The Rickenbacker 4001 Bass Guitar

By Mark Flys

Rickenbacker's iconic 4001 bass guitar was launched in 1961. It was an updated version of the 4000 bass, and had two pickups.

It is famous for its well-known offset body and headstock shape which somewhat resembles a cresting wave when turned sideways. It is probably one of the world's best known and most famous basses.

The 4001's construction is unusual for a bass, because it utilises through-neck construction, whereby the neck travels all the way through the body and has the sides that make up the shape glued to the sides of the neck. Rickenbacker basses have a distinctive tone. The sustain at the bottom end is particularly striking, and by routing the two outputs from the stereo "rick-o-sound" output, the lower, brighter pick up through a guitar rig and the bassier upper pick up through a bass setup, the classic Rickenbacker bass sound is produced.

The 3000 series made from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s were cheaper instruments with bolt-on 21 fret necks. Like some other 1950s-60s basses, the 4001 was originally supplied with pickup covers, although only at the bridge pickup on the 4001. The Rickenbacker units were split at the top before the 1970s, when they were changed to a design similar to that of the Fender Precision Bass covers.

Paul McCartney received the very first 4001S (his was left-handed, and later modified to include a zero fret). He played this bass extensively through his years with Wings. Famous users of Rickenbacker basses include Chris Squire (Yes), Bruce Foxton (The Jam), Geddy Lee (Rush) and Lemmy (Motorhead)

Mark Flys is webmaster for the online guitar guide and guitar collecting.co.uk.

The online resource for all guitar and bass information, online lessons, tabs and cheap instruments. http://www.onlineguitarguide.co.uk

http://www.guitarcollecting.co.uk

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All You Wanted to Know About 12 String Guitar!

By Zach Eapen

The string pairs in the bass courses are usually tuned an OCTAVE apart and the Treble course strings (i.e. GgBbEe) are tuned in unison. However some guitar players prefer to tune the higher G in a very high octave to get that high and ringing tone. This guitar is essentially used for getting that Rich and Ringing Tone that is otherwise impossible with a regular 6 String guitar. The subtle differences in the octaves of the strings in bass courses creates a beautiful choral effect to it's sound. There are some guitarists who prefer to take out the strings from the bass courses to ease out the playing bass riffs much easily where as keeping the treble courses as it is for strumming chords.

Rickenbacker 360/12 is the most popular 12 String Electric Guitar popularized by George Harrison of 'The Beatles'. Because of the immense tension on the body of the 12 String Guitar, it usually bends over and breaks in a matter of 2-3 years, so many guitarists prefer to tune their guitars much lower than the usual open string tuning. But few other guitarists prefer to maintain the open string tuning to retain that rich, ringing and near orchestral sound.

The role of this Guitar is in Rhythm and Accompaniment in an orchestra and is used mostly in folk songs and other pop music. Because plucking and playing individual notes on a string becomes quite difficult on this guitar.This guitar is used mainly by some progressive rock and hard rock guitarists use 12 String Guitar in a double necked form to easily switch between a 12 and 6 String Guitar sounds.

Though 12 String Guitars are being used by some rockers for it's deep ringing tone and choral effect, most of them use a 6 string guitar as the primary guitar, because this Guitar can only be used for the role rhythm guitar and cannot be used to play different techniques like bending, tapping and playing bass riffs.

Popular Songs and Guitarists who popularized 12 String Guitar

12 String Guitars became popular in the early 1920s and 30s when Blind Willie McTell in started using it, and in the early '60s, guitarists like Mike Pender of The Searchers and Roger McGuinn of The Byrds, kept it on the spotlight for more than a decade, In the 80s this instrument was used by alternative rockers such as Robert Smith of The Cure, Slash of Guns N' Roses, Dave Gregory of XTC, Peter Buck of R.E.M., Marty Willson-Piper of The Church, and Johnny Marr of The Smiths. The most popular electric 12 string guitar since the 1960s has been the Rickenbacker 360/12, which was first popularized by George Harrison. In modern rock music 12 string guitars took the form of double necked guitars so that the musicians could switch between tones during live performances, for example, when playing Stairway to Heaven, Hotel California or Xanad

I am Zach Eapen and I have been playing guitar for over 10 years now and plays different genres and styles. Keeping the needs in mind of a budding guitarist struggling to find the best suited course online, I have created a website that has reviewed the best online guitar schools that you can review and choose.

My website address is http://www.onlineguitarschools.com

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Why Play a Rickenbacker Guitar

By Adrian Martin

These days there are a ton of electric guitars on the market - from the prestige instruments such as the Fender Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul through to their myriad of replicas. With so much similarity in instruments available it takes something a little special to get you noticed or to produce a sound that's different - that's why you should look at Rickenbacker guitars.

Rickenbacker's have a tradition that harks back to the 1930's and they have produced many famous and innovative models since. For example the Rickenbacker 325 Electric guitar, famous for it's association with John Lennon and the Rickenbacker 360 12 string guitar - associated with the 60's band "The Byrds". These guitars remain iconic to this day and their sound is instantly recognizable.

Visually they look kind of like a Stratocaster on speed - with their big flat bodies - often with a traditionally shaped "go faster" sound hole, Ricky "R" bridge and unique headstock. Strap one of these on and you'll stand out from the crowd. They really have that wow factor.

But what really makes the Rickenbacker so special?

The sound! Sonically, Rickenbacker guitars have a unique sound - partly due to their quality construction but mainly due to the unique Rickenbacker pickups. During the 1960's Rickenbacker used their now famous "toaster pickups" which looked like the top of a bread toaster - recently they've used more high-gain pickups - both have emphasised the higher frequencies and have contributed to a magical chiming sound. Another attribute is that Rickenbacker's are often equipped with a "stereo" output socket (known as "rick-o-sound") which allows the guitar to be connected to different effects chains and amps . Finally the most subtle option available on Rickenbacker guitars is the blender control When either pickup is : slected, you can use it to blend the other pick-up in. So if you think the neck pickup is too dull - then mix in some honk from the bridge pickup this is really tremendous and adds some great tones to your instrument.

All these attributes make for an extremely versatile instrument and while you don't often find Rickenbacker guitars in heavy rock - they cover everything in between. Rickenbacker's evoke lovely tones suitable for Pop or alternative rock music right through to Jazz and country and there have been tons of guitarists who use these instruments from U2's the Edge and Peter Buck of REM through to Thom Yorke of Radiohead. Given such a heritage - you'll find the sounds it produces really useful whether you're a rhythm player or virtuoso soloist.

So in summary if you want a unique look together with a unique sound the next time your down a guitar store - be sure to try out a Rickenbacker guitar.

Adrian Martin runs ShanzuGuitars.com. The site offers the latest guitar news, gear resources and reviews, tools and tips for budding guitarists everywhere.

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Why Play a Rickenbacker Guitar

Why Play a Rickenbacker Guitar
By Adrian Martin

These days there are a ton of electric guitars on the market – from the prestige instruments such as the Fender Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul through to their myriad of replicas. With so much similarity in instruments available it takes something a little special to get you noticed or to produce a sound that’s different – that’s why you should look at Rickenbacker guitars.

Rickenbacker’s have a tradition that harks back to the 1930’s and they have produced many famous and innovative models since. For example the Rickenbacker 325 Electric guitar, famous for it’s association with John Lennon and the Rickenbacker 360 12 string guitar – associated with the 60’s band “The Byrds”. These guitars remain iconic to this day and their sound is instantly recognizable.

Visually they look kind of like a Stratocaster on speed – with their big flat bodies – often with a traditionally shaped “go faster” sound hole, Ricky “R” bridge and unique headstock. Strap one of these on and you’ll stand out from the crowd. They really have that wow factor.

But what really makes the Rickenbacker so special?

The sound! Sonically, Rickenbacker guitars have a unique sound – partly due to their quality construction but mainly due to the unique Rickenbacker pickups. During the 1960’s Rickenbacker used their now famous “toaster pickups” which looked like the top of a bread toaster – recently they’ve used more high-gain pickups – both have emphasised the higher frequencies and have contributed to a magical chiming sound. Another attribute is that Rickenbacker’s are often equipped with a "stereo" output socket (known as “rick-o-sound”) which allows the guitar to be connected to different effects chains and amps . Finally the most subtle option available on Rickenbacker guitars is the blender control When either pickup is : slected, you can use it to blend the other pick-up in. So if you think the neck pickup is too dull – then mix in some honk from the bridge pickup this is really tremendous and adds some great tones to your instrument.

All these attributes make for an extremely versatile instrument and while you don’t often find Rickenbacker guitars in heavy rock – they cover everything in between. Rickenbacker’s evoke lovely tones suitable for Pop or alternative rock music right through to Jazz and country and there have been tons of guitarists who use these instruments from U2’s the Edge and Peter Buck of REM through to Thom Yorke of Radiohead. Given such a heritage – you’ll find the sounds it produces really useful whether you’re a rhythm player or virtuoso soloist.

So in summary if you want a unique look together with a unique sound the next time your down a guitar store – be sure to try out a Rickenbacker guitar.

Adrian Martin runs ShanzuGuitars.com. The site offers the latest guitar news, gear resources and reviews, tools and tips for budding guitarists everywhere.

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Guitars - Rickenbacker

Guitars - Rickenbacker
By Michael Russell

Alongside guitar names like Gibson and Fender, you can't mention the best of the best without adding the name of Rickenbacker. This company has been around since 1931, but it wasn't until 1956, on its 25th anniversary, when Rickenbacker began to make a name for itself in the world of guitars.

That year, Rickenbacker introduced the Combo 400. Guitar collectors call it the guitar with the butterfly style body. But Rickenbacker didn't stop there. That same year they added a solid body electric bass guitar. The one thing about these guitars that made them different from any other guitar was that they had necks that extended from the head to the bass of the body. Today they call this neck through body construction. Rickenbacker was the first company to make guitars like this and soon came to be a trademark of the company.

During the 1950s, Rickenbacker had many popular models. Probably the most popular were the hollow body six string Capri models. This guitar was first unleashed on the world in 1958. The guitar itself was designed by Roger Rossmeisl. There were three models of this guitar and each one had a different body style.

But it wasn't until the 1960s that Rickenbacker has sealed its name in rock and roll history when its guitars got permanently fastened to the British invasion of the mid 60s. This invasion came in the form of the greatest rock band of all time, the Beatles. The groups featured several Rickenbacker guitars in its arsenal. Before the Beatles called it quits for good, John Lennon had owned four Rickenbacker guitars himself. The guitars had become so attached to the Beatles that one of the models was known as the "Beatlebacker". Never in history had one guitar been so identified with one particular group or person.

It wasn't long though until Rickenbacker made its way to a number of groups. Roger McGuinn of the Byrds bought himself a Rickenbacker after seeing the Beatles movie "A Hard Day's Night". The sound of the guitar that McGuinn bought actually became the trademark of the Byrds' sound. Other groups and artists that latched onto the Rickenbacker were Pete Townsend of The Who, John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival and John Kay of Steppenwolf. By the late 60s there was a six week waiting period just to get one of these guitars. They were beyond popular. They were a true phenomenon.

By the 1970s, Rickenbacker started making guitars with detachable necks. They even matched slanted frets to match the angle of the player's hand. They also started making their famous double neck models that became quite standard. Other groups started jumping on the Rickenbacker bandwagon like Tom Petty and R.E.M.

Currently, Rickenbacker is as popular as it ever was. More current groups like Oasis, Pearl Jam, Radiohead and U2 all use Rickenbacker guitars to get their patented sound.

If you want to get an idea of just how popular Rickenbacker is, George Harrison of The Beatles was once asked what guitar he played and he answered, "Of course it's a Rickenbacker".

Could there have been any other answer?

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Guitars

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