has a Ric 12 string like Harrison
He's having issues with intonation .. the one A string is flat while the other A is sharp.. any ideas to help him?
Sweet "Rick" 12 string. Making a new nut is not the worst job ... I would probably use the new Tusq material as I've had great success with it. I have a Danelectro DC12 1st reissue, similar vintage as your "Rick". Had to replace the original nut, made from cast pot metal (YUK!!). I used an aircraft structural grade (forget the number) aluminum. It brightened the tone just a bit. My "Dano" 12 makes the sound of angels !!!
The Danelectro 12 string was a secret weapon for Jimmy page. Everybody thinks he played his double neck Gibson 6/12 on all those records but in most cases it was the Danelectro 12 string.
@goodun2974 Actually, Jimmy had two electric 12-strings, a Vox Phantom and a Fender. The only electric 12 Danelectro made in the ‘60s was the Bellzouki, and I don’t think Page had one of those.
You loosen the Low Es and A Strings---The High E and the B strings and push them to to side of the Nut. The Truss cover is a little bit of a problem but you can get it off to access the double truss. . The R-String Holder is beautiful, but a design flaw in that they put slots instead of a Hold for holding the String in place. You aint lived until you try to change the strings. A tip. install the Low E first then the high E octive string As and Ds and then do the Gs Bs and High Es in reverse. I don't care what you say about the head. I think it is ingenious.
I can see you and Rick have some history, to refer to them on such an informal basis.
You brought up some good negative issues of a Rick 12 string. That being said they do require a bit of massaging to make them easier to play. I have a 360/12V 64 and replaced the nut with a wider spaced nut I got from Ricky Sounds in the UK. The vintage tuners are easier to deal with than the modern ones. Plus I had a custom brass 12 bridge saddle for more accurate tuning. I don't know why Rickenbacker doesn't address these issues. It totally boggles my mine. Once you get a Rick 12 string dialed in they are a dream to play and ooooooh that sound.
I have a 330/12 and a nice thing about it versus the 360 is that it has slots that go all the way through the headstock - so re-stringing is a bit easier. My only issue with it really is the narrow fretboard - I have "fat" fingers so things get crowded. It's fun to play and sounds magical.
Hard to believe that they didn't even install bushings on the inside tuning machines.
Prince also agreed with the ricks being improvable. Wendy Melvoin had famously a cool modded one: pickups changed to a pair of Seymour Duncan telecaster hot stack, the red ones, toggle-vol-tone controls, tunomatic + stopbar and purple finish. A cool gutar to say the least! Strange nobody makes clone of this 🤔
Check the purple rain live footage out
Wendy Melvoin had two modded Rickenbackers. However after customisation, the only things that were Rickenbacker were the guitars' bodies and their necks. Everything else was customised. Her purple guitars had G&L pickups (not Seymour Duncans) and they were SIX string guitars not twelve strings. They produced a very lush twelve string like tone courtesy of the famous Boss CE-1 Chorus pedals that she used in her signal chain. Both of these guitars were used on Purple Rain and both were stolen and have never been recovered.
@@karmicselling4252 yeah, she says so for the G&L pickups.
But zooming on photos of the purple one the thick bar and the 3 pickups screws and the deep red color looks a lot like hot stacks. Never found a g&l pickup that looks like that...perhaps a rare one. Or is the pickups on the second one that where g&l.
Loved this --thanks Fran 💙 and happy new year '24
Wow!! I had NO idea the Rickenbacker 12 String was so dysfunctional in it's build! Great video, Fran in exposing what appears to be inexcusable short cuts taken by the Rick Techs of an otherwise beautiful _looking_ guitar! Too bad......
I think you already noticed this, but just in case, I don't know if it was like this before but on the treble side by the nut, there's a gap between the nut and the fingerboard. That tuning issue is crazy!
Ah yes, the "we've always done it this way, so why change now" philosophy. Still pretty cool. I had no idea the neck was that adjustable.
HELLO - I was hoping for a Saturday 6PM live stream...
After watching YOUR Wilson Radio Phone video, in which you mentioned "having some crystals", and that some folks could communicate with them, I was reminded of the video in which you hold a paper bag of 7-segmen LEDs, that made you feel (possibly) warm and happy.
I have at least one bag of (radio) crystals that I acquired years ago, when some folks meddled into my family's life, and I put virtually all side-projects on hold.
The possibilities are quite endless, and perhaps some of us can test out some of that type of equipment, especially if for some unexpected reason, there is a computer network outage due to "Mother Nature" or something, that would curtail our abilities to communicate "this way", or by using typical mechanisms...
:) _John_
Funny thing is, for me the ricky 360/12 is the aesthetically most beautiful guitar ever. I've wanted one for 30 years, but I have less money than the proverbial church mouse. It seems to me Rickenbacker could make a lot of the changes Fran lists and they wouldn't have to change the look much at all. Slightly longer headstock, metal bushings for the alternate tuners, mount the bridge via screw points, bronze coated chrome for the big 'ol R tail piece... You'd greatly improve the instrument and it would be 95% the same to look at. I also wish they'd get a high quality Indonesian factory to make cheaper editions.
My understanding is the Reverend 12-string is the only one that was totally designed from scratch to BE a 12-string. Was toying with getting a 360/12 but I can't justify the expense after seeing all the design flaws. Maybe a 330/6 down the road but not the 12-string.
Co-op student project in the Engineering Dept. - sometimes you just gotta keep 'em busy ;)
For the loose tuners, pluging with a wood dowel and precise redrilling might do the trick 🤔
Also, might be chalenging, recessing a bit the 90° tunner inthe head might help with tuner interference.
Another idea for the tuner interference is to apply a kind of bevel to the key heads, not easy and affects the look a bit.
Hard choice...Keep us tuned with the improvement of this cool instrument 😜
OCD much?
I had a mid "90s" rick 12 string and it was, despite all the issues, was my favorite guitar ever. I am actually getting ready to build a 12 string based on this guit but without the flaws.
Hmmmmm vented case? I could never justify a Ric 12 string at my skill level. Sorta glad about that now
You didn't tell us what year it was...or I missed it. Anyway, it better sound like an angel's harp for the flaws and what they are going for. 1500.00 - 4000.00 or so. Maybe you should have replaced that cover instead of modifying the original? That's important to collectors. I always mod old guitars with new parts and save the original parts just in case.
Lots of good comments here. Lots to learn!
Frantone modified guitar has less collector value than stock? Interesting.
Rickenbackers are the perfect example of letting traditions get in the way of improvement. I have to wonder how good the Harley Benton RB-612s sound. Similar design, but improved, at 1/5 the price at least.
@@FranLab Good point. But it's hard to say. Collectors can be weird. Most seem to want completely original despite the flaws. Others don't care much about that - it can be a shoe box with rubber bands just as long as a name is attached to it. And that name could be your name for sure. But if that was Joe Bonamassa's 360 that he brought to you for mods, that would make a considerable difference as well.
Anyway, I love what you do. And I love learning everyday. And that is a great combo.
So here is a good related question:
Why do some of your Peach Fuzz go for around $250.00, while others as much as $1000.00? Is there a difference between build years? Is it a collectors thing? Supply and demand? What do you think accounts for the difference?
Rick truss rod covers are a controlled substance. You cannot get a replacement without sending yrs in. Modifying one would reduce its value to Ric crowd. Rickenbacker is financially set, so they dont behave like a normal mfr. They don't try to improve or work to accommodate customers. It's a Ric, we only make em the way we've made em, and if you don't like it, don't buy it. That's Ric.
OMG, what a friggin' nightmare.. However I'm not surprised. I thought the bridge on the old Rickenbacker 4001 bass I had in the 80's was an un-elegantly designed piece of garbage. Replacing the bridges and tuners on all Ricky basses is standard practice. In the end I sold it, growing tired of its "Classic Tone" ; that of a flatulent old cow.
Hello
I think the bridge is in the opposite direction.
Those spots on the Nut are lacquer blobs, and it’s yellowed over time.
The Nut is most likely bone, or possibly plastic.
I have a 330/12 but have never had that problem with tuning, but it's from the 2000s so maybe they'd noticed the issue and fixed it. It has actually been really good at holding it's tuning except for when the tailpiece was on the way out. The R shaped tail pieces tend to have a limited lifespan and often explode after a few years. I did have to adjust the truss rods once and I hope I never have to do that again as it was a huge pain in the neck having to take all the strings off and all that. They also aren't standard truss rods that use an allen key, I had to use a wrench and even then could barely move them. Other than those 2 issues though, I've never had a problem with it. Restringing it with the R tail piece was a bit awkward, it's much easier with the trapeze style which is also much sturdier.
9:50. The 12 String Rickenbacker headstock is the way it is for two primary reasons ...
1/ A full sized 12 string headstock would make the guitar head heavy and very uncomfortable to play when standing up a la when playing live.
2/ A full sized 12 string headstock would require a special guitar case for the guitar. This would make the guitar and case combo more expensive. A Rickenbacker 12 string guitar fits into a Rickenbacker 6 string guitar case.
Your point about the positioning of the tuners highlights the fact that one set of tuners is tied to the main course of strings and the other set is tied to the octave / unison pairs. This is actually another benefit because it allows the player to quickly identify which tuner is associated with which string. The traditional 12 string headstock layout is a little more clunkly except when tuning strings in sequence from top to bottom or bottom to top.
Rickenbacker's twelve string headstock is one of the greatest innovations the guitar world has ever seen. That's why it continues to this day, fifty years after it was first introduced.
The weight of the headstock is the same,other 12 strings with full size head do not way a person down.That is nonsense.Also you left out this kludge uses a 6 string bridge on a 12 string guitar,what's up with that ? These are over priced junk. Let's tell it like is,no bull con stories please.
It's funny, but after watching this, I checked my 370\12, which I haven't played for a while. The tailpiece has fractured, exactly as you describe. As for the neckplate, mine, being lefthanded, has an old-style perspex with backing version which has been filed down to fit the upside-down right-hand neck - and further filed for the same reasons you give.
How about a 6 string saddle on a 12 string guitar !? Will not play in tune up the neck with this configuration!!
If I were looking for a 12-string electric, I’d get one of those modern Danelectro models. It’s got a bolt-on neck, an easily accessible truss rod, and lipstick pickups that sound really nice together in terms of their positioning
If these cost about 5 times the price of my danelectro 12 string, they also must have about 10 times the hassle factor. Paying the extra just wouldn’t make sense.
For such an awesome guitar I never understood why Rick 12's are just refit/drilled out 6 string bodies and necks.
Cost! If the 12 string version was twice the cost of the 6 string version, nobody would buy the 12 string.
When you play that guitar you should wear a David Crosby/George Harrison '65-era bowl-cut wig and those little rectangular shades. (If you have time...)
Aw, no shred cam? 😂 This was great, Fran!
In 1966 I saw The Byrds in concert. Jim/Roger Mcguinn was playing a black Ric 360-12. It was love at first sight (I mean the Guitar, not Jim/Roger). A few weeks later I bought a brand new Ric 360-12 in fireglo with a hardshell case for $400! I fell out of love rather quickly for some of the reasons you mentioned and bought a Gibson 335. Awhile later I sold both of them proving that teenagers (or at least this teenager) are idiots! I can only guess what those guitars would be worth today. Anyway, I enjoyed the video.
I had a 1968 360/12. I finally gave up and made a 6 string out of it. though I can't remember the keys hitting each other, it was still a pain dealing with the tuning issues on the secondary strings. So, off they came.. It was finally stolen, I never replaced it
Ya know what they say about 12-string guitars. You spend half your time tuning it, and the other half playing it out of tune.
Apparently, if you want a Rickenbacker that stays in tune, you need one of the 1930's Rick lap-steel guitars, the cast-aluminum" frying pan" guitar (purportedly the very first production electric guitar). They also made a molded Bakelite lap steel but I am told that those tend to go out of tune from hot stage lighting.
Intricate work, but that is what you're known for. I was wondering if you could place a rubber "thimble" on the end of those long rods going into the head possibly eliminating or last least limiting the play in those keys. Just a thought/
Ricky 12’s are supposed to be strungup that way.
So you hit the tonic first on a downstroke.
AFAIK, they’re the only 12 strung this way.
Everything else, the octaves are first…
RIC 12s can be strung any way you like. They come from the factory strung with the Tonic string above the octave / unisor string. However, the first RIC 12 ever built was strung in the traditional 12 string manner. And over the years, the odd artist has flipped a factory model. Marty Wilson-Piper of The Church immediately comes to mind.
No they cannot,without changing the Nut and saddles to accommodate the difference’s in string gauges, and also a Setup to adjust everything.
The peg holes can be linned with an insert guide, too remove all the play... Maybe You Could Desingn A New Head Stock Fran... ?
It Would Make A Great Project At The Bench... 😉👍
You should put toaster top pickups on it!
Also, before the R tailpiece explodes it is a TOTAL NIGHTMARE to restring it. You have to get a trapeze or Harp tailpiece.
There is another invisible peg holding the tuner in place
I thought you might source or craft 6 little metal sleeves with lips to sheath those internal tuners. I've seen you make more complicated stuff than that. 🙄
Is there low friction cnc material for that type of application?
Why are you using clips to u wind strings?
What a great video have a good weekend
Ouch! An option could be Fender pegs, which have two tiny locating nubs...plus some shims. Easier said than done...
I sold my Rick 12 string because of the narrow neck. I never had the pleasure of restringing it. Great sound, not a great playing experience. They also have the string pairs the wrong way round but that could be an actual design choice but it has always seemed like they were modified 6 strings.
Sadly at Richenbacher the inovative honest luthiers have long since left the workshop.
Probably why we don’t see a lot of these being played.
Clever machining could result in bushings that reduce the wobble.
Does a nitro nut play well? Maybe a bone or Tusq would be better.
Those surgical tools are very handy for other applications.
My dad, who most definitely did not inhale, once referred to hemostats as "surgical roachclips".
@@goodun2974
I actually have a few hemostats, but only for special work. I worked in hospitals for 34 years, and collected them. inhaling isn’t my thing either.
didnt think rickenbacker used nitro laquer i thought they used conversions varnish
I have none of these problems with my rick 620/12 they must have fixed some of these issues at some point.
You could always string it as a six!
Can you install a brass sleeve in the side tuner holes so that the shafts fit more tightly and against metal instead of wood?
It might be better to use a hard plastic material like DELRIN or PEEK. Very smooth and slippery with almost a natural lubricating ability.
seems like gibson 1275 sg style probably better design. it's wonder how roger mcguinn plays that guitar he'd would know probably something on CZcams.
Their basses also have all kinds of design issues
I love the guitar content.
The Rick nut should be made of Delrin. The brown spot looks like somebody filled the E-E space with baking soda and super glue. I've done it many times.
It's nitro, as the originals were, as is all the edging and lacquer.
The tuners would probably benefit from Delrin sleeving or bushings in those overly large holes for the 2nd course tuner posts.
I truly hear why this instrument design pains you, I'm on my proverbial "second bottle of asparin..." just sharing your laments.
you forgot to change the nut?
I did not say I was replacing it this go around.
Yeah if there's a rational replacement headstock just upgrade it. In vintage radios you would never think of keeping the old electrolytic capacitors
😊😊Fran really interesting content about this guitar. I learned to play on my mother’s 12 string after she passed. Love the sound of a 12 string. Question; Is it simply preference when stringing a 12 string whether or not the octave string is in the top position relative to the regular string? Every time I have mine restrung the octave string it is strung with the octave on top of the regular. Looking at a close up in your video it shows the octave string on the bottom of the regular. Hope you see this comment. Or if any other follower knows, I’d appreciate your thoughts as well. At 2:21 into the video you can see what I’m seeing. Love your channel!!❤❤❤ I’m hooked!
Rics are intended to have the octave strings being the bottom strings most other 12 strings have them as the top. I think you could string any of them how you prefer tho it would just be a matter of having the nut slots done correctly
Swap out the side tuners so the keys face up rather than down maybe?
John Lennon warned us all back in the 70s that Rickenbacker guitars did not stay tuned so I never bought one .
Pete Townshend used to play Rickenbackers back in the day; did they break from his rough windmill-style power chords, or did he smash them on purpose?
@@goodun2974 he still plays them. He even had them reissue a new model for him. He has several that he still uses…vintage and reissued.
Saw off the wings from headstock and make a bigger heavier one
Maybe just play without the cover. If you need to sell it people might not like that the cover was modified
I agree, I would have taken it right off & not only that, having another friction point may not ultimately improve the tuning as it could possibly bind there & at the nut. Fran's right: really badly designed..
What is your favorite guitar.
Whew!
The neck is way too skinny.and the owners of the company are horrible ruthlessly unpleasant with no customer service.
Ric has forever been financially solvent.. owned their LA property , building and equipment.. apparently making their $ in real estate. The guitar biz almost an iconic hobby. They have NO interest in building the brand per se.. ie Improving design issues, making new colors/finishes, improving or offering pickup variations. etc. They make em as is, won't extend themselves to meet demand.. always a waiting list from dealers to fill orders.. is what is .. I agree.. if they hadn't had the marketing coup to go to NY when the Beatles did the Ed Sullivan show and GIVE George a 360/12.. they could have faded into obscurity.
@@OscarDad according their attitude to the 'hobby' they are at the straight way to their bancrupcy
I doubt it . Their order book is always full and over 12 months in advance. I have had 3 Ricks and never had a problem with any of them. It is easy to criticise a design but the fact is they work. I have had 2 twelve strings both of which were easy to tune and stayed in tune. The head of a twelve string is a work of art and engineering. The neck is narrow for a twelve string but there are models with a wider neck and there is no problem for people who want more space. I think the criticism is unfair and not valid in performance. And to top that Rickenbacker are the only US company that do not build outside of the USA unlike the other manufacturers. Last point they are not a one trick pony. That point is made by people who have never played one.@@tekism28
You beat Phil McKnight to getting a Rick on your channel.
the most unbelievable thing about this guitar to me is that stock it comes with a six saddle bridge for a twelve string guitar
Just one of those typical Rickenbacker quirks! Reduces the cost for Rickenbacker because it only needs to source manufacture one type of bridge. Of course, aftermarket twelve saddle bridges are available for those who want to get the guitar sounding as in tune as possible. But even with a twelve saddle bridge, a Rickenbacker 12 won't be in perfect tune all the way up the neck and it won't stay in tune either.
@@karmicselling4252 yea ill get one when i get a twelve my 330 6 is ideosyncratic itself but i still love it
i still dont much understand the high gain pickups because you have to do alot of work to your signal chain to get rickenbackers to sound good and it gets worse with the darker pickups
You are correct about the tuners, in the 60s Rickenbacker were using Kluson Deluxe tuners with both longer pegs and smaller keys than the Schaller tuners they use now. Those tuners couldn't interfere with each other on the 12-string headstock like the Schallers can.
They’re still a PITA to deal with…!
I’ve got a ‘66 360/12 on my bench currently…
Forget the 12 strings and make it a six string guitar
The guitar that launched a thousand Church songs.
You have issues with the guitar? Then why did you buy it? Sell it off.
nice looking guitar, does this one have the stereo out? so rather than designing & engineering an efficient 12-string guitar, they just shoe-horned 12 string parts into an existing 6-string design...FAIL, I also recommend you release the string tension when you aren't going to play it for a while, as you know, 12-strings have a tremendous amount of tension on the neck joint..seen a few 12 string acoustic necks broken off when people left them at full tension & leaned them on the head-stock against a wall
You do not release the tension, as the necks on all guitars are held in a balance of stress between the truss rod and string tension. You must keep it in tension and adjust accordingly as the wood slowly shrinks and compresses over time.
@@FranLab good to know, thx