Help! Bad GAS attack

lars wrote:
From my bass playing brother I've been told that bass players often have a hate/love thing with Rickenbacker basses. Why is it you like yours?

Honestly??? OK. I barely even play it. I bought it back in '84 because I could afford it and thought it was cool (which it is). It's a 4001 Jetglo and it's in excellent shape. It's difficult for me to play (big, long neck and heavy), and 6-string electric guitar is my primary love anyway. But it's probably the coolest instrument I own. 8)

I can understand the love/hate thing. It has a sound like no other bass. It's very trebly for a bass (which is why I said it's not muddy!) no matter how you've got the tone set up. That's not to say it doesn't produce a deep, rich sound, however. It does!

I started out my musical resurgence taking bass lessons. The RIC was my only one besides my Vantage fretless, and I hated taking it in for a lesson! It's now vintage (like me... :roll:)! I'm afraid to touch it, let alone take it somewhere. I love the sound of it, but I bought 2 other basses for tonal variation, comfort (physical and emotional!) and fun! :wink: Anyway, I think it's beautiful and quite unique, and it screams "quality." Mine looks identical to this (2-piece pickguard and all), even though the serial number indicates that it's a 4001 (unlike this 4003):

RIC Bass

Aren't ya glad ya asked??? :wink: Anyway, lars, I understand your dilemma all too well. I'm infamous for finding guitars that a) I want, b) I don't need, and c) that cost more than my husband says I can spend! I'm no help in stopping you from buying that guitar. I figure we only go around once in this life (as far as I know) and we may as well enjoy it within a certain amount of reason! ("Certain amount"...how gray is that??? :wink: )

Good luck, Sir, and I hope you're very happy with whatever decision you make! :D

(Credit TwistedLefty for the pic.)

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LOL, ROTFL, LMAO etc :-D

TrueG: You serious now? With humbuckers it wont sound like a strat, I know - but I can't be THAT bad? Do you have first hand experience?

And seriously - I kinda have a faint hope that it is true...

Nuno - :-D

Even Roger McGuin admitted his 12 string sounded quite dull without heavy chorus and some sort of other device i forget the name of. But no i have never played a rick. Heres a video i found reviewing one. Not the same as yours but similar.

Well, specifically McGuinn has commented that the Ric doesn't sustain very well, not that it's muddy. He compensates by using a lot of compression (not chorus), and his signature Ric model has an on-board compressor.

He also uses a Jangle Box for more sustain. If I had a Ric I'd definitely consider getting one of those.

Buy it! I just ordered a new Rickenbacker 360, 6 string in Fireglo from West LA Music. I have been looking here in Colorado for one for over a year, but never found one. From what I hear, Rickenbacker is really having a hard time keeping up with demand, so the new ones get grabbed FAST. Finally said the heck with it and called Rickenbacker's customer service, found out where they recently shipped new 360s and called around to those stores till I found one I could do business with. Patiently awaiting the UPS truck's arrival next week.

As a side note, I will soon be having an online yard sale of guitars, to thin the inventory and make some $$$ to pay for the new Rick! I will post soon in Swap Meet section w/ pictures, prior to listing on Ebay. Give you all first shot at them before letting them loose on Ebay.

I love YouTube, I really do. :D

Best thing about YouTube is you can find clips of almost any gear out there. Sure, not exactly the same as live, but you can hear the guitar or pedal through different amps and pedals, different playing styles. Very helpful to me.

Check out all these videos.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rickenbacker+360&search=Search

This is a nice clip especially

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7NwmKC3IR8

+1 on play it first. Rics are definitely love-it-or-hate-it both in tone and feel. Out of the factory, they can be very difficult to play near open position because 1) the nuts often need adjustment (fixable of course) and 2) the string spacing is closer that most guitars (not going to change this). And yes, this is from first hand experience.

They do however always look cool ...

Congrats CFB! and thanks Wes - cool clips!

and of course I should try it

Here is the cuurent status. As I was hit by a rare moment of reason, I realised that maybe I do have enough 6-strings for the time being (I've even bought the domain 6-strings.net...:)) what I do not have is a 12 string. I've searched around. It seems that no one in Norway or its adjacent countries has got 12 strings rics, and the waiting lists are long ... except one shop on the western coast of Norway is getting one 360/12 sometimes before x-mas. That shop (vintagegitar.no) is located some 10 hours drive from where I am... I specifically queried him about the neck and he told med that the neck width has varied. It was more narrow from around the mid 80s an onwards than it used to be earlier, and that they now have started using the old slightly wider neck again. I get the sense he thinks I should buy it :roll: and he assures me that their return policy is liberal. He will call me once the guitar is in the air from the factory.

Maybe I should take a cold shower and think again. sigh. for this amount of money I can buy a low-end Martin accoustic (which I need... more) or I can take the kids for a one week vacation. Probably I don't even have the skills to play Ric properly - I guess I'm not worthy...

Still - you know how it is - don't ya? Think they call it love ;)

lars

darn you Lars. in the back of my mind I have been thinking about Richenbackers. maybe I have been listening to Tom Petty ...now you have fueled the fire. I have GAS.

cool guitar. that black color is classic.

Yes!Really cool guitar. I too love that BLACK color. Reminds of the hero horse in the movie"Black Stallion".

-diatonick

I do appreciate twisted lefty's picture, I even have it on my wall here at work, however Einstein stole that equation from me.

That is the Grand Unifying Theory of the optimal number of guitars and the only way to correctly predict the current number of guitars that I own.

I have good news for those suffering from GAS. Eventually you just ignore it and go ahead and buy whatever guitar you wish without guilt.

Just in case you missed this one earlier, here are the time frames for buying another guitar:

"When to buy guitar number....."

#2. Right after you buy the first and shortly before buying the 3rd

#3. Between 11am and about 2pm on a weekday - the kids are in school, and you can get the full attention of the sales staff if you need it.

#4. Anytime after performing a major remodeling of a bathroom or kitchen. Forgiveness of your minor transgression is assured.

#5. When you get your Income Tax refund.

#6. When you get your Christmas bonus. "Hey, I don't work this hard for nothing."

#7. Your first gig. It would be irresponsible of you not to have a backup and numbers one through six are too nice to just use as backups.

#8. When Music123 or Guitar Center has a big sale. Think of all the money you saved by acting now. I mean that's enough money to take the wife and kids on vacation. Sometime between the second and third Island of the cruise your wife will talk to you again.

#9. See number 3. Again between 11 and 2 on a weekday, that way you can sneak it back into the house. Deceit is easier than getting forgiveness.

#10. As soon as the money in your secret secondary direct deposit account reaches the purchase price.

#11. The right time for number 11 is after accepting the job offer for your second job so you can pay off the previous nine still on your credit card.

#12. Number 12 is after the wife has taken the kids and left you and you notice you now have an empty room to fill.

#13. Number 13 is after you've attended the court ordered marital therapy for being obsessive compulsive and you notice the therapist is wearing a fender t-shirt. After an hour of talking about the merits of Tusq vs. bone he says: "Dude, you don't have a problem. Let's get together and jam."

#14. Number 14? Well 13 is just an unlucky number, bad mojo.

#15. Number 15 is after you tell the wife the story of the therapist in the Fender t-shirt and she tells you "that's it, we are never coming back". Then you pack her stuff in boxes, the movers get it and the empty space cries out to you to be filled

#16. Number 16? Come on, I mean you did just have the temperature controlled/humidity controlled room built. Wouldn't it be a waste not to keep it fully stocked?

After about 16 you just stop counting. Denial is easier that way.

HA HA :lol:

lars wrote:
Probably I don't even have the skills to play Ric properly - I guess I'm not worthy...

This is perhaps the silliest thing I've ever read here, lars! Of course you're worthy! If you're trying to talk yourself out of buying that Ric, please don't do it by putting yourself and your skills down. :( There. Enough motherly advice. :roll:

If you're sure this place has a liberal return policy and you're agonizing over the Ric this much, then why not just go for it? I, personally, would need to play almost any guitar before buying it, but a 10-hour drive would be out of the question for me. Hence, I'd have to take a chance and just order it, but only after making positively sure that the return policy is a fair one! Then you can always say you owned a Ric once but just didn't care for it (if you end up returning it, that is)! And then you can buy that Martin or take your kids on vacation. Or you can own the guitar of your (current) dreams! Win/win. Simple. :D

Nick - I simply adore the way you think. And I especially appreciate the good news you've offered us GAS sufferers. Can't wait to share that good news with my hubby! :shock:

Thanks mom :lol:

lars wrote:
Probably I don't even have the skills to play Ric properly - I guess I'm not worthy...

This is perhaps the silliest thing I've ever read here, lars! Of course you're worthy! If you're trying to talk yourself out of buying that Ric, please don't do it by putting yourself and your skills down. :( There. Enough motherly advice. :roll:
I think it is not the first time I agree with Musica! :D

I think you have the skills but else you will get playing it. That isn't the problem.

You could also consider a weekend vacation to the place where the store is. Is it in Kristiansund? I remember it a very beautiful place (like the rest of Norway). If you finally purchase it, great. If not, you will remember the weekend while playing your new Martin. :wink:

Nuno, "another happy Martin user"

Dont get it!!!! :o :shock:

oops - the shop called me today - the guitar has landed
12 strings and all 8)

He will send it on the plane with his father who is travelling regularly to Oslo - if I say so.

Ok - so I've made up my mind - but I told him to put it out in the shop for a few days. I have never believed in destiny before - but it someone else tracks it down and buy it before sunday I will regard it a "simple twist of fate" . Else... *jangly, jangly*

- I wont sleep well for a while I guess
- you won't tell anyone, will you :roll: