Now you tell me! I had almost every model in the late 80s, jihn Lennon 325?long) with autograph, Roger Mcguin 360 stereo with compressor built-in, 360-12, 330 and even a solid all because they were'nt that popular outside of the 60's music fans. Sold then all and got a VW Beetle automibile. I loved the Rickys but they were too flimsy to gig with , my 330-12 in Jet-glo got nicked( it had a big sticker of Robin from 60s Batman on the back). Found a 4x12 vox cab ( 4 celestion green) and an 80watt head, got to play at full vol new years eve 1981, 3 months later a fire destroyed the t-shirt printing factory we re-hearsed in and the Vox was found 4 floors down a fire escape and all our gear was charcoal. We all wept and then after saving for another 6 months we all got new gear, 2x Ibanez les pauls and a Twin amp and a piggyback AC30, Tama drumns and a Fender Mustang bass. We took our gear with us and never let it out of our sight again( Camden in the 80s was rough). Thanks for reminding me how lucky we were.
I have a ‘Chickenbacker’ Tom Petty model 12 string…the real thing is over 7k; mine cost $265; it doesn’t have the great Rickenbacker neck/frets but it sounds good & stays in tune; I record with it
When it comes to value for money, we know which is the real winner! But of course if you want the real thing and willing to pay for the brand, then fair enough. Nobody is stopping you/them!
Great video (any more on the way?) Having had my appetite whetted by the video, I have tried to join the rickenfakers facebook group. However despite several requests, nothing has happened (over several weeks). Does anyone know if the group is still functional? I've also tried to see if there was any other way to contact HW, but failed to get anywhere. Any help would be appreciated.
Nice AC50 its a beauty. I Have a 360 Rick I bought in 1988 and a 360 12 string I built in 1999 both sound and play as per the usual Rick ways. Im currently building a 360F just for kicks. I find using some compression and an EQ always brings out the best in any Rickenbacker. Nice video.
I have a 360-12 MG 60s spec (similar to R Mcquinns) from mentioned builder and I agree about the quality of the builds, the wood is absolutely beautiful and I've not seen a Ric with quite the same movement in the flame as mine, and so loud acousticly, I've owned it around 5 years now and the the lacquer has started to fade to that lovely golden colour MG's tend to go, I do own an authentic 330FG from 98 which I love to Great video, both of those are stunning!
15-20 years ago I had a fake Ric by a company called Dillion; I think maybe they were from Canada. Anyway, it was a much stouter build than a real Ric, but I didn't keep it around long. The guy who bought it mainly admired how stable it was, compared to his much-repaired original which he called his "Ricketybacker"... It wasn't exactly cheap either, but not in the range of a real one; less than half IIRC.
Needed to compare a Chickenbacker of the same model. These are more expensive than the Ali & TEMU inspired by Rickenbackers. Didn't really prove a point here beyond a $ 2+K guitar sounds pretty darn close to the more expensive original. My guess is the Chickenbacker of Ali Express & TEMU are going to be as close to these as any of them are to a original Rick ? Anyone playing live or even recording with one, the audience or the end product of recording is going to be indiscernible to the listener. How does that translate to the experience for feel & comfort to the player is another thing. I went with an all Asian lineup (Chinese & Indonesian) because while there is a feel difference, the sound/tone was indiscernible. To me, the feel of the Chinese guitar wasn't the same, even amongst the price point tiers, but the feel wasn't a miserable experience or even that vastly different to warrant spending $ 500-700 vs $ 75-150. I love my Chinese Telecasters, Indonesian Strats & Chinese LP. And once I dialed in a set up from the out of the box spec, cleaned up the filthy grit of the frets. I know I made the right call. A sub $ 100 Chinese will play in. Didn't have to polish the frets even, a couple of fretboard oil hydration applications and those gritty scratchy frets cleaned right up. Even the ceramic pickups sound good for Chinese pickups.
Yes, the point of the video was to prove a $2k+ clone sounds close to the original 🤣 yes you can get a Chickenbacker for a lot less, and probably playing live, to the one audience member who's actually listening to the musicians they wouldn't even tell the difference if you had $30K original 1964 guitar, or a Chinese copy. The idea of the video was to show what you can have in the absence of a genuine Ric custom shop. The Gibson Murphy Lab doesn't stop thousands of Chibsons being bought every year. They're different markets. I had a Chickenbacker 10 years ago and it was totally shit in every way. I sold it to Cashies for $80 and that was generous of them. I don't plan on giving Chickenbackers any screen time on my channel, sorry. Maybe someone else can/has.
I considered a rick 12 string a fue years ago lots of money while in the shop I played a burns double 6 and that sounded just fab think I paid just under £500 for it fantastic set of sounds just plays and sounds great
Great video! Thanks for uploading. I didn't know much about the Rose Morris instruments other than the F hole and slash sound holes. I was thinking about what you said about the difference in tone and loudness between the 2 models you have and I think it is probably due to the difference in mass between the 2 tailpieces. The R tailpiece is a big hunk of metal compared to the trapeze of the earlier model. I think this may be the cause. The modern Ricks are not all they are cracked up ro be. The sound of the new style pickups is not very satisfying compared to the older toasters. My favourite Rick is my old 1972 Jetglo 370. that has a sound that I can;t recreate with any modern instrument. Cheers
Thanks for your comment. I hadn't considered the tailpiece but good point. I suppose it's a combination of factors from the individual wood, bridge and tailpiece. I agree and prefer and the old pick ups too.
I would LOVE to own an actual Rickenbacker and was in the market for a 12 string a couple of years ago. The thing that killed the deal was the string spacing. My fat fingers bumped into adjacent strings in 1st position. Fender 12's are the same for me, unfortunately. I ended up with a D'Angelico 12. It's not a Rickenbacker as it is loaded with humbuckers and does not have that ringing tone but it works for me. If I could get a "clone" that actually fits my hands or even get a custom request from Rickenbacker, I would do it. Alas, a market that Rickenbacker fails to take advantage of and increase popularity.
You make a great point there Tom that I touched in the video. A lot of people struggle with the string spacing. I know Ric makes a wide nut on the 1993Plus and some 600 series guitar but the range is limited. With these clones, you can have any combinations of specs you like!
I got a 1993Plus because I wanted a vintage style 12 but with a wider nut. The braced top is nice too. If I had it to do again I’d go with the 1993Plus again. Very happy with it!
PS - Only thing I’d change is wish it had the 12 saddle bridge and metal cap knobs, like the 660 12. However, I have no complaints with the intonation just as it came new so I decided it’s not worth the cost and trouble to change the bridge and the knobs are really hard to come by at a reasonable price.
Tom, it's been pretty clear for several decades that Rickenbacker is not interested in selling cheaper guitars for fear of tarnishing it's heritage. Rickenbacker guitars are not just musical instruments, they are works of art. Rickenbacker has no need to increase its popularity. Flooding the market with cheaper models will dilute the purity of its instruments. The guitars are popular enough ... they can't make enough of them to keep up witjh demand. And there are plenty of used instruments available that sell for quite high prices. And they do sell. Personally, I would never want to see Rickenbacker go the way of Fender or Gibson.
@@clwheeler6954 There is a lot of debate as to whether the 12 saddle bridge is a good thing in the case of a Rickenbacker 12 string guitar. Many RIC owners and players say that one of the endearing qualities of the RIC 12 sound is the slightly out of tune effect created as a result of imperfect intonation due to the standard 6 saddle bridge.
AMAZING video. Thanks for showing it. The 1993 has always been my dream guitar. Do this guy ships overseas? And how long does he take to build one? Thanks!
Search 'Rickenfakers' on Facebook and join the page. Search photos and you'll see the builds being produced. Then feel free to DM him. He will ship overseas yes and builds take between 3-4 months typically, depending on specs and researched needed to complete the project.
Thank You for the great video. I have very mixed feelings about all of this. 1/ They are certainly beautiful looking guitars. 2/ If they are trying to mimic the early RIC 12 sounds - pre McGuinn - then they certainly sound similar. But in this video at least, both guitars lack the plush rich jangle and chime sounds that RIC 12s are famous for. However, that could be because of your demo setup here. Doesn't look like you are using any external compression (a la Janglebox). I would really love to hear these instruments played through something like a Janglebox to see how much jangle and chime they produce. 3/ I have a huge issue with the guitars bearing Rickenbacker head plates. They are NOT Rickenbacker guitars. If they are such great instruments in their own right, why to they need to pilfer the Rickenbacker name? 4/ They are expensive instruments in their own right. And if you are buying them as forever guitars, then their resale value is probably not important to you. However, by your own admission, vintage Rickenbackers have appreciated significantly over time. This is one of the benefits of buying the real thing. And you know this because you say you own several real Rickenbacker guitars. 5/ The other huge problem I have with this is that you will get people trying to sell these guitars off as real Rickenbackers. I don't like the idea that people can be taken advantage of in this way by unscrupulous or unsavoury characters.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I'll try and answer as far as I see it. Not that you need answers, but just clarification on my point of view basically! 1) I'm glad you agree! 2) Sorry the sound recording isn't better - both the guitars and my voice, as the room is more echoey than I thought! I will do another video soon using a proper studio mic and compressor so you get a more accurate reflection of the true tone and chime. In person, I would say they're every bit as good. They should be anyway as at least on these guitars, the pickups are genuine Rickenbacker. Perhaps that's also an answer to your comment regarding the TRCs? The body may not be Rickenbacker, but most of the hardware is, importantly the pickups are. Does the whole thing have to be Rickenbacker to sport a Rickenbacker name plate? I'm not sure. Perhaps a discussion point! 3) I do like your point about them being a great instrument in their own right - they are. The luthier should build their own TRC. My personal preference is anything else written on the headstock looks so wrong to me, so I've left the Ric name on there. As I say in point 2, half of this guitar is genuine Ric anyway? Are Gibsons with Seymour Duncan pickups fitted any less Gibson? 4) The reason for my build was to be able to gig the guitar live, and not risk taking my vintage Rics out on the road. Also I cannot afford a real 1993 from the 60s currently. If I could, and one was available I would buy it for the investment, but not to play live. So I'd be having this specific clone built for me anyway. Going off on a tangent, but Macca's Hofner he plays live isn't actually his real one from 1963. It's a replica made to mimic his original, relic-ed (admittedly it's made by Hofner so it's a genuine replica). But it's quite normal for high quality clones to be built and played in live environments, perhaps the only exception being Joe B? Also, The Bootleg Beatles (premier UK Beatles tribute band) source most of their Rickenbackers from my luthier! 5) As explained in the video, the control cavity contains the stamp of the luthier in it so this guitar could not be passed off as genuine. I suggest anyone buying a vintage guitar and not checking these areas probably shouldn't be! But yes, I suppose other luthiers might not be so complying to transparency. Some interesting points. Best regards!
@@mattrowlandhall Thanks for the great reply. In response 2a/ Would love to hear a full on demo with some decent compression and possibly some treble boost. Especially interested to hear the bridge pickup on its own while you play arepeggios with ascending and descending bass note runs. And would particularly like to hear the guitar tuned down a whole tone as that really allows the strings to ring a lot more. 2b/ For me, a guitar only earns Rickenbacker status if it was made by Rickenbacker in America either at the Electro String Factory in Los Angeles or at the current factory in Santa Ana. You probably well know that several other companies have manufactured RIC 12 clones. Tokai and Greco made some decent ones decades ago. And many who bought them fitted original Rickenbacker parts to them. Still doesn't make them Rickenbackers in my mind. They may have the parts ... but do they have the soul ??? 3a/ I get your Gibson with Seymour Duncan pickups example. And I will respond to that in this way ... if the guitar came from the factory with SD pickups as a stock model ... then it is a stock Gibson guitar. If the guitar had original Gibson pickups swapped out for SDs by someone other than an authorised Gibson rep ... then it is a Gibson guitar with SD pickups. The point of difference is that we know the guitar was built by Gibson ... and we know that it either originally came with SD pickups, or the originals were swapped out with SD pickups later. However, in the case of your clone electric 12 strings ... they were not originally built by Rickenbacker. Going back to your Gibson example ... I think a more accurate summation would be to say that you got a luthier to build you a Gibson style guitar and then fitted it with original Gibson parts. In that case, that guitar would definitely not be a Gibson guitar. 4/ Absolutely get what you say about using these guitars on the road in order to protect you real ones. Makes perfect sense if the clones look and sound close to the real ones. Personally, I would not have "Rickenbacker" name plates on any clones or fakes out of principle. Greco used to put "Grecoguitar" on their models. Tokai used to put "Rockinbetter" on theirs. If anyone noticed and asked me about them, I would confess they were fakes and then explain why I was using them live. As for Paul McCartney ... didn't the real Paul McCartney die in 1966? So of course, a fake Paul McCartney (Faul?) is going to use a fake Hofner bass !!!!! LOL ... SERIOUSLY THOUGH ... of course Paul never died in 1966. And those entrusted with working on and maintaining his treasured instruments assure us that to this day Paul continues to use his second Hofner Bass (the one he got in 1963) which he now lovingly refers to as #1. I would be interested to know why you think Paul uses a Hofner clone rather than his original instrument. In any case, if Rickenbacker made a clone of a Rickenbacker guitar, it is still a Rickenbacker. And they have done so on many occasions ... 360/12C63, 360/12V64 and all of their Signature models. Fender and Gibson have also made replica clones as Reissue models. I have a Fender '57 Stratocaster Reissue. It is a clone ... but its still a Fender Stratocaster. Other companies including Tokai and Fernandes have produced Fender Stratocaster replicas of incredible quality .. but they still aren't Fender Stratocasters. As an aside Marty Wilson-Piper of The Church plays Rickenbacker 12 strings. His are strung in the traditional 12 string configuration rather than the Rickenbacker one. Some people argue that he is not really playing a Rickenbacker 12 string because of that. Those people need a history lesson .. or at least to google the term "Suzi Arden Rickenbacker". LOL. 5/ It's probably not that hard to remove the luthiers mark from the control cavity. However, you are right in saying that anyone looking to buy a vintage guitar is going to do a lot of homework before parting with a large sum of money. Those people are probably going to be able to easily identify the difference between the real thing and a fake looking beyond serial numbers. BTW, Do the two instruments in this video have double truss roads in their necks? The real 1993 models did. And virtually all the 12 string guitars that Rickenbacker produced in the 1960s did as well. Anyways, I hope you are not bored with the long post. I don't want to split hairs here. The fact that you own or have owned several real Rickenbackers suggests you are a RIC afficianado and can easily justify ownership and use of the two instruments you show in this great video. Not that you have to, but great that you give an honest appraisal of what appear to be some beautiful musical instruments in their own right. As an aside, I'm in Australia. And even with our AUD being so terrible agains the GBP and USD as the moment - worse its been for about twenty years - I can get a real Rickenbacker here for way less than it would cost me to purchase and ship either of the two guitars you have there. Go figure. Once again, look forward to hearing your two guitars in all of their glory at some point. Thanks again. And Cheers from the Land Down Under.
Not copyrights, mostly 'trade dress" which is quite different. RIC issued a lot of threats under the management of Jon Hall, but they were pretty hollow threats and on the one occasion I know of that they went to court (Lollar pickups) I believe they lost.
I get on quite well with the regular narrow Ric fretboards so these have a standard width. If you order one you could ask for a wider fretboard no problem.
The chickenbackers often do. I might be receiving one next month. I can't say. I have a string of mods lined up. I couldn't afford to mod a Rickenbacker, or get one that checks all the boxes I want. It would start at 3 to 5k and need half of the mods I will do the chickenbacker. I am confident with working on them and can fix or change most of their known problems. I'll post if the one I get is a good start. I'll start at 300, put 300 in electronics and 300 in hardware, a bunch of time and the first set of decent Filtertrons or Hilotrons, haven't decided, that I find. I'll be 900 in and have a guitar that looks how I want. Hope I don't have to do any finishing, neck work like a re set, fretboard swap etc. I will have some headstock fiddling to do.. maybe some carving inside. Probably get a 12 saddle tuneomatic to adapt to the bridge plate. I do want vintage split style skeleton type tuners. I will be putting a Foghorn Leghorn sticker and a red CH over the R on the rod cover.
I built a 360 12 string copy back in 1999 which I still have and play. It has a wider neck much like an Acoustic 12 since I have largish hands it suits me and it's a great playing guitar. These look nice.
Possibly the replica company avoids the lawsuit because the F-hole is different from the real Rick's catseye. Also, launching a lawsuit from California to the UK could prove to be onerous for a company the size of Rickenbacker. It might bankrupt both parties and only be a Pyrrhic victory.
These guitars are more in line with the Rickenbacker's built for Rose-Morris Ltd...... F holes instead of "slash" or "cat-eye" sound holes, dot inlays instead of triangular pearl, and different model designations were common. Pete Townsend played several. Research 'Rose-Morris Ltd. Rickenbacker's of the 60's.'
AC50 is a great amp. They make great bass amps too. Of course there’s no vib/trem circuit like an AC30 but as far as I’m concerned that’s a bit gimmicky anyway and pretty useless to the average player. I would still say an AC30 is brighter and more chimey but the AC50 definitely packs as punch and is an overall cleaner sound so perfect for these sound demos when you’re demonstrating the guitar more than the amp.
Matt is spot on. George's first Rickenbacker was a Fireglo 425 six string that he purchased in America when he visited his sister there in 1963, He had that guitar re-finished in a black colour to match Lennon's Rickenbacker guitar.
@@goodtimefolkrock A lot of things can change in 12 years. Imho, there is little doubt that these guitars would play well if they have been hand built by someone who knows how to build guitars.
Now you tell me! I had almost every model in the late 80s, jihn Lennon 325?long) with autograph, Roger Mcguin 360 stereo with compressor built-in, 360-12, 330 and even a solid all because they were'nt that popular outside of the 60's music fans. Sold then all and got a VW Beetle automibile. I loved the Rickys but they were too flimsy to gig with , my 330-12 in Jet-glo got nicked( it had a big sticker of Robin from 60s Batman on the back). Found a 4x12 vox cab ( 4 celestion green) and an 80watt head, got to play at full vol new years eve 1981, 3 months later a fire destroyed the t-shirt printing factory we re-hearsed in and the Vox was found 4 floors down a fire escape and all our gear was charcoal. We all wept and then after saving for another 6 months we all got new gear, 2x Ibanez les pauls and a Twin amp and a piggyback AC30, Tama drumns and a Fender Mustang bass. We took our gear with us and never let it out of our sight again( Camden in the 80s was rough). Thanks for reminding me how lucky we were.
I have a ‘Chickenbacker’ Tom Petty model 12 string…the real thing is over 7k; mine cost $265; it doesn’t have the great Rickenbacker neck/frets but it sounds good & stays in tune; I record with it
When it comes to value for money, we know which is the real winner! But of course if you want the real thing and willing to pay for the brand, then fair enough. Nobody is stopping you/them!
Where did you get it. I want one.
Like I have always said, if you want a Rickenbacker, buy a Rickenbacker, those maybe high quality but still not the real deal.
100%. These clones will never please the purists!
Great video (any more on the way?) Having had my appetite whetted by the video, I have tried to join the rickenfakers facebook group. However despite several requests, nothing has happened (over several weeks). Does anyone know if the group is still functional? I've also tried to see if there was any other way to contact HW, but failed to get anywhere. Any help would be appreciated.
Very interesting video about guitars we are waiting for more content !
@@JuliaSpiridonova-n1h Thank you! Glad you liked it!
Very impressive build and sound quality. The sound of a Ricky 12 string is unmatched in the guitar world, in my opinion.
Nice AC50 its a beauty. I Have a 360 Rick I bought in 1988 and a 360 12 string I built in 1999 both sound and play as per the usual Rick ways. Im currently building a 360F just for kicks. I find using some compression and an EQ always brings out the best in any Rickenbacker. Nice video.
Thanks. You're right. I should really have done the sound demos with a compressor. Something for another day! (and with a proper mic too!)
I have a 360-12 MG 60s spec (similar to R Mcquinns) from mentioned builder and I agree about the quality of the builds, the wood is absolutely beautiful and I've not seen a Ric with quite the same movement in the flame as mine, and so loud acousticly, I've owned it around 5 years now and the the lacquer has started to fade to that lovely golden colour MG's tend to go, I do own an authentic 330FG from 98 which I love to
Great video, both of those are stunning!
Thanks for your comment and kind words about the video. Happy playing with your HW. Sounds excellent!
My Univox "Stereo Bass" is a awesome guitar, it's the only Fakenbacker bass copy that has the correct scale length.
15-20 years ago I had a fake Ric by a company called Dillion; I think maybe they were from Canada. Anyway, it was a much stouter build than a real Ric, but I didn't keep it around long. The guy who bought it mainly admired how stable it was, compared to his much-repaired original which he called his "Ricketybacker"... It wasn't exactly cheap either, but not in the range of a real one; less than half IIRC.
Dillion was Chinese junk
Needed to compare a Chickenbacker of the same model. These are more expensive than the Ali & TEMU inspired by Rickenbackers. Didn't really prove a point here beyond a $ 2+K guitar sounds pretty darn close to the more expensive original. My guess is the Chickenbacker of Ali Express & TEMU are going to be as close to these as any of them are to a original Rick ? Anyone playing live or even recording with one, the audience or the end product of recording is going to be indiscernible to the listener. How does that translate to the experience for feel & comfort to the player is another thing. I went with an all Asian lineup (Chinese & Indonesian) because while there is a feel difference, the sound/tone was indiscernible. To me, the feel of the Chinese guitar wasn't the same, even amongst the price point tiers, but the feel wasn't a miserable experience or even that vastly different to warrant spending $ 500-700 vs $ 75-150. I love my Chinese Telecasters, Indonesian Strats & Chinese LP. And once I dialed in a set up from the out of the box spec, cleaned up the filthy grit of the frets. I know I made the right call. A sub $ 100 Chinese will play in. Didn't have to polish the frets even, a couple of fretboard oil hydration applications and those gritty scratchy frets cleaned right up. Even the ceramic pickups sound good for Chinese pickups.
Yes, the point of the video was to prove a $2k+ clone sounds close to the original 🤣 yes you can get a Chickenbacker for a lot less, and probably playing live, to the one audience member who's actually listening to the musicians they wouldn't even tell the difference if you had $30K original 1964 guitar, or a Chinese copy. The idea of the video was to show what you can have in the absence of a genuine Ric custom shop. The Gibson Murphy Lab doesn't stop thousands of Chibsons being bought every year. They're different markets. I had a Chickenbacker 10 years ago and it was totally shit in every way. I sold it to Cashies for $80 and that was generous of them. I don't plan on giving Chickenbackers any screen time on my channel, sorry. Maybe someone else can/has.
Great demo!
Thank you!
I considered a rick 12 string a fue years ago lots of money while in the shop I played a burns double 6 and that sounded just fab think I paid just under £500 for it fantastic set of sounds just plays and sounds great
Just started watching . Where can we buy these Bachers??
Search 'Rickenfakers' on Facebook. All the details are there.
Great video! Thanks for uploading.
I didn't know much about the Rose Morris instruments other than the F hole and slash sound holes.
I was thinking about what you said about the difference in tone and loudness between the 2 models you have and I think it is probably due to the difference in mass between the 2 tailpieces. The R tailpiece is a big hunk of metal compared to the trapeze of the earlier model. I think this may be the cause.
The modern Ricks are not all they are cracked up ro be. The sound of the new style pickups is not very satisfying compared to the older toasters. My favourite Rick is my old 1972 Jetglo 370. that has a sound that I can;t recreate with any modern instrument.
Cheers
Thanks for your comment. I hadn't considered the tailpiece but good point. I suppose it's a combination of factors from the individual wood, bridge and tailpiece. I agree and prefer and the old pick ups too.
I would LOVE to own an actual Rickenbacker and was in the market for a 12 string a couple of years ago. The thing that killed the deal was the string spacing. My fat fingers bumped into adjacent strings in 1st position. Fender 12's are the same for me, unfortunately. I ended up with a D'Angelico 12. It's not a Rickenbacker as it is loaded with humbuckers and does not have that ringing tone but it works for me.
If I could get a "clone" that actually fits my hands or even get a custom request from Rickenbacker, I would do it. Alas, a market that Rickenbacker fails to take advantage of and increase popularity.
You make a great point there Tom that I touched in the video. A lot of people struggle with the string spacing. I know Ric makes a wide nut on the 1993Plus and some 600 series guitar but the range is limited. With these clones, you can have any combinations of specs you like!
I got a 1993Plus because I wanted a vintage style 12 but with a wider nut. The braced top is nice too. If I had it to do again I’d go with the 1993Plus again. Very happy with it!
PS - Only thing I’d change is wish it had the 12 saddle bridge and metal cap knobs, like the 660 12. However, I have no complaints with the intonation just as it came new so I decided it’s not worth the cost and trouble to change the bridge and the knobs are really hard to come by at a reasonable price.
Tom, it's been pretty clear for several decades that Rickenbacker is not interested in selling cheaper guitars for fear of tarnishing it's heritage. Rickenbacker guitars are not just musical instruments, they are works of art. Rickenbacker has no need to increase its popularity. Flooding the market with cheaper models will dilute the purity of its instruments. The guitars are popular enough ... they can't make enough of them to keep up witjh demand. And there are plenty of used instruments available that sell for quite high prices. And they do sell.
Personally, I would never want to see Rickenbacker go the way of Fender or Gibson.
@@clwheeler6954 There is a lot of debate as to whether the 12 saddle bridge is a good thing in the case of a Rickenbacker 12 string guitar. Many RIC owners and players say that one of the endearing qualities of the RIC 12 sound is the slightly out of tune effect created as a result of imperfect intonation due to the standard 6 saddle bridge.
AMAZING video. Thanks for showing it. The 1993 has always been my dream guitar. Do this guy ships overseas? And how long does he take to build one? Thanks!
Search 'Rickenfakers' on Facebook and join the page. Search photos and you'll see the builds being produced. Then feel free to DM him. He will ship overseas yes and builds take between 3-4 months typically, depending on specs and researched needed to complete the project.
Thank You for the great video. I have very mixed feelings about all of this.
1/ They are certainly beautiful looking guitars.
2/ If they are trying to mimic the early RIC 12 sounds - pre McGuinn - then they certainly sound similar. But in this video at least, both guitars lack the plush rich jangle and chime sounds that RIC 12s are famous for. However, that could be because of your demo setup here. Doesn't look like you are using any external compression (a la Janglebox). I would really love to hear these instruments played through something like a Janglebox to see how much jangle and chime they produce.
3/ I have a huge issue with the guitars bearing Rickenbacker head plates. They are NOT Rickenbacker guitars. If they are such great instruments in their own right, why to they need to pilfer the Rickenbacker name?
4/ They are expensive instruments in their own right. And if you are buying them as forever guitars, then their resale value is probably not important to you. However, by your own admission, vintage Rickenbackers have appreciated significantly over time. This is one of the benefits of buying the real thing. And you know this because you say you own several real Rickenbacker guitars.
5/ The other huge problem I have with this is that you will get people trying to sell these guitars off as real Rickenbackers. I don't like the idea that people can be taken advantage of in this way by unscrupulous or unsavoury characters.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I'll try and answer as far as I see it. Not that you need answers, but just clarification on my point of view basically!
1) I'm glad you agree!
2) Sorry the sound recording isn't better - both the guitars and my voice, as the room is more echoey than I thought! I will do another video soon using a proper studio mic and compressor so you get a more accurate reflection of the true tone and chime. In person, I would say they're every bit as good. They should be anyway as at least on these guitars, the pickups are genuine Rickenbacker. Perhaps that's also an answer to your comment regarding the TRCs? The body may not be Rickenbacker, but most of the hardware is, importantly the pickups are. Does the whole thing have to be Rickenbacker to sport a Rickenbacker name plate? I'm not sure. Perhaps a discussion point!
3) I do like your point about them being a great instrument in their own right - they are. The luthier should build their own TRC. My personal preference is anything else written on the headstock looks so wrong to me, so I've left the Ric name on there. As I say in point 2, half of this guitar is genuine Ric anyway? Are Gibsons with Seymour Duncan pickups fitted any less Gibson?
4) The reason for my build was to be able to gig the guitar live, and not risk taking my vintage Rics out on the road. Also I cannot afford a real 1993 from the 60s currently. If I could, and one was available I would buy it for the investment, but not to play live. So I'd be having this specific clone built for me anyway. Going off on a tangent, but Macca's Hofner he plays live isn't actually his real one from 1963. It's a replica made to mimic his original, relic-ed (admittedly it's made by Hofner so it's a genuine replica). But it's quite normal for high quality clones to be built and played in live environments, perhaps the only exception being Joe B? Also, The Bootleg Beatles (premier UK Beatles tribute band) source most of their Rickenbackers from my luthier!
5) As explained in the video, the control cavity contains the stamp of the luthier in it so this guitar could not be passed off as genuine. I suggest anyone buying a vintage guitar and not checking these areas probably shouldn't be! But yes, I suppose other luthiers might not be so complying to transparency.
Some interesting points. Best regards!
@@mattrowlandhall Thanks for the great reply. In response
2a/ Would love to hear a full on demo with some decent compression and possibly some treble boost. Especially interested to hear the bridge pickup on its own while you play arepeggios with ascending and descending bass note runs. And would particularly like to hear the guitar tuned down a whole tone as that really allows the
strings to ring a lot more.
2b/ For me, a guitar only earns Rickenbacker status if it was made by Rickenbacker in America either at the Electro String Factory in Los Angeles or at the current factory in Santa Ana. You probably well know that several other companies have manufactured RIC 12 clones. Tokai and Greco made some decent ones decades ago. And many who bought them fitted original Rickenbacker parts to them. Still doesn't make them Rickenbackers in my mind. They may have the parts ... but do they have the soul ???
3a/ I get your Gibson with Seymour Duncan pickups example. And I will respond to that in this way ... if the guitar came from the factory with SD pickups as a stock model ... then it is a stock Gibson guitar. If the guitar had original Gibson pickups swapped out for SDs by someone other than an authorised Gibson rep ... then it is a Gibson guitar with SD pickups. The point of difference is that we know the guitar was built by Gibson ... and we know that it either originally came with SD pickups, or the originals were swapped out with SD pickups later.
However, in the case of your clone electric 12 strings ... they were not originally built by Rickenbacker. Going back to your Gibson example ... I think a more accurate summation would be to say that you got a luthier to build you a Gibson style guitar and then fitted it with original Gibson parts. In that case, that guitar would definitely not be a Gibson guitar.
4/ Absolutely get what you say about using these guitars on the road in order to protect you real ones. Makes perfect sense if the clones look and sound close to the real ones. Personally, I would not have "Rickenbacker" name plates on any clones or fakes out of principle. Greco used to put "Grecoguitar" on their models. Tokai used to put "Rockinbetter" on theirs. If anyone noticed and asked me about them, I would confess they were fakes and then explain why I was using them live.
As for Paul McCartney ... didn't the real Paul McCartney die in 1966? So of course, a fake Paul McCartney (Faul?) is going to use a fake Hofner bass !!!!!
LOL ... SERIOUSLY THOUGH ... of course Paul never died in 1966. And those entrusted with working on and maintaining his treasured instruments assure us that to this day Paul continues to use his second Hofner Bass (the one he got in 1963) which he now lovingly refers to as #1. I would be interested to know why you think Paul uses a Hofner clone rather than his original instrument.
In any case, if Rickenbacker made a clone of a Rickenbacker guitar, it is still a Rickenbacker. And they have done so on many occasions ... 360/12C63, 360/12V64 and all of their Signature models. Fender and Gibson have also made replica clones as Reissue models. I have a Fender '57 Stratocaster Reissue. It is a clone ... but its still a Fender Stratocaster. Other companies including Tokai and Fernandes have produced Fender Stratocaster replicas of incredible quality .. but they still aren't Fender Stratocasters.
As an aside Marty Wilson-Piper of The Church plays Rickenbacker 12 strings. His are strung in the traditional 12 string configuration rather than the Rickenbacker one. Some people argue that he is not really playing a Rickenbacker 12 string because of that. Those people need a history lesson .. or at least to google the term "Suzi Arden Rickenbacker". LOL.
5/ It's probably not that hard to remove the luthiers mark from the control cavity. However, you are right in saying that anyone looking to buy a vintage guitar is going to do a lot of homework before parting with a large sum of money. Those people are probably going to be able to easily identify the difference between the real thing and a fake looking beyond serial numbers.
BTW, Do the two instruments in this video have double truss roads in their necks? The real 1993 models did. And virtually all the 12 string guitars that Rickenbacker produced in the 1960s did as well.
Anyways, I hope you are not bored with the long post. I don't want to split hairs here. The fact that you own or have owned several real Rickenbackers suggests you are a RIC afficianado and can easily justify ownership and use of the two instruments you show in this great video. Not that you have to, but great that you give an honest appraisal of what appear to be some beautiful musical instruments in their own right.
As an aside, I'm in Australia. And even with our AUD being so terrible agains the GBP and USD as the moment - worse its been for about twenty years - I can get a real Rickenbacker here for way less than it would cost me to purchase and ship either of the two guitars you have there. Go figure.
Once again, look forward to hearing your two guitars in all of their glory at some point. Thanks again. And Cheers from the Land Down Under.
Where do you order them?
@@jameslanclos568 All the details you need are on the ‘Rickenfakers’ Facebook page :)
They won't last long Rick goes after, very aggressively, they unlike Gib/Fen. STill hold their Copy Rights.
Not copyrights, mostly 'trade dress" which is quite different. RIC issued a lot of threats under the management of Jon Hall, but they were pretty hollow threats and on the one occasion I know of that they went to court (Lollar pickups) I believe they lost.
Did you make the fret board wider /
I get on quite well with the regular narrow Ric fretboards so these have a standard width. If you order one you could ask for a wider fretboard no problem.
The chickenbackers often do. I might be receiving one next month. I can't say. I have a string of mods lined up. I couldn't afford to mod a Rickenbacker, or get one that checks all the boxes I want. It would start at 3 to 5k and need half of the mods I will do the chickenbacker. I am confident with working on them and can fix or change most of their known problems. I'll post if the one I get is a good start. I'll start at 300, put 300 in electronics and 300 in hardware, a bunch of time and the first set of decent Filtertrons or Hilotrons, haven't decided, that I find. I'll be 900 in and have a guitar that looks how I want. Hope I don't have to do any finishing, neck work like a re set, fretboard swap etc. I will have some headstock fiddling to do.. maybe some carving inside. Probably get a 12 saddle tuneomatic to adapt to the bridge plate. I do want vintage split style skeleton type tuners. I will be putting a Foghorn Leghorn sticker and a red CH over the R on the rod cover.
I built a 360 12 string copy back in 1999 which I still have and play. It has a wider neck much like an Acoustic 12 since I have largish hands it suits me and it's a great playing guitar. These look nice.
So it's NOT a Rickenbacker then?
Correct. It’s a clone (other than the hardware and pickups which is mostly genuine Rickenbacker on both these guitars).
Possibly the replica company avoids the lawsuit because the F-hole is different from the real Rick's catseye.
Also, launching a lawsuit from California to the UK could prove to be onerous for a company the size of
Rickenbacker. It might bankrupt both parties and only be a Pyrrhic victory.
These guitars are more in line with the Rickenbacker's built for Rose-Morris Ltd...... F holes instead of "slash" or "cat-eye" sound holes, dot inlays instead of triangular pearl, and different model designations were common. Pete Townsend played several. Research 'Rose-Morris Ltd. Rickenbacker's of the 60's.'
Thanks for explaining! 😅
I love Rics. Yours are beautiful. Subbed. With you on the same old 12 string licks. Give us some Johnny Marr 12 string licks circa The Smiths...
Same old 12 string licks as it's the only ones I've learnt to play! 🤣
Stop talking. Where can I get one?
Haha go to Rickenfakers on Facebook. Search 'HW' and you'll see his posts. Then send him a DM
Have you had permission from him to upload this video?
Buyers Beware!
Rickenbackers are grossly overpriced! CNC machines have taken over craftsmanship. Give me a well-made clone any time!
wow ac50, they sound like a Ac30 on steroids.
AC50 is a great amp. They make great bass amps too. Of course there’s no vib/trem circuit like an AC30 but as far as I’m concerned that’s a bit gimmicky anyway and pretty useless to the average player. I would still say an AC30 is brighter and more chimey but the AC50 definitely packs as punch and is an overall cleaner sound so perfect for these sound demos when you’re demonstrating the guitar more than the amp.
George Started with a Model 330. It was a model that had only dots.
I believe George's first Ric was a 425 6 string. You're right this only had dot inlays.
Matt is spot on. George's first Rickenbacker was a Fireglo 425 six string that he purchased in America when he visited his sister there in 1963, He had that guitar re-finished in a black colour to match Lennon's Rickenbacker guitar.
Not even close to being as good or better than the real McCoy.......rikenjunker
Just my opinion based on playing and owning several of each. Which Rickenfaker do you own?
how do you know if you have t played it ?
@@barrycreed9886 i have played one..... a Dillon branded one 12 years ago.....looked cool .....played.....not so good
@@goodtimefolkrock A lot of things can change in 12 years. Imho, there is little doubt that these guitars would play well if they have been hand built by someone who knows how to build guitars.
@@karmicselling4252 China builds junk......they imitate they dont inovate.....sorry
Like a Chinese made Gibson...?
No. That would be the offering on AliExpress.