Why Rickenbacker Guitars Fell Out of Favor 

For me, it’s simply price that stops me playing one. Love the look, love the sound (clean and driven), love the heritage, love that most of my heroes played one. But I’ve never been able to justify the £2.5k+ price point.

I don’t care if they are hard to play or unpopular. They sound incredible.

I think it's because they're expensive, don't make import models, feel weird compared to Gibsons and fenders, and were never that popular outside of a handful of big artists so there aren't many used ones out there. I think Gretsch was in a similar boat but they started making more accessible models and now they're all over the place.

Must be missing something as it all sounded absolutely fabulous! Love the sound of Rics

All you’re doing is making it sound beautiful, it is an awesome guitar and the unique sound is making me ecstatic😅

I have a 2023 360, has zero tuning stability issues and love the lacquered neck haha

I've been playing for 55 years and never once have I heard a bad sound come out of any Ricky. My good friend had a brand new 360 12 that I used to play with a 50 watt amp with the master at 10 through a Tube Screamer while my slide was a light bulb. Heavenly sounds.

The sound of that thing just gives me gooseflesh. It’s so lovely. Of course, half the credit for that goes to the player.

I love both my Ricks. Hands down the best rhythm guitars I've ever owned, and when I solo on a Rick I keep it short and sweet. Moreover, I find audiences love the vibe and gravitate to the sound of an old friend. All I see is grins and smiles, transcending generations as people enjoy themselves. It's why you play. 🎈

The best use of the blend knob is to blend the tone of the neck pickup with the bridge pickup when you have it in the middle position. It's like a resonance control like that, blending in your perfect amount of low end. On another point, I've had my Ric nearly 30 years and it's never been unstable in it's tuning, quite the opposite. And lastly, if you don't think it does well with gain, just give The Smithereens a listen. 🤷‍♂️

It sounds great to me. I've played the same '69 Tellie all my life, but if I were ever to consider a second guitar I'd consider a Rick.

Am not a musician, but that's a _gorgeous_ sound - despite the drawbacks.

When you were saying it doesn’t handle gain well, I thought that overdrive sound was pretty killer.

Sounds like effects mostly. I'd like to hear it straight into a known clean amp like a Deluxe or AC30, with no tone rolled off on guitar or amp. Good educational narrative. Great overdrive sound, I enjoy how the drive retreats as the loudness dissipates, and the clear clean reasserts itself. Thank you.

I have 3 Ric guitars. I absolutely love them. Production of them is modest, so even in dealer's shops, there's maybe one or two on the rack. The guitars are stigmatized with the "jangle pop" genre... but I've played everything from Punk to Country on mine.

I’ve played the same Ric 350 for 40 years. It’s never let me down. It always stays in tune. It takes pedals very well (I especially like a RAT with the Ric). I’ve had no playability issues at all, and doing bends is no problem. It’s like a thoroughbred, once you know how to ride it, you’ll have no other. The light weight (the 350 has a very small body) and a full dual scale neck, so when you’re up by the 12th fret you still have half the neck to go! Mine came with three of those “high gain” pickups. However I removed 2 of them, and replaced them with a Ric humbucker and a Ric “toaster” pickup (toaster/bridge, high gain/middle, humbucker/neck). I also added a Bigsby and a roller bridge. So I had access to a wide range of tones. In fact, during many gigs, people would comment to me how the Ric cut through the mix so well. That’s playing everything from heavy distortion, blues, and even slide. Rics rule!👍

Fantastic review. I don't care what flaws this guitar has I WANT one

I have a 1968 Rick 370 with the toaster pickups. It’s fantastic. It does take gain really well. Sounds awesome through an AC30 - all your REM tones are right there. Also handles fuzz pedals great. Smithereens, Fugazi - Rics with gain

A friend of mine, when I was still a kid, had a Rick 12 string, similar to his idol, George Harrison. He let me noodle on it occasionally through his Fender Twin Reverb, and I was dead envious of his available cash to own such great equipment, but I was also really knocked out by how rich the tone was with that setup.

For me, the Rickenbacker is what the best of the 60s sounds like❤

I agree that they are not like all the other brands. But last I checked, there is a pretty long waiting list for a particular Ric you want. I still see indie bands play these all the time. Kevin Parker does wonders with one.

The 5th knob (blend) deserves a lot more praise! It can also blend between the two pickups when both are selected..which comes in very handy when using the stereo feature. Spending some time exploring the 5th knob can unlock a whole new world of tonal possibilities in a Ric.

Every Ric I've played was just lovely. Really fell in love with a vintage 330 that I got to try earlier this year, but alas. I didn't have several thousand on hand. Ric very much has its own thing going, and the price and the fact that it's "different" than a Fender or Gibson puts people off.

To me, they're a guitar that does one thing really well. That's great if you want that one thing, not so much if you don't or if you want/need something more versatile. When you couple that with the fact that they have some ergonomics that are generally considered quite cumbersome, I can see why they're niche instruments.

The Rick 330 I owned had the most amazing pickups I've ever heard (same ones as in your 360). So much better than Strat single coils.

Expensive; narrow frets, etc. i loved my McGuinn signature 370RM 12 and owned a few 330’s which were great. The Jam, XTC, Tom Petty and REM reinvigorated them in the late 70’s & early 80’s.

As a 45 year owner of a 1974 maple 360 model I can't attest to them being terribly well built. The bridge is weak and will start buzzing as the screw ends lose their knurl and fall out of the hole. The neck needs to be set up differently than other guitars. It has 2 weak truss rods in the neck. To adjust the neck you can't just tighten or loosen the tension. You have to bend the neck with your hand and tighten or loosen each truss rod. If you don't do this you can unseat each truss rod and then have to replace them. I have the tremolo tailpiece on my guitar. It isn't the best for maintaining tuning, using the tremolo or not. The guitar is too pretty and feels fragile so it never gets gigged. It does record well though. I have never cared for the stereo feature.

I’ve loved Ricks since I started listening to the Beatles years ago and now seeing modern bands/musicians use them, I’m considering purchasing one myself

They’re definitely not for everyone and they’re not easy to play but to me absolutely no other guitar has such a singular unique sound.

Thank you Paul for the video. The Rickenbacker in it's own element is a gorgeous sound! Your style of playing ,such as those lovely chord changes and your lead work, are so soothing to listen to. Reminds me how in the Bible when King Saul was troubled by an evil spirit he would call for David to play on his harp for relief. Quite a while ago Eric Johnson stole our hearts with "Cliffs of Dover," I think the world needs you to step up to the plate with a song that is peaceful and so full of beauty that it would motivate people to seek to be a loving to each other as possible!

Man, that is a lovely clean sound. I never have liked their body styles on their guitars although I love their basses. But it does sound pretty damn good

Had a 1982 Ricky 330 24 fret neck. I played mostly rhythm at the time. Had that guitar 30 years and had to sell it for a house payment. Regretted it ever since. Had great intonation all around and I have a very picky ear. Sure, it’s not great for leads, unless you’re John Fogerty, but it was a gem. I miss it.

I have a Rickenbacker 330. I do agree that the vintage style frets take the most getting used to. In the end, it took me about a month of regular playing to adapt. Other than that I have no issue with how the guitar player is whatsoever. I also find that I really like how mine sounds over driven. I have fenders, and Gilson’s and a couple of Grestch’s and I’m used to switching between them with no issues. Perhaps that has helped me with the Rickenbacker, but it is a really great guitar.

I love my Rick 330. They truly sound unique.

Rickenbacker 360's fell out of favor when The Byrds fell out of favor with commercial radio. I bought my used 366-12 in 1975 when everyone in Detroit played Les Pauls unless they played Stratocasters. I recorded with mine for over 45 years. Roger McGuinn and I both had no trouble bending strings and they were both 12 string electrics. Maybe the demonstrator here has sticky fingers. The creep who stole mine in 2021 had sticky fingers. I'm still looking for him. ☠☠☠

I've been in two all or mostly Rickenbacker bands, currently in one now: the guitarist plays a Rick as does the bassist. They do sound amazing and with Rickosound the guitar can sound as if two guitars are playing as the amps and effects can be set quite differently from one another. They're amazing instruments. Btw I'm not a guitarist, I hit things with sticks in rhythmic fashion.

Sometime in the 1960s Rickenbacker sold guitars under the name Electro. I believe they were sold in department stores as a starter set with a small amplifier also branded electro. A dear friend gifted me with the set his father bought him (he never played it). It was the model 425 cresting wave solid body. The headstock has a square piece of metal with the “Electro” logo.

Rickenbacker is small company that sells every single guitar they make in any given year. For me, it's always been their 12 strings. I have two 330--12s, and love them both. Ricks are quirky guitars. You have to adjust to them. They will not adjust to you. but if you make the effort, the sonic rewards are many. They've stuck with their traditional business model, and it works for them.

Regardless of the gripes you seem to sense about the difficulty of playing the example guitar - you make it sound gorgeous to my ears.

I'm one of those weird guitar players who love low-gain pickups and the tones you got in this video are kind of everything I love. There is a giant, warm, resonant sound with the chambered Ric bodies that this video exemplifies beautifully (Especially around 5:30. You're also making me want a Tonex now because that Matchless model sounds superb!). The one complaint that I have is that the tuning/intonation often seems dodgy. I hear it on this video on -some- chords you play, but not all. I have a 330/12 which comes with a 6-sadde bridge and never seems in tune to me. I purchased an aftermarket 12-saddle bridge which I haven't put on yet, so I hope that helps. There's nothing like the tone, though. If you like it, you love it. If not, it's just not for you. It's a very specific guitar, both tonally and feel-wise (not to mention visually). It's not going to be a Swiss Army knife like a Strat or a Tele, which I could probably use for any guitar gig. It's always going to impart that Rickenbacker sound and because of their feel, you will always play it like a Rickenbacker.

Nothing like a beautifully set up Rickenbacker! Some of the most beautiful sounding and aesthetically pleasing guitars ever made. New bands like Blossoms, Fontaines DC, The Molotovs, Alvvays, Tame Impala, all use RIC’s extensively.

This is one of those guitars that is just one of a kind. I remember when I was learning guitar, and I saw Peter Buck from R.E.M. using one, and I've wanted one ever since. My biggest gripe with this guitar (and the brand, technically), is that they are so expensive (~$2000).

I own this exact guitar. I’ve spent a lot of money on its setup. Intonation wise it’s a total plank and nightmare. I can bend it a 1/2 semitones out of tune by putting pressure on the neck. Love to know how intonation is on this even when you are just playing simple chords on the first 3-4 frets

I disagree about the tuning issue. I could get my 330-6 out of it’s case after a month or two and it would still be in tune. Nice video and great playing though.

I have a black 360 but that blue looks awesome. So many bands that I like from the 60’s to today use them.

It's a shame they fell out of favor, cause I absolutely love the way they play and sound. They're just too expensive compared to the competition.

I have a ric 340 with the extra pickup, and I find it hugely adaptable to all kinds of styles. It just has a sound that really cuts through, especially when you get your head around working the knobs out! My only real quibble is the narrowness of the low end of the neck. I love it though, use it all the time live, and in the studio, and would never part with it! Long live the Ric! Sounds particularly cool through a crowther hotcake.

I think you are wrong in your assertion that Rickenbacker guitars have fallen out of favour. Just look at the average cost of a decent second hand Rickenbacker guitar on places like Reverb etc. Their resale values would suggest they are still very popular. If you mean they aren't used by many prominent musicians anymore. Well that's an easy one. It takes a certain level of patience and skill to master playing a Rickenbacker guitar, especially the 12 string models. Many modern musicians simply don't have the skill to get the most out of such instruments. Playing the usual LPs, Teles, Strats or clones thereof requires a lot less skill to get a decent sound out of them. Hence their popularity at all levels of the spectrum. Anyways, RICs have been around for many decades with little change. They are works of art. They will appreciate in value over time so the idea that they are expensive is a subjective one. Buy a RIC, look after it properly, and you most likely will sell it for more than you bought it several years down the track. And anyone who doesn't appreciate the RIC sound should listen to this ... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2tHLj2zNDRw.html Pretty much sums up why RICs really have no peer. Cheers from the Land Down Under.

Adding to the difficult bends topic is the long portion of strings behind the bridge. That’s a problem common to other guitar models, of course. The longer is the string behind the nut and the bridge, the more you’ll have to travel to reach the target pitch during bends, because some of the energy from your fingers is lost in those two portions of string (which increase tension together with the playing part of the string, during bends)

The playing at 5:30 with the ringing open B and E strings -- what I always called "the R.E.M. chord shapes" because of how prevalent they are on Chronic Town and Murmur -- is the sound that made me HAVE to have a Rickenbacker. This was THE sound of a certain niche of 80's "college rock" (which would later be rechristened as "alternative") bands like R.E.M., The Smiths (first album at least), Let's Active and many others. No, they are not good for fast lead guitar playing. If you are a PRS player, you will think that anyone who chooses a Ric must be out of their mind. But if you are a fan of other quirky, "difficult" guitars like the Jazzmaster or Jaguar, the Ric will reward you with tones that you can't even come close to reproducing on any other make of guitar. Also, for what it's worth, Mastery also makes a bridge for Rickenbackers and yes, I installed one on mine as well as my Jazzmaster and Jaguar. Concerns about price are totally fair, even if they can be explained by Rickenbacker never having modernized their manufacturing process. As much as I love the look of the 360, I absolutely couldn't justify the $1000 price difference (this was five years ago) over a 330 model for literally only cosmetic differences and the ric-o-sound dual output jacks.

Cool looking guitars for sure. We can all thank Leo Fender (I mean sure Stradivarius knew this) for realizing that the strings needed to go straight as possible to the tuner.

They're "high gain" in comparison to Rickenbacker's original "toaster" pickups. To most of us who love Rickenbacker, the lower output (7k ish) toasters are THE Rickenbacker sound.

I bought my model 330 when I was totally ignorant about Rickenbackers. I like it. But if I could go back...I'd hold out for a 360. Sadly, the musicians I've played with over the years haven't facilitated the 12 string sound it has to offer. It does sound gorgeous.

Price might be high, but personally, I think that they sound incredibly good. I own the John Lennon model and a 330 semi hollow and also quite a few Fender guitars (Mustang and Strata). But the Rickenbackers are my absolute favourite. If you've never played one, you really have to check them out once. Fantastic instruments. Reall really special.

I love my two Rics. Both Fireglo. A 330 and a 660-12!

Horses for courses, Rick does the Rick thing perfectly.

One of the main reasons why they aren't as popular is because the cost of admission is higher. Not just the cost of the guitar, but there is no alternative. Unlike fender and Gibson and many other brands, there is no Indonesian version. And so if you want the guitar you have to know in advance that you really wanted. You can't just get the cheaper Indonesian version and then upgrade to the US version.

Don’t handle overdrive well: Proceeds to sound fucking mega

I always use mine, as I also found the amp that achieves the sound I like. It’s a perfect match. I find my 🎸 easy to play btw. And it stays in tune really well, too.

Peter Buck played his 6's and 12's on every REM album. That's a ton of great songs and sounds/arpeggios. He had his JetGlo 360 stolen and though the thief asked for a million dollars, Peter offered him 10,000 or 30 years in Jail for extortion..

Actually, that guitar sounds awesome...Fell out of favor is a catchy title for your video but as you can see from the comments a lot of people still love them. I have several guitars in several brands I was showing them to my granddaughter the other day. She wants to learn to play guitar. When I opened the case for the Ric her eyes lit up and she said "That one is awesome" She is 16, so maybe a new generation of Ric players is coming...

What an excellent presentation. I have a Rickenbacker and I don't use it much but o do love the sound because it is quite different to anything else. Thanks for the explanation and your playing is exquisite.

i don't know anything about guitars but that was a great video and helped me understand something.

Sounds very good, clean. But also with the overdrive I like the sound.

I’ve never wanted a Rickenbacker guitar before hearing this. That tone sounds wonderful! I’d always associated Rickenbackers with jangly guitar tones.

I’ve never heard anyone complain about a maple lacquered fretboard being sticky. A Ric shouldn’t be any different.

This almost made me yearn for my 330. 92 Mapleglo with a black guard and hardware. Great sound - just like in the vid here. Mostly played clean into a Fender Deville amp (that felt like it was bolted to the floor at the end of a gig). It was my main guitar for 15 years but then slowly I found that other guitars were getting all the airplay. Eventually it was sold to help funding a Martin. Like I said it almost made me yearn for it, then I remembered that for the last years I had it it basically stayed in its case and even when out on the rack my hands drifted past it to other toys. No - it’s better off with someone who will play it like it deserves and I got something fantastic to replace it.

The reason is the same as why people don’t play gibson: the price. They don’t make affordable models for young people, you can hardly find them in a local shop music store to test them out, they rarely make updates on their guitars so that’s why people invest their money in Epiphone and Fender. They can start with either of them and stick with one brand because of how nice and affordable their products nowadays

As to the subject of why Rickenbacker guitars fell out of favor, I couldn't help but notice over the years that hardly any heavy metal guitarists play Ricks. I vaguely remember seeing Glenn Buxton from Alice Cooper playing one once, but that was as close to high amplification as I ever saw one get. Having said that---they do have a very dreamy quality to their tone, and would be appropriate on rock ballads

To each his own, I guess. I love my 360. People complain about the price but it’s actually one of the least expensive USA-made premium guitars. A USA telecaster, probably the most simple guitar ever built, is 2K. Les Paul Customs? Forget about it, unless you started a tech company and sold it. Gretsch Falcon? $4k.

Love this sound OVER anything today.

I knew someone who had a Rick 2001 bass. It had an awesome sound like no other bass. It had "twangy" overtones that made stand out instead of just filling the bottom end like a Fender..

I still say some of the best slightly overdriven tones recorded are in the 90s REM records. I believe these were just a Ricky into a vox. I'm not even a big fan of REM just remember the recordings sounding great

I've played a re-fretted Rick a couple times. The lacquer was removed and the frets were a lot taller/wider. It made for a fantastic experience. Still sounded like a Rickenbacker. I understand why Rickenbacker still builds their guitars with a lacquered fingerboard and low frets. It's how they were built and that's what people want.

What a gorgeous sounding instrument. Well played!

They're also extremely cute. They look like cartoon guitars, with a candy coating. And they sound great. I still don't know why they're not as popular as they used to be, other than the fact that they're expensive, and they were popular more than twenty minutes ago, which is apparently too old for anyone just starting a band now.

Ricks are great rhythm guitars. Not comfortable for general lead use but great for rhythm and arpeggio playing. Think of John Lennon strumming his 325 or Roger McGuinn of the Byrds. I had a George Harrison Model 12 string for many years and it was a great investment! That being said , Rickenbacker really needs a new line of modern guitars if they are ever to grow out of their niche. Nothing sounds like a Rick!

Nice demo. Yes, saw The Beatles on TV in '64 and knew of The Byrds later. After trying to play guitar since '72 when i was 15 (gigged some) i only played one Ric, a wave crest solid in fire glow after about a year. Bought a book and that was it,,,the Susana Hoffs model looked good,,,,so did she ;) Thanks for the memories.

Whatever, I still want one, they’re gorgeous and nothing sounds like them

A friend of mine has a 12 string 360. We often jam in psychedelic/shoegaze style and it sounds fantastic in that context.

I've always wanted one (a black 360) since I was a kid. Could never justify the price for one (I was/am broke).

They're become unpopular? Stores that sell them can't keep them in stock. As far as I can tell, they're as popular as they ever were. They're not popular like Fender or Gibson guitars are; but they've never been popular like Fender or Gibson. Why don't they *become* more popular? Cost, more than any other single factor. After that, probably the gross misperception that they're one-trick ponies hurts them a bit. But not as much as the fact that they're expensive as hell.

I didn't know it fell out of favour, people I know love Rickenbackers

Man, you make that guitar sound so fluid and wonderful.

Thanks for the review! All of the tones sounded fine to me, including the overdriven ones. I feel that Rickenbackers look great, are generally well made, and have a unique finish & tone, but have inexcusable design quirks on some of their guitars & basses. In the case of the 360, the "R" tailpiece often fails from metal fatigue, the strings scrape against the truss rod cover, and the "horizontal" machine heads (on the 360/12) are only held in place by a single screw, and no post nut, meaning that they can easily fall off if the screw fails. If Rickenbacker actually listened to their customers, and made small improvements to their guitars, I'm sure they would be more popular.

The fretboard also does not get much wider as you towards the bridge, as ‘normal’ guitars so. I recently got a solid body 620 and it is great - the neck is a very comfortable profile to me and at least for what I play on it, the lacquered fretboard is not the issue I thought it would be.

I love the guitar and I believe that Kevin Parker from tame impala uses one. Would love to see Rick’s have more of a resurgence and a lower price tag too

The puppy at 3:00 is living his best life 😂

the 12's ring their own siren

Great explanation on a topic I’ve always wondered about. I believe the skinny neck / nut width is another reason players prefer other brands. Too bad no small builder has made their own take on a modernized Rickenbacker.

I dream of Rickenbackers. I'm pretty much exclusively a bass player, but if I ever picked up a six string, I'd want it to be a Rick!

Modern Rickenbacker High Gains are about 11k. I’d consider that high gain compared to the 7k Toaster pickups that they came with in the ‘60s and that is around standard for proper Tele pickups. If it’s that much quieter than your Teles and Strats, maybe you need to adjust the pickup height.

Some really nice tones you got there. On a side note, I think Ric have started to make their standard series with non lacquer fretboards the last couple of years. I refretted my own and put medium jumbos on. Made it a completely different guitar. The notion I’ve always found strange is the price issue. Yes, they are a big chop into your Mastercard. But so are any other American built guitars with a bit of hand finish into them. A good Gibson LP Std. f ex. Keep up the great vids!

Very good overview. Unfortunately they have this hard playability for lead stuff and don't take overdrive well. But if you want to play really beautiful sounding clean and crunchy rhythm like strumming chords, it's exactly the guitar you need. You won't achieve this on a Strat or Les Paul in the same quality.

Very nice job explaining the blend knob. Great playing, too.

It sure has a wonderful clean sound!

For a not-very-good guitar, it sounds bloody amazing. I want one.

I love my ric 381 with toaster pickups for different reasons. Its far from the easiest guitar to play or the most versatile sounding thing, but it just feels and looks so freaking cool! I cant help but pick it up and play, and i love its unique sounds. Fantastic video btw, this one of the best ric demos out there! I would love to see a video on setting up your ric for optimal tone and playability:)

John Scott from the Australian band The Mark of Cain has played one for the majority of his career. The sound is majestic and enormous.

To be honest, my brother and I shared a 1965 Rickenbacker Fireglo solid body 12-string we bought for $170 in a San Diego pawnshop in 1966. Piece of crap never stayed in tune and eventually the stress of 12 strings snapped the neck. We suspected that the previous owner broke the neck on it and epoxied the neck back together. The exposed neck had some residual glue residue on the wood. We garage-saled it for $25. That same week my brother scored a banged up Silvertone 1420 Stratotone (no case) at a garage sale for $15. Wasn't much to look at, but after being fully restored at Mose Guitar, it still plays beautifully after 50 years.