Rickenbacker 360 12-String Electric Guitar  

From the first time I heard one I wanted one. At that age I was a working musician- We did all the Byrds songs with the '6 strings' I added to a Wilshire style single PU Epi- their answer to an Esquire (wish I had it today). Played thru Super Beatles no pedals- we had 4 Hammond Beatles, 1 solid back for bass.
I have had my Mapleglo for 25+ years now. The odd thing about it is, all hardware is BLACK... never seen another. I had been playing 12 string acoustics and acoustic electrics for years. Have an Aspen EPI-1275 with the original distance between the trapeze and the bridge. Still could never be a RIC.
But, here's a surprise; if you can't afford a RIC right now, you'll be amazed at the Dean 12 string for $200 or so. I just love playing that guitar and it will jingle, fabulous and unexpected. A MF close out, primo red/flame maple top and paint.I've had the Ric out of the case one day in 4 years, just to tune it, fool around with Turn, Turn Turn, look at it and return to the case. With the factory black hardware on the maple it's really near a one off.

Playing since I was 14, now 63 retired since 50. Just finally stopped trading (never a seller) in 1975- Playing keeps you young and sharp and interested! All Good Fortune-

Workmanship and sound uniqueness, playability

On-of-a-Kind--- It's either a Rikki or it's a12-string something....else

This amazing insturment in enshrined in recording and performing history. It is a Rock and Roll Star all by itself. The guiter was always the star, the players were lucky to have it available.

I was impressed with this instrument but felt it was out of my price range. However, my wife  decided that this would be the perfect gift. She was right! Even just out of the package, I had to admore the beauty of craftsmanship. This action was a bit high and I took the advice of many others who reviewed this guitar and had it professionally set up by a lautest thst I have used before. Now it plays beautifully.

In my consideration of a 12 string guitar I admittedly considered looking at a number of other brands that were less expensive. . I feel that this is the wrong way to go about purchasing something, I wanted a guitar that would both appreciate in value and provide me with the pleasure of a great playing experience now. The Rickenbacher 360-12 is that type of instrument. Even the staff at the shop were I had the guitar set up had a "wow" moment just looking at it. Ican't say that for very many other guitars. This is an instrument for those who are serious about music.

The RICKENBACKER 360/12 is one great guitar. The fit and finish of my particular model was and still is perfect. It is one very meticulously made instrument. As one or two reviewers have mentioned, there is a paint odor that can be noticed on some of the instruments. It doesn't really bother me, but you find it offensive, you can always air the case for a few hours and the odor will evaporate. Of greater concern, however, is the difference between the 'vintage' pickups which are narrow band high gain pickups and NOT the pickups Jim McGuin of the Byrds got in the mid-60's with his sweet sounding, chiming Ricks.   You can check with John Hall of Rickenbacker  and he can verify that the Byrds Ricks had toaster low gain pickups, with a broader, sweeter frequency range, so you May not be able to get that perfect tone you think you might get. You will probably need to get and use a good compressor to get your jangly notes to sustain the way Harrison and the Byrds were able to. There are a couple of good Rick parts suppliers that can sell the original 60's toaster pickups and the .0047 MF capacitor recommended to get the bright tone of the Byrds. I will try to modify my analysis after I get my toaster p/up as I am still waiting at this point.   Rickenbacker says the standard pickup (high gain) is more versatile, but I am looking more for the Byrds sweet 12 string chime, as opposed to a general one size fits all tone. We shall see. At any rate this is one very high quality well built, beautiful instrument and I am mighty proud to have it. Of course the Fender bandmaster amps with the wonderful Alnico JBL D-120 speakers are no longer widely available, so getting the exact Byrds tone may not be exactly possible. As far as the instrument itself, I cannot imagine any 12 string electric available to be a better investment than the Rick 360-12.