Rickenbacker 660/12

2003 Ric 660-12, 21 frets, Mapleglo, 2 volume, 2 tone, and 3rd tone blend switch, pickup selector, single coil scatter wound vintage pickups, 12 string bridge, 24 3/4 " scale, case, poster, and cloth included. I give the features a 7. Could have better tuners, and a louder treble pickup. A little tweaking of the amp solved that and overall the pickups are great. I like bigger frets-these are medium low and are more like fret markers to me, but this does not distract from the sound or feel. Great Wide neck!!! A longer scale is just as important for big fingers though.

There is nothing like a Ric 12. It is the kind of guitar that is hard to put down. It sounds brilliant. The 660 does not come with the Ricosound extra jack, which surprised me, but this is easily remedied by using an ABY box if you're into stereo sound. Treble pickup seemed a little quieter than the bass. For these 2 reasons, i am giving it a 9. Once I dialed in my amp, it was Beatles and Byrds all the way. No other guitar sounds close. I am going to try a compressor, which I understand is essential for this guitar.

The guitar came set up perfectly-very low action. The pickups were height adjusted well, though the treble pickup seems a tad quiet compared to the bass pickup so I may need to raise it beyond what I would normally. The workmanship on the guitar was exemplary. Great looking maple top.

These guitars are built rock solid-top notch finish. I could easily depend on this guitar. Every guitarist needs a backup guitar.

No experience here, but be careful to submit your warr card right away. If you buy it mail order, you have to let it sit 48 hours before opening.

I have been playing professionally for 13 years. I own a Taylor, Seagull, Strat, G & L tele, and an Epiphone 335, and have owned PRS guitars in the past. I wished I had been able to try it out before buying, but these are rare. I wish I had known these only have a mono output. If it were lost or stolen, I would buy another. I love the sound and the wide neck. Wish it had locking tuners and bigger frets. I also wish I could get a 360-12 or 381 V 69 with this neck, and that these were 25" or larger scale instruments. Many complain about the 300 series narrow necks, but the short scale of the guitar seems to also contribute to why Ric's are hard to play. The wide neck on a 660-12 solves most of this, but a longer scale would really make it comfortable.

Rick 660-12 Mapleglow 1999 make date - gorgeous construction and superb quality

I play in a church band at a very large contemporary church (5,000 members). We play primarily popular Christian Contemporary music. We play a 30 minute set every Sunday. We practice on Wednesday nights.

I purchased the Rick 660-12 to add a 12 string to my existing aresenal. I also have a Gibson Les Paul (which I used 90% of the time), a Fat Strat and an Ovation acoustic. I play the Rick through two amps: a Marshall AVT 150 and also a Crate GFX 212T. I play the Rick through the clean channels on both amps. I use a Roland ME-33. With that pedal I set up a patch which is uniquely for the Rick. It consist of only Compression and some very light chorus. I noticed another reviewer below does his the same way. The compression is a must to achieve the favored McGuinn sound which I quest for. The toaster pickups are quiet as a mouse and very, say again VERY, sweet sounding. No wonder Rick hasn't made any significant alterations to those in years.

I acquired the guitar used from a top-flight dealer and expected the guitar to be perfect and it was. The setup was completely dialed. No complaints. Note that it is VERY difficult to really nail the intonation on the number 11 and 12 strings near the 1, 2 and 3 fret, but you can get it close. Prior to purchasing this rig, I played a number of new 360-12 Ricks which you can find virtually everywhere (Mars, Guitar Center, etc.) and they all had this 11/12 string intonation setup issue. But I have to say that mine is near perfect, so I KNOW it can be done. One trick is to not mash the strings quite as hard on those frets. I am rating this category an 8 because I do think Rick could put out a bit more effort to ship new guitars with more "tweaked" intonation setups. But, it's not that big a deal.

This guitar I BUILT. It can handle anything. 20 years ago I had a 600 class Rick 6 string and I really abused it. Not only did it handle the load, but remained gorgeous looking through it all.

Never used the Customer Support at Rick. So no rating here.

I've been playing for 30 years. I would definitely replace the guitar if it were stolen. But, take note, it took me 2 months to find this guitar. NONE of my local stores could promise me one this year. Music123.com shows them in stock, but when you try to order one, they tell you to call an 800 number. The clerk who answers tells you that it will be 7 months to get a 660-12, but you can get aa 360-12 today. WRONG. No comparison in the guitars.

My final comment is that you can look, look and look and NOTHING will sound like a Rick 12. There are literally hundreds of reasons for this. And a 360-12 (although a totally awesome axe) will never sound like a 660 does, the solid body makes it ring long and sweet. The wide neck lets a 6 string player move back and forth between 6 and 12 string guitars without that 5-10 minute lost feeling: "let me remember how to play this thing" you know: when your fingers feel about twice as wide as they actually are and nothing sounds clean. This doesn't happen with the 660-12. It's also due to the sweet action.

Since my original review of the Tom Petty 660/12 didn't go through, I thought it easier to use the 660/12 review, so bare with me if I seem redundant.
I have a 1994, #772 out of 1,000 made, Tom Petty signature model.
It has 21 frets on a one piece maple neck which runs the length of the guitar. The fingerboard is wider than Rickenbacker standard with triangle inlays the width of the fingerboard. White binding on the neck also. The body are peices of solid, birdseye maple which sandwich the neck piece on both sides. Two vintage pickups are controlled by a volume and tone for each pickup with the mysterious fifth control knob for "blending".
Fireglo finish and checkered body binding are standard.
It has a 12-saddle bridge and trapeze tailpiece.
12 vintage Ric deluxe tuiners are used and they are OK.

Clean sound with more sustain than the hollow body. I prefer the hollow body, because I like the unplugged sound. If you din't have an amplifier handy, than playing without one is useless. Only the hollow bodies are gifted with the imaculate unplugged Rickenbacker sound.
It goes from clean to a nice distortion if I choose. I tend to stay towards the cleaner sound. It's perfect with an acoustic duo. They compliment each other.

The guitar came setup fine. When I got home I needed to reset the truss rod a bit and then I was just perfect! The rest was adjusted great. The look and consruction are top notch. No flaw on the finish and construction.
My only critisism was the vintage tuner's lubrication caused the oil to seep into the screws which hold the tuners in place. This caused the holes to strip. I tapped the holes and redrilled them. I used to build guitars before, so I wasn't too worried about that. I play, not collect. "Mint, schmint, who cares." As we say at work:"It a tool, not a jewel."

Ii will play wonderfully, but keep in mind that because the neck/body wieght ratio in in favor of the neck, you will need to protect the neck from dropping down accidently and stricking amps, furniture and other damaging items. The hardware and finish are absolutely great.
I could trust it. I would always feel a bit worried about playing any 12-string without a backup. The nature of the guitar makes it difficult to mantian tuning. Electronic tuning is a must.
Again, the weak point are the tuners. This makes me give this guitar a 8. Good tuners, a 10.

The dealer where I bought the guitar gave me a spare pickguard, so as to protect the Tom Petty signature one. Thought that was nice of the guy.
That right there is worthy of a ten, after all that is also customer support.
As for Ricknbacker's cutomer supprt, I can't say. Never needed 'um.
The grade is for a good dealer. That's important when buying.

I've been playing for 20+ years and have been building since 1980. I don't build any more, you see life somtimes make you do unspeakable things like WORK. I used to work for Jackson/Charvel in 1984-1985. I can see the Rickenbacker quality show.
My dream would be a 330 body with the Tom Petty neck. The wide neck sold me on this one.
The tuners are its Achilles heel. If it don't atsy in tune, then that makes it kinda' tough. It seems like Rickenbacker chose to put a $.10 tie on a $1,000.00 suit when they put the "cheapo" tuning machine on this beautiful guitar. I'm still looking for replacements without having to enlarge the hole in the peghead.
With good tuners, this guitar is fabulous!

Updating my 7/21/01 post: I never notice the "stickiness" of the clearcoat fretboard anymore. This is my main guitar now. I have found myself using the pickup selector in the middle with the bridge pickup set for full treble, the neck pickup for full bass, and twiddling the little blend knob almost exclusively to tweak the tone as desired...

Since my original post I've used this guitar with a Fender Princeton Chorus amp (clean channel, EQ at midpoint across the board, no amp effects) and a Boss ME-33 effects box. I run a compressor in the ME-33and, IF repeat IF any other effects at all, just a VERY light chorus/echo and reverb. With this setup the Rick works great for straight, chunka-chunka rhythm playing and just gives you chills when you play more "arpeggiatted" (is that a real word?) Beatle-y/Byrd-y/Petty-ish things. It is so versatile that I can twiddle the blend knob and back off the volume a bit to get a more mellow sound that I use instead of an acoustic 12 for softer tunes by Heart, Alanis Morrissette, etc. I rarely change the setting on the ME-33 so the range is coming from the guitar.

I use Rickenbacker strings on it now vice the mythical Pyramids that came on it. This one rates "11" on sound

Same as before - No scratches yet, knock wood

No change from earlier review

No change from earlier review

I have played this guitar almost exclusively since buying it last year. I will be buying another Rick, maybe a 660-6, when I'm in the market for my next guitar, so impressive is everything about it. Musician friends who have heard and played it are also now planning to buy their own Ricks, both 6 and 12 varieties. I'm traveling to the US again soon and wish I could take it with me but I don't want to risk the airlines turning it into toothpicks so will have to leave it home. I will miss it while I'm away...

Comes new with a molded hardshell case, a owner's manual, alan wrench, and polishing cloth - and a warranty card. Pickups for the 660's are the Rickenbacker vintage re-issue 'toasters' for the 60's jangle Ricks are known for. Solid natural finished maple (mapleglo) body, and this one is so full of bird's eyes that it's absolutely dazzling - you don't need to be a guitar enthusiast to take notice of this simply gorgeous hunk of maple. WIDE NECK - I also have a 360/12CW with the thiner Rickenbacker neck, and while many swear by Rickenbacker's thinline necks, I love the wider neck on the 660. Vintage syle tailpiece is easier to restring than Rickenbackers flashier, and relatively cumbersome 'R' tailpiece. The 660 series also comes with Rickenbacker's vintage checkerboard binding and gold pickguard and nameplate - very nice touch, espeically with the natural maple finish.

Simply MAGICAL 12-string sound through the vintage Rickenbacker toaster pickups.

Dealer setup was flawless... Thanks to Mike Parks at the Rickenbacker Page for taking a bit of time to check it and tweak it before sending it out. A 12 string guitar that plays like butter.

Rickenbacker finish and hardware was also perfect in every way - something Rickenbacker is legendary for.

This 660/12 is built like a brick house, yet it is light, balanced, and effortless to play. The wider neck may give the 660's more rigidity than their thinner-necked Rickenbacker cousins in the 330 and 360 series. However, this may simply be wishful thinking, as I'm not really sure.

Rickenbackers are supposed to be legendary for their finishes, but I haven't had it for long.

The Rickenbacker newsgroup (alt.guitar.rickenbacker) has posters with frequent complaints about Rickenbacker's lack of customer service, and equally as many devoted fans who worship the company.

The CEO's wife is reputed to be a lawyer, so that may or may not explain the pains Rickenbacker takes to wash their hands of warranty liabilities.

Common complaints are: If your dealer has lost your warranty card, Rickenbacker will not honour the warranty without the original card. If you mail your warranty card in later than 10 days after receipt of the card (as stated on the card), the company may not warranty the guitar instrument. Even the Rickenbacker shipping box states that you must wait 48 hours for the guitar to acclimatize the finish before opening it, which again seems to be another way in which Rickenbacker can opt not to honour a warranty in the case of a customer who wants to SEE his/her guitar when it arrives.

Finally, and importantly, Rickenbacker's warranty starts at the date of manufacture, NOT from the date you bought it. Hence, if your dealer has had a Rickenbacker guitar sitting in stock for a few years, as the purchaser you may not have any warranty whatsoever.

That being said, the guitars are reputed to be very well made, and luckily for many that means never having to deal with the good folks at Rickenbacker.

Their guitars are legendary, but customer service may not be Rickenbacker's strongest suit.

Been playing 30 years and learned on a Fender F55-12 12-string acoustic. Also have a Ric 360/12CW (gorgeous), a '78 Fender Stratocaster Hardtail, '79 Fender Precision Bass, a 52 Fender Telecaster reissue (I'm in love with it), a Fender electric mandolin (cheapie), and a gorgeous L'Arrivee C19 acoustic guitar (check this one out on Larrivee's website)

As for the Rickenbacker 660/12, many people shy away from them and go for Rickenbacker's classic 300 series semi-acoustic electrics with the thin necks, only to find the thin neck 12-strings are more difficult to play than they expected. Don't ignore the 600 series guitars from Rickenbacker, and espeically the top of the line 660's.

My overall rating for the 660/12 is right near the top of the heap if a premium 12-string electric is what you're looking for.

I don't know if a [52 year-old] man's toys really say anything about the man, but I do know that my Rickenbacker 660 12-string guitar is my favorite toy. It's just a beautiful, birds-eye maple, factory stock-equipped, US-made delight. I was surprised that it is so small - I'm accustomed to big Gibsons. I have lived with this little guitar for a year now and I am still utterly infatuated. I have retired from the night club scene and now play only rare, small concert style events in my home town. In the absence of a smoky bar environment the 'new' smell of the wood still greets me each time I open the case.

An opportunity to reunite my old 60's rock group - after a 31-year hiatus - started all the fun. I actually HAD no guitars and I needed an amp, too. When we realized that many of our cover tunes required a 12-string I began an Internet search. I wound up with a Gibson ES-135, a Rivera 112 amp, and the Rick 660-12. The Rick makes 'the sound' we want - the George Harrison-Roger McGuinn-Tom Petty sound. I use a Boss Compressor and I just can't believe I am finally, after over 30 years, able to play those old covers accurately. The compressor is the 'secret ingredient'; McGuinn's is built-in on his signature model; he relied heavily on compression on the recordings. [If any of you know of a better compressor for a Rick 12, please drop me a line.] What is 'the sound'? Listen to the opening TWANG of the Beatles' "Hard Days Night" or "Mr. Tamborine Man" or "Eight Miles High" by the Byrds - THAT's 'the sound' I'm talking about. This guitar will produce mellow, sweet sounds, too, but you can get those on a lot of other guitars. For the 'Rick Sound' only a Rick will do.

I haven't had to adjust the pickups - they sound fine. The guitar has no flaws. Now, on the issue of set-up and action, well, this is where we separate the men from the boys.
You must work with the action and set-up but if you do you can be rewarded for your trouble. I have McGuinn's video, "The 12-String Guitar of Roger McGuinn" in which Roger lovingly and patiently changes the strings and tightens the truss rods while describing the 'care and feeding' of a Rick 12. It didn't look too scary so I tried it and those strings just laid down on that neck. The thing is, you have to do this from time to time. Don't be afraid to work on this guitar. It is hard to get the low E strings intonated - in fact, it may be impossible, perhaps due to the small scale of this guitar - but with careful playing, applying careful finger pressure to 'play in tune', you can work around it. I find that if I play with a light touch and let the 'Ninja Boost' on my Rivera amp and the Compressor box do their share of the work, I am thrilled by the sound. My pal Danny Morgan worked on it for about 30 minutes one day with noticeable results. When I asked him what he thought about the guitar, he said, "It's a little baseball bat - but I love it!"

This is a solid guitar. It is built with care. No backup is needed. A good tuner is highly recommended. New strings add sparkle.

I have had no need to contact Customer Support at Rickenbacker. Their reputation is excellent and friends of mine tell me they are very responsive.

I've been playing almost 40 years. I've always wanted a Rick and when the reunion show came up, I just took the plunge. I also, in the name of fairness, had to purchase a new dining room set, so the cost of playing a 53-minute set at the show was about $6,000. And worth every cent.
The tone of the Rickenbacker is unique and that is why I chose it. It will seem surprisingly small if you are accustomed to a large box or semi-acoustic guitar. It requires occasional attention to intonation and neck adjustment. To maximize amp tone and for sustain a compressor is recommended. Playing this guitar puts a grin on my face - priceless!

Ok,I've done many reviews here on HS and well this is gonna be a bit differant in approach then usual.I LOVE RIC's.I don't own allot but I love the craftmanship and they are made in AMERICA.GOD BLESS aMERICA! As with most ric's this is all MAPLE a very bright wood and at the same time mellow in the mids and bass. Mine was produced August of 2001. Ahhh,sweet,sweet simmer time!I bouht it over the internet from PM Blues in RI and I live in Arizona
! Why the distance,well these guitars are HARD to find,almost imposible to just walk in and snatch one...maybe in the bigger city's where the chain stores are like LA where I was raised....I was spoiled because you could get anything in LA. But now it's internet shopping.Gmall.com is where I found this very rare gem. It's a Fireglo(redburst for those unfamiliar with RIC lingo,lol). It is very very flamed.There were several pictures so I could see and size the guitar up...very important when shopping on the net. I just could not beleive the tiger strips and burst on theis thing.If your into Gibson burstd this would be considered by Gibson as an AAA piece of maple for the body. Interesting is that the guitar is a thru BODY guitar.In in ither words the neck and body are made from on piece of Maple!!!! And the two sides with the AAA tiger flame are just glued on on each side.A very good design.Stays in tune and sustains allot more than a neck that is just glued on.It comes with two vintage 'scatterwound' pick ups known as 'toasters'.The sound is pure 60's tone wise.My only bitch is it has just one plug which is ok but most RIC's have at least two or even a stereo rigged inputs. But this ia a small thing since TOM PETTY was the guy responsible for the design.He knew what he was doing since he insisted on a 12 saddle bridge...a must for intonation and a slightky wuder neck which I find more comfy than the 300 series 12's.

RICH FULL BRIGHT SOOUND or you can shape it anyway you want since it has 4 knobs,3 volume,2 for tone and a 5th smaller knob for mixing the PU's.This is a tonemisters dream come true!The retro vintage 'scaterwounds' RIC is making are really great and sound spot on . The older vintage PU's were about 13.0 ohms or something..high gain which meand no vintage jangle ala Mr Tamorine man ect. These new PU's are scatterwound at 7.4 ohms and sound like a real 60's RIC.The wider neck hekps too with the 12 saddle bridge you won't go wrong. It's a solid body guitar unlike the 300 series 12's like the 360's .they aRE everywhere but IMO this axe creams them ALL! Sound wise and comfort wise. I owned a 98 36012/v64 with reqwound pick ups but still no satisfation. It never stayed in tune with the traditional skiny neck. I got tired of fighting with it,the bridge would move sometimes and I was always having ti fuss with it to keep it in tune. With the new 660's there is no problems so far and the intonation is perfect.One bad thing about not just this 660 but all RIC 12 strings including the 360's is you NEED a compressor pedal to get 'that' sound everyone wants. Maybe someday RICENBACKER will get a good onboard compressor but for now no soap. I recomend a good MXR comp or similar pedal...it makes allot of differance in the tone if you want to sound like what you hear on recordings.Enough from me...the tone is the best,period of any of the RIC 12's IMO unless you own a ROGER MC QUINN model with a built in comp.

RIC'S are pretty much handmade one at a time.It may take 3-4 months just to make one so if you order one you'll have to get in line unless you lucky enough like I was to find a 660 on the net.They go fast. As far as materials and craftmanship.....they are the best. Far supirior to most custom shops. Only the finist wood and parts used.

Built to last. Look around at all the vintage sales....most are in exellent condition.Made like Sherman TANK!

John Hall the vice prez I think or CEO is a nice guy and you can even email him and he will respond usually. very good relations.No complants.

OK,not many guitars get a 10 but this one does.Maybe I got a good one I dunno. It's perfect for my playing which includes from bashing out power cords to picking like Roger Mc Quinn. Open cords and bar cords are no problem. I love playing leads on this thing .It is to easy compaered to some RIC 12's I've tried. I wanted a straight from the factory NEW guitar with the RIC warranty and that's what I got. Like I said before I was in the right place at the right time to snag this GEM!Tiger Strips and all.The other posters got a bargain buying used and I guess if something hangs on the wall long enough in a Guitar Center or Mars store long enough you can get one for less ,but they retail at $1999 and I feel I got a great price for spanking new axe nobody has fooled with. BTW,the guys at PM BLUES went out of there way and set it up perfect. They only had it three weeks and it wasn't hanging on the wall,no it was in a glass case for serious buyers only. Play on......It's basically the 92 TOM PETTY SIGNATURE MODEL without the signature and higher price.

My newest guitar is a Rick 660/12 (SN 0033921, Aug 2000 build date). The body construction, etc. are well-known or easily obtainable from www.rickenbacker.com. The color is "Fire-Glo" with lots of "flame" visible. I really like the body's finish and appearance. My only gripe - albeit minor - is that the fretboard has a "clearcoat" finish on it that I find to be somewhat "sticky" - higher than desired friction with my fingers - when I play it. I'm used to Les Pauls and others that have non-coated fretboards.

Structurally, this guitar is the "cresting wave" body style with neck-through-body construction. It seems bullet-proof. A personal quirk is that when I'm playing in a sitting position, the angle of the "crest" pokes me right in the sternum so that after a while playing, I have a sore spot and/or a bruise in the middle of my chest. (Probably bad posture on my part.) A BIG plus is that slightly wider neck present on this model. I'd played some 360/12's in a local German music store and found it quite tight. I could have gotten used to it, I suppose, but the 660's neck felt "right" from the first time I played it.

I play mostly rock/pop, with some country-rock on occasion. For now, I have only played it at home through two practice amps fed in stereo from an old Boss Chorus pedal (those things NEVER break!) in the A minus B mode. The spaciousness with this little rig is overwhelming! The stereo spread with that one-of-a-kind Rick 12-string sound makes it the aural equivalent of a laser beam and mirrored disco ball. (This model doesn't come with "Rick-o-sound" so the pedal is the stereo source, however it still sounds fantastic by itself through a single amp.) The little mini knob blends the front and rear toaster pickups so, with proper settings, you can use just the one knob to go between the bass and treble extremes of the guitar.

If anyone ever purchased this model, or ANY Rick 12, he/she will have loads of fun, and lots of "Wow!" moments playing any song previously played on a 6-string. The unique tone adds a new dimension to the most familiar of songs so that it's like hearing your favorites for the first time again.

I have found the volume of the low E pair to be significantly higher than the rest of the strings but this is probably the same with most electrics when played as enthusiastically as I've played this one since I got it in May.

I would recommend a clean, bright tone with little or no distortion for playing this guitar. In my opinion, there is too wide of a range of frequencies created when playing it to keep overdrive or distortion from turning into noise insted of staying nice and fat sounding. A chorus, light phasing, some reverb will make it sound like it came straight from heaven.

Cannot describe this guitar as anything but a dead-mint GEM, appearance-wise. Really sharp! The gold pick guards really set off the Fire-Glo color.

This could easily be a main guitar, no backup needed. The strap buttons are NOT Schaller-compatible like newer models. The ones is came with are called "vintage" on the Rickenbacker web site, where you can find a diagram if you dig hard enough. I ordered a set of Schaller Strap-Locks but was surprised to find that the screws that came with the Schallers had a MUCH thinner shaft than the Ricks, whose strap buttons are actually one-piece - no screw-through-the-middle - in contrast to my other guitars. The Rick buttons' shaft is also much thicker than the screws that came with the Schallers. I tried to order a set of Schaller-compatible buttons from Rickenbacker but was only referred to "my local German dealer", which is actually a three-hour drive away. To the rescue came "Pick Of The Ricks" (www.pickofthericks.com) who sent me a set for only $7.00

I've only dealt with Rickenbacker once (see above) and was disappointed. There is a caveat, however: I'm with the US Army in Frankfurt, Germany. I have "APO" mail (i.e. the US Post Office) but MANY vendors are unaware that APO mail is actually US Mail and constantly treat us as if we are "foreign" and have to use international mail and dealers. I can't AUTOMATICALLY fault Rickenbacker for the case-closed referred to a German distributor.

Been playing for fun and the occasional beer money since 1968. I have a '71 Les Paul Deluxe Goldtop, a '64 Jazz Bass, an '89 Ovation Legend, and a little yellow travel guitar as seen in "Back To The Future." The Les Paul and Jazz Bass were purchased for $200 each in the '70s. I bought the Ovation new for $900 while stationed in Israel. The Rick is therefore the most expensive guitar I've ever purchased, HOWEVER I CONSIDER IT MONEY WELL SPENT! (You get what you pay for, right?) My purchasing it was somewhat of a gamble, however, as in all of Germany I could only track down a single solid body Rick, and that was a narrow-neck 620 at a store three hours drive away (and that's at 100 MPH Autobahn speeds). I would like to see more widespread examples of Rick solid 12's out there on the market. Most high-end music stores here in Europe have a 360 or two but that's all. I'm probably going to be quite the celebrity when I take the 660/12 down to use when shopping for a new amp!

Y2K Rickenbacker 660/12 in gorgeous Fireglo, Rick's sunburst motif. 21 medium low frets on a maple neck with rosewood fretboard sporting Rick's 'sharkfin' triangular pearloid fret markers. This is a solid, neck through solid body guitar. It is of Maple construction, neck and 'wings', with a very lovely Birdseye pattern on the front and back. (Some examples of this model sport flame or tiger maple ). This guitar has the Fireglo coloring, a sunburst of dark red at the edges to a lighter colored 'salmon'in the middle. This color isn't pink and it isn't yellow, it's ?salmon? I guess- But it is the nicest sunburst I have ever seen. Also the Rick 'glo is transparent and except for the darkest of the colors, the excellent wood grain shows through. It has two single coil pickups. These are the much vaunted 7.4Kohm vintage "Scatterwound" toaster top pickups that were resurrected to produce the desirable sounds of the 60's.

The body style is of the "cresting wave" shape and is bound on the front with checkered binding/ the neck is bound in white. This is a very pretty shape, with a double cutaway design with that wave shape on top and a sharp point on the lower part. This is a small body compared to my 380Laguna or other 335, or dot, or Newport, or other thin hollow body, but it compares favorably with the solid body makes of other manufacturers.

The tailpiece is a polished crome 'trapeze' that is anchored at the tailpin. I has six holes in it for the strings. Two strings share each hole. This tailpiece is considered easier to restring than the R tailpiece which is an option for some guitars and standard on others.

The bridge is a multi adjustable job/ height side to side/ and twelve saddles that are adjustable independently. There is a shiny bridge cover that some folks remove to muffle the sound, but I don't have a need for that,yet.

This guitar has vintage Schaller tuners in an interesting combination. Instead of having twelve tuners sticking out horizontally from the headstock Rick has a setup where one string of the two-string group has its tuner horizontal and the other string's tuner sticks out of the back of the headstock like a classical guitar. You have no doubt about which string you are tuning with this configuration. Also- Rickenbacker strings its twelves backwards from other makes. On a downstroke you hit the larger, bassier string of each group. This is one of the things that makes their sound so distinctive. The other major contribution to the sound is the pickups and the tone knobs.

The tone knobs consist of a volume and tone knob for each pickup; a selector switch to select N/NB/B pickup combinations. There is a fifth knob that can be used in the middle selector switch to further blend the two pickups which gives you added tonal choices than with just the selector switch. This is hard to explain and it turns some people off to these guitars ( because the retail sales people don't understand it) But this is one of the coolest features of this guitar. It can be used to set a particular tone, to bias volume between bridge and neck, or as equalization between bass and treble. You gotta look in the book and play with it, but it is a good feature.

Vintage hardshell case a crushed velour royal blue interior. Very nice case with a small Rickenbacker tag near the handle. The groove in the case that the neck rests in is too shallow. I noticed after going from home to rehearsal that the neck would not stay in the slot. I wadded up the polishing cloth that came with the guitar next to the neck in the slot and that keeps it from moving.

So many people rave about its sound as a Beatle/Petty/Byrds/U2 guitar that I have to make the following statement- This piece kicks major ass and I use it in a lot of modern songs that my band has written, in addition to songs by Sixpence None the Richer, Del Amitri, Splender, Badlees and others. There is no sound on this earth that compares to a Rickenbacker 12 string. No other 12 guitar can match its tone. Period.

I play this thing, "Little Ricky", through a Tech21 Comptortion pedal that I have set on mild compression and higher gain, into a Tech21 Trademark60 combo amp with a 12 inch Eminence speaker.I use the pedal because I use the amp with a Rickenbacker 380 Laguna with pz option through the same amp. The humbucker and active pz equipped 380 is much hotter than the single coil 660/12, so I use this pedal to boost volume and to compress the tone, which is what the god of the electric twelve, Roger McGuinn,does.

I love this guitar for the tone: it stays in tune real well; at 8 pounds it is not too heavy; the tuners work very well; the wider than normal neck ( like the 380) is a blessing to this twelve.

This guitar had zero defects. The only thing I don't like about it is the pickups sit on top of a substace that is obviously a foam gasket. No, you can't see this from 5 feet away, but hanging from your neck you can see it. I would prefer a more solid looking gasket, but this is a super-minor problem.

This is one solid piece. I play this guitar practically everyday, and many times a month for rehearsals and gigs. I have no doubt that this guitar is going to last and I would buy another of its ilk in a heartbeat. I don't plan on buying another 12 to back it up. I think a six will suffice as backup, but it wouldn't sound the same.

My other Rick, The 380 had to be sent sent back for a faulty Piezo bridge pickup. The company dealt with me straight and quick. The only thing I had to pay for was shipping from Pennsylvania to California. Other than that, I have nothing but positive things to say about this company.

I have been playing 30+ years. The only other guitar that compares to it is the Rickenbacker model 620/12 and the hollow body 330/360/370 twelves. My 380 is a hollowbody of the 360 variety. I wanted something different for the 12 but when I played a 620/12 with its narrow neck I was put off-but when I played the wider neck 660/12 which shares a fingerboard width similar to the 380, I was hooked.

Just one comment- Rick has this double pickguard thing. The lower guard serves to cover the routing on the surface of the guitar, much like a tele or a strat. They also have a second level guard about half an inch above the surface guard. This second guard is a lot like a 335 or a LP guard, but these guitars are routed from the back and have no cover around the tone/volume controls. That double pickaurd thing is cool in itself.

This Rick 12 is exactly the same as the Tom Petty signature model, with two exceptions: it doesn't come with the signature pickguard, and it can be had for less money. It has all vintage features, with two toaster pickups, RIC Deluxe tuners (identical to Kluson Deluxe), gold pickguards, vintage black control knobs, checkered binding, large triangle inlays, and trapeze tailpiece. It also has the 12 saddle bridge like the MGuinn model. It has a solid maple body ("cresting wave" style like the 620's and 650's) of charactered maple with the kind of gorgeous finish Rickenbacker is famous for. It is also different from most Rick 12's in one important area (an area that is often a source of complaints): it has a significantly wider neck than the typical Rick 12 (same 24.75 scale). If my memory serves me, most Ricks are 1.625" at the nut while the 660 is 1.75". I've owned a Rick 325, 330, 360, and 430, and this neck has a very different feel.

Since I'm a big Beatles, Byrds, Who, Petty, etc. fan, a Rick 12 is a must in the collection. I started playing in 1964 and spent most of the 60's in one garage band or another, so that should explain the Rickenbacker fetish ;-) I currently use a Laney VC30-210 and a Vox Pathfinder with a Boss CS-3 and a Dan-Echo. I won't repeat what everybody already knows about the sound of a Rick 12. Bottom line: This guitar has "the sound" with a wider neck. I love it.

Flawless fit and finish. I had to change the setup when I went to Pyramid strings. The only complaint I have is the tuners. The non-vintage tuners that RIC puts on its regular models are better, IMHO. These stay in tune OK, but they have a little too much "play" in them for my taste.

I have a '75 Rickenbacker, and have owned and played a number of older Ricks. They are made to last. They are good, USA made guitars.

Absolutely the best. You can go on the alt.guitar.rickenbacker newsgroup and get feedback directly from the CEO, John Hall. I've never needed a repair, but parts and information are readily accessible.

I've been playing guitar for 36 years and currently own a new US Tele, a '72 Gibson J-45, a new Dano, a '75 Rick 430 and the '98 660-12. The only problem with a Rick solid body is they are hard as hell to find. Having a chance to get your hands on one before buying is practically impossible. The big stores only stock the 330's, 360's and the vintage reissues. You'd probably have to spend a lot of time trying to find one on the net, or order a new one from a dealer. The Tom Petty models are actually easier to find right now since the 660 has only been out about a year. This is, in my OPINION, the best Rick 12 available. I like the vintage toaster pickups; I prefer the trapeze tailpiece to the "R" - much easier to string. And, the wider neck is much easier for me to play on the 12. I'd like to see RIC put this neck on a 360-12... then I'd have 2 Rick 12's! I think I like the playing comfort of the semi-hollow body of the 360's a little better, but without the wider neck the 660-12 is my choice.