Rickenbacker 381/12V69 Reissue

Its a beautiful Fireglow model, with all its standard accessories and features you can read on the rickenbacker site. With stereo output , hardcase shell and vintage (toaster) pickups.

Surprisely ...it sounds amazing!!! In fact I bought it ...almost... just because I like very much how it looks like. (in fact I own already many other guitars...and I thought that it was going to be a replica of a timbre I already had on other guitars). I was amazed discovering its distinctive and unique tone .... absolutely original ..and absolutely lovely and professional!!! It has became quickly one of the my favourite guitars... I use it everywhere ...strumming but also for melodies Genesis-like or for sounds mandolin-like.... Its amazing already if you simply connect it to the consolle and without effects !!! Its incredible!!

I bought it used on e-Bay , the previous owner optimized the action I guess. Anyway its perfect for me.
At the beginnings its not easy to deal with thenarrow neck, but after some practice you'll love also this feature. You'll be able to play it as well as a 6 string guitar.

For now...everything seems to work fine. Its light weight construction suggest a not very robust instrument, but I guess (I hope) i'am wrong. For the rest, fine instruments must be resonant, not too much stiff or heavy or hard .... would you treat a Stradivari violin without care?

I havent had any reason to contact the customer service

I am playing guitar for about 25years. I own about 14 stringed instruments 10 Guitars/3 Steel guitars/1 Bass all top-branded and professional instruments.

If I would lose this instrument ...I'll try ...(if I have money ..lol) to buy another one.

The things I love more on this instruments are:
- The design and fireglow finish
- Beautiful woods (even if not very figured)
- the wonderful jangling tone
- The short scale
- size and weight that are comfortable when weared

The annoying side is .... the price!!

Everything you ever need for the classic 12 string jangle sound. Oh, and looks beautiful with it.

This is it as far as the 60's are concerned. There are no substitutes if you want that classic Beatles/Byrds and all the other 12 string jangle.

Great. The only minor gripe is that string spacing is a little tight, but then it never stopped Harrison or McGuinn, so why should it stop me?

Will outlast me.

Great

Tip top

Manufactured in June 2004, made in USA, vintage pickups, beautiful fireglo finish, quality materials and overall workmanship, comes with a large grey hardshell/vintage case, aesthetically this is avery attractive instrument. Two volume and two tone controls plus a fifth control for either RIC-O-SOUND (stereo) accessibility or mono application in combination with the pickup selector switch.

Used with Fender Twin, Deluxe Reverb, or Hot Rod Deville, delivers a fully orchestrated and clear sound. Capable of a variety of tones from Byrds-like to Eagles. Excellent and powerful pickups, it was only possible to run a Fender Deluxe Reverb at 1 or 2 max and picup volumes at about one-half. Superb sound with plenty of room to grow.

Terrible setup, the action was too high making it difficult to play coherently. Within a half hour of receiving this instrument via UPS I removed nameplate and adjusted truss rods, there are two, one for bass side one for treble. Did a 3/4 turn to bass side and a 1/2 turn to treble. Problem fixed right away and thte fretboard is absolutely an ease to play. Also, I noticed that this adjustment significantly improved my ability to form chords with ease, a problem several reviewers have remarked about and attributed to the narrowness (width) of the fretboard. That is partly true, but adjusting the action which is a necessity, is the other part of the equation. It is not possible to play a RIC 12-string when action is even moderately high because it prevents your ability to form chord shapes and have the strings sound. A low action, and RICs are capable of accommodating low action, is not only desireable, it's a necessity to have the instrument playable.

Beautiful fit and finish on this instrument, the newer mdoels seem to have a pinky-red tint, which makes the wood stand out.

All hardware seems sturdy, strap buttons small but appear to be able to manage appropriate weight. Dependable instrument, wouldn't need another 12-string backup on a gig.

Only had instrument 48 hours shipped from USA to Canada via UPS, no need for customer support. Standard Rickenbacker warranty, one year on finish, 5 years on instrument.

Playing 40 years. Other gear: 5 Fender Stratocasters, 2 Telecasters, Gretch Tennessee Rose (6119), Gretsch jazz box (3139?), '95 Gibson Les Paul (oxblood), Martin D-16 rosewood, Aria flamenco, Gibson ES-137 with vintage humbuckers, all Fener amps (Twin, Hot Rod Deville, Deluxe Reverb, Champion DSP). I would replace if lost or stolen. This model also responds well to intonation when neck is adjusted becuase it has 12 saddle bridge.

2001 Made in USA Rickenbacker 381V69/12
Mapleglo w/ checkered binding
21 Fret bound fingerboard
2 vintage scatterwound "toaster" pickups
Rick-O-Sound Stereo output jack
Vintage-style tuners
12-saddle bridge
Vintage hardshell case

The combination of scatterwound pickups and 12 strings make this this guitar sound totally different than anything else I am used to. This is my first 12 string so I am still getting used to using it. Right now I am just using it for fills in my recording I do at home. I am still learning the ins and outs of the guitar and what kinds of sounds I can get out of it. It's very different from anything else I have. I like using the Rick-O-Sound jack to split the signal into 2 different amps. I play through a Fender Twin Reverb reissue clean and an old 70's Fender Bassman Ten, which I use to run effects through. Like I said, I am still learning and experimenting, I don't have a signature sound, I am always trying new things, that is why I got this guitar. So far though, I like what I hear!

The guitar is set up well, although it does not quite intonate perfectly, even with the 12-saddle bridge. I have heard this problem from other people too, but it is good enough for me. One of the obvious issues is that the neck is really too narrow for 12 strings, it is very hard to play because I can't cleanly fret all the strings on a lot of chords. It still sounds good when amplified, and I have gotten better at it with practice. The action is about what I expect from a 12 string guitar, a little on the high side, but not to the point that it is unplayable. The action on most of my guitars is pretty low, so this has taken some getting used to. The finish is absolutely jaw-droppingly gorgeous. The charectered flamed maple really looks too nice to be on a guitar. It sould be on a antique coffe table or something. To be honest the guitar is way too fancy looking for me, as I like guitars with a broke-in look to them. I haven't taken it out of my house since I got it. I have a 340 on order that I will probably use that to play in public.

For some reason, this guitar just doesn't seem that solid. It is really light and I guess because it is so fancy looking I am afraid to be hard on it. Plus the fancy mapleglo finish is just too nice to get all banged up. The finish has held up so far, no nicks or scratches. The guitar is about 3 years old and I am the second owner, but it really hasn't been played too excessively. If I keep it around for a long time it will probably be just to lay down a rhythm track here and there on my home recordings. It is a bit expensive of a guitar just for that, but I had the money and I really had an itching for it. If I were to take it on a gig, I would probably use my 360/6 as a backup, although they are too entirely different sounding guitars, that is the closest I have right now. I don't think I would do anything crazy enough to this thing to warrant needing a backup anyway.

Haven't dealt with Rick customer support. I have heard some nightmare stories about them, but I am reserving judgement. I visit the Rickenbacker messageboard frequently and the owner of the Rick company, John Hall posts on there on occasion. I will say that reading some of his posts, he does come off as a bit arrogant, but his guitars are still selling like hotcakes so he must be doing something right.

I have been playing guitar for about 5 1/2 years. I have become a bit of a gear junkie, along with the 381V69/12 I own a Rick 360/6, a Gibson ES-335, a Gibson SG/Les Paul with Lyre deluxe vibrola, A Gibson Les Paul Special "55-77" reissue, a Fender 1996 50th anniversary ed. Fender American Telecaster, an Ovation 1867 Legend and a Rick 4003 bass. And I'll be getting a brand new Rick Fireglo 340/12, supposedly in March, 10 months after I ordered it! If this guitar was stolen i'd have to claim it on my insurance...$500 deductable means I would be out for almost half of what the guitar cost me, and then my rates would go up! I don't think I'd rush out an buy another one because money just doesn't grow on trees. For now, I'll keep my doors locked and hope for the best. I like this guitar, but it is going to take some getting used to.

Other reviews accurately portray the features of this guitar. I would comment that the woodcraft is just plain beautiful. After 3 years (mine is a '99), I still admire it whenever I pick it up.

Yes, this is the real deal. My only dislike is something I actually discussed with John Hall by email. You can read about this on Roger McGuinn's website, too: there is no way to properly intonate the lowest A and E strings. The strings go a full half step sharp between open and the third fret. You have to retune them depending on the key of your song: E or G. Mr. Hall regards this as a matter of cache. I am OK with that.

As I mentioned, the woodwork is breathtaking. The metalwork is less exciting. My guitar had to go back to the factory for a replacement bridge. The original bridge frame was coatted too thick with chrome, such that the saddles jammed and could not slide. This meant the guitar was not set up at the factory, because it could not be. That fact makes you wonder about the QC function in final assembly.

This baby seems bulletproof. I would use a six string as a backup, rather than buy another 12. Because I have questions about QC, I cannot rate this category better than I have.

The warranty is limited for only 5 years. Gibsons are lifetime. Using another brand of string is a warranty violation. Since Mr. Hall actually corresponded with me, I would have to say that customer support is very good. There is one thing you have to accept: there is no network of factory authorized repair centers. Save your boxes, folks!

I have been playing for nearly 40 years, and this is one of 10 guitars I own. Like one of the other reviewer's, if I had it to do over, I would buy a 660/12 or maybe a Tom Petty model. This neck is just impossibly thin down by the nut. Can't fit my fingers together to play an A or D chord. No wonder Petty and Campbell use a capo when they play their 360's.

Made in USA in 1995, this guitar has 21 frets with a carved top and back, semi-hollow, double-cutaway, all maple contruction. It has two toaster top pickups with the standard passive Rick 5 knob stereo controls. (The 5th knob blends the two pickups and works in all settings of the three-way selector switch.) The stereo output is on a separate jack and allows each pickup to feed a different amp or channel. An improvement from older Rick 12-strings is the 12-saddle adjustable bridge. The trapeze tailpiece is the cast R type. The bound fretboard is rosewood with a fairly thick finish and narrow width as is typical for Ricks. The tuners are Schallers. A premium silver-colored hardshell case was included.
The 381v69/12 is part of a series of highly accurate vintage reissues. The thing about this one is that the 12-string 381 was never a regular production model until this "reissue". Since it is the most expensive Rickenbacker model (it lists for ~$2500 and usually sells for $250-$350 more than I paid), I don't imagine it's being built in large numbers now anyway. The "German-carved" top and back are exquisite. :)

It sounds like a 12-string Rickenbacker. What else is there to say? The jangle and chime associated with the Beatles, Byrds, etc.. are readily on tap. The tone of the 381 is a bit thicker than the common 330 and 360, but the difference is subtle. This guitar is also capable of much darker sounds by using more of the neck pickup.
I play through a rack system using an ADA MP-1 preamp, and the guitar works well using both clean and distorted settings. I was surprised how good it sounded when I switched on my Deluxe Big Muff fuzz box! The hollow body helps with moderate volume controlled feedback, although the pickups will squeal with extreme high gain.

Factory setup was perfect. The only flaw was a little excess glue where the neck heel meets the body, but this was VERY minor. There is some nice curly grain in my guitar, but I've seen other Ricks with more impressive looking wood.
The action was properly set up, but it does play somewhat stiffly. This is to be expected for a 12-string guitar.

Everything about the guitar is solid. Rickenbacker is one of the few guitar makers that has maintained a consistent level of quality. There is no reason to believe that my guitar won't be as fine in 30 years as a 30 year old Rick is now.
I wouldn't gig without another guitar because I'm unlikely to play a gig where a 12-string Rick was appropriate for every tune.

I've never dealt with them.

Overall this is an excellent guitar. About the only thing I dislike is the narrow neck. On my six-string Rick 330 it's not a problem, but with 12 strings it can get a little crowded. The stiff 12-string action makes bending notes a chore, so the guitar is much better suited for rhythm playing. Obviously this is not a blues or metal axe. If I had to do it again, I'd probably get the Tom Petty model, which has a solid body and a wider neck, but is otherwise similarly appointed. Actually I might pick up a Tom Petty anyway to go along with the 381v69/12 and my 1973 330. I have many other guitars, including Gibsons, Fenders and Kramers, which I play most of the time, but when maximum jangle and chime is called for, only a Rickenbacker will do.