Advice for a guitar that bites!

Body Type Semi-Hollow
No. Frets 21
Scale Length 62.9 cm (24 3/4'')
Neck Width at Nut 41.4 mm (1.63'')
Neck Width at 12th Fret 49.05 mm (1 .931'')
Crown Radius 25.4 cm (10'')
Body Wood Maple
Neck Wood Maple
Fingerboard Wood Rosewood
Weight 3.2 kg (7.0 lbs.)
Overall Length 95.2 cm (37 1/2'')
Overall Width 32.4 cm (12 3/4'')
Overall Depth 38.1 mm (1 1/2'')
Neck Binding No
Fret Marker Style Dot
Tailpiece Trapeze
Bridge 6-way
Neck Type Set-in
No. of Pickups 3
Type of Pickups Vintage Single Coil Toaster Topâ„¢
Output Type Mono
Machine Heads Deluxe Vintage

Hi Jordan,

I feel I may have an answer, but double-checked your specs to be sure what we're dealing with and to share with the forum right before our eyes so that others may chime in without having to look it all up unless somebody has one like it ?

I have a 2005 370-12 here, with Ric-O-sound and Stereo, but have no issues with that one. I am very surprised that I got it, after the problems that my son and I had with Rickenbacker. He bought a 330-6 new up in your North East??? - unless you meant that you want eastern twang, as in a Sitar, but I don't think you meant that, did you? :lol:

The first problem we had was at the point of purchase at Pick of the Rics in New York - he was 16 and they wouldnt deal with him or take him seriously. He wouldn't talk much, or state his case, like I do, :shock: or say that he builds guitars and was super familiar with many Fenders, Gibsons and Ibanez, to the point where Ibanez was willing to talk to him about hotrodding. I had to get on the phone and straighten things out with the dealer, but we should have just dropped it.

When the guitar arrived (it was shipped) we had problems such as those that you describe. Actually, the Ric did not bite, and didn't sound as good as my Tokai 'Rockinbetter'. In short, it didn't have much power. We couldn't resolve it with that dealer. :roll: So, I called the factory and began correspondence with their "quality control guy" and at the same time was writing to TV Jones about pickups. I tried to put together a deal where Rickenbacker would make us better single coil pickups, or have TV Jones use their design, and the answer was a solid "no" from Rickenbacker. They said they will never have aftermarket pickups made, and that they do not change their specs. The company guy simply told us to buy their humbuckers instead. That is definitely not what we wanted. I was super dissatisfied with that suggestion and attitude.

Briefly, a guitar-maker friend heard of some 'ripples' up there in his North West, and told me that he was having similar problems teching for a Seattle Area artist who wanted better pickups too. I went to bat again and I don't think that Rickenbacker responded. Meanwhile, my buddy built a Tele-style guitar for player Mike Campbell, and he was very satisfied. It seemed that the artist with the Rickenbackers wants a little more from his guitars too and wasn't getting it.

I would suggest going to a Fender TBX or Treble Bass Expander as a master tone, but my son wanted it left stock. Your guitar is a rare one, so you should do the same, keeping it original I imagine? I wouldn't advise that you go out and buy a new amp, unless you try a few, and really want to, but my son's Bandit 112 was not cutting it, nor the KB 300. He experimented with pedals such as the Snarling Dog and another one - I will have to look for pics and it helped, but the breakthrough came when I let him use my Fender Super 60 amp; we cut down the preamp power stage with different tubes, then kept it cranked at 10. It sounds as if you want a form of slapback or delay, and some reverb too - if you're aiming for twang like Roy Buchanan or Bill Kirchen, or maybe Hank Marvin (tape echo) I don't know - look him up. Again, I'll try to find which pedals my son used, but I highly recommend something from BBE, starting with the Sonic Stomp, and a Green Screamer http://www.bbesound.com/products/stomp-boxes/default.aspx or a Proco Rat, based on its description. http://www.zzounds.com/item--PRCRAT2

That's my son's red Ricky, but I always show my youngest, the only one I am allowed to 'use'. :shock:
She's sitting on the Super 60; but I was thinking... and I highly recommend a Super Reverb.

My 370-12 is all black, and the effect that goes with that comes in this case as a liquid, J.D.
I have definitely found my son's setup, which includes Dot-On-Shaft delay; now a Roland 301.

Your John Lennon-style guitar was probably made for rhythm, and not distorted leads or twang. You'll be stretching it.
Additional gear or all-tube amp with 4-10's may help you alter its sound and versatility, or a Hot Rod Tele or a PRS SE. 8)

I currently own a Rickenbacker 350v63 in a gorgeous, 2005 exclusive, Blue-burst color. I run this through my Vox Tonelab and into my Peavy 212 transtube. I am dissatisfied with my distortion capabilities and the rick's ability to handle solos, feedback and proper tone while distorted. This is probably due to the 7.4k pickups it comes with.
I need to know where to go from here. I play in a rock band that needs some pretty solid kick to it. I was told that getting a tube amp would fully express my rick and make it what I need it to be, but I still feel there's a tone I haven't tapped into.

Any guitar or amp suggestions to achieve a distorted, solo-friendly, eastern-like twang that bites heads off?
Thanks,
Jordan

If you're looking for a high gain, metal tone from that guitar, it's not gonna happen. Ditto for a classic hard rock sound a la Sabbath or 70's era Deep Purple. Not so much because of the pickups ( I'm a BIG fan of low output pups - over 9k all you add is mud ), but simply because a hollowbody resonates way too much to use tons of gain

That said, what amp models and patches are you using on the Tonelab? Most of their "Crunch" and distorted patches come preset with far too much gain and totally wrong EQ to ever sound good in a band mix. It's best to "roll your own" starting from scratch, but you can get good results from correcting the flaws in the presets too.

First of all thanks for all the feedback. Bluejay-I actually was referring to an eastern sound, like a sitar. This is the only word I can use to describe a lead tone I that's buried in the back of my brain and am trying to dig out. Okay, so I think I've decided to get another guitar. Any advice on one that would be best for resonance and biting tone?

Moonrider-I create patches and have recently realized that not too many distortion effects can be stacked. Apparently, I am a slow learner. Out of the pedal effects, should I employ them, I typically use either boutique, super od or treble boost. Had to take treble boost all off with my Rick in use; it's got alotta twang even on the neck pickup. I use virtually all of the amp settings depending on the tone I want (I use various sounds for my band). So, I keep it generally simple but just love how it's all there and able to create so many tones. Do you have any guitar suggestions fitting my description?

Ricks have always best demonstrated that clean, jangley sound, as in The Byrds. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers took it further into rock, but it' basic sound remained clean with that unique tone wood/ pickup sound. never have I heard a Rick play hard metal or distortion. I imagine an overdrive pedal could make the Rick sound 'different'. the beauty of a Rick is it's huge clean tone. when played with a dirty guitar (overdrive) the result is lush and interesting.

First of all thanks for all the feedback. Bluejay-I actually was referring to an eastern sound, like a sitar. This is the only word I can use to describe a lead tone I that's buried in the back of my brain and am trying to dig out. Okay, so I think I've decided to get another guitar. Any advice on one that would be best for resonance and biting tone?

http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0100232850

Okay, so you actually were referring to that sound? Like a sitar, I know what you mean.

First of all, IMO, P90's do that! I like them but am not using any currently. I recall having a particularly nice set, with loads of whine, like from a turbine, in a Gibson Les Paul. They'd be nice in a SG too, and PRS made some guitars with them - I don't know what they have right now. It's a lot to spend, on a PRS, when other players told me that they didn't like their PRS P-90's and wanted humbuckers. A Gibson Blueshawk may have them.

All of those bodies and necks, 4 so far, are really set up to compliment that type of sound, by adding so much sustain, that you might have to cut it off with your fingers, or mute them. When you get that sort of scream going in a hi gain situation, it is awesome, beautiful I think, mean and menacing, not sharp or shrill. But again, the sustain might work against what you are trying to accomplish. Cut the compression or gain, I suppose. Now, if you were to use the BBE Sonic Stomp or Maximizer with one of those guitars, it would go on & on, and the sound would be awfully huuuuuuge.

The Tele above is a nice one, but very high priced, and for all that, I feel that the bridge pup isn't strong enough. Depending on what you think, it might have to be changed to an overwound, but not over 9K due to muddiness. I like the mini-humbucker on purpose. I had mini's in a Les Paul too and couldn't appreciate them, compared to full size buckers at the time, but loved them in a Firebird. I don't think that a NY Minibucker Firebird is made anymore either, but it has been cloned. They can be a little sweet and glistening or bright, but with overdrive, that's out the door and they rock.

IMO, full size humbuckers are often too warm - there's too many to generalize. But perhaps Alnico II's (like Slash/GNR) or Stag Mags would git 'r done. http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/progressive/sh3_stag_mag/

A Tele is good working instrument, and so is a Danelectro, if you don't bash a Dano around too much. I'm only trying to suggest what I think has twang, and a whine, yet stings. A Tele sometimes won't cut through the mix of a very loud band (Mick Fleetwood made Lindsey Buckingham get an LP originally - see if you like it on youtube) and Keef usually chose one humbucker in most of his Tele's, like Micawber. I like the 4 way mod on a Tele, which is so easy to get. I got a new Highway One, low buck for a MIA, and that is definitely a ready-to-gig axe, IMO again. But if you're really, really loud - then add a 4 way series switch mod.

Also, lastly, most HB guitars can take a HB sized P90 replica, like a Phat Cat http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/specialized/progressive/sph901_phat_cat/ or Rio's Fat Bastard.

They just don't sound exactly like a true P90 because they don't have the long magnet and long, thin winding structure.

Could this be it? I don't know, it's in your head and you'll know. At 3 min. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR_i0sKWKEA&feature=related or this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deeBQZ8Aklc&feature=related WAIT, for the bridge pup, or whatever special wiring follows the neck intro - I can't explain it, Don Mare has it at http://www.buckcannon.com/ Good luck! :D

If you're serious about wanting to sound like a sitar, have you looked into this?

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Rogue-STR1-Pro-Electric-Sitar-Guitar?sku=519273

Got one here. It's a unique sound, all right! The weird sitar buzz tone is from having the strings lie at low tension across a broad, flat bridge. Then there are the sympathetically tuned strings. 3 Danelectro type lipstick pickups, I think they're overwound compared to the old ones, though. (Higher output, not as bright.) The guitar's a straight clone of a Dano instrument, meaning it looks CHEAP! The headstock is cut out of what looks like kitchen countertop material. But it's different, all right, and it bites! Actually the thing looks really cool, other than the countertop headstock.

Yep, it's a straight copy of the Danelectro "Coral" sitar guitar. Scroll down here:
http://www.danguitars.com/TheHistoryofDanelectro.html

I own a Jerry Jones sitar guitar. it sounds great, plays great.it ain't a one trick pony either.

Thanks Guys-

I have as many geetars as a Seoul apartment will hold, and was thinking my GAS had been cured. And now...I want an electric sitar guitar. BAD.

Not sure what my wife is gonna think...but she's pretty tolerant...

Best,
Ande

If you're just looking for something approximating a sitar, google "guitar sitar effect" and you'll get loads of hits on how to do it, or as close as a guitar is going to get.

If you're just looking for something approximating a sitar, google "guitar sitar effect" and you'll get loads of hits on how to do it, or as close as a guitar is going to get.

That's interesting greybeard - thanks on behalf of everyone. On the same 'note', I think we have a sitar-like patch on the ZOOM G1 and it may be elsewhere too.

On behalf/in defence of Vinnie Bell who invented that strange little contraption that you either hate or love to hate, or maybe like :shock:, I thought that he played it on Green Tambourine and Band of Gold? That should make it allright! :lol:

Here's a superpsychedelic youtube of the Lemon Pipers' hit which I believe is 100 percent lip-synced from their recording.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyo-zux7i4I&feature=related

I think most hear know my thoughts on P-90's, but I didn't know they could get a Sitar-like sound. (??) I'll take earlier advice and Google that one. I do know they can bark with little prodding.
If you're looking for a high gain, metal tone from that guitar, it's not gonna happen. Ditto for a classic hard rock sound a la Sabbath or 70's era Deep Purple. Not so much because of the pickups ( I'm a BIG fan of low output pups - over 9k all you add is mud ), but simply because a hollowbody resonates way too much to use tons of gain
Is this why more hard rockers don't use semi or full hollow-bodies. There is one exception that I can think of and always wondered why he was nearly exclusive. Ted Nugent seems to be able to play Hard Rock with a bigger than a 'Ric instrument. The other example is one of the Young brothers in AC/DC uses a Gretsch once in a while.

Okay. Let me clear up the sitar thing. I do not want my guitar to actually sounds like that; I just want it to be able to spark and bite like it. As far as achieving a genuine sitar sound, I could care less. I'm playing post/hardcore type music here. If you want to hear it - http://www.myspace.com/thegreysz .

I actually quite liked how P90s sounded on a Casino and am now thinking of doing a P90/AlcinoII combo. Any opinions on which should be in which position?

As far as guitars, I think I might settle for a Mexi Strat I found on Guitar Center used. BUT-will these pickups work for a strat? Or will I need a different guitar?
Another thing.
I've also been looking at Jaguars but have the same question of whether or not the aforementioned pickups will fit.

Is the Mexi Strat an H-S-S?