I was just going to say is that similar to a group called the Byrds as I didn't know the members names. I like the song My Back Pages, I also found it different they way the song The Electric Prunes I Had Too Much To Dream is played its way out there hehehe.
This is educational, for someone like me with zero musical instrument experience...I guess everything is a tradeoff...to get something, you have to give up something..
I saw that Rick in your video about 16mm film, and kept getting distracted by it (lol), thanks for making another video with it as I did not initially see this one!!
I have this guitar and it is my favorite compared to the others I own. I solved the finger pressure issue by using thinner strings. I also had a luthier make a new nut for it that places the string pairs slightly closer together so there is more space between pairs to prevent muting adjacent strings. Also I should point out Roger McQuinn fingers some of the chords differently, using one finger to hold down two string pairs sometimes.
I had a 330/12 for a while, but encountered similar problems. I eventually traded it. The reason the sound of a Rickenbacker is so unique is because, unlike most 12 strings, the drone strings are strung above the primary ones (for 4,5,6; with the rest doubled up). The 620/12 is supposed to be easier to play, as it has a slightly wider fretboard.
I remember that on his now defunct Q&A on his web site, Steve Howe said that that the reason why he used a Steinberger 12-string live instead of a Rick was because whereas the Rick was "dead right," the Steinberger was going to be consistently in tune every time it was picked up and that was more important that any tonal nuances.
I'm always on the fence with Ricks. Aesthetically they're so pretty, and the basses always look amazing, but I just don't know if I could ever commit to either shelling out for one or the problems that seem to come with them
got a 360 and it is incredible. Maybe it's because I've had to work with some real POS guitars in the past but it is a privilege playing one of these. No issues whatsoever. Legato runs, arpeggios, it can be versatile if you are a competent player.
@@lithium3952I think if you can play an electric guitar then you can pretty much do everything you could on that with one of these, its just a case if spending some time with the instrument and adapting your technique to its peculiarities.
I have rather short fingers so for me the Rick, and my Danelectro are a joy to play. When I made the replacement nut for my Dano I placed the string pairs closer by about 0.015in and the sets (the E's) set a little closer to the edges, increasing the set spacing by a few "thou". It made my Dano play more like a 6 string.
Love Rickenbackers. Handmade in Santa Ana, California. I own a nice black 360 6 string with double binding, the same style George Harrison would play. They have such a unique sound. You have a cool channel.
I have a Firefly double neck, 12 string on top and 6 on the bottom. One of the easiest playing electric 12 strings I've ever played. It's modeled after the Gibson EDS-1275, same wood (mahogany body and necks), and sounds very, very close. It's a great guitar, and only $400 brand new with a hard shell case.
I just love em.. I had a 370/12 for most of the 80's. They certainly teach you how to tune a guitar by ear. Not the greatest thing on the road imho but that sound... nothing else to say. Shove it through an amp of the same vintage with zero anything else and enjoy.
I had similar experiences with a Ric 360/12. Strings too tight together, fingers too long, difficult to play cleanly. Also, I don't know about you, but I found that changing the strings in the peghead slots insanity inducing! There's probably a trick to it I didn't know. But I love chimey 12 strings and had to have one. In the end, I sold it and got a Danelectro 59X12 - incredibly inexpensive, but I absolutely LOVE it. Playing the bridge pup in split mode, clean with a nice dose of compression, totally gets me into Ric land. I know about the string order difference, but A/B-ing my recordings that really doesn't seem to figure massively. Masonite body, metal nut, cheap - yes. But the strings ring on and on beautifully. It is actually a really great guitar. Sounds incredible, strings reasonably spaced, and it holds tune astonishingly well. I pick it up after a week or two and it's still 99% in tune - amazing for a 12.
I've heard that the Rick 12 string to own from a player perspective is the George Harrison model (c64?) as it has a better tailpiece (from a stringing/not breaking perspective) and a wider, better spaced neck. The 360/12 is so gol-durn beautiful though.. my absolute visually favourite guitar of all time.
Fran, I have a newer 360/12 Walnut, three years old. I don’t have crowded tuners. They are spaced properly. Also I put a 12 saddle bridge on mine. I didn’t have tuning issues but, I wanted the new bridge just for better intonation. I have large hands too but I don’t have the chord issues you have. I know that I have the (regular) fretboard so, I’m perplexed about your problem.
I had a '60's Epiphone Wilshire 12-string years ago. It sounded great, but I found the neck to be a bit narrow at the nut for my fingers. I would like to get another electric 12, though. I like the Reverend Airwave 12, but the $1299 price tag is giving me pause.
I bit the bullet and bought a Rick 660/12 a few years ago.... a lovely guitar but for me, very hard to play... I tried to gel with it but it was no use so I eventually sold it and bought a Telecaster instead... from one extreme to the other I suppose... I still have my 330/6 and that's a great guitar.
I have a friend who inherited one of these things from his uncle. Very cool sounding guitar. Instantly recognizable from so many famous recordings. But yeah, I wouldn't want to play one of these full time. It's like using one of those finger exercisers. Although if you did commit to playing it for a long period of time you'd probably shred once you got back on a 6 string.
It takes everyday practice for a while, now i can play a b7 in First position without muting any of the strings. Something that appeared to be physically impossible at the beginning. The sound of a 12 string Rickenbacker Is special, but you can't really obtain it If you play that Guitar only occasionally
That’s why I sold mine, too much muting of the strings due to the madness of the narrow neck design. I have small fingers and I still couldn’t play the chords I wanted with lots of open strings ringing out. Impossible to do.
Always wanted a Ric bass. Until I knew people who owned them and heard about the bridge problems. You really have to replace the bridge if you are going to use modern roundwound high tension strings. Or be in a band like Yes or Rush where you have a full time tech.
FWIW, Geddy's Rick *did* have a replacement bridge - a Leo Quan Badass II on a mounting plate. I think that and Grover tuners were the big mods on what was his mainstay Rick bass until he basically retired it, saying it was pretty much "played out."
I love playing a 12 string guitar and I agree with deadening string. But it's because I have short study fingers and a little fat. So I take off the little strings and it's easyer
There are some iconic guitars I just dont understand. The Flying V. I owned an ESP Flying V and it sounded good, but was a pain to play. Standing up it got heavy quicker than most because of the actual weight and the way it never stayed put. It would slide all across my body as I played standing up. Sitting down the only good position I found looked like I was humping it. There is an even more popular guitar, the Fender Strat, and I really dont get that one either. The fretboard has this super small radius on it and it feels very odd if you are comfortable with a flat fretboard. They have tuning issues, especially if you change the ambient temperature and humidity much. But a guitar you cannot set the intonation on? That is a toy/prop, nut a musical instrument. Matter of fact, all setup is severely hampered by the design. Adjusting the action, truss rod, stringing it up... That guitar isnt for a working musician. That is for someone who hates their gear guy or wants a cool looking prop to hang in the wall.
I play _with_ a guitar sometimes, but I don't really play. I have ten thumbs. My pinkies are the size of the average woman's thumb, so even with a huge amount of practice I'd be at best poor to mediocre. It's fun to play around with it, but I don't subject others to my efforts. Someday maybe I'll pick up a bass.
I got gauge .07 strings for my 12 string. And its Way easier. Also, maybe it needs the action lowered. I like the action at around 7-9 thousandths if you fret the string at the 3rd fret and measure the height of the string above the 1st fret.
@@FranLab :) The tuning pegs hit each other bc they were screwed in crooked at the factory. Hope I didnt do it! haha. They have to be perfectly straight to not hit each other. Specifically the secondary machines on the 4th and 5 th strings should be straight w the face of the headstock
Thank you, Fran. I enjoy listening to music, but am seriously offtone when singing or whistling. That was interesting about the fret width. Thanks again.
''Rickenbacker once used 250k pots for its volume knobs and 500k pots for its tone and mixer knobs. Modern Rics use 300k pots all around. This results in a duller sound. Boring!! Its like going to a party where they serve vegan carrot cake. No offense to my vegan friends. I just happen to be picky about cake (chocolate please) and guitars. Another valuable piece of information related to the capacitor on the original 1963 360/12 that George Harrison recorded those Beatles records with: It had a 0047 polyester cap connected to the bridge pickup. Its purpose is to act as a high pass filter. Meaning it cuts off low end. It rolls off a lot of the frequencies below 250k. You can clearly hear this sound at the beginning of "If I Needed Someone.” You just can’t get that sound without the .0047 cap. '' Mark Marshall from anatomyofguitartone blog. A lot of infos about the original electrical setup of vintage Rickenbackers!
Thanks for playing that for us. I've heard 12-strings before, but now that I've seen one played, I might be able to identify one when I hear it. Pretty cool.
Changing strings on a Ricky 12 is hell on earth. Many a time I have felt like throwing mine out the window. The tail piece is a total design flaw. Bloody thing. Have you seen the price of one of these instruments these days ? Rip off for what it is.
This seems to further prove that they have baboons for engineers. On the plus side, you can now design a more elegant and functional instrument of your own. As a musician with decades of experience playing different instruments, you are in the best position to appraise design and performance. I just noticed that unlike their 4001 basses, they have the sharp-edge body binding on the BACK of the instrument digging into your rib cage and the less cruel, softer, bevelled edge at the front.. and why hide the binding?! This is how to NOT design an instrument . ~ Baboons, I swear!!
Roger McGuinn is famous for playing it and yes, his signature version has both a compressor and treble booster built in.
I was just going to say is that similar to a group called the Byrds as I didn't know the members names. I like the song My Back Pages, I also found it different they way the song The Electric Prunes I Had Too Much To Dream is played its way out there hehehe.
Didn't Roger play a Gretch 12?
@@cbsolo5628 Maybe, but He's most known for playing Rick electrics and Martin acoustics. I've seen him live 4 times, and I never saw him play a Gretch
@@cbsolo5628believe david crosby played the grestch
This is educational, for someone like me with zero musical instrument experience...I guess everything is a tradeoff...to get something, you have to give up something..
I saw that Rick in your video about 16mm film, and kept getting distracted by it (lol), thanks for making another video with it as I did not initially see this one!!
I have this guitar and it is my favorite compared to the others I own. I solved the finger pressure issue by using thinner strings. I also had a luthier make a new nut for it that places the string pairs slightly closer together so there is more space between pairs to prevent muting adjacent strings. Also I should point out Roger McQuinn fingers some of the chords differently, using one finger to hold down two string pairs sometimes.
I had a 330/12 for a while, but encountered similar problems. I eventually traded it. The reason the sound of a Rickenbacker is so unique is because, unlike most 12 strings, the drone strings are strung above the primary ones (for 4,5,6; with the rest doubled up). The 620/12 is supposed to be easier to play, as it has a slightly wider fretboard.
If you own a Rickenbacker 12, invest in a JangleBox.
I remember that on his now defunct Q&A on his web site, Steve Howe said that that the reason why he used a Steinberger 12-string live instead of a Rick was because whereas the Rick was "dead right," the Steinberger was going to be consistently in tune every time it was picked up and that was more important that any tonal nuances.
The sound instantly made me think of The Byrds Turn Turn.
The Beatles, also.👍, les années 60.
I absolutely love electric guitars with F-cuts. They sound phenomenal!
I'm always on the fence with Ricks. Aesthetically they're so pretty, and the basses always look amazing, but I just don't know if I could ever commit to either shelling out for one or the problems that seem to come with them
Same here , the guitars are...meh
But the Basses are 🤩🤩🤩
Geddy Lee's 4001 Doubleneck 4/12 he used for Xanadu.....wow
I can't jive with their necks, unfortunately, 'cause I love their look
got a 360 and it is incredible. Maybe it's because I've had to work with some real POS guitars in the past but it is a privilege playing one of these. No issues whatsoever. Legato runs, arpeggios, it can be versatile if you are a competent player.
@@lithium3952I think if you can play an electric guitar then you can pretty much do everything you could on that with one of these, its just a case if spending some time with the instrument and adapting your technique to its peculiarities.
Nice to see a vid on a different subject. Teardowns of old kit are good but it's good to have one of these every once in a while too.
I have rather short fingers so for me the Rick, and my Danelectro are a joy to play. When I made the replacement nut for my Dano I placed the string pairs closer by about 0.015in and the sets (the E's) set a little closer to the edges, increasing the set spacing by a few "thou". It made my Dano play more like a 6 string.
Jimmy Page often played a Dano 12-string on Led Zeppelin records.
Love Rickenbackers. Handmade in Santa Ana, California. I own a nice black 360 6 string with double binding, the same style George Harrison would play. They have such a unique sound. You have a cool channel.
I have a Firefly double neck, 12 string on top and 6 on the bottom. One of the easiest playing electric 12 strings I've ever played. It's modeled after the Gibson EDS-1275, same wood (mahogany body and necks), and sounds very, very close. It's a great guitar, and only $400 brand new with a hard shell case.
Those Firefly guitars really are the best value for money instrument ever made
@@MisterMosfet You're not kidding. It's beautiful.
I also got a Harley Benton multi-scale 7 string from Germany, under $200, and it plays like magic.
Used to have a Rick 4001 bass many years ago (late 70s early 80s). Wish I still had it.
George Harrison had this exact complaint.
I hear that it has issues. I don't blame you for getting it. It's so pretty! And a 12 the size of a 6 has functional appeal too.
Is that Tolex covered amp in the back of shot a genuine 1963 Fender Vibroverb ????
I just love em.. I had a 370/12 for most of the 80's. They certainly teach you how to tune a guitar by ear. Not the greatest thing on the road imho but that sound... nothing else to say. Shove it through an amp of the same vintage with zero anything else and enjoy.
I had similar experiences with a Ric 360/12. Strings too tight together, fingers too long, difficult to play cleanly. Also, I don't know about you, but I found that changing the strings in the peghead slots insanity inducing! There's probably a trick to it I didn't know. But I love chimey 12 strings and had to have one. In the end, I sold it and got a Danelectro 59X12 - incredibly inexpensive, but I absolutely LOVE it. Playing the bridge pup in split mode, clean with a nice dose of compression, totally gets me into Ric land. I know about the string order difference, but A/B-ing my recordings that really doesn't seem to figure massively. Masonite body, metal nut, cheap - yes. But the strings ring on and on beautifully. It is actually a really great guitar. Sounds incredible, strings reasonably spaced, and it holds tune astonishingly well. I pick it up after a week or two and it's still 99% in tune - amazing for a 12.
I have one, in red. Takes a little thinking to get the tuning right, or more accurately, getting the right tuner!
I've heard that the Rick 12 string to own from a player perspective is the George Harrison model (c64?) as it has a better tailpiece (from a stringing/not breaking perspective) and a wider, better spaced neck. The 360/12 is so gol-durn beautiful though.. my absolute visually favourite guitar of all time.
Omg never knew you could play. That’s awesome
Fran,
I have a newer 360/12 Walnut, three years old. I don’t have crowded tuners. They are spaced properly. Also I put a 12 saddle bridge on mine. I didn’t have tuning issues but, I wanted the new bridge just for better intonation. I have large hands too but I don’t have the chord issues you have. I know that I have the (regular) fretboard so, I’m perplexed about your problem.
Its got that Yard Byrds Turn!Turn! Turn! Sound. Pretty dang close!
Loving the music content.
Good Stuff Fran ...you just convinced me to go to Caney Kansas and pick up a Rhodes "88" full kit ....where's my trailer 😂
I had a '60's Epiphone Wilshire 12-string years ago. It sounded great, but I found the neck to be a bit narrow at the nut for my fingers. I would like to get another electric 12, though. I like the Reverend Airwave 12, but the $1299 price tag is giving me pause.
I bit the bullet and bought a Rick 660/12 a few years ago.... a lovely guitar but for me, very hard to play... I tried to gel with it but it was no use so I eventually sold it and bought a Telecaster instead... from one extreme to the other I suppose... I still have my 330/6 and that's a great guitar.
I have a friend who inherited one of these things from his uncle. Very cool sounding guitar. Instantly recognizable from so many famous recordings. But yeah, I wouldn't want to play one of these full time. It's like using one of those finger exercisers. Although if you did commit to playing it for a long period of time you'd probably shred once you got back on a 6 string.
Nicely done! Would love to hear you play the intro to So You Wanna be a Rock and Roll Star.
Verry nice song Fran, I think that I'm falling in love with you. Beautiful voice and great guitar playing, sincerely,
Lucas
It does sound fantastic, though!
Play more. That’s awesome
Get lighter strings and loosen the truss bar. If you get a buzz see a luthier to file down some frets, or replace some.
The issue is that the frets are already super low.
It takes everyday practice for a while, now i can play a b7 in First position without muting any of the strings. Something that appeared to be physically impossible at the beginning. The sound of a 12 string Rickenbacker Is special, but you can't really obtain it If you play that Guitar only occasionally
try 3 note chord voicings
Rick plugged into a Marshall is killer 👌
sounds like you need some contact cleaner & try using different gauge strings x
That’s why I sold mine, too much muting of the strings due to the madness of the narrow neck design. I have small fingers and I still couldn’t play the chords I wanted with lots of open strings ringing out. Impossible to do.
I love the sound of a 12 string Ric but boy you're right, they're a bugger to play.
I never had that problem with my Rick, but my fingers are short.
My old Line 6 Variax 500 does a very good impersonation of a Ricky 12 string.
Always wanted a Ric bass. Until I knew people who owned them and heard about the bridge problems.
You really have to replace the bridge if you are going to use modern roundwound high tension strings.
Or be in a band like Yes or Rush where you have a full time tech.
FWIW, Geddy's Rick *did* have a replacement bridge - a Leo Quan Badass II on a mounting plate. I think that and Grover tuners were the big mods on what was his mainstay Rick bass until he basically retired it, saying it was pretty much "played out."
I love playing a 12 string guitar and I agree with deadening string. But it's because I have short study fingers and a little fat. So I take off the little strings and it's easyer
There are some iconic guitars I just dont understand. The Flying V. I owned an ESP Flying V and it sounded good, but was a pain to play. Standing up it got heavy quicker than most because of the actual weight and the way it never stayed put. It would slide all across my body as I played standing up. Sitting down the only good position I found looked like I was humping it. There is an even more popular guitar, the Fender Strat, and I really dont get that one either. The fretboard has this super small radius on it and it feels very odd if you are comfortable with a flat fretboard. They have tuning issues, especially if you change the ambient temperature and humidity much.
But a guitar you cannot set the intonation on? That is a toy/prop, nut a musical instrument. Matter of fact, all setup is severely hampered by the design. Adjusting the action, truss rod, stringing it up... That guitar isnt for a working musician. That is for someone who hates their gear guy or wants a cool looking prop to hang in the wall.
I play _with_ a guitar sometimes, but I don't really play. I have ten thumbs. My pinkies are the size of the average woman's thumb, so even with a huge amount of practice I'd be at best poor to mediocre. It's fun to play around with it, but I don't subject others to my efforts. Someday maybe I'll pick up a bass.
Nice 🙌🙌😊👍👌🙏🍀
What year is that Rickenbaker?
All I need is a telecaster.
If you do not like it, why do you own it?
I say it very clearly right here - ruclips.net/video/F15XVPY01ZQ/видео.html
I got gauge .07 strings for my 12 string. And its Way easier. Also, maybe it needs the action lowered. I like the action at around 7-9 thousandths if you fret the string at the 3rd fret and measure the height of the string above the 1st fret.
Action is fine and the gauges are also optimal for me.
@@FranLab :) The tuning pegs hit each other bc they were screwed in crooked at the factory. Hope I didnt do it! haha. They have to be perfectly straight to not hit each other. Specifically the secondary machines on the 4th and 5 th strings should be straight w the face of the headstock
Sound of Beatles!!
I am never disapointed with the content you provide
Nice axe, Fran!
Restringing the Rick is not easy either
Takes me back to those 70's concert jams. Thanx Fran
Thank you, Fran.
I enjoy listening to music, but am seriously offtone when singing or whistling.
That was interesting about the fret width.
Thanks again.
Ringenbacker
''Rickenbacker once used 250k pots for its volume knobs and 500k pots for its tone and mixer knobs.
Modern Rics use 300k pots all around.
This results in a duller sound. Boring!! Its like going to a party where they serve vegan carrot cake. No offense to my vegan friends. I just happen to be picky about cake (chocolate please) and guitars.
Another valuable piece of information related to the capacitor on the original 1963 360/12 that George Harrison recorded those Beatles records with: It had a 0047 polyester cap connected to the bridge pickup.
Its purpose is to act as a high pass filter. Meaning it cuts off low end. It rolls off a lot of the frequencies below 250k. You can clearly hear this sound at the beginning of "If I Needed Someone.” You just can’t get that sound without the .0047 cap. ''
Mark Marshall from anatomyofguitartone blog.
A lot of infos about the original electrical setup of vintage Rickenbackers!
Nevertheless I WANT ONE!
Thanks for playing that for us. I've heard 12-strings before, but now that I've seen one played, I might be able to identify one when I hear it. Pretty cool.
Thanks Fran.
Nicely recombobulated - it serves you well :)
find a way and incorporate
cool beans, music and story
....."which allows for, you know -BBBBBBBVVVVVVT!"........😂😅😅
I always associate that sound with the Beatles.
I call them pencil necks.
Hey, love see you in your happy place! And I never knew what the Rickenbocker sound was.
It's Rickenbacker 🙂
@@dingalarm Dohh! ( Cue Homer) LOL
Changing strings on a Ricky 12 is hell on earth. Many a time I have felt like throwing mine out the window. The tail piece is a total design flaw. Bloody thing. Have you seen the price of one of these instruments these days ? Rip off for what it is.
This seems to further prove that they have baboons for engineers. On the plus side, you can now design a more elegant and functional instrument of your own. As a musician with decades of experience playing different instruments, you are in the best position to appraise design and performance. I just noticed that unlike their 4001 basses, they have the sharp-edge body binding on the BACK of the instrument digging into your rib cage and the less cruel, softer, bevelled edge at the front.. and why hide the binding?! This is how to NOT design an instrument . ~ Baboons, I swear!!
Is it just me or is the audio on this video awful? Feels like the speech keeps ducking/panning between left and right.
👍👍👍
(I play 🎸 too)