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Author Topic: Which Guitar Is Best For Alternative/Pop/Psychedelic?  (Read 5704 times)
Newguy562
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« on: March 02, 2012, 07:50:42 PM »

I came across two that I'm interested in purchasing but I want to get one that suits those genres the most..
So should I go with a Fender Stratocaster or Fender Telecaster? :]
« Last Edit: March 02, 2012, 07:53:38 PM by Newguy562 » Logged
pancakerecords
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« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2012, 08:06:47 PM »

Either of those guitars (and most others) would fit either genre perfectly well.  Try them both and choose the one that feels and sounds right to you.
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« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2012, 08:08:27 PM »

Either of those guitars (and most others) would fit either genre perfectly well.  Try them both and choose the one that feels and sounds right to you.
i definitely will Smiley i love the way the telecaster feels when i hold it and fiddle with it....but a few of my buddies told me it's more for blues...i always felt it depends on the player.
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« Reply #3 on: March 05, 2012, 08:01:14 PM »

I have a Tele (actually an ESP copy) and I'm not much a blues player.  Jason Falkner used one extensively in Jellyfish, Prince has a beautiful one, George Harrison used one on Let It Be... the list goes on. If it feels good go for it, I've always loved them.
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« Reply #4 on: March 05, 2012, 08:45:45 PM »

I have a Tele (actually an ESP copy) and I'm not much a blues player.  Jason Falkner used one extensively in Jellyfish, Prince has a beautiful one, George Harrison used one on Let It Be... the list goes on. If it feels good go for it, I've always loved them.
I'm so confused it's like a win/win situation Smiley..do you use any synthesizers? pedals? what kind of amp you have?
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« Reply #5 on: March 06, 2012, 09:40:19 AM »

I have played both a Telecaster and a Stratocaster for over 20 years. The Telecaster is and has been my main guitar for all that time, lately I've been leaving it at home because it means so much to me and instead traveling with the Strat.

The Fender Telecaster is the most versatile and durable guitar on the market, and it speaks volumes about it that the basic design and construction of the guitar has barely changed since 1950. I'd recommend it to anyone. It is far from being a "blues" guitar, in fact the only bluesmen I can think of who are associated with the Telecaster are Albert Collins and Mike Bloomfield, and Bloomfield was just as well known for playing a sunburst Les Paul.

The Stratocaster - so much information is available online. I'll say the *major* difference is the tremolo bridge, where the Tele is a hardtail. I think Strat tremolo bridges are a pain in the ass. I finally had to tighten my bridge so it's flush with the body. I could not take having three string go out of tune as soon as I'd need to do a drop-D tuning or something similar. As soon as that's done, the Strat is great.

I just prefer the Tele.

Now...if you like Alt/Pop/Psych, don't forget the Fender Jazzmaster and Jaguar. You can find these in the hands of so many players, and both of these have a tremolo as well, but that bizarre tremolo bridge is one of the characteristic sounds of the guitar. The list of alt players who use Jags and Jazzmasters is off the charts, if you like any of those players and want a tremolo bridge, definitely check out those models.

The Telecaster can deliver rock, country, alt, psych, pop, jazz, blues...anything. It's durable, it takes a beating and still plays well, and you can coax many sounds out of it just by plugging into a decent amp. Fender guitars through Fender amps I find have the best tone Mojo you can get out of either, although a Strat through and old Marshall is amazing too.

I recommend the Telecaster. Pedals and effects are another story... Cheesy
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« Reply #6 on: March 06, 2012, 11:32:18 AM »

I have played both a Telecaster and a Stratocaster for over 20 years. The Telecaster is and has been my main guitar for all that time, lately I've been leaving it at home because it means so much to me and instead traveling with the Strat.

The Fender Telecaster is the most versatile and durable guitar on the market, and it speaks volumes about it that the basic design and construction of the guitar has barely changed since 1950. I'd recommend it to anyone. It is far from being a "blues" guitar, in fact the only bluesmen I can think of who are associated with the Telecaster are Albert Collins and Mike Bloomfield, and Bloomfield was just as well known for playing a sunburst Les Paul.

The Stratocaster - so much information is available online. I'll say the *major* difference is the tremolo bridge, where the Tele is a hardtail. I think Strat tremolo bridges are a pain in the ass. I finally had to tighten my bridge so it's flush with the body. I could not take having three string go out of tune as soon as I'd need to do a drop-D tuning or something similar. As soon as that's done, the Strat is great.

I just prefer the Tele.

Now...if you like Alt/Pop/Psych, don't forget the Fender Jazzmaster and Jaguar. You can find these in the hands of so many players, and both of these have a tremolo as well, but that bizarre tremolo bridge is one of the characteristic sounds of the guitar. The list of alt players who use Jags and Jazzmasters is off the charts, if you like any of those players and want a tremolo bridge, definitely check out those models.

The Telecaster can deliver rock, country, alt, psych, pop, jazz, blues...anything. It's durable, it takes a beating and still plays well, and you can coax many sounds out of it just by plugging into a decent amp. Fender guitars through Fender amps I find have the best tone Mojo you can get out of either, although a Strat through and old Marshall is amazing too.

I recommend the Telecaster. Pedals and effects are another story... Cheesy

thank you so much you gave me a lot of info on the tele Smiley..I might have to check out the jaguar though.
who plays the jag?
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« Reply #7 on: March 06, 2012, 11:49:13 AM »


thank you so much you gave me a lot of info on the tele Smiley..I might have to check out the jaguar though.
who plays the jag?

There is a guy named Carl who had a Jaguar, for one... Grin


It is a shame you weren't shopping for a Jaguar or Jazzmaster before 1990 or so - seriously, I know people who got them at a fraction of what they soon became worth in the wake of grunge and Cobain. Looking back on that time it's almost a crime how much the prices shot up. They never had the same reputation as Teles or Strats, though they were designed in the 50's as upscale guitars, but the underdog and lower-value image is also why they ended up in the hands of many alternative bands.

There are Jaguar players and Jazzmaster players, those guitars are like cousins to each other with a few differences to set them apart, and each of the players has their preference and reasons why - tone, feel, pickups, options, etc. If you do a few searches for those two models and who has played them, you'll get a very interesting list and no shortage of famous players.

Or, to turn the question around, which guitarists do you like the most, and would consider buying a guitar that might have delivered some of your favorite sounds? That answer I'd probably be able to give some specific examples for.
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« Reply #8 on: March 06, 2012, 11:55:59 AM »

This video from '64 has a great closeup of Carl playing the Jaguar, you also get to hear the guitar's tone completely bare during the intro, and a solo break too - classic Fender guitar through Fender amp tone, early 60's factory-fresh tones...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkqhZJTLulQ
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« Reply #9 on: March 06, 2012, 12:07:29 PM »


thank you so much you gave me a lot of info on the tele Smiley..I might have to check out the jaguar though.
who plays the jag?

There is a guy named Carl who had a Jaguar, for one... Grin


It is a shame you weren't shopping for a Jaguar or Jazzmaster before 1990 or so - seriously, I know people who got them at a fraction of what they soon became worth in the wake of grunge and Cobain. Looking back on that time it's almost a crime how much the prices shot up. They never had the same reputation as Teles or Strats, though they were designed in the 50's as upscale guitars, but the underdog and lower-value image is also why they ended up in the hands of many alternative bands.

There are Jaguar players and Jazzmaster players, those guitars are like cousins to each other with a few differences to set them apart, and each of the players has their preference and reasons why - tone, feel, pickups, options, etc. If you do a few searches for those two models and who has played them, you'll get a very interesting list and no shortage of famous players.

Or, to turn the question around, which guitarists do you like the most, and would consider buying a guitar that might have delivered some of your favorite sounds? That answer I'd probably be able to give some specific examples for.
Why are jaguars so over looked?..and one of my favorite riffs is the one carl does in "the night is so young"
and why are teles,strats and les pauls the only guitars usually mentioned?
well dave gilmour,dave grohl,johnny marr,dean deleo & nick valensi
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« Reply #10 on: March 06, 2012, 12:09:08 PM »

This video from '64 has a great closeup of Carl playing the Jaguar, you also get to hear the guitar's tone completely bare during the intro, and a solo break too - classic Fender guitar through Fender amp tone, early 60's factory-fresh tones...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkqhZJTLulQ
i love the guitar in this Smiley
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« Reply #11 on: March 06, 2012, 03:25:53 PM »

Actually Grohl's main guitar on stage has been a Gibson "Trini Lopez" model.  Gibson reintroduced it as a Dave Grohl signature (DG-335) a few years back. Johnny Marr has played a bunch of different stuff, including a Jaguar, a Tele, and a Rickenbacker 330.

The choices are limitless, which can be overwhelming.  Go to a music store and play as many as you can. Pick ones you like the looks of, then whittle it down from there and make a choice based on what sounds and feels good.

The amp selection is no easier to navigate.  Figure out what your price range is and start playing through everything you can find in it. If you're just starting out and want something reasonable that sounds good, the Vox Valvetronix amps are cool.  They have settings to model differnt classic amp sounds and some built in effects.  I use one as my living room practice amp, and I've even recorded demos with it. The lower-watt models run under $150. A lot of the big names make combos similar to this.

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« Reply #12 on: March 08, 2012, 07:40:34 AM »

Why are jaguars so over looked?..and one of my favorite riffs is the one carl does in "the night is so young"
and why are teles,strats and les pauls the only guitars usually mentioned?
well dave gilmour,dave grohl,johnny marr,dean deleo & nick valensi

The short answer is that the Telecaster, Stratocaster, and Les Paul are the standard of solidbody electric guitar design and construction, and have remained virtually unchanged in their basic design since the early 1950's. If a design does not need to be refined or "updated" in any way beyond minor tweaks and additions, over the span of 60+ years, yet remains the most visible and most popular solidbody design among pro guitarists, they got it right the first time.

It may be controversial to say this, but no other guitar company has ever created a design to match those three models. Most of the other companies besides Fender and Gibson since the 1960's which have been seen in professional guitarists' hands have produced models based on the Tele, Strat, and Les Paul but with enough differences to avoid a copyright lawsuit (as Ibanez suffered in the 70's), or enough tweaks and changes to appeal to certain players while remaining basically true to the 1950's design and sounds.

And above all, those three models sound good and have sounded good since the 50's. The best looking and playing guitar won't cut it if it sounds less than great. I've played other famous name guitars and basses that just didn't deliver the same pure tone as the benchmark models you mentioned have done consistently. Not that every Tele or Les Paul is fantastic, because they're not - but they deliver the goods more consistently and deliver the tone you'd expect to hear from them.

And if you take a look back on decades of rock history, the overwhelming majority of classic guitar parts loved by the public at large were played on a Tele, Strat, or Les Paul or a variation of those models. The Telecaster was the go-to solidbody electric for studio players from Nashville to Hollywood.

(Cool to see Dean Deleo mentioned - I always liked his guitar style and his parts on STP records! I think I'm one of the few who bought the "Talk Show" album, and I got it mostly to hear Dean's guitar work. He's a very underrated guitarist, IMO, definitely worth more than a few listens.)
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Newguy562
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« Reply #13 on: March 08, 2012, 10:51:55 AM »

Why are jaguars so over looked?..and one of my favorite riffs is the one carl does in "the night is so young"
and why are teles,strats and les pauls the only guitars usually mentioned?
well dave gilmour,dave grohl,johnny marr,dean deleo & nick valensi

The short answer is that the Telecaster, Stratocaster, and Les Paul are the standard of solidbody electric guitar design and construction, and have remained virtually unchanged in their basic design since the early 1950's. If a design does not need to be refined or "updated" in any way beyond minor tweaks and additions, over the span of 60+ years, yet remains the most visible and most popular solidbody design among pro guitarists, they got it right the first time.

It may be controversial to say this, but no other guitar company has ever created a design to match those three models. Most of the other companies besides Fender and Gibson since the 1960's which have been seen in professional guitarists' hands have produced models based on the Tele, Strat, and Les Paul but with enough differences to avoid a copyright lawsuit (as Ibanez suffered in the 70's), or enough tweaks and changes to appeal to certain players while remaining basically true to the 1950's design and sounds.

And above all, those three models sound good and have sounded good since the 50's. The best looking and playing guitar won't cut it if it sounds less than great. I've played other famous name guitars and basses that just didn't deliver the same pure tone as the benchmark models you mentioned have done consistently. Not that every Tele or Les Paul is fantastic, because they're not - but they deliver the goods more consistently and deliver the tone you'd expect to hear from them.

And if you take a look back on decades of rock history, the overwhelming majority of classic guitar parts loved by the public at large were played on a Tele, Strat, or Les Paul or a variation of those models. The Telecaster was the go-to solidbody electric for studio players from Nashville to Hollywood.

(Cool to see Dean Deleo mentioned - I always liked his guitar style and his parts on STP records! I think I'm one of the few who bought the "Talk Show" album, and I got it mostly to hear Dean's guitar work. He's a very underrated guitarist, IMO, definitely worth more than a few listens.)
yes those were the only guitars i've heard about so i know i was going to check those out if i was ever going to get into playing ther guitar Smiley and he's amazing and so under-rated :/...have you ever heard this before?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t2VSB5EJxc
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« Reply #14 on: March 08, 2012, 11:16:34 AM »


yes those were the only guitars i've heard about so i know i was going to check those out if i was ever going to get into playing ther guitar Smiley and he's amazing and so under-rated :/...have you ever heard this before?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t2VSB5EJxc

Oh yeah, I know that one well! I've been playing that song for people since I got that album, and if it's someone who doesn't know STP's music they're surprised to hear that it's them, and for those who have a negative opinion of STP they usually get a totally different opinion on them. That is a great song, a standout track. All of Weiland's quirks aside, STP made good records and the guitar work was usually top-notch.
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« Reply #15 on: March 18, 2012, 11:04:21 PM »



No love for the Rick? Now if they were only a couple thousand dollars cheaper...
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« Reply #16 on: March 19, 2012, 01:29:20 AM »


(Cool to see Dean Deleo mentioned - I always liked his guitar style and his parts on STP records! I think I'm one of the few who bought the "Talk Show" album, and I got it mostly to hear Dean's guitar work. He's a very underrated guitarist, IMO, definitely worth more than a few listens.)

Love Talk Show. Definitely some of my favorite guitaring going on on that album.
If you haven't, check out Army Of Anyone's album. It's less poppy than Talk Show, but still awesome playing by Dean. Some of my favorite solos by him are on it.
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« Reply #17 on: March 19, 2012, 01:38:52 AM »


(Cool to see Dean Deleo mentioned - I always liked his guitar style and his parts on STP records! I think I'm one of the few who bought the "Talk Show" album, and I got it mostly to hear Dean's guitar work. He's a very underrated guitarist, IMO, definitely worth more than a few listens.)

Love Talk Show. Definitely some of my favorite guitaring going on on that album.
If you haven't, check out Army Of Anyone's album. It's less poppy than Talk Show, but still awesome playing by Dean. Some of my favorite solos by him are on it.
you guys should check out these songs by stp..."cinnamon".."and so i know"..."samba nova"..."no way out"..."black again" Smiley
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« Reply #18 on: March 19, 2012, 08:39:21 AM »



No love for the Rick? Now if they were only a couple thousand dollars cheaper...

Plenty of love for the Rickenbacker - coming from someone whose closest connection so far was a Rickenbacker T-shirt. Cheesy

Seriously though, they're iconic guitars, I think every guitar player who is a fan of a certain era and a certain sound in rock has wanted one in their collection since learning about them, but in all honesty the company doesn't make it easy to get them and the guitars themselves which I have played various models range from terrific to near-sloppy. Let me explain:

- Since I was first aware of the brand, Rickenbacker as a company can be a pain in the ass. That's brutally honest: On several occasions, I've been to a music store or trade show and received literature advertising some simply beautiful guitars, electric and acoustic. Some of these models were drop-dead gorgeous and had fresh designs...yet when you would either ask the stores or look for more info on actually buying or trying out one of the new models, you'd get nothing. Anyone interested, let me know because somewhere I have literature on some great acoustics by Rickenbacker that were advertised, that I had a poster of them hanging on my wall, yet to my knowledge they were all but impossible to buy.

- I have never seen such a negative reaction from music store employees than I did around maybe 1992 when I had some pennies saved up and wanted to buy a Rick: I'd walk into various stores asking about them and the answers ranged from dismissive to outright hostile. I never bought one.

- Some of the iconic models like the John Lennon 325 look much better than they play. That guitar is one of the most iconic in rock history, what Beatles fan wouldn't want one? So when I saw one in a shop in Boston, I was thrilled! I picked it up, went to strum a few chords, and my fingers could barely fit inside the frets. It is a *small* guitar, of course it is a 3/4 size but I had no idea it was that small until actually trying to play one. It was actually unplayable for my hands, I was disappointed but if that's how the original Lennon model was sized, I'm amazed he could play it.

- Another letdown was walking into yet another shop and seeing a new Fireglo 360/12 hanging there. *This* is the icon, the "Harrison" guitar everyone wants...when I tested it out, the finish on the fretboard was cracking, the frets were rough and not rounded off on the edges, and it just didn't feel right or felt like it needed a radical set-up to be 100%. I was expecting more from such an expensive and famous guitar.

- The positive: A friend/bandmate had a Jetglo 330 6-string that was a phenomenal guitar, a well-crafted instrument that played and sounded great. Everything you'd want from a Rickenbacker, and he ended up trading it off. If all Ricks were like that 330, the reputation is warranted. That was a sweet guitar. All Rick basses I've played and tested have been solid if not fantastic - no complaints there other than I prefer the Fender Jazz Bass style.

Rickenbackers are overpriced (IMO) and they deliberately manipulate the values by making certain models hard to find (seen any Carl Wilson or Susanna Hoffs signature models recently? How about when they were brand new, were they easy to find?). The quality I've seen has varied from incredible to inconsistent.

Yet I still want to own one. No doubt about it. A custom color black/white "tuxedo" finish 360/12 with gold hardware, with that special on-board compressor borrowed from the McGuinn model, just for a blast of 60's nostalgia even if there are better compressors out there. Yep. Even if it takes the company 10 years to fill my order, someday I'll get it.
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« Reply #19 on: March 19, 2012, 10:52:59 AM »


(Cool to see Dean Deleo mentioned - I always liked his guitar style and his parts on STP records! I think I'm one of the few who bought the "Talk Show" album, and I got it mostly to hear Dean's guitar work. He's a very underrated guitarist, IMO, definitely worth more than a few listens.)

Love Talk Show. Definitely some of my favorite guitaring going on on that album.
If you haven't, check out Army Of Anyone's album. It's less poppy than Talk Show, but still awesome playing by Dean. Some of my favorite solos by him are on it.
you guys should check out these songs by stp..."cinnamon".."and so i know"..."samba nova"..."no way out"..."black again" Smiley

I have all those albums! Have you heard About A Fool or You Can't Drive Me Away? Similar to Samba Nova. STP is my other favorite band. I'm really surprised how many of the younger Beach Boys fans are also fans of STP. Not used to people actually having good taste in music, I guess.
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« Reply #20 on: March 19, 2012, 11:24:23 AM »


(Cool to see Dean Deleo mentioned - I always liked his guitar style and his parts on STP records! I think I'm one of the few who bought the "Talk Show" album, and I got it mostly to hear Dean's guitar work. He's a very underrated guitarist, IMO, definitely worth more than a few listens.)

Love Talk Show. Definitely some of my favorite guitaring going on on that album.
If you haven't, check out Army Of Anyone's album. It's less poppy than Talk Show, but still awesome playing by Dean. Some of my favorite solos by him are on it.
you guys should check out these songs by stp..."cinnamon".."and so i know"..."samba nova"..."no way out"..."black again" Smiley

I have all those albums! Have you heard About A Fool or You Can't Drive Me Away? Similar to Samba Nova. STP is my other favorite band. I'm really surprised how many of the younger Beach Boys fans are also fans of STP. Not used to people actually having good taste in music, I guess.
their not albums those are songs lol...yes it does shock people when i tell them that i'm a beach boys fan...and i only know about stp and listen to them because my dad showed me them and is a huge fan of them Smiley
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« Reply #21 on: March 19, 2012, 05:16:43 PM »



No love for the Rick? Now if they were only a couple thousand dollars cheaper...

Plenty of love for the Rickenbacker - coming from someone whose closest connection so far was a Rickenbacker T-shirt. Cheesy

Seriously though, they're iconic guitars, I think every guitar player who is a fan of a certain era and a certain sound in rock has wanted one in their collection since learning about them, but in all honesty the company doesn't make it easy to get them and the guitars themselves which I have played various models range from terrific to near-sloppy. Let me explain:

- Since I was first aware of the brand, Rickenbacker as a company can be a pain in the ass. That's brutally honest: On several occasions, I've been to a music store or trade show and received literature advertising some simply beautiful guitars, electric and acoustic. Some of these models were drop-dead gorgeous and had fresh designs...yet when you would either ask the stores or look for more info on actually buying or trying out one of the new models, you'd get nothing. Anyone interested, let me know because somewhere I have literature on some great acoustics by Rickenbacker that were advertised, that I had a poster of them hanging on my wall, yet to my knowledge they were all but impossible to buy.

- I have never seen such a negative reaction from music store employees than I did around maybe 1992 when I had some pennies saved up and wanted to buy a Rick: I'd walk into various stores asking about them and the answers ranged from dismissive to outright hostile. I never bought one.

- Some of the iconic models like the John Lennon 325 look much better than they play. That guitar is one of the most iconic in rock history, what Beatles fan wouldn't want one? So when I saw one in a shop in Boston, I was thrilled! I picked it up, went to strum a few chords, and my fingers could barely fit inside the frets. It is a *small* guitar, of course it is a 3/4 size but I had no idea it was that small until actually trying to play one. It was actually unplayable for my hands, I was disappointed but if that's how the original Lennon model was sized, I'm amazed he could play it.

- Another letdown was walking into yet another shop and seeing a new Fireglo 360/12 hanging there. *This* is the icon, the "Harrison" guitar everyone wants...when I tested it out, the finish on the fretboard was cracking, the frets were rough and not rounded off on the edges, and it just didn't feel right or felt like it needed a radical set-up to be 100%. I was expecting more from such an expensive and famous guitar.

- The positive: A friend/bandmate had a Jetglo 330 6-string that was a phenomenal guitar, a well-crafted instrument that played and sounded great. Everything you'd want from a Rickenbacker, and he ended up trading it off. If all Ricks were like that 330, the reputation is warranted. That was a sweet guitar. All Rick basses I've played and tested have been solid if not fantastic - no complaints there other than I prefer the Fender Jazz Bass style.

Rickenbackers are overpriced (IMO) and they deliberately manipulate the values by making certain models hard to find (seen any Carl Wilson or Susanna Hoffs signature models recently? How about when they were brand new, were they easy to find?). The quality I've seen has varied from incredible to inconsistent.

Yet I still want to own one. No doubt about it. A custom color black/white "tuxedo" finish 360/12 with gold hardware, with that special on-board compressor borrowed from the McGuinn model, just for a blast of 60's nostalgia even if there are better compressors out there. Yep. Even if it takes the company 10 years to fill my order, someday I'll get it.

I played a LOT of Rickenbacxkers before settling on the 330.  Like many people who buy them, my inspiration was The Beatles, but I didn't like the 325's feel or tone (through the inevitable AC30), so I got the model more associated with Townshend. And that has been my main six-string on stage and in the studio for 25 years or so. But The brand itself can be wildly inconsistent and, if not cared for, they are notorious for having truss rod issues, which may explain why so many music store clerks have a wild hair up their ass about them.  Well, that and the fact that they aren't made for Yngwie-styled shreddin'!
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