Rickenbacker 360/12 12 String

2007 model in Jetglo. It sports same features and appointments that have been on this model for over thirty years. I won't go into the specifics as they have been outlined here many times over.

This model comes with Hi-Gain pickups, but I installed the "vintage" scatterwounds on it, as I prefer the sound of these. Easy to get the "jangle," but also other nice sounds, as well.

Action as received was very good, although its usually not the fault of the manufacturer if action is poor when received. Too many factors contribute to the change of action once it leaves the factory, so I expect to setup guitars and basses when I receive them. Everything else was as expected from Rickenbacker--flawless finish, frets, electronics, etc.

I am no stranger to Rickenbacker guitars and basses. I expect this guitar to have the same longevity as others I own.

I have never had a warranty issue with any Rickenbacker instrument until this one. One of the tuning machines developed a problem that caused it to grind when adjusted, making precise tuning nearly impossible. I emailed RIC several times about the problem but the contact yielded no response. Now I've known about service/support issues in that past but always took these reports with a grain of salt, as the entire story is never known. Unfortunately, these support deficiencies are certainly a reality, and have changed my perspective of RIC. In the event of something serious happening to a new guitar, one might indeed might be left holding the bag.

This is a fine instrument, as are the other Rickenbackers that I own. But a couple of things come to mind in considering the purchase of another if this guitar was stolen. First, would I be willing to pay the 30% increase imposed by RIC for their guitars at the end of 2007--is the instrument and quality commensurate to this new price? Second, would I be willing to take that plunge knowing that product support is essentially non-existent? The answers would likely be no.

This review is for an April '94 360 12 Maple Glo with the "hot" 12k toaster pickups. It features
2 PUs with 3 way selctor, volume and tone controls, the special RIC 5th knob for blending
between pick ups or panning between 2 amps when plugged into the 2nd RUC jack. Very
well made, 2 truss rods, 24 frets and modern tuning keys.

There are two camps of RIC sounds out there. For Byrds you need the newer 7.4K toasters
for maximum jangle. Others prefer the Hi Gain pickups for more mids but still with that RIC
sparkle. The 12k toaster, manufactured only from about 1988 to 1999 (?) semm to be the best of both worlds through my ALL tube crate 50w Vintage Clun 2X12. The straight clean sound mirror's Tom Petty's "The Waiting". The dirty sound (yes on a 12) mirrors Rory Gallagher"s Strat (with "chang") through a Vox AC30.

In order to get this I had to turn both volumes up. turn the bass tone completely down.
roll off the treble tone by 25%, and THEN roll up the 5th knob to "just" where it engages the Bridge pick up. Toggle switch in the middle=great "chasngle" sound - toggle on
Bridge pick up in fully gained dirty channel= crisp "Voxy" drive.

I tried a few compressors, but didn't like how they interferred with fingering nuances and
the RIC has great sustain on its own.

Can you say Porche, or Mercedes. I had now idea how exquisite attention to detail comes with a real world class hand finished instrument. it feels good just holding it.

One input jack was slippy and it took only a quick rebend of it contact. The toggle was a bit
scratchy from Bass to Middle position - fixed also by a quick visual inspection and hand rebend.

I am a member of the RIC Corp forum site and have had several inquiries answered by
the CEO John Hall himself. The people who complain about RICs probably wanted the guitar
to "do" something for them without taking the time to get to know it on its own terms and
discover how to get what it has to offer so spendidly. Ordering supplies from them has been quick, and i have chatted personally or one-line with 2 current employees.

I give a 9 here only because I have never had any of the major problems others have and i
acknowledge that they do occur sometimes.

I have always wanted one guitar that could do it all. The RIC is strung with the regular
guitar strings first and, now that I have gotten the feel of it, plays just like a 6 string with
the added bonus of that harmonic "shraaang" as was intended when first built. Bends are
workable in 1/2 steps and this guitar is very playable fron frets 12 to 24. Your mileage may
vary.

Very surprised how, once dialed in, versatile this guitar is. Remember i spent time with its
narrow neck, but now it feels so automatic that a Les Paul or Fender actually feels too wide.

1966 Rickenbacker 360 12 string, two pickup (original "toasters"), Mapleglo finish, semi-solid body, passive electronics, three-way pup selector switch, "Ricko-sound" output jack for stereo application with case.

Like everyone else who bought one of these, I was inspired by George Harrison and Roger (Jim) McGuinn and the incredible sounds they got from these guitars. Unfortunately, I traded a 1959 Gibson ES-345 TDSV for it which now would be worth about $45,000. My Rick became the signature sound of the band I was in at the time. We were doing alot of vocal stuff; Association, 5th Dimension, Beach Boys...and the Rick was the perfect accompaniment. I played it thru a Vox AC-100 head (original Jennings all-tube model) into 2 Altec 417-B speakers in a Bandmaster cab (the Altecs were just like JBL's with the aluminum dustcaps). I used no effects - just wire from guitar to amp - tho I would have liked a little 'verb. Can you say "jangle"? I added a middle pickup about 20 years ago so it would look like McGuinn's. Truthfully, the center pup doesn't add much in the way of tone, and I probably spoiled the 'vintage-ness' - not that I will EVER sell this baby...

I don't remember much about how the set-up was when it was new. I tweaked it to taste, lowering the action as much as possible. Then I went to reverse-stringing, putting the high octave strings first before the low ones on the first 8. Had to use ****** little shims on the nut to compensate for height. Biggest problem with this axe is the 6 saddle bridge which does not allow for differences in intonation between octave pairs of strings. Years later, I bought an after-market 12 saddle bridge which helped, but not completely, probably because I use a bastardized custom mix of strings (.020w/.046w, .018w/.036w, .017p/.026w, .008/.017, .013/.013, .010/.010). Changing the strings is a ***** because of the tuner placements. Word of advice; never remove all the strings at once.

I've known a couple of people who owned these guitars and had the necks come off. The neck-body joint is a bit fragile and remember, there's almost twice the amount of tension with 12 strings. That's why in 40 years, I have never had all the strings off at once except to replace the tailpiece which failed after 30 years from metal fatigue. Happened in the middle of the night with the guitar in case in another room. The 'explosion' woke me up out of a sound sleep. I rarely take this guitar to gigs anymore except on special occasions or if I'm playing with a group doing alot of old Beatles & Byrds. It's a bitch to tune and keep in tune (tho I am way more tuning-conscious than most), and as good as mine plays, my left hand gets tired pretty quick.

Never needed it...

I've been playing for almost 50 years and own two Strats, a Paul Custom, a "frankentelly", two ovation acoustics (1 nylon, 1 steel), a Martin D-35, and a Fender bass; all I need to do what I do. Believe it or not, my Rick WAS stolen in 1969 out of our band warehouse. Two bandmembers went looking in every pawn shop in town and found it the next day. Cost me $60 to get her back, but I'd have paid 10 times that. The Rick 360 is THE 12 string guitar that started it all.

One of the most distinctive instruments ever built in terms of design, sound and construction. If you're reading this you know what it does and does very well. Quirky? Yes! Beautiful? Without a doubt!

Nothing sounds like a Ricky 12. Some consider it a bit of a bugger to play but once you get the hang of it.......

Absolutely spot on, no faults in assembly or set up. I've never touched it for adjustment!

All was well until I picked up the guitar the other day and noticed that the R tailpiece had snapped. I was now lumbered with 1000GBP's worth of beautifully made firewood! I contacted the UK distributers to inform them of the obvious manufacturing fault and they told me that I would have to return the broken item with a cheque for over a hundred pounds and they would send me a replacement eventually. The failure was obviously due to a manufacturing defect and the substandard material used in the tailpiece (as my metallurgical background shows!) but Rickenbacker refuse to acknowledge the problem or undertake to rectify it. Look on the web and there are plenty of examples of this!!

Frankly the customer support on this occasion was pitiful. An obvious manufacturing fault and duff materials has rendered a beautiful instrument useless!!!!!
This is a real shame as 10 years ago when I bought the instrument, the original one I'd bought developed a curve in the neck when viewed from above. The instrument was replaced within days with no arguments!
Come on Rickenbacker be all grown up and admit you've made a mistake, we'll love you even more for it!!!

Fantastic guitar, an icon played by some of the finest musicians ever to draw breath but let down by a manufacturer who couldn't care less!!

What you would expect. Not too much has changed, with the exception of the hi-gain pickups, which aren??t nearly as clear sounding as the original toasters, since about 1964. Mine is a brand-new 360/12, finished in June 2007.

As I said, the hi-gains aren??t very clear and favor the lower mids, so if you??re looking for the original Ric sound, get one with toasters. Intonation is also a bear on this guitar, as it has a 6 saddle bridge. Simple physics will tell you that when you have 2 completely different diameter strings, as you do on the bass courses, on the same saddle, there??s no way you can do anything but compromise on string length.

Action was much too high on this guitar when it arrived, so I took it for setup. My tech checked it out and found that the frets hadn??t been dressed properly, and some were too high. As it came from the factory, low action was NOT an option. Don??t believe it when they tell you they come from Santa Ana ready to play. Maybe some do, but this isn??t the first Rioc i??ve had problems with.

Finish had some blems, but overall not bad.

Reliability? Guess it??s solid enough, but as is it won??t stay in tune and is too hard to play.

Forget that. I tried, unsuccesfully, for several weeks to get them to respond to the message service on the site. I finally posted a message on the Ric forum, asking for help in contacting the company, where the CEO, John Hall, responded that such a feature didn??t exist on the Ric site, and that I must be lost (I believe his exact words were, "You must be lost, we don??t *HAVE* email on the site"). Another forum member, Blueflameric, pointed out, with links, that there was indeed such a service on the site. I had asked, respectfully, that he (Hall) inform the service department that I needed to contact them. After his insulting post, I wrote that I felt that was uncalled for and that an apology was in order. Then the entire thread disappeared and my access to the forum was revoked. Other posts I had put up (under a different alias) that were critical of the action and design of the bridge were revised to be complimentary of the instrument and company, or deleted altogether. And, of course, access for that alias was also blocked. It??s well known that John Hall himself is webmaster of that forum, and I guess he??s touchy when someone points out design flaws and poor customer service. Oh, and I did finally hear from the service manager, Kenny Howes, and I wrote him a detailed account of the problems with this Ric. Seems a bad fret job would be covered by warranty, or? He has not responded to my request for assistance, so it looks like the warranty is pretty much worthless.Can??t give Ric very high points for customer support. Sorry.

Overall, I??m very disappointed. I had really looked forward to this guitar, and, I guess if I were to sink more money into it, it would play fairly well, but I think I??ll probably sell it and invest the money in something more playable.

1965 Rick 360-12, Fireglo finish, standard equipment throughout.

Being more than 40 years old the guitar obviously has the classic pickups and construction. Pots and jacks are a bit scratchy but I leave everything turned up all the way so it's not much of a problem. The Rick's sound and playability do not disappoint. OTOH, most of the modern Ricks I've played are also very good.The instrument gets high marks for pride of ownership, though. It's the one iconic '60s guitar that the average player can still afford to buy. Go ahead--try to pick up a '65 Strat at a price you can swallow!

Actually it suits my overall playing needs less than I had imagined it would. I pictured myself using the 12 a lot in my recording work. Things didn't work out that way.

I've concluded that the Rick 12 is a perfect solution for doing covers of '60s tunes that were originally recorded with a Rick 12. Anything else, it sounds like you're trying to resurrect the '60s. No dishonor in that, but it does limit the guitar to a fairly narrow genre.

These issues are pretty irrelevant on a 42-year-old guitar. I was fortunate to find one in very good condition. As is the norm with older 12-strings, the first four frets were badly worn. My guitar guy managed to replace the four frets perfectly in spite of the Rick's varnished fretboard. Other luthiers had claimed it would be necessary to remove the varnish in order to do the fret replacement.

Of course the Rick 12 will handle live playing. Equally important, it will handle full-tension tuning at concert pitch for years on end.

The real question is whether it's wise to take a valuable vintage guitar on the road. I think I'd buy a newer Rick if I was going to gig with a 12-string.

The factory strap buttons are a busted guitar waiting to happen. Replace them with locking types. But keep the originals!

My questions to the factory have been answered promptly and constructively. I have found Rickenbacker to be the most responsive mainstream guitar maker when it comes to interaction with users.

The 360-12 is the perfect tool if you're playing vintage Byrds, Beatles, and Beach Boys material. Significantly less versatile for more modern arrangements. But still a pleasure to own and play.

I tried other electric 12-strings before buying the Rick but nothing else was in the same league. And the Rick just looks right when played on stage. There's no substitute for the real thing.

We all know the features for this guitar: High gloss finish (surprise, surprise, mine is Fireglo), solid maple construction for the body, laminated maple/walnut neck, standard Rickenbacker 360 body (quite comfortable), six saddle bridge (really not that bad for intonation as long as you use a wound low g string, although that goes for all of my guitars.) "R" trapeze tailpiece, a pain to restring in areas where the arch of the R gets in the way. Even worse with 12 strings. Nice Schaller tuners in the 90 degree angle configuration we all know and love. Very comfortable neck for me, it's thin horizontally, which makes lead and chords easier, thick vertically, which makes it fit right in my hand while I play it very comfortably. 24 3/4 inch scale, same as a Gibson. I don't know why everyone thinks that every Rickenbacker is a short scale guitar. Came with a nice hardshell flight case, made out of military grade plastic as opposed to wood covered with vinyl or something. The manual it came with can answer just about any question you will have (which is why I still don't know why everyone I asked prior to getting the guitar had no idea what the fifth knob does. Read the bleeding manual!) Made in March of 06, bought in December of 06 (the shop owner actually forgot that there was a guitar in the case, since he made the sensible decision to keep it in its case and away from grubby fingers.) 24 frets, and yes, I do use them all. All solid maple construction(except the neck.) 3 way selector, standard volume and tone knobs, and fifth knob which works as a secondary volume control for the neck pickup for blending it in in different amounts than possibly with just the one volume. This is why it only works when the neck or both pickups are activated, and not with just the bridge. When using the rick-o-sound stereo, which sends the signal for the neck pickup to one amp and the signal for the bridge pickup to another, it does the same thing, and also serves a a left-right balance due to the nature of the stereo. Two single coil high gain pickups. Anyone who says that these can not get a toaster sound obviously either did not try hard enough (if at all) or is deaf.
The guitar has some quirks about it, too, like the binding only on the back, which makes it incredibly comfortable, and the adjustable dual level pick guard, which lets you adjust it for your specific playing style. That's all I gave to say about features.

My style is whatever I listen to at the moment, which is always sixties music in some incarnation or jazz. This is a very underrated jazz guitar, and can get very nice warm jazzy sounds on the neck pickup. It can also get that stereotypical bright sixties rock/Byrds sound, and it is perfect for that 13th Floor Elevators/Golden Dawn/anything off the Nuggets compilation garage sound. The guitar is way more versatile than people think. The only thing hurting its versatility is the fact that it is a 12 string, and when you accidentally let one of the octave strings ring in the middle of a jazz solo, it sounds out of place. Luckily, the way that it comes strung, it has the regular string and then the octave string, rather than the other way around on conventional 12s. I have no dislikes about this guitar's sound.

Rickenbacker is famous for their finishes, especially Fireglo, their most popular flagship color, which is a burst with red on the edges fading to a natural center that will eventually fade or "amber" to a nice orangey red color that really fits the Fireglo name.
The setup was perfect when I got it, except the strings were a bit corroded (it WAS sitting around in a shop for several months before I got it.)The bridge, even if it is a six saddle bridge, intonates fine. The idea that it will only intonate well with a twelve saddle is such bollocks. Do people not actively seek out 3 saddle telecasters and, if they can't find them, modify them to be that way? With the exception of a few later Tom Petty songs, every well known Rickenbacker 12 song has been played with a six saddle bridge. If you are having any difficulty with the factory set up, it is probably because you replaced the stock strings with ones of drastically different gauge. The stock gauge strings (or something close) will intonate perfectly. Just remember that you should have wound low G and octave E strings. (That goes for most guitars, though.)There were no flaws on the guitar.

This guitar will withstand all kinds of abuse. The hardware will likely last the life of the guitar. It will definitely withstand live playing. The only time it ever failed me was when an ant crawled into the output jack and somehow got crushed in the contacts of the pickup selector, causing the Bridge pickup's signal to cease to exist. The strap buttons are solid, and will fit the Schaller strap locks with no modifications. I have played this guitar exclusively since December 4th or so, and it hasn't failed me yet (except the ant incident.) As such, I have and will use it without a backup, especially since I don't have another electric 12 and I use it for all of my songs.

The warranty is really not as bad as people think. Using different brands/gauges of strings will not void the warranty, nor will modifying it with RIC manufactured parts. It amazes me how many people don't actually read the warranty, which isn't as fascist as most. So far I haven't dealt with the company yet, so it isn't fair to give this area a rating.

I have been playing since seeing the Beatles play on the tele. Figure out how long. I have owned several Beatles guitars now, and this is rally the best (although the unofficial George Harrison signature model, the 360/12c63, is much more authentic to his first one, although if I added toasters to my current one I would have a 24 fret replica of his second 360/12 that he got in 1965.)My next Rickenbacker purchases will likely be either a 325c58 or c64 (the John Lennon models) or a 330 with toasters and vibrato (the poor man's Pete Townshend Signature) This guitar is perfect for fingerpicking due to the adjustable pickguard, the large distance between the strings and body due to the height of the neck at the neck/body joint (about one inch of clearance, even with extremely low action.) If it was stolen, I would buy another in a second (after searching all the pawn shops, etc. first.) I might try toasters in the future, since I have heard they have a slightly less harsh sound than the hi-gains, which would make them better for jazz. For now, the hi-gains are fine.
I think that's all I've got to say.

2005 Rickenbacker 360/12 in jetglo (black). Semiacoustic. Maple body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, triangular MOP inlays. Came standard with bound neck and back of body. 24 frets for bluewailing solos (sarcasm). Treble and bass tone and volume controls plus the famous fifth knob for blending. Came with a six-string bridge and "hi-gain" pickups, several points deducted for this very fact. To keep a 12-string intonated, you need a 12-string bridge. For more on the pickups, see the sound section.

Naturally the 360/12 sounds great strummed acoustically. This is *the* classic 12-string guitar. Everyone knows why you want a Ric 360/12 - for the sound of the '60s, the Beatles, the Byrds, the Searchers, the Beau Brummels, the Beach Boys, and of course in later times Petty, R.E.M., et al. However, this guitar as is will categorically ***not*** give you that. The hi-gain pickups are just that - waaaaaaaaaaaaay too hot to come anywhere near the classic Ric Sound. I had to pay another $160 to obtain a pair of vintage Ric toaster-top pickups as well as another $80 for a 12-string saddle bridge. Okay, now that's a classic Ric 12-string. I play through a Vox 30-Watt Valvetronix amp on clean settings, boosted a bit with a Keeley-modded Boss BD-2 and a four-knob Keeley compressor. A compressor is an absolute sine-qua-non must for any Ric using the vintage pups. McGuinn used one. Anyway, the sound with this set-up is, in my opinion, the Holy Grail of all guitar sound. I love my Heritage 555, but the one single thing it can't do is sound like this. Rings, chimes, sustains, the height of euphony. The guitar equivalent of cathedral bells. Ric places the bass strings above the octave strings to produce a somewhat beefier 12-string sound. I also had my luthier swap the strings to make it more chimey. Just gorgeous.

With the hi-gain pups, my rating here would be a 3. A 360/12 with hi-gains is firewood, absolutely useless (who wants a 12-string with a lot of gain? it's not recognizable as a 12-string!!) and it is a joke that Ric sells them this way. Even more obnoxious is that Ric essentially makes your guitars when you order them, and it takes forever to get them, but they won't install vintage toaster pups in the factory!! It hurts!!

Action was fine, only had to lower it a tiny tad. Naturally, as a 12-string, it requires quite a bit more pressure to barre. The black "jetglo" finish is pretty straightforward, but certainly beautiful and even. Nice job with the bindings. Ric slathers buckets of goopy lacquer finish over the fingerboard, and their frets are narrower than most companies', but neither of those things bothers me substantially.

Why, then, the toiletsville rating in this area? Two reasons - first, the 6-string bridge (which I replaced immediately along with those waste-of-electronics hi-gain pups) had zero business on a 12-string despite the Rickenbacker company's protestations to the contrary. Second, the Kafkaesquely skinny neck. I am sad to say that this guitar, which produces the favored guitar sound of my dreams, is going on consignment, because it is simply too difficult for me to play. I wish I could compare finger girth with you, the reader of this review, because if you're an average guitar player, my fingers are probably a little skinnier than yours. I couldn't fret chords (D, G, and C shapes all caused problems) on the fly without my fretting fingers interfering with other strings at least half the time. I even had my luthier, James at Dietze Music, redo the nut to separate the string sets a little more. That helped a little bit, but it still didn't come close to comparing to playing a 12-string with an un-psychotically skinny neck (an Epiphone Riviera). Absolutely unacceptable.

The kicker is that the Rickenbacker company knows darn well that the colossal majority of guitar players have trouble with the neck width of a 360/12, and yet stubbornly refuse to make one with a wider neck. Why not? I suppose it's a matter of tradition. That's the way they've always made them, and if you can't play it perfectly, you must be a peon. If you want a reasonably wide neck on a 12-string Ric, your only recourse is to buy a 660/12, which is a solid body, a much different look and approach, fortunately comes standard with a 12-string bridge and toaster pups and has the wider neck - and which Ric makes in numbers which are infinitismally smaller than the demand for those three coveted features. "Kafkaesque" fits to a T. Oh, and it gets worse - people say "try a 660/12 first?" How, praytell? They are the rarest of all factory-made Rics. You aren't going to find them hanging on a GC rack. You can "try them" by buying one, or, more accurately, ordering one and waiting over a year for it to arrive. Isn't that great?

If my fingers were elfinly skinny, I would rate this a 7 or an 8 and be keeping the guitar.

It's a semiacoustic, but I would be less afraid of damaging it than with my Heritage 555 (an adaptation of the Gibson 335) because it's more sturdily designed, and the finish is like tooth enamel. Everything seems very solidly done. You pay a fair amount for a Ric, but you certainly get what you pay for (with the caveats I've noted elsewhere).

I can't say much about customer service, because I haven't had to deal with the company. Read other reviews - the experience of many has been that Rickenbacker is arrogant and hard to contact. I would be pretty darn nervous dealing with them if anything happened to my 12-string (before selling it). My only contact came through my dealer when I ordered the guitar and asked about factory installation of the 12-string bridge and toasters. No dice, of course. It strikes me that Rickenbacker has very little interest in meeting customer wants and needs. You will have it their way (the opposite of Burger King) or they will shrug their shoulders and you will buy something else. Of course, if you want "the Sound," no you won't.

I've been playing electric for a little over a year, but I've been a connoisseur of guitar sounds for 31 years. Before you snort and stop reading, finish reading what I have to say, and compare what I say to what everyone else says. I'm right about what I'm saying here! I also own a Heritage 555 and a Ric 330, which is a fantastic instrument (after the installation of toasters, naturally) which is 9+'s across the board except for, of course, customer service.

It makes me weep that I will have to sack this guitar, as the sound it produces is incredible. But I can't play it. Neither can legions of other players. Ric knows this, and they won't fix it by producing a 360/12 with a real neck width. They know that most people like their guitars to be in tune, especially when you're dealing with octave strings, but they won't add a 12-string saddle at the factory. They know that the gargantuan majority of the people who buy a 360/12 want the vintage sound via the toaster pick-ups, but they won't do that at the factory, either. Why not? Because they don't have to. There's nowhere else you can go to duplicate the Sound and the gorgeous look of their instruments. Plus, they can charge more when you order the 12-string saddle and toasters. For the dealer to install, of course. Arrogant, arrogant, arrogant!!! All that said, yes, I will be ordering a 660/12, because there's nowhere else I can go. The best thing about Ric is the price. If you have skinny fingers, and make sure to buy the 12-saddle bridge and toasters for your dealer/luthier to install, by all means get this guitar, and even after those obnoxious additions, you'll have a great value. If not, then you'd better order a 660/12, which, from all accounts, does a better job of producing the Sound than semiacoustic knockoffs by other companies. The difference in price covers the cost of the toasters and 12-saddle, but just think, they were factory-installed! Isn't that great? Just be prepared to wait a year or two, no exaggeration.

My 360/12 is in a fireglo finish, and was made in 1998. I am the second owner and have had it for five years. Nice wood graining is visible where the burst fades to light. This Ric has been professionally modified with a 12-saddle bridge and toaster pick-ups. I also added vintage-looking knobs. Why these come with a 6-saddle bridge is beyond me. All other features are standard. The truss rod system is a welcome feature to help keep the neck straight and true.

Rickenbackers, esp the 12 strings, have a very unique sound, and the toaster pickups are essential if you want "THE sound". I've been using this guitar in a cover band for a number of years and I think it is a fantastic rhythm guitar: rock, country, pop, 60s-70s music, etc. I've found this guitar to be much more versatile than many might think and as a few have posted here. The pick ups are powerful and offer a range from jangle to deep bass. The middle position on the pup selector switch can produce lovely near-acoustic tones. Even when overdriven, the Ric-12 produces some surprisingly nice results. I've never had problems with hissing or other annoying sounds.

I've played my Ric Twelve through a Fender Cyber Twin and now through a modified Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (up-graded speaker and tubes--essential mods for this 40w tube amp). The tube amp really punches the sound and the Ric 12 comes alive compared to the solid state amp I used previousl (the Cyber Twin, BTW, was a very good amp for a cover band that did everything from Motown to R&B, funk, surf, country, classic rock, disco, 80s-90s styles, etc).

Beautiful finish and detailing; the Ric corporation is among the best at this. The guitar was ready to play when it arrived. A tweak by a local guitar tech and it was perfect. The 12-saddle bridge keeps the intonation spot on. My Ric stays in tune, even with heavy use during a gig.

As mentioned by others, the necks on the 330/360 series are narrow, making it a challenge to play. I watched the McGuinn video several times and learned from it how to modify certain chords. I've had this guitar for five years, and the difficulty playing it can drive me mad at times. But the sound is pure heaven and worth the hassle. I've never played a 660/12 (with the wider neck) but would love to compare the two necks. A friend of mine has an older "Harrison" 12-string Ric. The necks are the same width but for reasons I can't figure out, his is easier to play than mine. Bottom line: be patient!

I initially tried Pyramid strings and loved the sound. However, I developed very bad tendenitous in my left hand (non picking hand). This became severe and local doctors weren't able to help. Playing the Ric was near impossible. While on a Ric chat room site, I learned that the problem might have been with the high tension of the Pyramids. Sure enough, a quick change to Ric strings and the problems in my left hand were gone instantly!

The Ric-12 always draws comments at gigs. It sounds great and looks great. The penetrating Ric sound can bring many tunes alive.

This is a very solid guitar, surprisingly so for a semi hollow body. I've used this guitar a lot in the past five years; never had a problem with reliability, never had to go to a back up. It might appear to be fragile, but it is built solidly.

The factory warranty is weak and pathetic. Never had to deal with the factory.

I've been playing for almost 40 years. I'm in a rock cover band and a jazz/blues band. I would be devastated if something happened to this guitar. The Ric 360/12 is a legend and it's incredible to have one and be able to produce that unique sound. I did not shop around for any other electric 12, this was the only guitar that I lusted for.

My other gear: Fender USA Big Apple Strat, Ibanez AS73 (335 style), Gibson L-5 Wes Montgomery. My amps are a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (with mods as descsribed above) and a Polytone Minibrute for jazz gigs.

The best multi-featured electric 12 string on the market! The Rick I have is a 2005 Fireglo, one of the few made in USA hand made manufactured items left in this country. The 360 12 is quite possibly the modern reincarnation of the Geoge Harrison original model. With the high gain pick-ups and more modern shape, the sound is incredible, possibly better than the original toaster model.

Having the Rick-O-Sound is the best idea since stereo was invented. You can play with a splitter box (Rick-o-Sound) cable two different amps and get a treble and bass sound contrast that has depth beyond having just one amp. I actually play the Rickenbacker 360 12 through three amps via two Line 6 pods: A Marshall JCM 800 Combo (For the high end), Marshall JCM 2000 half stack (For bass), and a Carvin Nomad 112 with a Carvin half stack (For a full warm mid range). A couple of Marshall 1912 extension speakers round out the sweet stereo surround sound.

The body style is classic semi-hollow with a Nike logo style sound hole. That is what attracted me from the start when I owned a 300 series Rick 6 string electric back in the 70's. It looks so modern and fresh even dating back to the 60's.

The Tuners are a very compact novel right angle idea, simple, and easy to use with very accurate tuning that stays in tune. In comparison, I have a Floyd Rose system on my Metal Strat that is great but very complex. (The closest thing to my volin fine-tuners on the bridge which I prefer.)

The neck is narrow and takes a while getting use to. I play a Taylor accoustic 12 and that is the ultimate neck. Though once you get to know the instrument, it is still challenging but much easier. The neck is reminencent of my old Gibson 12 accoustic.

The standard plastic case is unreal. Some people don't like the rectangular shape, but it is the most spacious of all for carring accessories. Lots of space for strap, tuners, and even strings and polish plus cloth!

For some people, this guitar is a night-mare. Others refer to the Rickenbacker 360 12 as a dream. In reality, the Rickenbacker is the finest electric guitar ever made and sounds like heaven on earth. If you want to play like the Byrds, Beatles, The Who, (even Led Zepplin) and want the 60's and 70's sound this is "it".

The Rickenbacker is not a guitar for beginners or one with fat fingers. Extensive experience playing an accoustic 12 string is a must to easily adapt to the instrument. It is well worth the trip to master the Rick, as the sounds you can get from this instrument is exceptional. The highs are unparalleled. The base is as good as it gets. The mid range is full and depth of character is very satisfing and warm. For rhythem and lead the Rickenbacker 360 12 is the best all around guitar for vintage and modern sound.

I believe my Rick is factory set and is perfect as far as action. I didn't like the way the factory strings the tweleve string backwards. My Rick 12 is strung like other 12's. The Rick 360 12 is hard enough to play as it is let alone having the thick six strings reversed. Strung normally, it is playable without having the additional tongue twister feature. To Rickenbacker factory: Why?

Fit and finish is exceptional. The fireglo finish is outstanding and layers of lacker is bullet proof compared to other guitars. The lackered neck is a very nice feature and is mirror like, as with the rest of the fine instrument. (Not sticky at all contrary to what some people's opinion of the glossy neck finish.)

The quality of the wood, metal, pick-ups are of the highest order. The guitar is light and comfortable to play. Not like my old Les Paul, very heavy and a neck strain in long sessions.

The cut away body is perfect. And the 24 fret neck is a joy though a challenge to play because the strings are so close together.

A Bullet proof semi-hollow guitar!

I have been playing 38 years. I own two Taylors, a six and tweleve string accoustic as well as a Metal Strat, and a couple of classical guitars. I also have played a Ramerize Concert A in the past.

I would buy another Rickenbacker 360 12 in a heartbeat if it was lost. The only other guitar I would consider is an accoustic Taylor GS with a big accoustic sound. That would augment my collection, not replace the Rick.

The tone, sound, overall look of the Rick 360 is incredible. I love the jingle jangle sound, and the way it goes perfect with my vocals. The Rick 360 is the best guitar I have and would be hard to replace. It blows the doors off of any other tweleve string, as well as any other guitar. Period.

Brand new 2005 model - color code :BBR (blueburst)- 12string - 2 hi-gain pickpus - mono and stereo out - 24 frets
well, read previous reviews for full decription.

I don't know how to rate the "features" since its a matter of personal needs. Having features that you don't use does not make the instrument necessarily better...like having a ski-doo equipped with air conditioning while living in Antartica?!

It matches my style perfectly I guess, if only I could find words to define my music style...How does it sounds? The common cliche is the "Beatles". But if you really want to hear what range of sound a 360-12 can produce listen to Mike Rutherford back on the old Genesis albums whith Gabriel. (think of pieces like The Musical Box, Supper's Ready, Can-Utility and Coastliner, Selling England By The Pound, Cinema Show, Harlequin etc) In almost every tune, Rutherford used a 360-12 and never with the same tone/sound. He really demonstrated how versatile this guitar can be.
It can sound rich, open, or as delicate as anything else around.(take the time to explore what the 5th little knob can offer). Along with different pickup settings and tone controls, you would be amazed to hear the wide range of sound a 360 can provide - or any Ric 300 series for that matter.
achieve.

I use mine with two Vox VR-30 amps, a BoSS VF-1 fx processors (mainly for compression and modulations ) and a Boss RT-20 Rotary effect twin pedal. All in "living stereo"

I find this guitar almost dead quiet

Factory setup (pickup height - intonations - neck - almost perfect exept for the action witch I lowered to my taste in 15 seconds.

Finish is absolutely amazing from fretwork, paint, hardware, precision assembly, name it!

I don't see why this guitar should be different from my other Ric's meaning that these instruments may look fragile but there are not. I live in Canada in constant change of temperature and humidity and I never had warped neck problem. Sorry Fender, I can't say the same about you folks. For the rest, with minimum care, this guitar will survive me and by far. I would and will use it on gig without backup

Company always replied to question almost right away (e-mail) . On the other hand, I never had to report or deal with a physical problem. Warranty is 1 year, I think.

I have been playing bass and guitar for over 35 years. I am also a Waldorf and Access Virus synths fan.
I bought my 1st 4001 in 1973 and never lost track of what Rickenbacker is manufacturing, therefore I never really had to ask questions. I would not normally cry over the loss of material things...except maybe for my RIC 350 Ruby...and my RIC 230 Jetglo because there are no longer available.
If I compared this guitar against other brands? What for? What compares to a RIC? Maybe a Gretsch???This question with be relevant if we were talking about a STRAT for example, since most other serious manufacturers offer STRAT style/configuration guitars.
I do not wish the 360-12 had anyting else than what is on offer. Altough I wish I was born with 4 hands when comes the time to change strings.
I hope Rickenbacker will never be in a position where they would be forced to produce cheap instruments in order to survice as a company or to become greedy like , well let's not mention names...

2005 made in USA hi output single coils fire glow.

style is from beatles stones yardbirds who floyd to white zombie metalica sabbath ect. this guitar does amazing and uncanny things.
its very quiet even with distortion just dont stand right in front of the 4x12s
i have a couple 67 marshalls a 68 laney and a 65 vox it seems to work best in the high treble inputs unless you run distorted and it likes the vox and the laney just a tad better then the marshalls at this point.
that might change as the marshalls are like natural compresors.
alot of love went into building these guitars and its reflected in there performance it is a great guitar one of the very best ive ever played. its a 12 string with lightning action and a soulfull voice.

people say 2 things that dont seem to bother me they say you cant solo on this and the necks too thin im not having that problem.
the set up finish and everything is spotless on this guitar that explains the long wait folks have getting these into there stores.
even the case is really high quality.
this guitar is a real bargain at 1200 bucks.

jurys still out on durability but its crafted to very high standards but i plan to play it alot so i think that its on me and how ill treat it but it wont just sit in a case.

the president of the company has been known to help folks out directly
he seems very dedicated and the over all feel of the company is that they take there craft very serious.

this is my 1st rick after some things i had read i was worried i might not get on with it but i had plenty of testimony from all the great bands that had used it.
folks say its a 1 trick pony im not seeing this, theres alot of very diferent things in this guitar but it requires that you abandon what you think you know and take a step back i am doing all sorts of very unothodox things with it and its coming off quite well.
i admit it may not be for every one but if your serious about buying a few guitars in your life im certain a rick should be on your list at some point.
ive played along time and this guitar opens up new directions for me it was a good decision to buy it.

Mine was made in Oct 2005 and I purchased it brand new with factory case and all paperwork. It has quite alot of features including the Rick O Sound jack, German made high quality Schaller tuners, all high quality heavy chrome hardware, high gloss fretboard, 24 frets, white binding on inside edge of soundhole, around the neck edges, and around bottom edge of guitar. I love the neck and action as I have small hands and have no problem chording this one. Finish is the Fireglow finish which was absolutely beautiful and flawless. Comes standard with the 2 high gain pickups, adjustable 6 saddle bridge, volume and tone controls, 3 way selector switch and 5th knob feature. It came with the standard form fit Rickenbacker hardshell case which fits the guitar like a glove. Also included are warranty card, care and instruction manual, Rickenbacker cloth, and Rickenbacker foldout advertising brochure. All U.S. Made in California.

I've been looking at 12 string guitars for a couple years now trying to decide the best value and playability for my money and kept coming back to the Rickenbacker as best overall value. It sounds absolutely beautiful thru my Fender twin 12. You can adjust the controls on the guitar to get about any great 12 string sound imagineable. I've tried other 12 strings and this Rickenbacker soars way over the others in sustain, playability, and smoothness of action.

Set up from the factory was perfect, action superb, neck absolutely straight, finish and fit were superior to anything I've seen. I put on my 3 power magnifier glasses and went over this instrument from top to bottom and can say without reserve this is the most perfect guitar I've ever seen. All wood and contours are blended perfectly, absolutely no seams are visible.

The guitar looks like it could withstand anything that came its way in the line of live playing. Being that all the hardware and electronics are of the highest quality I see no reason to have a backup with this one. Strap buttons are solidly screwed in and beefy, the finish is impeccable.

I've delt with the company CEO, John Hall on some problems I had on a 325C58 and was told to try one of the current modern models instead of a reissue, since the reissue models were made to exacting specs of the original models, and no better or worse than the originals. I being bullheaded figured all Rickenbackers were the same in quality until I tried this new 360 12 string. I should have listened to Mr. Hall as I was dead wrong thinking that a reissue could be compared to a new model Rickenbacker. If I'm wrong I'm wrong and have no problem saying it. Mr. Hall I fully apologize to you and Rickenbacker. This 360/12 has far far exceeded all my expectations of a 12 string guitar.

I've been playing for over 35 years and own a Gretsch, Kramer and Gibson, all 6 strings. This is the first 12 string I've had and find it to be the absolute best in quality and workmanship. There's nothing I dislike or would have made different or changed. The favorite feature is the Rick O Sound which I intend to explore as soon as I get around to it. Rickenbacker did an absolutely superb job on this one and I'd have to commend all those workers who labored over its manufacture to produce such a fine qualiy and superior instrument. If it were lost or stolen I'd defenitely purchase another without reservation. Lastly I will say make sure you buy from a reputable dealer of Rickenbacker and buy new verses used. In the long run your getting your money's worth in that you'd be assured of an instrument that hasen't been tampered with, obused or generally not taken care of.

Beautifully Finished carved maple top, High gain single coil pickups, with 24 fret neck (Very Thin Neck) Pickups have a little noise in them.

The case is made for the guitar, and is good quality.

The guitar seems to be fairly light weight and comfortable.

Unique full sound. I like to fall back a little on the volume controls to get a nice, almost acoustic/electric sound from the guitar.

I used my 360/12 the other night through my Fender Acoustasonic Jr and a microphone in the other channel to play for a dinner party. It was excellent! I had originally intended to use a flat top, but was glad that I used the Rickenbacker once I realized how it filled the room. One of the guests commented that "You don't normally see someone playing a Rickenbacker when it is just a guitar and voice". That comment made my day! That is the showmanship part! The guest mentioned that he loved the sound of it.

The Action is the best I've seen. The finish is impecable.

I'm planning on trying to wear this guitar out. I think it is going to take a long time.

The dealer has been excellent (Dave's Guitar / LaCrosse Wisconsin)

Rickenbacker knows they produce quality, and in my opinion, they have an attitude. They probably have a right to have one.

I have been playing for 41 years. I have a house full of top quality guitars. I play mostly acoustic with a lot of experimentation using other instruments.

The thin neck is challenging, but not unmanageable.

I am facinated with this guitar, and particularly the sounds that I can get from it. I play occasionally with an eclectic group of musicians and they fell in love with it too.

The Rickenbacker 360/12 was expensive in my opinion for an electric guitar, but worth it. I guess I have spent a lot more for acoustic guitars.

Mine is a 2005 model with the new headstock design (fully slotted - they go all the way through) in Fireglo. You probably know all the rest - made in SoCal, I wanted the toaster pickups. Everything appears to be first class; the switchgear, the metal parts, the mini Schallers, etc.

As others have said, the string spacing on the neck is very tight. If I detune to D then capo up two frets I have no problems at all, but I think I am going to try to force myself to play without a capo. Sloppy left hand technique just won't cut it here, so I'll have to practice and I think this will result in an improvement in all my playing. I am wondering if a new nut with the slots cut just slightly wider would help, but that would be my final act of desperation. I've only had the guitar a few days, so even though I have big hands, I should really try to get used to the neck.

Others have commented that the "R" tail piece can be a problem, but I haven't changes strings yet. There are some good tips on the Ric website though and I'm not expecting major issues.

Well, they say it's a "one trick pony" and to some extent that's true, but the sound is incredible. If that bright, jangling, Brit-pop sound is what you are after I think only the Ric produces it.

I'm using it through a Line 6 Pod XTL into an Atomic, a 60s Fender Champ, and also into my M-Audio monitors.

The single coil toasters are a little noisy (especially near a CRT monitor) but they nail the sound.

Everything was just superb. It was set up by the dealer (North Coast Music) perfectly. The action is super low, and the attention to detail is stunning. The neck is super slick, the shark toth fingerboard inlays are all perfect, the binding is flawless, as is everthing else on the guitar. Ric's finishes put all other major guitar manufactueres to shame.

Well, I've only just bought it, but these guitars have been around essentially unchanged for many years.

Rickennbacker really seem to stand behind their products. When the CEO and the Production Manager constantly answer forum questions on the company's website, it says a lot.

I've been playing for over 30 years and I have a small collection of high quality guitars, mostly US-made Fenders and Martins. I'm thrilled with this guitar, and the dealer has provided excellent service shipping it to me in New Jersey from Wisconsin. I really think that the only thing you could comapre it to is another Ric 12. If it was stolen I woudl definitely try to get another, and now I'm seriously thinking of a 6-string Ric to go with it.

'03 USA production, Fireglow, Standard RIC 5 knob set up, "High Gain" Pu's, Schaller tuners ect. Pretty much the same guitar they have been making for 25+years.
Included HSC, two wrenches, manual and cloth.

Great guitar for pop songs, nice and full sounding, perfect for singer songwriters who want something differnt than the typical acoustic.

Usual incredible RIC standard...

100s of these guitars are around for 30+ years, not expecting any problems.

Never contacted them, rumor has it theat they are a "spirited" bunch...

This is it,, the one I have been looking for for YEARS...RIC guitars are INCREDIBLY hard to find in my area. This one was in the personal collection of the shop owner who was using it in a "Beatles" display in house(Vox amps, Ludwig kit, Hoffner bass ect.) He got hold of a vintage 12 and put this out for sale! MINT condition...! Pricey? perhaps, but worth it..

This guitar is a 12 string, a six string, and the top half of an electric mandolin. I bought one 25 years ago, sold it, and no other guitar satisfied me since. I bought it for the beatles sound, but ended up using the front pickup mostly. Sounds great on smooth jazz and classical. I also use it for a hand exerciser. After playing classical on this, a classical feels like a ukelele. Having bought my second ric, I don't mind putting a humbucker somewhere on here.
I've played with the stereo option - heard little difference.

It is the only electric that sounds good on classical or piano music.
This guitar is picky about the amp it is matched to.

Gitar was fine from the factory, but was helped by adjusting the neck and bridge. I recently tore it down and found sawdust under the pickguard. No more!

This is pro equipment. It expects to be used and probably dropped (not by me). The only reason for a backup is to have a six string for dirty sounds.

Never dealt with company.
Never tried to get it repaired.
The warranty is one page long.

I've played for 40 years My ric would never wander off and get lost.
If it were stolen, I would have a new life mission: To track down this subhuman creature and cut pieces off until it began to gain the proper reverence and appreciation for others' rickenbackers and the proper revulsion for anyone that could possible jepardize a
defenseless ric. I love my ric. and am happy to be its caretaker.

Made in 2004, fireglo finish, vintage pick-ups, you know the rest. Minus 1 on features for only 6-saddle bridge, minus 3 for narrow neck, plus 1 for toasters, plus 2 because you can take off 6 strings, and convert it into the greatest and coolest 6-string guitar in the world!

I'm into original, melodic, atmospheric rock, with tight drums and good lyrics. The 12-string Rickenbacker sound will hopefully add a new dimension to the songs I choose to use it on, for recording purposes. I use a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amp, and a few basic Boss pedals for delay, chorus, etc. The sound, once you find something to use it for, can be like heaven. If you are picking lots of notes, I find that it is best to capo up a few frets, to give more room between strings on the neck. Picking backward will give you a balanced attack against both strings of the pair, it can sound like a harp or harpsicord, it sounds wonderful with just a little delay, and reverb, straight into a recording machine. I also play without a capo, for the challenge and work-out of it all. In this scenario, I may tend to play it more like a 6-string, picking down, you will get the occasional "bling" of both strings, mixed in with a low string and some muted strings, but still full-sounding. I find that you don't have to play it perfect, most of the time. A muted string here and there will not stop this guitar from singing. Also, lightly strumming open chords with light distortion can produce a wall of droning sound, quite edgy, quite use-able. This is the sound. If you can play it, the sound cannot be beaten for what it is.

It was shipped from Minnesota to Florida during winter, so I expected some issues. Neck had a bow to it, fretted strings ring out nicely. Action considerably too high. Finish is awesome, some minor flaws near the tuner slots inside the headstock.

Like many looking for a 12-string Ric, I was torn between the 360 and 660. Unlike those who favored the 660, I was not too keen on having my 12-string be solid-bodied, plus, I have never come across a 660. I even love the sound of this thing unplugged, it is the most amazing looking and sounding thing, but it is friggin' hard to play well. My hands sweat and I can't play anything difficult for too long. It's one of those "no-pain-no-gain" scenarios, when you learn how to use it successfully, you will feel a sense of accomplishment, like finishing a D.H. Lawrence novel! At that moment, the stubborn Ric Gods will smile down on you, and say, "see, we didn't change it or ever make the neck wider, just so you could feel the way you feel right now". Then you can stare at it, love it, hate it, ponder it, be inspired by it again. If it were lost or stolen, I would call it fate, and try a 660, having known the 360, hopefully well. If the 660 won me over, I would then have to own a 360 6-string, because they are the coolest!

The most beautiful guitar you'll ever see, and it's not all asthetic. There's nothing on this guitar that's just for show, it all serves a purpose. First off there's 24 frets. That's two entire octives which makes me wonder why all guitars don't have it just for symetry or whatever. Also, unlike alot of other guitars, especially semi-hollow, it's extremely easy to get to all the frets. The pick guard is one of the most ergonomical I've ever seen. The height can be adjusted or it can just be removed altogether. The toaster pickups look and sound great. It's got volume control for each pickup (I was always jealous of this when I only had a Strat). It feels great and is easy to play either sitting down or standing up, doesn't slide off your lap and the weight is balanced excelently. I don't know if I'll ever use the rick-o-sound stereo output, but I feel cool with it there. Also, I've still only a bare understanding of the 5th knob that seems to chane the volume of the neck pickup. The only back thing I can say is that I've heard that the R tailpiece breaks, and aside fro that it's kind of a pain to change the strings with the R moving around (it disconnects from the guitar when not held taut by the strings). Also, you've got to pay real close attension to which tuning peg controls which string when tuning. <b>One of the best things about this particular guitar is that it's almost the exact dimensions as the 360 6 string.</b> The only difference is the extra tuning pegs that make the head of the guitar need to extend an extra inch or two. The neck length, width, etc. are all the same.

I've always been a single coil fan, but I love the sound of these pickups. What's more, I love the sound of this guitar with no amplification at all. With all 12 strings in and with clean amplification, it's one of the most beautiful sounds you'll ever hear.

The action on my particular model was a little off. I thought it was the guitar at first, but after tightening the action (Myself, with no ill effects yet) it is now perfect. I bought it used so I can't say that the guy before me didn't do that. The finish is great and evertying else was set up fine. Oh, also the nut on mine was loose, but I actually use that to my advantage. when I want 6 strings I slide the nut off center a little to balance everything out. It stays in place well once the strings are on and tight.

I would imagine that this guitar will last a long time. I'm not sure if that's becuase it's durable or because anyone who owns it will treat it better than their children.

I never thought that I could get away from Stratocasters much less Fender, but after playing this guitar I won't be putting it down anytime soon. Perfectly combining great looks, feel, and sound with amazing double-coil pickups and semi-hollow body. In fact, if you've ever considered another hollowbody, whether it's Gretsch, Epiphone, or Gibson, play one of these first because I swear it blows them all out of the water.

Wonderful guitar design in nearly every concievable way.

Sweet hollow body sound in a perfectly contoured shape.

Great tuners--the alternating pattern allows you to: (parapharsing George Harrison) "tune your guitar while drunk".

An amazing neck that just goes on forever! On most guitars, the body attaches to the neck somewhere around the 14th fret. On this guitar, you don't run into the body until close to the end of fretboard itself--24 frets sweet frets! You can play chords all the way up the neck. I love it.

A lot of people complain about how skinny the neck is at nut. This is true, but I get around it by using a capo on 2nd or 3rd fret. I don't know. It's just not an issue for me.

Great sounds with this guitar, although it takes a lot of experimentation if your not used to it. Pyramid flat-wound strings are the ideal strings. They're expensive, but last a long time, and are essential for getting the classic 12-string sound this guitar is famous for.

no problems

Interesting mix of features.

Neck is unique?double truss rods. I hear that fixing any serious neck problems with this guitar is as expensive to fix as buying a new one, mainly due to fact that neck extends through body rather than bolting on. The skinny neck is an issue?it just is and you need to be able to adapt to it to enjoy this guitar otherwise you?re going to be miserable and never want to play it. The skinny neck is much less of a problem for the 6 string version of the 360, but for the 12 string it requires changing the way you play. Chords that work on a six string can be hard to pull off on this guitar?or may sound too muddy because of the additional strings. Likewise, chords that sound anemic on a six string can sound really great on this guitar. It?s a whole learning process trying to determine what works and what doesn?t?but for me, that?s part of the joy of this guitar. I bought it because I wanted something different. I wanted a new challenge. If you are not open to adapting your style though and simply want to continue playing things the way you?re used to, do yourself a favor and don?t buy this guitar?you?ll just be frustrated. Of course, you could always go with the Dakota version of the 360, which has a wider neck. I think some of the solid body models also have a wider neck.

Tailpiece: beautiful?and fun too, if you?re in to Sonic Youth ?play behind the bridge? tactics. However you pay a price for this beauty. The tailpiece is inherently unstable and known to break off quite violently after time, due to the intense 12 string tension. Rickenbacker hasn?t changed it though because of aesthetics?it just looks really great.

The Rick O' Sound option is cool.

Assuming you can get used to the skinny neck, and can figure out the mix knob, and the Ric?o?sound options, and get the tuning under control?this guitar sounds great and is really fun to play. It?s certainly a very distinctive sound. Everybody calls it ?jangly? which I don?t happen to think is a very good description of its sound. It?s certainly leans toward the treble side and the low e string is has a lot less punch than on most six strings?which can be annoying sometimes. The sound is very full and droning rather than jangly to my ears?but like any guitar, a lot of the sound depends on how you play and what you play it through. The guitar sounds best with some type of compressor going; otherwise the strings tend to be a little uneven. Partial chords and triads sound great. Open chords sound great. A soft touch sounds better than heavy riffing?the notes sing out better. This is not a good guitar for fast and loud puck rock and power chords?it gets muddy. However, contrary to what some people claim, the guitar does very well with overdrive or distortion?it?s gets a really intense driving sound which is great for a lot of single note lead stuff. String bending can be done, but is hard to control intonation because often the octave string bends at a slightly different pitch than the low string and gives an ugly dissonant sound. With some practice and discretion, moderate bends can be pulled off from time to time. Though, one of my favorite bends (F# to G on the low E string) sounds like complete crap?forget trying to play Ventures or Duane Eddy licks on this guitar!

This guitar needs a flat pick to sound good?which is rather limiting if you tend to switch off between Travis-style finger picking and flat-picking as I do. It?s not that you can?t fingerpick?it?s just that it sounds extremely uneven.

I have scatter-wound toaster style pickups. In all truth, I just think the black high-gain pickups are ugly as hell?and that was reason enough to pay extra to get some toaster pickups installed for my new guitar. The toaster pickups are inherently weaker, but are supposed to be more ?sixties? sounding. I haven?t played enough Rics with High gain pickups to be able to point out the differences. I suspect a lot of guys prefer the vintage pickups just because they want their guitar to be as ?authentic? as possible?regardless of the advantages of the high gain pickups.

Ric o? Sound
I like this option and think its pretty fun. I know most guys ignore it. Granted it takes a few more minutes to get yourself set up than if you just plug in to a single channel amp. But I think the payoff is worth it. It gives you a lot of sound options to play with (and the mix knob actually comes in pretty handy too). Anyway? if you?re getting a new 360, I would consider ordering the Ric o? sound box with it (assuming you have a dual channel amp or a second amp).

The construction and finish is really impressive. It is as well crafted as any hollow body Gibson I've tried and costs about a third of the price of a new 335 or L5.

It has a noticable smell of guitar wax and polish when opening the case for the first time--kind of cool.

My only complaint is that the hardshell case is so snug that there is no compartment for picks or strings.

Bridge
I had a 12 saddle bridge installed upon ordering the guitar because I?d heard people complain about the six saddle bridge. I can?t compare between the two because since I?ve never had to deal with the six saddle version. However, I can tell you that tuning and intonation is an inherent issue with this guitar?even with the 12 saddle bridge. Tuning s takes a lot of getting used to. Now that I?ve had my 360 for a couple of months, tuning doesn?t bother me the way it once did?but it is a learning curve. I think it probably helps to get your guitar setup by a guitar tech who is experienced with Ric 12 strings. I?ve played Ric 12 strings where I?ve had to spend an extraordinary amount of time just trying to keep the guitar in tune. I bought my guitar came from the people at the Rickenbacker Pages?a guitar store in North Carolina that is only Rics. Since I knew I was going to get a twelve saddle bridge and toaster pickups put in, I felt like I was more likely to get a guitar set up properly from experienced Ric sellers than from the local dude at Guitar Center. I didn?t? get the rock bottom price I might have gotten at Guitar Center, but I have been satisfied with my decision (plus they had a much better selection of colors?and I was able to get a hard to come by Burgundy model, new in the case)

Tailpiece:
If you want a rock-solid tailpiece you need to go with the Dakota mode. It substitutes a Fender-like tail in place of the trapeze style. I don?t know how it affects the guitar tone, but I?m certain it stabilizes the tuning issues which plague these guitars. It?s also a whole lot easier to string the Dakota compared to the nightmare of stringing with the R tailpiece.

Heard it sucks, but I don't have any experience with them (not yet anyway).

I think this is a great guitar and has a lot to offer beyond the "I've got to have it because I'm into the Byrds and Beatles" cliche. There's nothing wrong with the sixties sound, but I just hate that this guitar has been put into the retro ghetto. It needs a new champion to kick start it's image.

There are some inherent problems with it's design that make it a difficult guitar to play for the average player who is accustomed to a telecastor or strat, but you really know you've got something different in your hands when you pick one of these up. It's worth the extra effort to learn how to adjust your playing to this guitar. It's a lot of fun. My only suggestion is to step away from the Beatles music and try playing something fresh with it.

brand new 360/12 vintage toaster style pickups...as soon as i heard these i knew i had to make a cup of tea.. made in nov 02... jetglow colour.. gorgeous looking .. i have used a 330/12 previously and would have bought one again but couldn't find one with vintage style pickups .. so ended up with this one.. you know all the ins and outs..what can i say ? i didn't like it at first but was quickly won over ... and i'm not talking about corned beef and mustard sandwiches here ?

i love late 60's british pop and rock music so it fits in well there.. i am useing a selmer treble and bass from the early 70's..the one that looks like it was styled in the former soviet union..what a sound as the amp is a two channel ..soon as i can afford it the guitar wil be re-wired to play in stereo .. lovely bright sound ..have not had any time to wack the volume up yet but will de doing so soon... i remember from my 330/12 days amp right up and these guitars come to life .. this guitar will help convert jews and muslims (those slimline killers) to a life of peace and love..."horay" those evil fux

if i turn around there it is behind me on the chair ..so i'm not turning... finish is lovely and shiny, chrome is sexy.. have adjusted the strings i will probably send out for a set up as soon as i can afford/bear to part with ..i bought from a shop in the states and it arrived here in the uk in excelent shape.. lovely vintage case and all..
this is better constructed than my old 330/12 but i would say the finish maybe is not as deep..but still lovely to look at though .. i can't say anything bad about this guitar, it certainly is pretty... there's something germanic about it..maybe its the black or the fact i have removed my leather trousers in honour of its beauty ? the fit was tight and juicy and the finish it glistened ???

i think it will last well..i am not a great beater anymore ( not at this price).. i can't afford a backup so its as with my 330/12 one guitar man ... its stayed in tune all weekend even the octave g string which i never had on my 330/12 as it never stayed in tune..this deos.. will replace with a 12 saddle bridge as soonas i can find the money..strap buttons seem ok to me..guitar feels solid to say the least and looking at some construction photo's i can't see any problems that i will encounter
i think they may be tougher than the 60's ones... rock solid..just like my girlfriend likes ! not as solid as that cheap pot i now have to buy as i am so skint !

i have never dealt with them and have heard of them being a little difficult to deal with.. but what the fuck..you got the guitar you know the score.. no warrenty in the uk ? i have never thought of warrenties before when buying a guitar so am not looking to go down that route. no warrenty but nice card that asks what type of music you play.. the type that gets those kids all hot and bothered and frightens small kids and animals...

i have played all my life. if it got stolen i'd track the fux down and mutilate thier genitals ( in that religious traditional way ) .. i'd have to buy another ..my only other guitar i love is a fender jazzmaster... i will add an extra pickup sometime soon ..
this guitar thanks to the great trade rate between the uk and the usa was a bargain, and it cleared customs without having to pay any duty too... thank fuck for that...

2003 Jetglo model, lovely binding, slash F-hole, Ric-O-Sound, blend knob, high gain PU's, triangle fret markers

What can I say that has not been said? This axe put the jangle in jangle pop. A chord sounds like an orchestra, a single note sounds like the voice of God. I use a Boss MX=50 multi processor, focusing mainly on compression and EQ, making this bird REALLY sing!

If anyone out there is unfamiliar with Rickenbackers, I pity you. Half the price of a Gibson, twice the craftsmanship. The finish is absolutely re-diculous. A shotgun couldn't hurt it. The action is great ONCE PROFESSIONALLY SET UP. Hardware is good, would like to substitute 6 saddle bridge with 12 saddle one though. Still can't figure out blend knob!

Haven't had it that long, although I have owned a 620 for a while and can say that Ric makes true touring guitars, not just show-pieces. GREAT cases.

Don't know, can't see having to call, but have heard that they are SLOW to respond.

I have been playing forever, i bought my first Ric (330) in '88 and have been hooked ever since. This is the guitar that made Peter Buck sound COMPETENT! Ric's are the be-all-end-all.

1966 360-12 Rounded edge top, hollowbody, slash soundhole
checked binding on back, 2 "toaster top" pickups, all maple with alternating walnut strip neck, lighter colored rosewood fingerboard, "crushed pearl" wide triangular fret markers, "R' tailpiece, orig. bridge, old Kluson tuners, 3 way switch, 2 vol,2 tone, & blend knobs, stereo ("Rick-O-Sound") typical skinny Rick neck width, natural finish. Black case (probably later Rick case?)I
am not a big fan of their skinny necks, and my hands aren't that big! I think Rick changed the necks to strenghten the joint rather then for more frets/access, because I don't think many players would do too well on the high frets with such a narrow neck, most guitars have a wider taper. They have come out with some new models with wider necks, but no 12 strings!

This is THE 12-string sound! I had an '84 burgandy 360-12 before this one (I thought it was great too!) but I'd have to say the '66 does have even more of that classic Byrds/Beatles sound. PUs are probably a little brighter and slightly weaker. This ones action seems to be a little better, or maybe I'm just better. It may be slightly lighter in weight then the newer style. I believe the interior routing may be different - less mass. Afterall it does have fewer frets. As you might expect it is somewhat of a specialty instrument but it does it's thing perfectly.

I got this baby in '96 so it was already 30 years old and with wear. It looks cool though. Rick's new guitars always look nice and high quality.

Neck and frets are still in good shape.
Hardware has held up very well, all looks original. It's lastest a long time, but it wouldn't take as rough a time, say like a strat. I think Townsend broke about 30, of course he even broke a strat!
I would always carry another guitar, 6 string that is.

I wrote them in the eighties, asking if they made wider necks, they replied with a nice letter that they didn't. They have come out with some models since then with wider necks but I don't believe there's any 12 strings! They need to think about some customizing, to draw in more players for the future.

I've been playing for about 35 years, so the Rickenbacker legend loomed large in my early days. People still love to hear this sound. I wouldn't be able to replace this now.

I bought mine new around 1998 from Musician's Friend. It was drop shipped from the factory, and still smelled of laquer when I opened the box! The color is Fireglo, which really looks cool on this guitar. It came with a hard case, polishing cloth, and owner's manual. Ric-O-Sound(stereo) output, or mono, two tone controls, two volume, and a pickup blend knob.

This is the guitar to make that George Harrison - Roger MCGuinn sound. No other guitar will do that like this one will. I can't go to work in the morning without playing the "Mr. Tambourine Man" riff, or hitting the "Hard Day's Night" opening chord and saying "Whoa!" Needs to be played through a fairly bright amp to really bring out that jangle, though. I use a Vox AC15 re-issue with a Marshall Edward compressor. Something like a Fender Super would be ideal, I think.

Fit and finish are superb. WAY better than on my Les Paul. Rick really builds a beautiful piece of art. Setup out of the box was pretty much unplayable. The string height was about a mile and a half, the intonation was off, truss rods loose, etc. Hardware seems above average, although there's a little more backlash in the tuners than I would like (especially in a guitar with 12 strings to tune!)

Hard to say - I really baby this guitar, and I only play a couple of songs in a set with it. That being said, it's never let me down, and I don't use a backup for it. Breaking a string on stage would be a pain, but it hasn't yet. It's always worth it to bring to a gig just to see the other guitarists drooling over it.

Never called Rick for anything other that strings and tee shirts.

Well, I had to learn how to fret open chords all over again with the dainty little neck. About 3 or 4 songs is about all my hands can take without permanent damage. But I wouldn't trade this guitar for anything because it sounds so cool. Besides, it'll probably take me the rest of my life to learn how to play it properly. I play mainly Jurassic Rock, which inludes Beatles and other British invasion stuff. And of course the first thing I did with this guitar was to sit down with the "Byrds Greatest Hits" CD.

I think my 360/12 is about 13 years old. Its Midnight Blue and is of course, a hollow body. It has the typical narrow Rick neck, which although I've heard some complaints, I don't have any trouble with (narrow fingers!). It has two tone controls, two volume controls and a tone control that lets you mix the other two tone controls together. It has two pick-ups and is very quiet.

I am an old school folk-rock/psych player. My big influences are Indian, Arabic and British Isles music. My band plays Byrds, Airplane, Fairport etc. Roger McGuinn, Richard Thompson and Jorma Kaukonen are my guitar gods. I play through a Standel XV Imperial and a Peavey. One amp has a mellow warmth to it (the Standel) and the other a sharp, clear ring. I use an equalizer, compressor, phaser,flanger, digital delay, reverse backwards delay and a signal splitter.
I am also a sitar, saz and lap dulcimer player and I am obsessed with the drone tonally and philosophically. The Rick 360/12 is a great guitar for creating drones because it sounds rich and full as well as bright. Its great for playing Eastern or Celtic riffs.

I bought the guitar used, so I can't comment on the factory set-up, but the guy I bought it from just had it to a luthier and the action is great and so is the sound. The pick-ups are adjusted well-there isn't a thing I would do with them.

10 I have gigged with this guitar and its never let me down. I have my Vox Mark 12 too (Teardrop), but I use it on different songs then the Rick because it sounds different tonally, rather than as a backup. The hardware and finish are excellent and dependable.

N/A

10 I've been playing for forty years. I also own a Vox Teardrop Mark 12 and a Vox Ultrasonic 6 string. The Vox Mark 12 is a good guitar, with a really sweet tone, but it can't compare with the Rick. Its like coparing a Cadillac to an Aston-Martin.
I haven't found anything I dislike about my 360/12 except that its a bitch to restring. I have an excellent luthier nearby and have him do it when I periodically get the neck serviced.
I chose this guitar because I play in a folk-rock/psych band. Our biggest influences are the Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Fairport Convention and Buffalo Springfield. I've gigged with my Rick and never had a problem. I have to periodically recheck the tuning, especially the low E and the G strings, but they never go out much and I would be doing that with any guitar anyway.

This is a 2001 Model in Turquoise which I bought brand new with OHS(plastic)C.

Everyone knows the specs of this guitar so I won't rehash them here. It has the stock Hi-Gain pickups.

I'm an old fart and so, my musical preferences are pretty much rooted in '60s British Invasion and Psychedelic Rock. No, I'm not a burnout!

I plug it direct into a souped up '68 Fender Super Reverb. No pedals, etc.

It's not noisy at all. Besides, too many people nowadays are outright paranoid about the noise from single coil pickups. With the volume and effects boxes so many play with today, even with them using humbuckers, they get much more line noise than if they just plugged a single coil guitar directly into the amp.

With a quick tweak of the amp (if necessary), all the vintage sounds are there. I must strongly disagree with those who say that the signature Ric sound was lost when Rickenbacker modified the original design to what it is today. It's still bright and full while duplicating all the vintage tones that a Ric is famous for. The pickups aren't weak either. I even love the way the guitar sounds without being plugged in. You still know it's a Ric.

The factory setup was pretty much unplayable. The action was very high and the neck had a pronounced bow warp in it. Their strings are from hunger too.

The pickups were essentially, just screwed in. I can't see how anyone could call them adjusted.

The guitar's woods, construction and hardware are great. No negatives here except: The OEM bridge was a poorly cut, 6 adjustable saddle job. Ric makes a 12 adjustable saddle model which I bought with the guitar and had my tech install before he set it up. Let's face it, the 12 saddle bridge should be stock on this guitar, end of story.

Unique to Rickenbacker is where the heavy E, A, D and G strings come before their respective octave. I'm still getting used to this but it's no big deal. As a matter of fact, somehow, it makes the guitar feel more like your playing a 6 string.

Clearly, this guitar is built tough. I see no potential problems with it withstanding live playing.

The hardware seems fine to me. There's lots of other "high end" guitar manufacturers out there who use much inferior stuff.

The finish is rock solid.

The strap buttons have the hugh threads into the guitar. These mate with Schaller StrapLoks and so, they surely are dependable.

I'm sure I could gig without a backup with this guitar but no one in their right mind gigs without a backup.

I dealt with them on a couple of issues. They were polite but I wouldn't say friendly. I felt that they couldn't wait to get me out of their face, even when I was raving about how much I was enjoying the guitar. They seemed generally apathetic. Their answers to my questions were either double talk or they kept trying to blow it off on the dealer I got the guitar from.

I've been playing close to 40 years. I have several high-end Fender and Gibson guitars.

The only thing I wished I knew before I committed myself to buying this guitar is the fact that the fingerboard is narrow. It's tough to play certain chords without my fingers slopping over onto other strings unless I'm really careful.

If it were compromised, because of the narrow fingerboard, I'd probably not replace it.

I love it's sound and looks but hate how tough it is to restring it.

My favorite feature is the unique sound and look. I must admit too, it plays effortlessly unless you are trying to finger an open voice C chord.

I didn't compare it to anything else because IMHO, the only thing that sounds like a Ric is a Ric. Again, I wish the fingerboard was slightly wider.

As I've stated, I bought this guitar for it's unique Ric sound and looks. I felt that my 'arsenal' would not be complete without it. Now it is and I'm real happy about that. But again, because of the narrow fingerboard...

360-12 string, made in March 1983, USA made.
24 frets (thin), 24 ?" scale length.
Semi-hollow maple double cutaway body, rear edge binding, with the as-expected fantastic Riccy high gloss finish. This guitar is in the standard Fireglo finish, but it has aged wonderfully to a rich, deep, almost brownish-red, and the binding to a yellowish cream. Although it is 20 years old, it looks like it came straight from the shop.

There are volume and tone controls for each of the 2 high-gain single coil pickups, along with a fifth 'blend' control, which switches the emphasis from the low end to the high end without changing the pickup selection (which is done via a 3-way toggle switch).

The glued-in neck is maple/walnut with a bound rosewood fingerboard with the high-gloss finish, mother of pearl triangle inlays, and has the raised lettering logo on headstock trussrod cover. Interestingly, as well as "Made in USA" on the cover, it also has "Model 360", which is no longer used by Rickenbacker.

Standard 12 string covered bridge, with six shared saddles which can make for problems with intonation. I believe that an upgraded individual saddle bridge is available. As this guitar is 20 years old, the tuners are Grovers, six per side (three side mounted, three rear). The particular Grovers have the 'star' stamped on the machine cover; one has been replaced with a standard Grover, and I am having great difficulty in acquiring a matching replacement, as they are no longer made.

The tailpiece is the beautifully chromed Riccy "R" style, and I an dreading the first time I have to change the strings, what with the added obstacle of the crowded Riccy headstock! Finally, the guitar comes with the usual "Ric-O-Sound" dual jack socket (explained by other reviewers) but no stereo adaptor leads. Basically, it's a complete waste of time.

Came complete with a black, heavy duty vintage-style lined hard case, with polishing cloth & owner's manual etc. Sadly, it does not have the metal "Rickenbacker" logo attached, as found on the vintage silver hard cases.

At the risk of sounding boring, this is THE Rickenbacker sound. Jingly-jangly, sweet, clear, and quite unique. Suits open chords perfectly, almost like an acoustic, and is a joy to play. Having said that, be warned - the neck IS narrow for twelve strings, and it takes a lot of practice not to keep numbing the string next to the one you've fretted. Not suited to heavy rock music, but despite what some say, it sounds amazing when overdriven. As others have said, it's Beatles, Searchers and McGuinn personified. Unless you were developing a unique 'sound' for your band, I think you would take this guitar along with you just to do a few 60's numbers during your set - it's not particularly versatile. Does it suit lots of string bending? Do me a favour.....
Another word of warning - you MUST try this guitar with several amps; it does NOT suit just any old amp. You need a biting, sharp sound (obviously a valve amp would be a start). I've played it through my Fender Stereo Chorus without any added effects and it sounds ok at low volumes, but once plugged into my Sessionette 75, with loads of reverb and through a Boss Compressor, and it really starts to jangle. It has such a good range of sounds available by just using the pickup toggle and the 5th 'blender' knob, you just need a bit of experimentation to develop 'your sound'.

Although the guitar seemed to be reasonably set up when I collected it (thanks Mike, for letting me have this beauty) I wasn't too bothered as I always take any new acquisition straight down to MachineHead at Hitchin to let Barrie Palmer, their SUPERB techie, do his magic on it. Sorry for the shameless plug, but anyone who has ever had Barrie set up their guitar will know that it's money well spent, and with the complexities of a twelve string, it couldn't have been in better hands.

When I collected it, newly strung with my usual D'Addarios and set up to perfection, it played like a dream (well, as far as my fat fingers would let me whilst trying to shoehorn them into the frets!). I like a nice low action, which is particularly well suited to the open chords which sound so sweet on this guitar.

The fit and finish on all Rickenbacker guitars is legendary - their quality control is excellent, and this beauty was no exception. It just oozes quality.....

As someone else said, this guitar has been in production for almost 40 years; George Harrison and Roger McGuinn may have occasionally gigged live, so it's a fair bet that this guitar will withstand live playing! The hardware seems fine (even if mine HAS had one machine head replaced...) and I'm sure it's built to last. Despite some negative comments, the finish on most Rickenbackers is very durable, but like anything, you have to take care of it. I also own a 360 six string, which has an equally impressive finish to it. The strap buttons seem to be well fitted and solid - I've never had any trouble. This is a guitar that you could depend on; well, you would HAVE to - how many players could afford a backup at these prices? As stated earlier, you are hardly likely to use it for a complete set anyway.

I've never dealt with Rickenbacker direct (never needed to), and Rosetti are their distributors in the UK - hardly fills you with confidence! Having read so many negative comments in this respect in other reviews, I think I'll just have to take good care of my two Rics and hope that they look after me accordingly. The 5 year warranty on my 360-12 obviously ran out 15 years ago, so.....

I've been playing now on-and-off for over 30 years. I own a houseful of gear (much to the disgust of my wife), including: Electrics: my 2 Rics, a Gibson 335, Fender USA Telecaster, Epiphone Sheraton, Fender Mexican Stratocaster, Aria Pro II XR Strat-alike, Jim Reed Strat-alike, Stagg Custom Tele copy, a 1965 Harmony H-14 'Bobkat', a 60's Audition (model unknown), an Aria Pro II CG Bass; Acoustics: Epiphone EJ200, a 1984 Ibanez AW-100, a 1982 Yamaha FG-312 II 12 string, a 1983 Yamaha FG-335 II, and a 1973 Eko Ranger 6. On top of that I've got 3 Spanish guitars, an ancient 1916 Temlett Zither Banjo, a George Formby Ukelele Banjo, a Mandoline, and a standard Ukelele.

In terms of amps, I have a Fender Ultimate Stereo Chorus, 2 Sessionette 75s, a Roland Bolt 60, a Fender Frontman 25R, a Peavey Basic 50 Bass amp, and a dinky little Epiphone 1 watt practice amp! Phew!

If this beautiful Ricky 36-12 were lost or stolen, I don't think I'd ever be able to replace it with a similar aged model in such amazing condition. I'd just have to go out there and buy me another one of these babies, 'cos they are just fantastic.

I bought my '66 Rick 360-12 from Ace Music in Miami in 1967. I traded a 1958 Gibson ES-345TDSV for it (I think they gave me $150 in trade). The total price was something like $625. There weren't too many guys with Rick 12's in South Florida in 1967, and I believe I was the first to own a blonde one. My previous 12 was a Bellzouki/Dano, but the body began to warp, making it unplayable.

The band I was playing in back then was doing a lot of vocal group stuff; 5th Dimension, Beach Boys, Association, Beatles....and the Rick twelve was THE sound of the band. The amp I used was a VOX AC-100 (the original Jennings tube model) into 2 - 12" Altec 417A's in a Bandmaster cab. The sound was to die for.....chime-y, jangle-y heaven.

Any 12 string takes getting used to after playing 6 string. My Rick was as easy to play as any other, maybe even more so. Tuning was always an issue and took forever (we didn't have electronic tuners back then) but it held pretty well.

I did at least a hundred gigs with my Rick. Never had a problem. One guy I know who had one had the neck come off the body for whatever reason. Don't know why - either too heavy strings or maybe a Pete Townsend imitation at a gig. I'd heard of other Ricks coming apart at the neck/body joint. Now a funny story. One night as I lay in bed, I heard a loud "pop" from somewhere in the house. I got up to look for a possible burglar or whatever, because the sound was quite loud. Didn't find anything. A few days later, I went to play my Rick, and upon opening the case, I found the strings all tangled and askew. Looking closer, I saw that the "R" bridge had failed - metal fatigue. 1200 lbs of tension released in an instant was the pop I heard from the bedroom. I ordered a new one from some parts replacement company along with a 12 saddle bridge which I'd always wanted to better intonate the instrument. A word of caution to those who order the 12 saddle. It comes un-cut (mine did) - no slots for the strings. you have to do this yourself with a small triangular file and you'd better get it right the first time!! The damn PU switch gets funky and sticks sometimes. Never bothered to try to fix it.

I've been playing professionally for over 40 years. My Rick has been with me longer than any other guitar and I will never sell her. She was even stolen once, but found a day later in a pawn shop by my distraught bandmembers. I was more than willing to pay the $60 the shop owner was asking for her. Over the years, I have played her less and less. She's murder to re-string, and I have gone to reverse stringing because of the sound (octave strings first). Only prob here is that the nut was cut for conventional stringing and I have to use a bunch of shitty little shims to get the string height right. I really don't trust anybody locally to install a new nut. Occasionally, I take her on a gig, just so she knows I still love her. "Feel A Whole Lot Better", "Hard Days Night", "Can't Do That" are some of the songs my band does when I have her strapped on. But, by the end of the set, she's pretty much out of tune and my tired old fingers give out, and I default back to my Les Paul to finish the night.

Others have described the guitar's features well, so I'll not repeat them.

The 5th knob on the control panel, for those that don't know, is a "blend" control. It adjusts the volume of the neck pickup when the toggle switch is in the middle position, allowing for a custom blend between neck and bridge pickup.

The classic Ric 12 string sound was compromised when Ric decided the world needed a 24-fret 12-string, and moved the neck PU 2 inches to accommodate the longer fretboard. They also replaced the old "toaster top" pickups with the High Gain model.

This is NOT the sound you hear on recordings by The Beatles and The Byrds! Not bad, though.

The action on this guitar can be made comfortable with the proper strings and neck set-up, but don't think it's going to play like a 6-string.

The neck is TOO NARROW for 12 strings! You'll find yourself fretting too many strings with your left hand, and hitting the wrong strings with your pick in your right hand! If you MUST have a Ric 12-string, check out the 620-12 with the wider neck before you lose confidence in your playing ability!

Fit and Finish are superb and deserve a rating of their own: I'll give 'em a 9.

Dirty Little Secret Dept:

The "R" tailpiece provided on this guitar WILL one day crack and split! Ric doesn't think this is a problem, so the replacement you BUY will be identical to the one that just broke!

When yours explodes (and it will), order the trapeze tailpiece as a replacement instead, and be done with it. Easier to string, too.

Most folks will never play this guitar in stereo, yet the output is stereo by default until a mono plug is inserted and a little reed switch in the jack moves over to connect the output to mono.

You WILL have trouble with this switch. Get a needle nosed pliers and bend the contact to the mono position permanently, and be done with it.

Also, given time, the foam material or rubber grommets under the pickups will rot.

As far as the woodwork and finish durablity is concerned, it deserves a 9.

Rickenbacker has the worst customer support of any instrument manufacturer I've ever heard of.

The warranties are NOT lifetime, as I've read elsewhere on this board, but 5 years FROM THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE! That's right, kids; that Rickenbacker hanging on the wall of your local music store for 2 1/2 years has half the warranty expired! Put another way: Some folks get more of a warrany than others on a "new" Rickenbacker.

Ric WILL honor the warranty, but you have to ship it back to them as there are NO authorized Rickenbacker repair centers ANYWHERE.

And don't even THINK of having the factory do ANYTHING to your guitar out of warranty, even if you're willing to pay for it. They don't care; leave them alone; it's not their guitar anymore.

Exceptions will me made for Paul McCartney, Roger McGuinn, Pete Townshend, Tom Petty, and other stars associated with Rickenbacker guitars.

This guitar is not one of Rickenbacker's finest moments, although they sure sell all they can build!

It LOOKS like the old 60s design, but all the endearing features have been changed: The toaster-top pickups; the full-width triangle inlays; the 22-fret neck; the neck-pickup placement... all gone.

Yet Rickenbacker refuses to address long standing issues such as the exploding tailpiece, balky output jack, and narrow neck width.

The wood, the woodwork, and the finish are the strong points on this guitar, as they are on all Rickenbackers.

Ric's unwillingness to address certain issues, and their horrible attitude toward customer service, brings the overall rating WAY down in this review.

Bought new in 1996. Maple Glo. The Rickenbacker 360 model is a step up from the 330 model. I own a 330 6 string also (see my review for 330/6 for that guitar). The upgrades on the 360 from the 330 are bound body and neck, rounded front edge of body, stereo or mono output, and shark fin fret markers. Features have a vintage vibe to them. Warning: the frets are thin on Rickenbackers - if you are used to playing on jumbo sized frets it might take some geting used to. I use the stock 6 saddle bridge because the intonation is close enough for me and the tiny amount of dissonance I get sometimes creates a very lush "chorus" effect. That's what a 12 string is all about!

Rickenbacker 12 string guitars have set the standard for what electric 12 strings should sound like. Nothing else compares to it. I can't think of the right adjectives to describe the sound. Shimmering is the only word I can come up with. Adding a compressor and boosting the high mids really make this guitar shine. If you want the sound of Beatles, Byrds, jingle-jangle look no further.

I would also like to mention that besides jangly stuff, Rickenbacker 12 strings sound great when put through an overdriven amp. This guitar has balls. For example: check out the lead part on "North, South, East, and West" on the CD "Starfish" by The Church. Marty Willson-Piper is one of the few guitarists I have seen that uses Ric 12 strings to their full potential.

This guitar was not messed with at the store I bought it from. It went stright from the case into my grabby hands, so the action and neck were great. Took it out of the case and started playing. The wood grain on the body and fret board is very stunning. Of course it needs to be set up a couple of times a year due to weather changes, but the adjustments are always very minor. Changing strings was hard the first 3 times, but I soon devised a system and now I actually look forward to changing the strings! Maybe I'm crazy!

When I first got this guitar I was very careful when playing it. I have learned over time how much abuse it can take, and it can take a lot more than I expected. I don't want to damage the guitar, but I feel comfortable enough to play aggressively and not use a backup.

If you buy a guitar from a mega-store guitar chain, inspect it carefully and you have the right to buy a guitar that has NOT been sitting on the showroom floor gathering dust and played everyday by kids with boogers on their fingers.

Never have dealt with them. My father actually spoke to someone at the Rickenbacker plant years ago and not only got his question answered but was invited to stop on by and take a tour of the plant if he happened to be in Santa Ana! That would be my Mecca!

Like I said before, this is the standard at which all other electric 12 string guitars are judged. It costs a hell of a lot more than one of those new Danelectro 12 string guitars, but the Rickenbacker will blow it out of the water. This guitar would not be lost or stolen because it's the one that I will not let out of my sight. The quality of this guitar led me to purchase another Rickenbacker (330 6-string).

It's a 2000 fireglo that I paid $1000 for new six months ago in Austin, Texas. Check the other submissions for details, but if you're reading this, I bet you know most of the specifics on the guitar anyway. It's a dream to play. People stop and look as well as listen when I gig with it. I've been gigging for about eight years as a solo artist.

I play folk rock blended with Zeppelin, Neil Young, the Stones, Dylan and so on. I run a "Y" cable out of the the ric-o-sound port; one end goes to a Peavey Ecoustic 112 and the other to a Peavey Classic 30 tube amp. I have a pedal that allows either one or even both amps to play simultaneously. The only effect I use besides a compression pedal is a Danelectro chorus (with the Ecoustic 112) and the Classic 30 is usually set on the distorted channel. Listen, I'd like to clear up one issue now . . . "try stuff" with this guitar. It is not as limited as some articles would have you believe. I do Hendrix from time to time and using both amps simultaneously, "it sounds like an entire band" to quote some of the people who come to my gigs. Then right after "Hey Joe" I change to the clean channel on the Classic 30 and perform "You Ain't Going Nowhere". I have had no trouble with noise, but I don't play it in smaller venues due to its volume...I'm a one-man act and rely on my Ovation Custom Legend 12 and my Ovation Elite 6 for the smaller venues. I feel good playing the 360/12 and singing with no other back-up musicians. It's versatile. It can make all the sounds that I need and much more.

As stated by others, Rickenbacker is a top level act. I've had no problems, though I'm not clear on what the "blend" knob really does.
The guitar is so versatile that it is really a dream to play. Some players may have trouble with the narrow fretboard, but I started out years ago playing a mandolin and therefore I feel comfortable with the narrow neck. Try one before you buy it in that respect. Changing the strings may be a nightmare . . . but in each life some rain must fall. People actually come up and check this guitar out while I'm playing. It's a lot of flash backed up with heart and soul. Man, maybe the tooth fairy will put new strings on it for me in the night...again this is a concern. Don't buy without a try!

I've been gigging with the 360/12 since the day I bought it six months ago. Many people here have learned a new word, "Rickenbacker". It has paid for itself about twice. It actually got me out of the acoustic coffee house scene and into the local rock clubs. George Harrison's seems to have lasted, right? I depend on it to change the color of my performance from folk rock to rock. I would use it without a backup if I were to play a solid rock gig, but it is my habit to open up with it doing Neil Youngish thrash and eventually mellowing out with my Ovation Custom Legend 12 doing "Going to California" and such, and then I break it out for the last half of the last set.

These guys aren't quite as generous as the Ovation people. I wrote Ovation a letter expressing my love for my Elite 6 string (one of the real ones made 7 years ago... none of the more recent "Standards" or Celebrity copies) and they sent me two packs of strings and a golf shirt! I guess Ovation's the exception though. The warranty is lifetime if I take care of it...I kiss mine goodnight sometimes.

I've been playing for nine or ten years and "playing out" for $ for about eight years. If this guitar were stolen, I would get another one just like it, and talk to it for a long time before I bought it. I watched them unpack mine from the shipping crate, so no one else has had his hands on it, at least without my blessings. I really like the playability, the quality, the sound, and the statement this guitar makes. It pretty much screams that I am serious about this music thing . . . so I try to be. There is not another electric 12 string that I would even have . . . blame my childhood and Roger McGuinn for that. I worry about changing the strings; however, this is an instrument that pushes me to its own level, and I can see improvement and growth. Remember, try it first...I've read of people who buy them and can not play them because the strings are so close to one another...but if you can handle it, you'll probably love it. One more thing...I read that if I gave this guitar superficially high ratings that they would not print my review...well hey, "It's a Rickenbacker!" What would you expect? I am also a 12th grade English teacher...I'm not allowed to lie. Save up and get one. But try before you buy.

Made in USA, 1999 model. FireGlo (red sunburst) finish, all other features are standard. Trapeze "R" tailpiece and Tune-O-Matic style bridge. Triangle neck inlays, Schaller tuners. Rick-O-Sound stereo outputs.

Tone is great, chimey on the bridge pickup and well-rounded on the neck. A lot quieter than my other guitars (60's reissue Strat and PRS CE24) which is a pain to deal with live, but I just turn up the amp a little bit when I play it. Nails the vintage Pete Townshend tones, and stays really well defined and warm even with a lot of gain.

Bought it used. Had to tweak the truss rod a bit to get proper action with Ernie Ball 12 string custom lights on it. The neck is also quite narrow for a 12 string, which aids playability but takes a lot of getting used to in order to prevent muting strings by accident. Finish around neck joint has a couple of small imperfections. Otherwise an incredibly beautiful guitar.

Feels light but solid. Wouldn't take an accident as well as a solidbody, but what do you expect? Knobs feel sort of cheap, and the toggle feels a little weak. I break the high E's on occasion. If it weren't a 12 string I'd feel comfortable gigging with just this guitar and maybe a cheap backup in case of a broken string or something.

Never dealt with Ric.

Awesome sound like nothing else, very comfortable and easy to wear for a long time despite its size. Like a normal 12 string its a bit more fatiguing to the hands, but not extremely so. Beautiful to look at. Overall craftsmanship is on par with my PRS. ONE MAJOR GRIPE- strings take forever and a day to change because of the headstock design. Sure the small headstock keeps weight down, looks cool and helps balance the guitar, but you have to plan string changes way in advance. Maybe get someone else to do it for you. That said, it holds tune very well for a 12. Pickup blend knob is not very useful, I would prefer to have an overall volume knob instead. Still, I would hate to part with it.

Typical layout except for its left handed.

The guitar sound is like nothing on earth. It is the only company I know that has retained it's vintage tone. When you play a byrds riff it SOUNDS like the byrds. It's not like those crappy OVERPRICED re-issues by other manufacturers...you know who you are.

The setup on the guitar was great for me. As could be exspected with a 12, the strings are stiff if you need to bend at all.

Rickenbacker (at least mine) has the BEST build I have EVER had in a guitar. I have owned Gibson, Fender, ESP, Ibanez, Guild, and several guitars by a few of those maufacturers and RIC blows them all away in the quality department...yes ESPECIALLY Gibson.

Very nice. Helped me out with various questions about the guitar.

I've been playing for a long time, 16 years. This is best built guitar I have ever seen for the money. The parts, quality of wood, hardware, even the fretboard material looked nicer than most guitars I've seen. Unfortunatly, I can't seem to find enough music to incorporate a 12 with.

Im a salesman at Mars music. we sold 2 ricks. same model, different serial number. the warrantee cards got mixed up. rickenbacker wouldnt issue another warrantee card. they were very rude to us and acted as though they had no feelings for the customer. also, they said they wouldnt warrantee the guitar anyways because the buyer is from england and he bought it here in the states. now does that make sense? Rick even faxed a letter to corporate stating that we were in vialation of their warrantee procedures. As a salesman i am discusted with their actions and i DO NOT recomend their products.

Sorry, this is less a review, and more a posting of questions. I just acquired an apparently new, US? model 360-12. It is solid top. 5 pots, plus the toggle. Black pickups, seem hot. passive elecs. Maple throughout, except for the rosewood fretboard. No case was included, nor did I get wrenches or other tools. fireglo model, and find the features overall favorable. Questions to you all will follow by category, along with my own early & subjective comments.
Brian

Wonderful sound, especially from the fretboard p/u. I use a Crate and an old Ampeg VT40. The guitar is NOT noisy, but demonstrates good gain for passive electronics. Very rich sound on the mellow pickup, and predictably Rick on the other.

I'm not sure whether this was set up from factory, previous owner, etc. The little cover over the bridge is missing, so I assume someone fiddled with it. Super low, with no buzz, it plays with such little physical effort, that I want to BEND the sucker. Ofcourse, that is heresy with such a 12, in terms of the tuning ramifications. FIt and finish is so impeccable, that I will keep this thing, even if I never learn to play it accurately! It is simply a guitarmaker's work of ART!!! Having said that, the bridge pickup has an intermittent short, which I will deal with using judicious application of contact cleaner and compressed air.

Had it two days, but it looks solid, especially the neck construction. However, since it is set-in (glued?) I would not suggest abuse. The hardware is better chromed than my Harley Electra Glide. The finish is a cabinetmaker's wet dream. I would use it without a backup in the sense that I will probably NEVER own multiple 12 strings. I would grab something that's in tune, if need be, even if it were an Ibanez copy of something.

No idea, because the thing is too new to me. THeir website is very confidence inspiring, though.

I've been playing, though not very well, for 22 years. I am a popster mostly, and I have Pauls, Strats, and the most amazing Paul Stanley one-off Iceman (not the bolt-on neck, mass produced one). I would not replace this one because the one I bought probably WAS stolen (kidding!). I LOVE the fit and finish. THis thing speaks in volumes, of the pride of the people who built it, and just handling the thing is a sort of religious experience.

It is late: read the other folks' submissions.

If you are a fan of the Beatles, Byrds, Tom Petty, etc. get this guitar. It will make you smile. If you are a mediocre player, Ricks are very unforgiving. They highlight every wrong note or badly-placed chord. The 12 strings take some getting used to, but the neck is slender and after you play it awhile, you won't want to play your other guitar. It jangles like a Rick, but unlike a 6-string Rick, that's about the only tone this will do. I play it through a Crate DXJ112 and it sounds almost the same on every amp model. This guitar is amp-specific. It won't sound right on just any amp-try them out with the guitar. You are also gonna need some watts, because it will overdrive any practice amp and sound really crappy.

The Mapleglo finish is flawless, the neck is superb, the action low but not buzzy. The top and back have some nice figure in the wood. These babys are not slapped together. They are made by people who have pride in their work. Everything fits, everything works.

Yes, Rick is anal about their finishes. Wipe it off after you play. Don't beat the stage or your amp with it. I would suggest straplocks. Get the 12-string bridge and throw away the 6-string bridge it comes with. Geez!

Never dealt with them, but they obviously get off on what they do. They should stand behind what they make.

Also have four Taylors, a Strat, a Hofner Beatle Bass. Please don't come break in my house or I will shoot you. There is nothing like a Rick if you like that sound-I do! They could only improve it by putting on a 12-string bridge, but most people won't notice the difference. Choose an amp carefully. I feel like I got what I paid for. It is terrific and makes me smile just to look at it.

Ric 360 semihollow 12-string model, Japanese made. It's from that some part of that glorious time in the 60's when the imports were virtually indistiguishable from the American ones, even down to the checkered binding. They stopped doing so, because imports were being sold as USA models. It has 21 frets (w/ cool 'sparkly' triangle inlays). It has a Gibson-style 3-way pickup selector, a vol. knob and a tone knob for each pickup and...SOMETHING ELSE; it's not quite a master tone control, but pretty similar. I can use it to get some odd wah-like sounds by messing with it.
Odd, odd pickups, don't know whether they're single coils or humbuckers, have 2 black bars and an indented part, and sound wonderful.
I think the new Rics are maple, I don't know if that's been changed since the manufacture of this instrument. Has a gorgeous transparent 3-tone sunburst finish, I think they call it fire glow or something like that. It's a 360 style body, which is a double-cutaway semihollow body with 1 f-hole, I like to think of it as a fusion of a PRS and Gibson 335. Has a trapeze-style bridge.
It has 12 nondescript tuners, ingeniously staggered, as to avoid a gigantic unwieldy peghead.
Neck is same width as any 6-string; occasionally, I'll accidentally mute a sting as strings are closer together, but overall, it's easier for me to play with a normal-sized neck. The neck is a little thick for my taste (among my other guitars are a Jackson and 3 Kramers, hee hee), a little bigger than a Gibson's, but nonetheless is remarkably playable.

I play all kinds of music--rock, blues, funk, metal, pop (the GOOD kind, Beatles, Boston, REM, none of this britney spears crap), jazz at times, (roughly in that order) and others, in short, whatever I feel like playing at the moment. I'm particularly fond of progressive rock, such as Rush, Yes, Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, &c., and this guitar suits everything I play in which it applies perfectly.
I generally play all my guitars through a Dunlop Crybaby wah->Big Muff->Zoom 505->Boss noise surpressor->Ernie Ball vol. pedal->Peavey Bandit 112 amp, and everything sounds pretty good with that setup.
It's fairly noisy with real heavy distortion, which I use a fair amount in general, but that kind of defeats the purpose of a guitar like this, with which I usually stick to clean/delay and overdrive, and it sounds fine with those.
It has an exceptionally bright sound, not all that different from a strat, albeit without that classic chime-like quality, but also produce really nice grinding overdrive. I can also turn this up pretty damn loud without any feedback. It's tone is amazing, though it's not quite as versatile as some of my other guitars, particularly my Jackson.

The action is very nice, low to the fretboard but it doesn't buzz anywhere. Serves somewhat to offset the fat neck. Pickups were fine, I really have no complaints as far as setup & playability. It has a good number of chips in the finish, a pretty bigone between the neck and one of the pickups, and another near the bridge, as well as innumerable smaller ones. I didn't decrease the rating that much for it though, because it has been played *a lot* over the years, and considering also that it is likely over twice as old as me, I think it's in very good shape.

I haven't played any gigs with this yet, but considering its age and its condition, I think it's built pretty solid.
I _never_ play without a backup, even to practices, if that can possibly be avoided, but in a pinch, I trust this guitar would hold up through the duration of the show.

I've never had to deal with them, but frankly, I trust the guy I bought it from to be as knowledgable and capable as they, so I probably won't ever have to.

I've been playing for about 4 1/2 years. I also own a Jackson, some seriously pointy Kramers, a strat-clone and a no-frills acoustic guitar, the brands of the latter two escape me. Of course the Ric is not an instrument built for mindless shredders like so many of my others, and I don't think of it nor do I play it as such.
My room where I keep my guitars barely has the volume to accomodate another, so there's not much chance of it getting lost, but if it were stolen, I would absolutely buy another, if I could track one down (from someone who wouldn't charge me an arm and a leg and whatever other appendages he desires, that is).
Before buying this guitar, I had tried several others, many acoustic/electrics, which weren't quite what I was looking for. I tried a similar one (semihollow, double-cutaway, 2 pickup thing) made by Dean, i think, which was pretty good, but I tried this one which was about $100 more expensive which had a *much* better feel and tone.
Very few drawbacks, the biggest of which is the big neck, which really isn't that bad a problem, for me at least. Of course it will sound horrendous playing Limp Bizkit or something, but with all due respect, peopke who play music like that are better off butchering an Ibanez or a Schecter 7-string which are so popular among neo-metal "musicians", rather than an instrument of this style and quality.

This is a Rick 360-12, who's serial number runs through the Rickenbacker web site as having been manufactured in January, 1998, and that is how the instrument was sold - as a 1998 model. So far as I know, it is identical to the 2000 model. All Ricks are made from top to bottom in their California plant, save the German-made Schaller tuners. The 300 series have a one-piece top/sides that is routed from a solid block of curly maple (part of the reason they are so expensive - a *whole* lot of curly maple gets routed out to the workbench in making a 360 top). Back is a "just-slightly-less-gorgeous" piece of curly maple, too. Laminated maple and walnut neck and headstock. Bound "cat's-ete" soundhole, and shark tooth inlays for fretmarkers. Rick makes their own pickups, and these are contemporary single coils, quite hot in output. Standard 3-way toggle, with dual tone and volume pots, but with the addition of the fifth knob, a blend control that can be used several different effective ways (more under "Owners Manual", below). All chrome work is *heavily* plated - Rick and G&L are the only two manufacturers I've seen that are still chrome-plating the way it used to be done years ago. Mine came with the original HS case, an SKB that is the best SKB I've seen yet - excellent hardware
and latches. Also included were the original owners manual, wiping cloth, and wrenches. Thereby hangs a tale . . .

I am absolutely convinced that the original owner used this axe as a wall hanger. It simply *had not been played* in the 20 months before I came into possesion of it. Absolutely no fret wear, not even the microfine scratches on the pickguard that occur after the first five minutes of playing. Case/manual/cloth: Ditto. I paid $850 for this guitar, about half of what Rick's factory price is for a new one. A deal? Oh, yes!

I play a lot of 60's, and the Rick 12 is a "de riguer" part of that sound, of course. It is the most unmistakable sound in pop music, and through any good amp (mine is a Fender), it hits you instantly: *That's* the sound, all right. It is very quiet (for a semi-hollow with singles), and a subdued mellowness can be achieved with the fingerbord pickup only, and careful tone control adjustment.
It never, however, loses it's Rick identity - a compliment to the company, IMO. The much-better-than-average owner's manual give three different suggestions for use of the fifth "blend" control, all of which are good. Extremely versatile, for a 12. My "Sound" rating for this category is based on the fact that I bought a 12-string Rick because I specifically wanted the 12-string Rick sound. If you're looking for a comfy, "generic" 12 string electric sound, you probably don't want the Rick, though.

I purchased this guitar from Elderly in Lansing, famous for their setup work. Neck/nut/bridge/intonation setup was flawless, but the bridge pickup was set as low as the fingerboard pickup - much too low. But a few twists of the Phillips head on the pickup height screws, and the sound was perfect. Action is hard to describe - this is the *only* 12 string I have ever played with a six-string neck: Width, thickness, etc. That's a blessing and a curse both. I am fortunate in that I adapt to any neck/fret configuration quickly, (and having played them for years, I knew what I was getting in the Rick 12),
but if you have sloppy technique, this guitar will force you to clean it up in a hurry. Also, Ricks are the only 12 I've seen with the *thicker* of the string pairs closest to the guitarist (the opposite of most 12's). This required me to angle the pick down more for flatpick work to get the full sound, but I adjusted to it OK. General workmanship and materials is absolutely flawless. The people at Rickenbacker take a fierce pride in their work, and it shows, brother.
Again, only G&L and Paul Reed Smith would I put in the same category regarding today's mainstream guitars. There are two Achilles heels to this instrument though, as any Rick owner will tell you. One is the 6-saddle bridge on a 12 string. If you are fortunate enough to have one that intonates perfectly with the six saddle bridge, (some do),you're home free. If not, you either live with it, or buy the 12-saddle bridge from them or one of their suppliers. Rick's price for it is $70, so I'm guessing about $45 street. I may eventually do that - mine's not bad at all, but not perfect either. I agree with the others that feel they should put a 12-saddle bridge on ALL of their 12 strings.

The other rub is the beautiful - but nightmarish to work with - "R" tailpiece. If I may quote John Sessoms, a fellow Rick 12
owner, your best bet before putting on new strings is to "put a piece of sticky tape on the underside of the "R" before restringing. This makes the string slots string 'tunnels' and helps a lot". We won't even talk about restringing the horizontal "in the slot" pegs.
Arrrggghh! Allow three times what you'd normally allow to restring a guitar for restringing this one. They're the only things that pull the score in this category down to an "8".

As solid as an instrument of this type can be - and Harrison says his plays as good as new 35 years later. Since few of us have the wherewithall to own two electric 12's, I would use it without a backup, yes.

No experience there yet, but they get good reviews from most customers. I'm told that the company president is a regular contributor to alt.guitar.Rickenbacker, and has a personal interest in seeing his customers kept happy.

I've been playing 35 years, and have done it all: Rock bands, solo work, pit orchestra, U-name-it. The Rick 12 joins a Gretsch Country Gentleman, G&L S-500 and Fender Jazzmaster in my electric stable. If lost or stolen I'd get another in a minute - it is really nice to finally get something for your own that you have vivid memories of from 30 years ago - and it's just as good as you remember it (that doesn't happen often!) My only dislikes are Rickenbacker's
last-minute stinginess in putting the 6-saddle bridge on it, and restringing it (shudder). But when you come down to it: Would you turn down a guitar that was practically perfect in every other way you wanted just because it was a bitch to restring? No, I wouldn't either! :>)

This guitar was made in 1999. It's a stock Rickenbacker with all the usual features. It has Hi-Gain pick-ups and Shaller tuners. The bodys Maple and it has the "R" tailpiece. It is a beautiful red called Fire-Glo. I bought it used for $900. and it came with a SKB hardshell case.

There is no way to get that "60s 12 string electric sound without owning a Rick 12. I've always loved the sound of Roger McGuinn's songs and this is the only way to get it. It's why I bought it and it delivers.

Who ever set this guitar up knew their stuff. The strings are so low you only have to think about pressing them and they're down. Incredible action. This is a high quality guitar and the bodywork and hardware reflect this. Nothing is low grade,poorly fitted,loose,or rusty. You get what you paid for.

This is a pro's guitar if you can't gig with this one you can't gig with anything.It will hold up. If you don't believe me ask George Harrison. I would put strap locks on it because if you drop it the necks are prone to breaking. The only reason for a backup would be the fact that the strings are very hard to replace quickly.

Contacted Henry McGuinn at customer service about a new pick guard as a replacement for the one his father autographed for me. I got a responce by e-mail within 24 hours. The new guitar warrenty is 5 years from date of manufacture

I just started playing a year ago and own 5 guitars. This one is the gem. If it was stolen I wouldn't replace it because I would track the theif down torture and kill him as slowly as possible. Then I would get everybody with his DNA. Your Rickenbacker is like your kids. You can get a new one but it's never the same. The only thing I wish it had is an on-board compressor. There's something special about owning a Rickenbacker. You tell guitar players you own a Strat and no reaction. Tell them you own a Rick and people are impressed.

Bought the Rickenbacker 360-12 12 string semi-hollow new in 1989. Color is "Fire-glo", a light red. It came with a hardshell case, but not with the cord you need to go stereo with the two pickups (I do "go stereo", but with effects and two amps, not the Rick version of stereo, so I didn't mind). The bridge only has 6 intonation pieces, which definitely means you can't perfectly intonate all 12 strings. The neck may be the same one they use for the 6 string version, because it's might narrow...and with my long fingers it's a tight squeeze playing a first position C chord. The tuners are laid out up and down, and sideways so you can easily pick which one (regular or octave) to tune. Most 12 strings have the octave string as string 12, regular E as string 11, etc. Not this guitar: the regular E is the first string you see if you look down while you're picking.

Out of all my guitars, I may play this the least...not because I don't like it, it's just that 12 string electrics aren't used that much by people other than Roger McGuinn, or Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers...so in my band that plays covers, if I bring more than one gtr. to the gigs, it's either an acoustic-electric, and/or a backup 6 string electric. I have recorded with it, and it makes a nice additional rhythm guitar for my original instrumentals. It sounds like you'd expect: Byrds-like, Beatles Hard Days Night-like, etc. One cool feature is the "Blend" knob, which when you have both pickups on, instesd of varying the volume knobs, you can leave the knobs on full and change the ratio of the two pickups with the blend knob.

The guitar was set up well by Rickenbacker. The finish is absolutely beutiful, and the way the guitar looks is one of the reasons I bought it.

I haven't used this on very many gigs, but it seems very sturdy. hardware and finish look like they'll hold up. The few times I've brought it on gigs, I didn't have a back-up per se, butI had the guitar that I was going to use for most of the material.

Never had to deal with Rickenbacker...a bass playing friend said they were resposive to him.

The down sides to this guitar are few, but noticeable. Changing strings on it is a nightmare...because the neck is narrow, the headstock is cramped for space, and the tailpiece, while cool looking, it's difficult to attach the strings to it. The 6 saddle bridge means that intonation will be compromised (you can get strings 12 and 11 equally out intonation wise, or make one perfect, and the other way out).
However, the guitar looks fabulous (the finish, and the "shark tooth" fret markers), it's got distictive tone, and the Beatles/Byrds/Tom Petty connection adds to the "cool factor". If it were lost or stolen, I would want to replace it, but the price has gone up considerably since I bought it (and I got a good deal back in '89)so I might not be able to afford a replacement.

I'm going to leave it to you to look at any of the other reviews, since they will all be basically the same. My Rik was brand new and cam with a case.

Now maybe I just got a lemon here, but my Rik sounded like a cheap asian-made guitar from the 1970s. No chime, no ring; just a tinny crappy sound.

The finish and cosmetics were godd, but the action was so bad I just couldn't play any bar chords cleanly. And I have hands of steel by now.

I have been playing for a long, long time. Over 30 years. When I was a kid, we all thought that Riks were awful guitars, unless you could get somebody to really do them over, and they still warped like hell at the least provocation. Tis like old times, I guess.

I'll stick with Gibson, Fender and those companies that imitate them (and keep up to their standards).

This is a Rickenbacker 12-string guitar. It was ,made in 1997, in The USA. 24 frets. Solid maple top, 2 vol. 2 tone. 1 "blender" knob, and 1 3-way toggle switch. Pickup config is 2 "Hi-gain" single coils.
P/u's made by RIC. Passive, all maple. Finished in Fireglo. Thinline body with a Rickenbacker standard 6-saddle bridge. Very-nice and stable Schaller tuners. Neck is the standard RIC length, shape , and width. Includes wrenches, high-quality SKB case, nessesary papers and polishing cloth. Standard, stock configuration.

OK, here is the biggest thing about this guitar. When I bought it, i was a huge beatles fan, and naturally, I wanted a guitar that would give the beatles sound, which it does in Spades. However, when my musical tastes started to mature and I moved on into higly-distorted music such as Creed, Nirvana, Godsmack etc., i used this guitar too. Trust me THIS GUITAR SOUNDS GOOD DISTORTED. Dont believe what everyone else says. It is a very good distorted guitar. Clean tones are good, and Distorted tones are even better. Everyone thinks that Ricks are only good for clean, while the Les Paul is good for Distortion. This guitar is very VERSTITLE. When run through a cranked marshall.....it is very very FAT. Thick , fat tones can be obtained through this guitar. the reason is, the guitar has a bigger,stronger, and longer neck joint, it has 12 strings , with its natural Chunkiness,and high-gain pickups which are about 13 OHMS. It does a very good Creed and godsmack tone. And, I am able to get this tone W/O modifying the guitar in ANYWAY.

Actually, the guitar was set-up very nice and to my liking straight out of the case. Pickups were nicely set-up. everything was pretty good. the only problem is The Rickenbacker standard is too small and i cant play lead on it. Also, tuning stability is very good, much nicer than other guitars. I have a Cheapo Fender Strat made in Mexico. After 1 hour playing w/ my band with all the chords and occasional soloing i do, the guitar is woefully out of tune.When i play the Rick, after 2 hours of normal playing ( withouht soloing of course, it goes outa tune when bending) it is still in tune. So go figure.

yes everything about it will last anything. The bridge screws and the Pup's screws are rusted, but thats becuase i sweat alot while I play.

Nothing had to be done to the guitar except the occasional Set-up at the Shop due to normal cicumstances.

Ive been playing for 4 years and as I said earlier i own a Cheapo Strat. My amp is a cheap Fender Frontman which isnt so bad. If it were stolen, i guess i wouldnt buy another (big surprise huh?). It sounds good and all, but the neck really sucks , and its hindered my development as a guitarist. Sure , i get the sound that i want. But, it doesent feel good. If i had another chance i would have bought a PRS or a Gibson SG, but i was too young and caught-up that i didnt know about it as much as i should. Looks great though...

According to the dating I did, looks like about a 93-95. It's Rick so it's made in USA. 24 frets I think, skinny frets. Maple semi-hollow body. Two pickups, hi-gain not classic toasters. Passive electronics, the classic 360 design. This is the contoured body style rather than the old "sharp-edged, George harrison" style. This is the McGuinn style that won't cut your arms as you play! Mine is all white including the back of the neck and the headstick with all black hardware including tuning keys and pickups. 12-string, 6 saddle bridge. Got it (barely) used for $1000 in Memphis. Came with the Molded Plastic Rick case with aluminum trim, owner's book and cloth. Has the Rick-O-Sound output jack and mono jack. Tuning keys are not so hot but they are passable. Might replace them someday.

There was no surprise with this guitar. I am the world's leading Roger McGuinn and Tom Petty fan and a high-ranking disciple of Pete Buck from REM. I knew what I was getting into, I had just had to wait forever to be able to afford one. It sounds beautiful with it's full "clonky" bass notes and crystal clear treble jangle. However, do not I repeat do not expect to get any other sound than this from this guitar. If you do you are over-expecting! Like Henry Ford said early on, "Our customers can have any color car they want, as long as they want black" so this guitar could be said: you can have any sound you want as long as it's a Rickenbacker 12 string sound. Unlike so many others who can only think of the McGuinn/Beatles/Animals applications for this sound, this guitar can be heard all over current and more recent classic rock: ie: Petty, REM, Matthew Sweet, Replacements, damn near any current country song. It is especially useful live when reproducing an acoustic part from a record. The extra bite and clarity as well as electric neck playability make the parts shimmer and stand out much more so than just putting a pick-up in an acoustic.

I got it used but it was perfectly set up and maintained when I got it -- with one exception: The mono output jack crackled and shorted out. I thought it was the test cable in the store. However, I have never bothered to fix that as using a standard mono cord out of the Rick-O-Sound stereo jack allows me to put the selector in bridge or combined mode but cuts off if I put it in the neck P/U position. Since I only use the bridge P/U for everything, that gives me a great on/off switch at the guitar that means I don't have to fiddle with my volume settings during a set break! Just flick it off and set it down!

Yes this guitar is tough enough to be played live with reliability. However, I would definitely always transport it in a solid case and keep it wiped down after shows to prevent any damage to the finish. The strap buttons are solid (came with Schaller strap lock bolts). However, if I were touring alot, I would keep maybe a $300 Danelectro 12-string handy as a backup in case the Rick went out of tune suddenly due to humidity or a broken string (one broken string on this thing will wreck your tuning because of your floating bridge and tailpiece).

Haven't had to deal with them. I hear they're pretty tough to deal with and the fact that there are only two authorized dealers/repairers in my state of Georgia leads me to believe what I hear.

Unlike say a Strat or Les Paul which both can be eq'd and effected into many versitile uses, this guitar is like a person: completely unique. It makes one sound and it is a beautiful sound. However, if you want it to sound like a Tele, no go. Want it to sound like a Paul? Get a Paul. I have all of those guitars and use them all the time. But I could never get the Ric 12 sound from any of them no matter how much chorus and compression I tried on my Tele! If it was stolen or lost, I would immediately cry and then start saving my money for another. It is something I can not do witout now that I have had it. I have played it through several Fender amps and a Roland JC120. The JC120 is the perfect amp for this guitar but I cannot afford it so I am sticking with my smaller Fenders -- for now. I'd say I hate the fact that it is so hard to string these guitars, but that is part of the "personality" of Rick 12 strings.

made in U.S.A. 7-99 acccording to the warranty card.
24 frets, semi-acoustic, natural finish (maple-glo) maple body, neck is maple laminated with walnut (I think), rosewood fretboard, mother of pearl triangle inlay, binding on rear of body and neck and around cat's eye soundhole. Has two of the new style 7.4 ohm single coil pick-ups, new style raised lettering on headstock logo plastic, chrome hardware, three position p.u. selector switch, two tone, two volume and blend controls, all passive, but wired for stereo standard.
Came with standard Ric. 12 string covered bridge, individually adjustable saddles, &quot;R&quot; tailpiece. Tuners are Schallers, six on a side (three normal, three angled to rear).
Neck is very smooth and fast, not just for a 12-string, for any guitar. Pretty much a standard scale and width, standard frets.
Came in plush lined hardshell case, with polishing cloth and allen wrenches and the best owner's manual I've ever seen or read. If you don't buy the guitar, buy the owner's manual.
I wish it had the vintage silver case at these prices. The case it came in is a fine heavy-duty black tolex aluminum trimmed, plush lined plain jane with a dinky square RIC label stuck in one corner.
Also, I think a guitar in this price range ought to come with a strap, straplocks, a cord, spare strings AND the Ric-o-Sound kit, which is $75.00 extra.

This guitar is the benchmark for anyone who plays music from the 60's. Whether you play music by The Byrds, The Beatles, Stones (when they were good), Animals, Searchers-----if it has a 12 string part, THIS is THE 12 string. Obviously, I play a lot of classic rock. Works for Tom Petty's music too.
I play mine through a late 60's/early 70's silverface Fender Champ, completely stock and original. I also use my Crate Dx-212, which I reviewed here last yr.
Roger McGuinn used compression on his 360's, the 370 McGuinn Signature has it built in. Okay, but mine sounds great as is. I do use a little reverb when I use the Crate and set the amp on blackface, tweed, or the AC-30 models.
I've only had it a week and haven't really experimented with the Crate that much. Haven't had to, plug it in a Fender tube amp and you will have THE sound. No muss, no fuss, no hunting....it's right there.
These are the new pick-ups, they are louder than toasters, sound just as good as the toasters in my 64 330. Rich, full, bright sound? Look it up, it's spelled Rickenbacker.
Having said all of that, it is a 12-string which will limit what styles of music it's suited for. I haven't heard any unintended noises from the guitar. By it's very nature, it's going to sound sweet and clean and yes, &quot;jangly&quot;.
I wouldn't think it would be suited to playing Hendrix or Sabbath.
I love the fit and finish on the guitar, it is perfect. I only have a few complaints: I HATE the black p.u.'s!!!!!!!!! They look like crap. They are UGLY, I can understand people changing to toasters for that reason alone! They look CHEAP, believe me, this isn't a cheap guitar, lists for around $1700.00 They sound great, look terrible. I even e-mailed Rickenbacker and told them the same thing. Attention all Ric owners--sic 'em! I thought about putting a band-aid over them, they are an eyesore!
It came with the only guage strings Ric makes for a 12. Bummer. I think I can do better making my own sets.

Okay, the guitar was perfect, straight out of the box, no flaws in the finish, everything was set up very well, everything tight and well adjusted. The action on this guitar is fanstastic. Who says you can only play rhythm on a 12? Listen to McGuinn. Who says you can't bend strings on a 12?
This guitar plays BETTER than ANY L.P. ever made, period. I've had my share of Gibson's over 35 yrs. and this 12 string has a better neck than any of them.

Ric has made this model for about 35 yrs. That ought to tell you it is fairly reliable. Would I depend on it, absolutely. The newer 12's have dual truss rods. The hardware is triple chrome plated brass, I believe it will stand up. Ric seems a little preoccupied with the finish, read the owner's manual. I've heard there have been problems with their finishes cracking and checking. The box mine was shipped in plainly stated &quot; temperature changes can cause finish crack s to appear in your instrument, do not open for several hours.&quot;
First, how many of us are going to wait? Second, how many of us get ours in the original shipping carton? Third, if you are going to put a label like that on the box, why not put one on the case where someone can see it?
Did someone say strapbuttons? No way, This puppy has strapBOLTS!!! None of my regular straploks will work. I don't think you'll have to worry about stripping them out, unless you plan on towing a boat with it.
Would I use it live without a back up? Unless you're Tom Petty or Roger McGuinn, you'll have to, so will I. They do cost a LOT of money.

I've never had to get my 330 repaired, I've only had this 360-12 a week, so I haven't needed anything fixed and have never had to deal directly with Ric. I've heard a lot on the internet about people having warranty problems, but that's hearsay. I've known two or three intelligent, friendly Ric dealers, the rest were either complete idiots (I asked one to show me a Ric 360-12 and he brought me a 4001 Bass!) or they were snobs. If Ric has a problem, it's with their dealers. The guitar is under warranty for five yrs. from the date of manufacture, 7-99 as stated on my warranty card. That isn't exactly the way I'd do it. My guitar was made 7-99, I bought it last week, 5-00, that's nearly a yr. gone off of my warranty while the guitar sat in Elderly Instruments warehouse.

I think I've covered most of this, but just in case I left something out. I've been playing since 1964, been wanting this guitar since 1965 when I first heard Mr.Tamborine Man by The Byrds.
What kind of gear do I own, sit down, this may take awhile. I have two 330's, three Strats (including a 40th Anniversary, and one I just installed G-Vox on this morning), a Tele, and a hand-made one of a kind electric 12 string (which now goes into honorable retirement) that I bought in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1968 while I was in school. Amps: I have a completely stock, completely original late 60's/early 70's silverface Fender Champ and a Crate DX-212. Effects: a Dunlop Mr.Crybaby Super, an e-bow, and assorted stomp boxes, and a partridge in a pear tree.
I've pretty well studied this guitar, so there were no real surprises, other than the strapBOLTS.
If it were lost or stolen, I'd die, that simple, if I didn't, whoever stole it would. No brag, just fact.
Yes, I'd buy it again, but at these prices, it'd take awhile.
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. The fit and finish are excellent, perfectly balanced, not neck-heavy like some twelves. The sound? A voice from Heaven, that's why I call it &quot;Angel&quot;. It looks, plays and sounds beautiful. It even sounds like a Rickenbacker when it's unplugged! Can you say that about ANY other guitar?
What do I hate? Thank You for allowing me to say one more time, with feeling, those are the UGLIEST pick-ups I have ever seen! Are you reading this Rickenbacker? The case and strings could use a little work too.
My favorite feature? The neck will shame a lot of six strings, like OVERPRICED Gibsons and even give some Fenders a run for the money. To those of you who like a Gibson neck, you have my condolences.
Over 35 yrs. I've compared every famous name guitar to this one. I might would have bought a Fender solid-body 12 made on the Jag body, but I never could find one. Are you listening FENDER? You have re-issued everything else? Why not the solid body 12?
Actually, I should have quit looking and bought this guitar yrs. ago. Sure, it's expensive, but have you looked at what Epi doublenecks are going for now? Forget the &quot;real&quot; Gibson doubleneck, unless you are rich. I even looked at the Dano's----not very hard. I'm old enough to remember when you literally couldn't give the things away. They claim to have the sound of the 60's, they sure do, the sound everybody tried to get AWAY from.
The choice was simple really. It's a Ric 12, nothing else sounds like it. Nowdays you can't tell a Strat from a Tele from a Les Paul, too much inbreeding and cloning, but the SOUND of a Ric 12 will ALWAYS stand out and be immediately identifiable.
Anything I wish it had? (Thank you Harmony Central) Prettier p.u. covers, anything but those ugly black p.u.'s. A vintage case that didn't cost $230.00 extra, better strings, or at least a different guage, not one size fits all and the Ric-O-Sound Kit ought to be included, along with a strap and extra strings.
Anything else I'd like to share? Does anyone know what my guitar will sound like with the Ric-O-Sound kit? Has anyone else ever bought one? Mine's on order, I'll let you know. Anybody out there know where to find square granny glasses? I have this urge to play Mr.Tamborine Man and sing through my nose for some reason.
I guess that ought to cover it. I think I've made enough people mad for one day.

American made Mapleglo, which Rick-o-jack, non-toaster pick-ups, 2 years old. Great finish with wonderful grain in Mapleglo, finished fretboard. I also play a Gibson LP Classic, Tobias bass, Epi 6 string and Danelectro DC as well as this twelve string. Yeah, it's quite a transition between these instruments. The Rick's factory original except the strings, and a perfect pro set-up. I wouldn't change a thing.

I don't like the sound through my tube Vibrolux, too muddy. If I were stuck with this set-up I'd probably sell the Rick. I put it through my Peavy KB60 is it sounds 500% better. My sense is this is one guitar that absolutely needs a compatible amp. I sometimes run it through a Korg effects deck - terrific sound. It's very versatile as Ricks have a reputation for, and perfect for me as I play all kinds of music. A note though, if you want the classic Byrds sound I'd go for the toasters. You can get there without them but it requires a lot of working back and forth between amp/guitar (perhaps effects). Personally, I like the warmer sound.

Here the Rick really shines, (no pun ...). I bought it used and the previously owner had it professionally set - and it's perfect. The fit and finish exceeds the quality of my Les Paul & Toby. To offer a contrary opinion to some others, I like the thin and narrow neck. Yeah, twelve strings on this narrow neck takes getting used to and I do have big hands. Moving quickly to a C major chord is iffy until you get wired in. All and all I wouldn't change a thing. I've played for 30+ years and all types of guitars - I think this is an advantage. If your getting you fingering/positioning skills together this guitar could be a nightmare. The intonation is perfect and it stays in tune - credit to the guy/gal? who set it up.

My sense is this thing is built to last. It's a few years old and all is like new.

If this where stolen I'd immediately replace it. Negative comments about the tailpiece seem valid, though the chromed R is a nice look. My approach will be to have is professionally strung and set, who needs the hassle. Between my 5 guitars this one's the favorite, the Tobias is next. I think the quality feel, sound and finish make it a kick to play - love that chorus sound. A great value. It's even got me interested in trying out a Rick 6 string.

Features: The 360-12 I bought is a 1997 fireglo model with binding on the back of the guitar. The pickups are the "hi gain" ones that Rickenbacker has produced since the early 70's (or late 60's). There are 24 extremely thin frets and the guitar came with the "R" tailpiece. The guitar came with a 6 saddle bridge so I subsequently purchased a 12 saddle bridge as the intonation was imperfect. Rickenbacker has not changed the design of this guitar since the 1960's. That's why I give it a 5 for features.

All Rickenbackers sound the same. The higher gain pickups are not too different in sound from the old style "toaster" pickups. The toaster pickups are a little more brighter than the hi gain pickups but the hi gain pickups are definetly fuller. The guitar is extremely quiet. Either you love this sound (jangly and bright) or you hate it. For the "Hard Days Night" or early Church sound, this guitar is essential.

The action on this guitar was way too high when I bought it and had it adjusted by tightening the truss rods. The 6 saddle bridge was simply horrible (Rickenbacker should make all their 12 string guitars equipped with the 12 saddle bridge). The fretting is flawless and the wood has a really nice flame.

The guitar is very solid. It stays in tune for the most part and appears to be dependable. I have read that the hardware tarnishes easily over time. I would use it without a backup only because this guitar is limited in its use, i.e., there are not too many songs for which one uses this guitar.

I have not dealt with the company. This is the second Rick I have owned and I have not really had any problems with them. Rick should however have authorized repair places around the country. I live in Hawaii-it would be difficult to send my guitar to California for repairs. It would probably just as cheap to have a guitar tech repair it as shipping costs would be expensive. Rick should also offer a life time warranty as well.

I recently sold this guitar (in fact I sold it yesterday). Although the sound was great, this guitar ranks as the most difficult ever to play because the fret board is too thin. Everytime I played an open C chord, I thought I was going to get carpal-tunnel syndrome. Basically, you need to have extemely thin and long fingers to play crisp and clean notes. Also, the "R" tailpiece was the biggest pain in the world as it slipped out of the tailpiece constantly. Rick should have stuck with the trapeze tailpiece (in fact, if you absolutely need to buy the 360-12, you should get the 360-12V-64 since it has the trapeze tailpiece and the old body looks cooler anyway). I love Rickenbackers. I have a 360V64 and it sounds great. But until Rick widens the fretboard (like the Tom Petty Model) and until they get rid of the "R" tailpiece, I will not buy this guitar again.

This guitar was made in Santa Ana,CA USA.Rickenbacker is a really good company(so i've hearde)since The beatles used them.This guitar is an electric 12-string,which is the guitar for the Rick jangley sound,semi-hollow,double cutaway ,with a rosewood finger board with triangular inlays.This guitar is very trebly and will give u a jangley tone even at meltdown so it is not the guitar for metal and some kinds of alternative.Since it is a 12 string and has a 6 saddle bridge when the strings are bent,the string will be out of tune,so its not a good guitar for lead.Also it has a very thin neck so it is hard to play barre chords for a long time.

This guitar suits some of my needs since i play 60's music alot.But i do play alternative so i cant really solo with it.I'm using it with a fender frontman 15,which is the MOST CRAPPIEST AMP EVER MADE.That amp brings out all the worst tones at distortion.so i cant really hear the Rickenbacker sound.But i played it with a vox AC 15 so now it sounds really good in clean and distorted rembrantds sound.

The guitar was set very well at the factory.Everything about the guitar straight out of the case is really nice playing.But i gave it a six because the action over time starts to deteriote.I had to bring the guitar to the shop 2 times. So it is very hard to tune and set-up

Yes it will withstand live playin.Everthing about the guitar will last through touring except the tunning and maybe the set-up.Yes u can depond on it execpt u must really play it and test out the tunning before playing or it will sound really bad against the band.I use it without a backup but i tune it befor every time i play.

I've been playin for 5 yrs.And i've never played a better sounding guitar before.If it was stolen i probobly would'nt replace it.I have sort of a love/hate relationship with the guitar.I hate it when i pick it up and discover that its not in tune after i tuned it 3 days ago.But when its tuned i love it because it sounds so nice(through that vox AC 15 at the store).I wish it came with a 12 saddle bridge.

Mine was new in 1995. Fireglo finish, comes with a good solid hard case - virtually a flight case - and a cloth, wrench etc. As if you didn't know, this is a 12-string, semi-solid guitar made of solid maple which is routed out and a slab then stuck on the back. This standard model is bound only on the back, there used to be an option to have binding on the front too. It has a striped neck and headstock, made of different strips of wood. All the wood is either slightly flamed or quilted on mine and the finish is virtually flawless. The tuners are Schaller - personally I prefer the vintage type which I think are also lighter in weight. The strap buttons are Schaller and compatible with straplocks, but you have to buy the buttons and the locks for your strap - just like Fender, Godin and doubtless others too. 24 fret, bound neck, sharks tooth style full width inlays. High output pickups. The standard bridge is 6 section - I changed mine for a 12-saddle model to improve intonation.

This sounds awesome. I have put a Starr Labs squeezer compressor in there and have wired it so I can use the second Rick-o-Sound output for compressed sound (which is switched on when you plu in there) and normal on the standard output. With this, I pretty much have nailed the tone of McGuinn, Petty, Beatles, Hollies, Bluetones etc. It has a loud, powerful bright sound, full of overtones, also lots of bass.

Generally, superb. I have only changed the set-up when I installed the 12-saddle bridge. It literally played perfect out of the box - in fact, it was in tune. The only flaw is where the channes have been routed for the strings to go through the headstock - very untidy and I think they are always like this, but you only see it if you're looking for it. The fingerboard, lacquered rosewood, and frets are immaculate and put Fender and Gibson to shame.

This guitar is well-made, top quality hardware throughout. It is therefore very reliable. Even when I wired the compressor in, I found wiring which looked like it was designed in the '50s - very solid. it even keeps in tune.

I haven't had any problems, but when I was looking for some info I got a personal e-mail reply from Mr. Hall - the owner of Rickenbacker. There is some excellent support stuff on their website.

I've played for 20 years and have all kinds of gear. For this guitar, you need an amp with bags of power and heavyweight speakers - like a Twin or similar. I have used a Peavey Duel with 2x12" and now a Vibrasonic with 1x12" which is even better. A Vox AC30 and Roland JC120 are also commonly used with this type of guitar. There is nothing like it. Best of all, the new ones are just as good as old ones - I generally don't like old gear as I really look after my stuff and don't like messy guitars. Yes, I'd replace it if it was stolen but I might look hard for a Roger McGuinn model.

I purchased this guitar in 1995, but I don't think the design has changed much in the past 30 years. The body is semi-hollow maple, rounded in front with binding on the back and a high-gloss finish. It has a set neck design with a maple and walnut neck and a rosewood fingerboard. There are 24 frets; the scale is 24 ?", and the fingerboard has a 12" radius. The 360 has two single-coil pickups, with volume and tone controls for each pickup and an extra tone control, which I won't try to explain here. The bridge is a six-saddle (the intonation is fine on all 12 strings), and the tuners are Schallers. The are mono and stereo outputs, but to use the stereo, an optional "Ric-O-Sound" adapter must be purchased.

I'll give a conditional "10" for the sound. This guitar needs the right amp to sound great-through many amps (even some very good amps), this guitar sounds downright mediocre. I used to own a Marshall JTM-30, and the Rick sounded so bad through that amp that I quit playing it for a while. I currently own a Vox AC-15, and it sounds GREAT through that amp. It also sounds wonderful through most Fender amps, and every Matchless I've tried. Sound is highly subjective, but if you know (and love) the Rickenbacker sound, you can really only get it with a Rickenbacker-just remember that the amp is part of the sound equation.

Everything was set up pretty well initially, but it soon developed a slight neck bow. What should be a simple adjustment is complicated by the fact that this guitar has dual truss rods, and 12 strings. In order to adjust the neck, all 12 strings must be loosened, the truss rod cover must be removed, both truss rods must be carefully adjusted so that the right amount of tension is on each side, then the truss rod cover is replaced and the strings re-tightened, and if everything isn't just right, the process must be repeated.

With the exception of a couple of truss rod adjustments, the only problem I had was with a noisy output jack. I was able to easily fix it myself. The construction appears to be very solid and I'm sure it will hold up well. I doubt that very many people use a 12 string as their only guitar-if they did, I don't think that a back-up guitar would be necessary.

I've never dealt with the company, and I don't know the length of the warranty. The only 'repairs' (truss rod adjustment and output jack) were done by me.

I've been playing for about 25 years and have loved the sound of a 12 string Ric since the days of the British invasion and the Byrds. I'm glad I've had the chance to own one, but I doubt that I'd replace it if it were lost or stolen. I have sort of a love/hate relationship with this guitar: I love the sound, but some of the design aspect are puzzling or frustrating. The most maddening thing about this guitar is the difficulty in changing strings-I can't believe that Rickenbacker hasn't addressed this issue in all the years they have been making this guitar.