A Beatles Virtual Instrument

[bayswater]

I am still salivating over that 325. Ouch.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's Rickenbacker.

Yeah, but look at that thing! I'm a big Fender fan, but the sound of a Ricky has an inimitable deliciousness about it. It's not always about the wonderful sound of "Ticket To Ride" or anything related to the Byrds. Tom Petty's tracks are so nicely balanced where the Ricky is not so instantly recognizable.

Okay. It appears to be a closed F-hole model (akin to mine). Is it a Capri?

It's as close to a Capri as I could get without taking one apart, and using the parts available to me. It's hollow on both sides. But I would never claim it's a Capri

[bayswater]

Way cool guitar! I started lefty and changed when I realized that there were no lefty bowed string players in any orchestra I’d seen. It was more the realization that many were left handed than a premonition that I’d be a cellist and bassist a few years later. About that time, my dad came home from work (Ampex in Redwood City when we lived in Sacramento) one weekend and discovered that I’d restringed his guitar — busted! Anyway, I made the switch but never lost the ability to play lefty. Like Tiny Tim, I became better as a righty than a lefty.

Back to the topic:

A friend had a 325 but my hand was way too big to be comfortable playing it. I had picked up a used Fender Jazzmaster and Vox solid state amp for nearly nothing—the most uncool instruments one could play in 1970. I discovered that my guitar’ s lack of sustain combined with the MRB 2 circuit on the amp gave me the sound of John Lennon’s guitar on many Beatle tracks (especially I Feel Fine) and that was my rhythm guitar sound in high school.

Later, I built a PartsOCaster from Fender parts with the sole purpose of emulating the sound of the two Strats used on Ticket to Ride. I used an Alembic Strat-O-Blaster to get the top end boost that Paul added on the mixer. Nailed the sound, too. I sold the neck and the Alembic unit recently but still have the rest of the guitar.

Owned a Höfner bass for awhile (another instrument you could buy dirt cheap used in the ‘70s) but it wasn’t comfortable to play sitting or standing. Once the novelty wore off, I put it away and made a nice profit when I sold it a few years ago.

I tried to play right handed a few times, but it never worked. According to some neuropsychologists, I'm as left handed as it gets.

I doubt it's large hands that makes a Ric hard to play. Everyone finds them hard to play. Unless you have 8 hour sets playing Chuck Berry chords in F#, and then the 325 is a blessing.

[mikehalloran]

Every 325 I played before the 1990s had a short scale like John's. When I say that I found them uncomfortable, you'll just have to take me at my word. The standard scale Rick had a 1 5/8" wide neck as did my '64 Jazzmaster. Easy to replace a Fender neck, so I did. Just as easy never to own a Rickenbacker — as much as I loved the looks and sound.

I eventually sold all of my guitars with 1 11/16" wide fretboards. As my hands grew older, the fretboards somehow became too skinny. My main acoustics became a J-100 XTRA (1 3/4") and a D-35S and D12-35 (both 1 7/8"). The Fenders received 1 3/4" wide necks and I bought and sold acoustics to get instruments I could play. When Rick Turner started making my guitars, they had 1 13/16" wide necks and were the most comfortable guitars ever. This made them difficult but not impossible to sell.

I still have my '64 Jazzmaster and a rosewood Telecaster like George played on the rooftop, speaking of Beatles guitars, both with 1 3/4" wide necks that I am unlikely to ever play again.

[bayswater]

Every 325 I played before the 1990s had a short scale like John's.

They still do. Hence the facility with Chuck Berry songs. And they need extra heavy strings to get in tune, so are really only suitable for simple chord patterns with lots of 6ths, etc. I wonder what led Rickenbacker to introduce the 325 in the first place, and whether anyone would bother with it if Lennon hadn't bought one.

[Frodo]

Every 325 I played before the 1990s had a short scale like John's.

They still do. Hence the facility with Chuck Berry songs. And they need extra heavy strings to get in tune, so are really only suitable for simple chord patterns with lots of 6ths, etc. I wonder what led Rickenbacker to introduce the 325 in the first place, and whether anyone would bother with it if Lennon hadn't bought one.

I guess that was my question about the Casino model, which was short scale in Lennon's hands. There were models that were/are full scale. I tried a blond short scale 325 and almost bought it, but it destroyed me because it was so hard to play. I'm not sure that the best 325 pickings were available at the time. None of them stayed in tune, which was very un-Rickenbacker-like.

I ended up buying a "Miami" model. It's full size and plays as easily as expected. I really wanted that blond '63 Capri, though. I just don't think the reissues were anywhere as good as the original, otherwise Lennon wouldn't have hung onto it for so long. The thick-body Capris I tried were unpleasant even if the other instruments from Rickenbacker proved to be stellar.

(For drop-dead Beatles fans, Lennon had the middle pickup deactivated.)

[bayswater]

None of them stayed in tune, which was very un-Rickenbacker-like.
(For drop-dead Beatles fans, Lennon had the middle pickup deactivated.)

That was my experience when I finished making it. I asked the question on various forums, and the answer was it needs 54-13 strings. That did the trick for me. I have to tune the low E a few cents low, but otherwise, it's tuneable and stays in tune. I had assumed it would use very light strings, but that never worked. Fortunately, L&M had a a sale on strings specifically for the 325 on sale last year.

Middle pickup on mine is in parallel with the neck pickup from the original wiring diagram. I think there are versions with a 5 way switch, but I was modelling the earlier versions. The bridge pickup by itself is good for a prominent rhythm part, and all three works for a fill rhythm. Versatile it isn't.

[mikehalloran]

And they need extra heavy strings to get in tune

Anyone who played less on a Jazzmaster with that floating bridge was insane. Being a double-bassist by then, heavy gauges on guitar didn't faze me. In the late '70s, I modified the bridge assembly to accept lighter strings but this was after I acquired my '58 which I left dead stock.

(For drop-dead Beatles fans, Lennon had the middle pickup deactivated.)

Wow, din't know that. I know there were two and that the first one had been refinished twice before it was stolen.

[Frodo]

(For drop-dead Beatles fans, Lennon had the middle pickup deactivated.)

Wow, din't know that. I know there were two and that the first one had been refinished twice before it was stolen.

The story of the Lennon 325 is interesting. There was the original blond model which Lennon cherished This was crudely painted black to appease Epstein's desire to formalize the group's look. Lennon added the Bigsby tremolo and got rid of the "oven" knobs, replacing them with silver barrel knobs.

[I'm having trouble adding photos, so please forgive me.]

The band did their first Sullivan appearance, then they went to Miami, at which point the 325 was sorely in need of repair. Rickenbacker came to the rescue with the Miami model including the white pick guard. It was a thinner body than his original Capri, and was allegedly easier to play and lighter to haul around.

Okay. So, there was also a Beatle Backer, which had a 6-string Fireglo finish, and at some point there was a 12-string version in black.

But as far as I can tell, Lennon played his Miami version from mid February '63 until some point when "Rubber Soul" or even "Revolver" came together. After that, he was most often seen with his Epiphone Casino that started out as a fire burst finish in concerts in '66 but was later stripped of its varnished to the blond version best known during "Get Back" and "Abbey Road".

I really wish I could figure out how to get the photos to successfully appear to back all of this up, but I'm just a fan going with trusting info.

In the interim, google "Lennon Rickenbacker" and there will be at least 4 different versions of the 325 that Lennon used, not including the painted version of his original blond Capri.

http://www.thecanteen.com/081.jpg

http://www.thecanteen.com/John325bigsby.jpg

Those two are the same guitar. Now--

https://i.pinimg.com/474x/ea/b4/c2/eab4 ... 6aa28c.jpg

http://www.thecanteen.com/lennon12a.jpg

[bayswater]

Here are the pictures. To get them showing here, highlight the text of the link, then click on the 'img' format instruction at the top of the edit window.

[Frodo]

Here are the pictures. To get them showing here, highlight the text of the link, then click on the 'img' format instruction at the top of the edit window.

Yeah, I tried that and the preview didn't deliver.

That said, my heart is warmed like a skillet of buttery biscuits. You know what I mean, and apparently the links worked. Look at those images!! OMG. It's the Lennontude at the center of the point. That dude just summed so many thing up for me from age 4 or 5.

And okay. Can someone speak to the 12-string version? Is there any reference to a track or performance using that instrument?

Hah. Lennonade.

[mikehalloran]

This mentions both 6 strings and the 12. Not sure how accurate it is.

https://youtu.be/Q9gwibgM3nw

[Frodo]

Thanks. Wonder how long it will take GC to get it to me?

The juju is on you!

Haha! It gets all of us. Congrats on the acquisition. You won't regret it.

[Frodo]

This mentions both 6 strings and the 12. Not sure how accurate it is.

https://youtu.be/Q9gwibgM3nw

I'll be back in 22 minutes.

I'm such a sucker for this stuff.

[bayswater]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rickenbacker-3 ... 4541291125

[Frodo]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rickenbacker-3 ... 4541291125

You guys are killing me. Halloran's link almost had me in tears.

Okay. Okay. I'm a glutton for punishment. I'm clicking through. Wish me luck.