Played a Rickenbacker 360 and fell in love

I'm on the fence to buy 620 myself. The seller wants $2,000. Just before pandemic hit, it was $1,400 in local store.
 
They made a guitar version of the 4001 for a while called the 481, super rare and very expensive if you can find one.

1973-rickenbacker-481-electric-guitar-featured.jpg

Yes, I've posted about this guitar here before. They played great, and sounded fantastic when cranked up!
 
Had a 360 on loan for a couple of months... Of course, it had all the jangle and spank that you expect on the rhythm side and I never wanted to give it back :-)

But the big big surprise for me was how awesome it was for lead. The few times I had played them in the past, it seemed that the thin neck and radius inhibited bends and the tone was relatively thin.

But after acclimating a few days, I learned to bend perfectly fine, and found that the thin tone actually cut wonderfully through the mix. I've got to move some guitars first, but a 330 or 360 is going to be coming home sooner or later :-)

Looks beautiful and can't wait to hear more!
 
I honestly had not seen that. I have a weird symmetry issue with that one.

It was the first slanted fret guitar I had ever seen or played, and it wasn't alien at all to wear or play. A player such as you could adapt in seconds and enjoy making music on one, Dave.
 
But the big big surprise for me was how awesome it was for lead.

That is where the guitar won me over. I was surprised at how well it took to high gain and how well it responded when I dug in. The thing played like a beast.
 
I love the sound of them, but I just can't play them. I used to have a 330/12, but I sold it because I just couldn't get along with the neck.
 
I bet that it sounds great into a class A tube amp.
All I can think when I see one is "Tom Petty".

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk
 
It was the first slanted fret guitar I had ever seen or played, and it wasn't alien at all to wear or play. A player such as you could adapt in seconds and enjoy making music on one, Dave.

Which guitar are you referring to that had slanted frets? Not that Ric.
 
^^ We talked about this one a while back when those Ibanez Qs came out, which have a tilted fret option – 8˚ like the old Rics. With the latter, the tilted frets were an option from about 1968 till the end of the 70s, yet, the 481 is more common.

360/12 in this format.
360slant-front.jpg
 
Were the slanted frets then done for the same reason they do them now (better low notes) or was it a comfort thing?
 
Wow, that's very interesting. I never knew Ric did a slanted fret version.

What is the fretboard radius on that 360/12? it looks like a Tele 7.25".
 
Kudos to you B for giving it a shot.

Rick's are not my thing, but I've never played one...and probably wouldn't. May have to give one a spin.
 
This thread has reminded me how super-cool I think Rickenbackers are. Basses and guitars both. Yet I've never played one. I hear about how odd the neck shape is but they don't look that weird... what is it that people don't like about them?
​​​
 
This thread has reminded me how super-cool I think Rickenbackers are. Basses and guitars both. Yet I've never played one. I hear about how odd the neck shape is but they don't look that weird... what is it that people don't like about them?
​​​

I think that they are thin and narrow. A Rick also sits on your body differently than most other classic guitars. They really have their own thing.
And it s pretty expensive to own just to have that one thing.
 
This thread has reminded me how super-cool I think Rickenbackers are. Basses and guitars both. Yet I've never played one. I hear about how odd the neck shape is but they don't look that weird... what is it that people don't like about them?
​​​

The bodies feel like a block and the necks feel like half a baseball bat. The fret board edges are pretty sharp also, which is uncomfortable on the hands. Overall they have a very stiff uncomfortable feel. They are neat guitars but not nice instruments. They just make a sound no other guitar makes.
 
The bodies feel like a block and the necks feel like half a baseball bat. The fret board edges are pretty sharp also, which is uncomfortable on the hands. Overall they have a very stiff uncomfortable feel. They are neat guitars but not nice instruments. They just make a sound no other guitar makes.

I disagree.
Yes, the necks feel a bit thicker than the common slim-taper but not as thick as you make it sound.
I've never had nor played one where the fretboard edges felt sharp. They have all felt very smooth and comfortable to me.
They have their own feel which can feel a bit "stiff" if you're used to LPs, but very familiar if you're used to Fenders. I think it's due to the neck/body angle (or lack thereof).
 
Back
Top