Hi, everyone:

I'm thinking of ordering a new 360 or 370 12-string. It seems that they ONLY come with "hi-gain" pickups. BUT, I'm after that 1960s Beatles/Byrds sound.

I am willing to pay more for the "Toasters." Does anyone know if Rickenbacker will accommodate?

Thanks!

You should check the “Models” page here. This 12-string model seems to still be in production.

http://www.rickenbacker.com/model.asp?model=360/12C63

There are others. If you really want a discontinued model, you’ll have to find a used one for sale.

https://www.google.com/search?q=rickenb ... nt=gws-wiz

Thanks!! I would like to buy a new 360-12 or 370-12-- but with Toaster pickups!

Well...? Just kidding. I never expected to see a $5K price on those; $3.5K maybe....

A cheap route would be to get a 330 (if you can live with mono output) or a typical 360 (used?) and replace the pickups. Not cheap, but way, way less expensive than an new 360/12C63. You can have a/the third treble capacitor wired in to give you the jangle.

In any event, take a look at this article for a heads up regarding the tone you're seeking:
https://www.anatomyofguitartone.com/hom ... acker-tone

BTW, someone tell me what Beatles song have that classic Rick jangle, I mean, it's obvious on the Byrd songs, but I can't offhand think of a Beatles song that has that same unmistakable, in your face, jangle.

Anyway, good luck. If you can manage a new guitar with toasters, good going. Note that that third "treble cap" is not routinely installed by RIC in recent times. A lot of guys install it, and then find they don't really like it that much, then they bypass it (shunt wire).

maxwell:

Thanks for all the advice. i will check things out!

maxwell

AWESOME article!!!!!

The audio definition of "jangle" can vary from person to another. Songs by The Beatles that feature Rickenbacker jangle with "toaster" pickups include "You Can't Do That," "Ticket To Ride," "I Call Your Name," "What You're Doing," and "Anytime At All" just to name a few.

I'll have to revisit those songs more critically. Thanks. I guess my mind instantly goes to the first Ed Sullivan show, when George was using his Gretsch and John his '58....

I've been trying to get an understanding of guitar electronics, since I'm having questions & difficulties with one of my short-scale guitars. I'm getting there, and re-reading the article I linked (above) is much more meaningful now.

The 360/12C63 has to have the third "treble capacitor" (0.0047 uF) -- it may be the only guitar in current production that does. Like the author of the article, I too tried to find a schematic for this exact guitar; apparently the other 360 schematics are close, but not exact.

The only thing you can really do is buy the toaster pickups from the RIC boutique and have them installed. It depends on how much you want that vintage ('60s) sound...

I believe that you can order Ricks with toasters, if you're willing to pay an up-charge of about the same price as if you bought them separately. At least, that used to be the case. It's certainly not very difficult to change them out yourself.

Now, having viewed the Ed Sullivan shows at least a million times, I don't think the sound on there would demonstrate in any way what we would all think of as the classic "Rick Jangle" from John's Hamburg 325. If you listen very closely to some songs on their early EMI albums, you can hear some unique Rickenbacker tones that John is playing; specifically on "It Won't Be Long" and "All My Loving" and a few others. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" clearly displays George's first Rick (410?) playing the small accents and turnarounds, but it's a very thin sound and not exactly what I would call "jangle".

Nearly every song on A Hard Day's Night album features George's new 12-string and John's new 325 (If you have the Anthology CD, there is an outtake of "And I Love Her" with TWO Rickenbackers!). Tons of jangle there, but it's good to remember that British amplifiers sound different than American amps. So the jangle on Byrds and Beach Boys records might be a bit brighter and more distinctive. If you do get toaster pickups, it's also important to put flatwound strings on your guitar if you want that authentic '60s tone. I found that it made a lot of difference.