Rickenbacker 380 Laguna PZ

Let me start out by saying that everything I say in this review is true. I am prepared to submit sworn Affidavits or take a polygraph test regarding statements I make in this review. Rickenbacker fans surely will be angered and confused when they read this. And I would have been right beside them until I experienced dealing with Rickenbacker on a defective guitar.

The 380 LPZ I own is a 2002 model that I bought new. I have delayed in writing this review for a time because of continuing disputes with Rickenbacker regarding the firm?s failure to honor the warranty.

The guitar is Rickenbacker?s ?me-too? attempt to capture some of the market dominated by the Parker Fly and the Power Telecaster ? both of which also offer a bridge piezo along with magnetic pickups. Unfortunately, the placing of the 380 LPZ?s electronics module on the bridge support, along with retaining the dual jack system of earlier Rickenbacker models results in a marginal design.

The printed-circuit electronic module is fastened to a block of wood under the bridge. It is spot glued (very spotty on my guitar, as it failed after a couple of months) to the wood on the side toward the rear of the guitar. This places the assembly in tension, with the load supported by the glue.

Any junior-high shop student knows that supporting a tensioned wood member with a couple of spots of glue is asking for trouble.

Similarly, placing a printed circuit board on a precariously attached piece of wood is a guarantee for failure. Both the glued joint and the electronics failed on my guitar, and Rickenbacker refused to repair them (more on this later).

One good feature of Rickenbackers is the dual truss rod system supporting the neck. My guitar has a warped neck and manipulating the truss rods almost pulled the warp in line ? almost but not quite. A warp is a spiral or twist in the neck. It should not be confused with a bowed neck, which usually can be straightened with ease. If my guitar had a single truss rod, it would have been impossible to correct the neck at all.

It is possible that Rickenbacker selected the dual truss rod system in order to use green (uncured) wood during manufacture, thereby saving money.

The so-called blend knob is fine as long as you want both the piezo and the humbucker together. The only way to isolate the piezo from the humbucker is to place a ?dummy? quarter-inch plug in the unused jack. For example, if I only wished to use the humbucker, I would put the ?dummy? in the piezo jack. I checked with the dealer (The Music Connection) on this problem when I first received the guitar. He contacted the factory several times without a response, finally telling me that I should just go ahead and try the ?dummy plug? solution.

I had to chuckle about the reviewer who wrote, ?Guitar comes with an excellent and durable hardshell case.? The blow-plastic case is the cheapest case design available -- aside from paper chipboard cases.

The standard features of the guitar are well described by the other reviewers, and I won?t repeat them.

The sound is the best thing about the guitar that has turned out to be my worst nightmare. I typically use the humbuckers, isolating the piezo with the aforementioned ?dummy? plug, or blend a bit of the piezo in with the humbuckers. The infamous ?piezo squawk? precludes using much of that pickup.

The guitar produces a kind of country-type sound when played dry. Also, I got a very nice sound by heavily processing the signal with reverb from the amp, along with an analogue compressor, analogue chorus, and analogue delay. Like most Rickenbackers, the 380 LPZ has an affinity for Vox tube amps. I use an AC15 and nothing else on this guitar. (I own quite a few amps by the way, and have experimented with all of them and the 380 LPZ.)

I use the guitar on (1) poppy, airy songs that might be likened to early U2, and (2) country. It might work with rockabilly, what with its twangy sound.

The 380 LPZ produces a distinctly different sound than my 360 ? not better or worse, just different. The best sound tends to be bright side. When you go for a ?warm? sound, things get a bit muddy. However, I would not call the guitar a one trick pony -- perhaps a two or three trick pony. The pickups are fairly quiet

I mostly play in first position on this type of guitar. And it is a very good thing, considering that the action on the small strings gets very high after about the 5th or 7th fret because of the warped neck. It is analogous to walking through two-foot deep snow.

The ends appear properly bookmarked. The bridge is properly routed.

The next question I am to answer is, ?Did the guitar contain any flaws.? Yes indeed it did! The support piece for the bridge was glued with two spots of glue that are approximately two millimeters (mm) in diameter. This is on a piece of wood that is about 75 mm by 15 mm. Hmmm, do we have to ask why the glued joint failed after a couple of months of playing?

As I mentioned before, placing the electronics module against this wood piece immediately under the bridge was totally out there.

The guitar?s bridge assembly came loose after about two months. The instrument has a warped neck. Enough said?

This section should be titled, ?Rickenbacker warranty fraud.? The firm would not honor the warranty even after months of trying.

My first hint of what was to come happened when I could not get a response on the problem on the inability to isolate the Piezo from the humbuckers. This was child?s play compared to what happened next.

When the wood block supporting the bridge came unglued, which in turn ruined the electronic module attached to the wood block, I contacted Rickenbacker via email. I was told that I had not registered the guitar within 10 days of purchase, thereby voiding the warranty. (In fact, I had mailed the postcard registration immediately after receiving the instrument.) In the emails that followed I indicated I had the original receipts (credit card and store receipt) and had purchased the guitar new. I was told this was inadequate because there was no record of the guitar being registered within 10 days of purchase.

I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Rickenbacker responded back to the BBB that the firm had not received copy of the purchase receipts. I faxed and mailed a copy of the receipts. The mailed copy was sent via Certified Mail with Return Receipt. Rickenbacker refused this letter.

I still have the unopened envelope transmitting the copy of the receipt. ?Refused? is largely and aggressively scratched across the front of the envelope. I have kept copies of all documents and telephone logs on the matter. They will be posted on a website that will go into considerably more detail than is appropriate for this review. Emails from Mr. Hall will reveal a temperament and ethical demeanor not previously known to Rickenbacker aficionados.

I informed the BBB of what happened. Rickenbacker responded to the BBB indicating that it would not accept faxed copies of receipts, a copy must be mailed. I then mailed a copy via First Class mail. This envelope did not come back so I assume it was received.

The BBB was again contacted, with Rickenbacker again stating it would not accept faxed copies. At this point I filed a complaint with the Consumer Fraud Division of the California Attorney General?s Office.

The Attorney General?s Office sent back a nice letter saying in effect, Gee, we?re sorry but we don?t have the resources to pursue the case. Go hire a lawyer. (A couple of months later the AG sent me another letter saying they were in fact looking into this matter after all.)

I contacted several lawyers. Those folks don?t even sneeze for $1,250 (the retail value of the guitar.) I was repeatedly advised by the lawyers to take the matter to Small Claims Court in Santa Ana. I have not done this because traveling to Santa Ana, along with time off the job, very much exceeds the value of the guitar.

A couple of lawyers said that warranty fraud of this type is increasing with the advent of the Internet. Both retailers and manufacturers calculate the risk of default versus the reduced likelihood that customers in other states will purse legal recourse.

At this point I had a useless guitar made by a crooked company. What to do?

I took the instrument to guitar repairmen (Axe Haven, Chris Hebert, Eclipse Guitars) in the Denver area, explaining the situation. These guys said they were aware of industry rumblings on Rickenbacker?s behavior regarding warranty issues. I was just learning.

At Acoustic Music Revival I was advised that they would stand behind an instrument, even if the manufacturer would not. They suggested I contact The Music Connection. I did and got nothing but silence. Great, just great.

So I decided to have the guitar fixed and void the warranty. I guess by this point I had figured out that the warranty was not really worth much.

I called Rickenbacker Parts to get a price on the electronic module. They wanted $450. I would say that is a bit high on a $1250 guitar. One of the repair guys identified the make and model of the part, and ordered it directly from the manufacturer.

I have been playing longer than most people have been alive. I own 23 guitars including two more Rickenbackers: 360 and 370-12. In all honesty, these other two Rickenbackers are good instruments. (And it is a good thing, based on my experiences on getting the firm to honor its warranty.)

My guitars include a Parker Fly Supreme and a Fender American Deluxe Power Telecaster. Both of these guitars have a magnetic/piezo pickup combination similar to the 380 LPZ, but offer durability and quality workmanship. And they are backed by manufacturers that are honest.

I wish I would have checked out Rickenbacker?s reputation in the business before buying the 380 LPZ. If it were lost or stolen I would not replace it. I don?t love anything about the guitar, and hate its quality and the bogus Rickenbacker warranty policy. My favorite feature is the oiled finish.

I did not compare it to other guitars. In fact, I had never even seen one. It looked good on paper. I wish it had acceptable quality.

Anything else I would like to share? Well, yes, a couple of things: (1) If you fall victim to Rickenbacker, keep copies of all documents. Write to the Consumer Fraud Division of the California Attorney General. If enough of us are heard, we will have the strength to move this arrogant corporate entity.

(2) The second thing I would like to say deals with other reviews, including the gushing ones below. Harmony Central asks this of manufacturers: ?For manufacturers - We value your input, but DO NOT pose as a customer. If you want to address any comments on your product or refute the facts, you can use this form, but make it very clear you are responding to those comments as a manufacturer (and leave the sales pitch out please!)?

I hope this applies to third-party shills, also. My suspicion is that pumped-up reviews occur on many products, from guitars on Harmony-Central to can openers on Amazon.

2003 380 LPZ.VERY ATTRACTIVE WALNUT HOLLOW BODY.2 PICKUPS,PLUS BRIDGE PIEZO.I JUST RECEIVE THIS GUITAR AND SO FAR I LOVE IT.I AM IN THE PROCESS OF DISCOVERING ALL OF THE MANY TONES.CONTROLS ARE GOOD.PICKUP SELECTOR FOR BRIDGE ,NECK OR COMBINATION.THIS IS A LIGHT GUITAR,WHICH IS A PLEASANT SURPRISE.GOLD HARDWARE,NON LOCKING TUNERS WORK VERY WELL.I DIDNT CARE FOR THE STRINGS THAT ARE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT,BUT IT WAS EAST TO CHANGE TO ELIXERS FOR A SMOOTHER FEEL,ALSO WENT TO A HEAVIER SETOF STRINGS.NICE MAPLE NECK.IT JUST FELT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME I PLAYED IT.NOT TOO THIN,NOT TOO FAT.PIEZO PICKUP MAKES THIS GUITAR,I WOULDNT WANT IT WITHOUT ONE.NICE ROUND ,BRIGHT ACOUSTIC TONE.

THIS CAN FIT MANY STYLES,YES EVEN HARD ROCK,WITH A PROCESSOR.I AM USING A DIGITECH PROCESSOR AND A FENDER SOLID STATE AMP.HAVE NOT NOTICED ANY NOISE AT ALL .THIS GUITAR HAS A NICE ACOUSTIC SOUND REMINDS ME OF A TAYLOR WITH THE PIEZO FULL ON.MIX A LITTLE HUMBUCKER AND SOUNDS LIKE A LES PAUL.I GOT A FENDERISH TELECASTER SOUND WITH THE PROCESSOR ALSO

ACTION FIT AND FINISH WAS FLAWLESS.ADJUSTED HIGH ,BUT ITS SIMPLE THE LOWER THE BRIDGE A BIT.I LOVE THE PIECE OF WALNUT ON THE FRONT ITS GOT A BIG SWIRLEY KNOT.JUST WHAT I WANTED,VERY STIKING AND UNIQUE.RICKENBACKER DOES A GREAT JOB RIGHT HERE IN THE STATES.

DURABILITY IS NOT A BIG CONCERN,SEEMS TO BE STURDY,JUST DONT DO ANY GUITAR SMASHING WITH IT,ITS TOO GORGEOUS.IF I QUIT PLAYING ILL JUST FRAME IT AND PUT IT IN THE LIVING ROOM.SOLID COMPONENTS AND WOULD USE IT WITHOUT A BACKUP.IT ACTUALLY TAKES THE PLACE OF 3 GUITARS.

DIDNT HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH THE MANUFACTURER.DEALER AT MUSIC CONNECTION WAS VERY CURTEOUS AND E MAILED ME SEVERAL TIMES.THE ONLY DRAWBACK WAS THE WAITING TIME ,7 1/2MONTHS.

I AM A DRUMMER TURNED BASSIST AND NOW MAYBE SOME GUITAR PLAYING.I OWN A FENDER,OVATION CLASSICAL GUITAR AND 4 BASSES,2 CARVINS,A WASHBURN ACOUSTIC,AND A RIC BASS.PLAYED AT CHURCH AND CHURCH OUTINGS.USE CARVIN FENDER AND PEAVEY AMPS.WHAT I LOVE ABOUT GUITAR IS ITS VERSATILITY AND SOUND AND LOOKS AND QUALITY.WHAT I DONT LIKE..THATS A TOUGH ONE.CANT THINK OF ANY YET.MAYBE DOESNT HAVE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN TONES FROM THE PICKUPS LIKE A STRAT.BUT IM STILL ADJUSTING THINGS.SO MAYBE THE PICKUPS NEED TO BE CLOSER?OVERALL I THINK THE WAIT WAS WORTH IT. BUYING A QUALITY,VERY UNIQUE GUITAR THAT WILL RISE IN VALUE OVER THE YEARS

Rickenbacker 380 Laguna/PZ
made 2002 in USA
24 frets
solid top hollow body
H/H PZ in the bridge (active PZ passive humbuckers)
body is all walnut, neck is maple
Tung oil finish
Classic Rickenbacker 300 series design with the cat eye cut out(sound hole)
to get a 10, maybe should have another pick up and more specific controls. Has Humbucker (both) volumeand tone, and PZ volume and tone. Cannot mix tones of the Humbuckers, nor can you control the specific levels of the humbuckers. HOWEVER, you can control the PZ to Humbucker ratio using the 5th nob. (must be plugged into the "both" jack) there are two jacks on board, 1 is just humbucker, the other is Humbucker/ PZ out)

I do love the sound.
it has a huge range of tones, due to mixing the PX and the Humbuckers.
I play classic rock and country with it and it sounds great to my ears.
The sound is rather dark in comparison to my other rickenbacker (a 650 colorado) not quite the bright dazzling bell like sounds. Must be the walnut body. THe bridge Humbucker is bright, but not as bright as one would think, coming fromm a RIC. The PZ is spectacular. I have stopped playing my acoustic/electric ovation because I love the PZ sound of the 380 L. It has a very nice clear sound that can be adjusted to a VERY bright, to a rather dull, dark. If you mix in a little Humbucker...it is even more full. great sound.

The cation out of the box was great. However I do find that as I move up the neck to the second 12 frets, the sound is alittle sharp. I may have to do some fine tuning at the bridge. But first position is just great. I also noticed that it stays in tune nicely when fingering an "A" chord (my 650C goes sharp very easily at that. The 380 nails it every time).

as for fit and finish:
on a whole it is Wonderful. But there are a few points to note. the centerline of the match book does not line up with the stripe of walnut that runs down the neck (it is off by about 5 mm).
the holes for the humbuckers are not perfect (though at any further than a few feet one would never know).
other than that it is a beautifully made guitar. I love just looking at it, (infact I have taken many pictues of it and use it as my desk top and screeen saver on my computers). It feels wonderful, my fingers don't stick to the finish (it has none, just Tung oil!)
all in all a marvelous piece.

it appears to be very durable (I have yet to gigi with it, so it is still unproven there for me, but it seems VERY robust.
the hardware is all very quality stuff. and it stays in tune while playing it quite nicely, though I have noticed that un played it tends to go sharp (maybe it is just the way the heat is expanding the wood...)
The strap buttons are locking from stock. and I am very comfortable moving around with it. I woudl LOVE to see these same strap buttons on my 4003FL adn 4003/5 they would easily handle the weight.
I can't see bringing anohter axe along, I think it will handle gigging jsut as well as any other well made guitar.

Rickenbacker was GREAT. they are very friendly and moved along well.
I was originally quoted a 9 month lead time, but recieved my axe 3 months early. (this is likely due to the major downturn in the economy, but I was happy as I could be to get my laguna almost 4 months early.
they also respond to e-mails in a timely manner and have a wonderful phone presence.
great company.

I have been playing guitar for only 3 years, but also own a RIC 650C Solid body, an Ovation celebrity 6 string, a 72 Fender Precission Jazz bass, and a RIC 4003FL, and a RIC 4003/5.

I have been playing bass for about 20 years...

As for the 380 Laguna, I do love this guitar, I woudl buy another if it were damaged, stolen or in some way gone from my life. I have thought about selling the 650, because I just love the 380L and only play it. But I will keep it around... ;-)

I didnt do any comparison shopping, I saw this thing and had to have it. I am glad I own it.

The ONLY thing I really wish it had, is a 12 string variant. I would buy one of those too. (I suppose that for enough money....)

This guitar was made December 2000, but had been on order for nine months. I was told that there had been a sourcing problem for the Piezo pickups and that they were changing from a German manufacturer to domestic. The top and sides are routed from a single piece of walnut to form a semi-accoustic boddy, while the back appears to be a walnut laminate and joins the rest of the body with a black and white binding strip. The finish is oiled only and has a matte sheen. The neck is highly figured maple with a strip of walnut running up the back. The fingerboard is bare maple with black dots for markers as well as a white binding strip.

Pickups include two Humbuckers and one Piezo. The Humbuckers are somewhat bassy compared to the classic toaster pickups, and in no way sound like a classic Rickenbacker. One advantage, is that they are much less prone to feedback. The Piezo, with its own volume and tone control, is fantastic, and does a very good job simulating an accoustic especially through an accoustic amp (I use a Fishman). There are two jacks. One jack is for use with one mono cord and blends the two pickups. The other jack is a dedicated Piezo. The best way to use this guitar is with two cords and two amps. This is a bit of a departure from the usual set-up on Ric's, where one of the jacks is stereo for use with their 'Ric-O-Sound' cord.

The tuners, bridge and knobs are gold plated, and go well with the walnut. The 5th knob, blends the two pickups, and I'm still not sure what advantage this provides over the simple dedicated knobs, but it fits with Ric tradition.

The neck, thankfully, is a 1 3/4"....a full 1/8" wider than classic Ric's and is much more versatile.

This is a very versatile intrument, given its ability to transform itself from electric to 'accoustic' at an instant. The Humbuckers will not replicate a sixties sound by themselves as the classic Ric pickups, but do a fairly good job of simulating that effect when blended with the Piezo.

The factory set up was fine with me. The strings do not seem to be set too low, although there is some buzz when using the Piezo mode only. I could find no flaw in workmanship.

Because of the oiled finish, nicks and scrapes can be taken out using 1200 grit gray sandpaper with tung-oil (according to the booklet). I'm not certain that the oiled maple neck will not discolor over time with playing.

The only downside I had with the company was the ridiculously long waiting period: 9 months. Others have waited six months for this model. Overall, it was worth the wait.

I've been playing for thirty years, and have owned a Telecaster, Stratocaster, and a Les Paul. I like this as much or more than any of them. By far the best feature is the Piezo modality, but the sheer beauty of the instrument is a close second.

The 380 Laguna PZ features an oiled walnut body and maple neck with 24 frets and dot inlays. The neck is a tad wider than other Ricks and it is also unfinished, which gives it a rather slick feel on the fretboard. The 380 is similar to the 360 in body shape, but that is where the similarity ends. They share Schaller tuners and strap pins, but that's about it. The 380 has humbucking pickups in neck and bridge and 6 piezo transducers under the bridge saddles. The bridge is a stop piece with adjustable saddles. I ordered this guitar Nov.97, it was built April 98 and I received it May98. It was made in California, USA. It has a volume and tone control for the humbuckers and a volume and tone control for the piezoes. There is a 3 way switch to select the humbuckers-neck/both/bridge. There is a fifth knob to blend the hummers and the pz's. There are two MONO jacks: PZ only; and a mix of pz and magnetic. Note: when you use the blend knob it will affect the volume output on the pz only circuit. Guitar comes with an excellent and durable hardshell case.

I play in a so-called folk rock band without a traditional drummer. Our guitar work is very precise and the 380 really shines in the few songs I use it in the band. I also jam with friends and it stands front and center with the strats and pauls. I generally play in the band with the pz circuit directed to the mixer. I direct the mixed circuit to a Crate GXT 100 which is also miked, but since we play small venues the sound comes mostly from the stage. For this circuit I like the very bright pz to complement the humbuckers, so I have the blend knob on about 65 magnetic, 35 pz and I leave it there, so as not to drive the board man nuts with the pz-only level. I have the 3way switch set on 'both': 1. no separate controls for the hummers. 2. The middle position has that beautiful, nasally twang that I wanted a rick for in the first place. The bridge pickup was set closer to the strings at the factory. If I want a brighter sound out of the amp I can flick the switch to neck, or hit the bright button on the footpedal that I use with both the Rick and my Epi acoustic. It is an ART Acoustic Processor, which has all of the presets and stereo outputs that I need. The setup I use ,even with all the wires, is totally devoid of line hum or noise, until I turn up the gain on the amp. The pickup possibilities in the mixed output are something of a compromise. The pz's give a nice acoustic tone, and the humbuckers sound great and you can blend in a great sounding tone. But if you want a humbucker to thrash in an industrial mode- go get a Vee or a Rick 650. The 380 is best suited for clean to 'just dirty' arpeggios and leads like 'Sultans of Swing' And 'Comfortably Numb.' The rating would be a 10 if there were separate mag tones and a truly dedicated pz circuit. The 'e' string is too close to the edge of the frets for really good pull-offs, but it can be done with a light touch. This guitar needs only a light touch- you can play for hours and not blister or fatigue.

This guitar was almost perfect out of the box. All of the fit and finish categories were a solid ten. The only problem encountered was the Low E (6th) piezo output was at about 80 percent of the others. Over the amp and PA it was barely discernable. Through headphones and recorded you could really tell the difference.

This guitar is both built well and sensitive. It looks like it will stand up to most situations. The oiled body has yet to show any effects on the lower bout from my sweaty arm resting on it. All knobs are gold plated and appear pretty robust. It is no worse or better than other guitars for heat and humidity. A recent gig I played started out sunny and warm and within an hour became very hot and humid. All our guitars suffered. During stable conditions, the rick stays in tune.

The piezo pickup(see prior comment) had to be fixed. For this I called the company and received an authorization for it's return. I had to pay UPS freight and insurance ( 21 bucks for 7 day ground) and they returned it within 3 weeks. Now it is perfect. I also had some questions that I asked via e-mail, and every query was answered within 48 hours. Geoff from customer service is a no nonsense guy, and when I asked a few non-technical, subjective questions, he chose not to indulge me. But when I complained about the fact that the owners manual didn't contain instructions for the pz or the walnut finish, the next thing I know the Rickenbacker.com website had a pz section and when my 380 came back there was an addendum in the original manual that addressed the walnut. When you call the Rick factory you are answered with the opening chord to the Beatles' "Hard Day's Night", and when you do talk to a human they are pretty laid back and I found it a pleasure to deal with these people.

I would buy this guitar again, and if there wasn't such a long time to wait ( I had to wait 6 months) I would buy another. I love the looks of this piece, especially the gold hardware, the signature Rickenbacker 'cat's-eye' sound hole which appears black from any angle. If I became infirm I would place this guitar on a pedestal and admire it as sculpture. I love the sound, which compares favorably with the single coils for overall tone. The only thing I don't like is the first and second frets, where, if anything other than a light touch is used you can make the fingered notes too sharp- but as I play this thing and get used to it, the light touch is a plus especially when you play sixths and want to give a bit of vibrato to your notes. Bends are too easy with the factory .008s- I prefer something a bit heavier and changed to .0095s. As before, I wish the pz circuit was truly dedicated, as well as having the pz part of the blend. It is not as pretty as a 360 Fireglo, but it is a really unique piece and the wider, unfinished fretboard is, in my opinion, a much nicer playing surface.