Rickenbacker 660-670/12 Custom Shop in Jetglo

Been missing my old Rickenbacker 370/12 Roger McGuinn model ever since I was dumb enough to sell it years ago. The old guitarists joke is the two happiest days are the day you get a Rickenbacker 12-string… and the day you sell it, did not apply to me. I had seller regret almost immediately. The only issue however with the Rickenbacker 300 series hollow body 12-strings is they are damn difficult to play as well as to intonate. You also have double the strings to keep in tune. But that sound!

The Rickenbacker 660/12 is a smaller solid body guitar, has a wider nut being 44.45 mm (1 3/4 inch)and has a bridge with 12 adjustable saddles. Much easier to play than the 300 series. The Rickenbacker 660/12 also has Vintage Single Coil Toaster Top™ pickups. These are classic single coils that were heard on the Beatles, Byrds and Tom Petty records to name a few.

Rickenbacker released a Tom Petty Signature 660/12 model in 1991. Like my old Rickenbacker 370/12 Roger McGuinn it was limited edition, there were only 1000 were made. See video Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Classic Albums: Damn The Torpedoes, The Rickenbacker 12-string.

This is an absolutely new condition, unplayed Ric 660/12, that has been put through the Custom Shop at Trademark Classics to receive a 3rd Toaster pickup, and a full Pro-Setup for ease of fingering and playability beyond Ric factory specs. VERY easy to play….shaved nut, full truss adjust, and polished fingerboard and frets make this play smooth as glass past the octave. The 3rd Toaster has been wired to factory specs (same as the 325, 340 and 370 Models) for full tonal blending, and was properly and professionally installed by their 45+ year-experience luthier. This is similar to the pickup combination that my Rickenbacker 370/12 Roger McGuinn model had.

Many players including Roger McGuinn have complained that they had to adjust their playing style to play the classic Rickenbacker 12-string guitars. But this Rickenbacker 660/12 is dialed in and plays like a dream. This is much easier to play than my old Rickenbacker 370/12 Roger McGuinn that had a narrow neck and was not setup with the action as low. Guitar plays up and down the fretboard wonderfully, no buzzes or effort!

The “triple pickup” configuration is NOT produced by the Rickenbacker factory….it’s currently available only from Trademark Classics, and in very limited quantities per/year. This Rick a flawless gem finish, highly reflective and simply gorgeous. Factory papers and sealed items came included, as well as a laminated COA from Trademark Classics Custom Shop with serial ID. I feel lucky I was able to snag one as waiting lists for anything from Rickenbacker is long and if you want anything custom much longer.

How the Rickenbacker controls operate:
On Rickenbacker models which have three pickups, the neck pickup and the middle pickup are wired together, and the instrument is then controlled just as if it had only two pickups. When the three-way selector switch is down, the treble (bridge) pickup is on by itself.

When the selector switch is in the middle, all three pickups are on. When it is up, both the neck and the middle pickup are on. There is a separate volume and tone control for the neck and bridge pickups.

The “mystery” fifth control knob provides extra tone adjustment capabilities. Using this control to adjust the volume of the neck pickup in relation to a pre-selected treble pickup lead volume setting, you can set it at the tone you will use more often. Or it can function as a bass/treble equalization control.

To use the fifth knob as a bass (neck) pickup volume equalizer, first place both volume and both tone controls on the instrument at their maximum clockwise positions. Then, move the pickup selector to the treble position and set the amplifier to the desired lead sound. Now, switch the pickup selector to the bass pick up. The fifth tone knob can now be adjusted in order to bring the rhythm sound to a volume compatible with the already selected lead sound volume.

To use the fifth knob in a set position, first place both volume controls and both tone controls on the instrument at their maximum clock-wise positions, and move the pickup selector to the center position. Now adjust the amplifier, by setting the gain controls at the desired volume and the bass and the treble controls at their maximum positions. Finally, adjust the fine tone selection knob on the instrument until the tone which will be used most frequently is reached, and leave it in that position. After the small knob has been set, the pickup selector may be moved down for maximum treble or up for maximum bass. The variable volume and tone controls on either the amplifier or the instrument can now be moved to the desired volume and tone settings.

To use the fifth knob as an equalization control, first place both volume controls and the treble tone control on the instrument at their maximum clockwise positions, and move the pickup selector to the center position. Move the bass tone control on the instrument to its maximum counter-clockwise positions, and set the volume and tone controls on the amplifier to their desired positions. Now, with the instrument’s treble up full and the bass at its minimum, the fine tone selection knob can be used as a tone equalizer, moving the instrument through the entire tonal range without adjusting the amplifier.

The Model 660/12 feature a charactered Maple cutaway body based on an innovative Rickenbacker design from the 1950’s. A Rosewood fingerboard is punctuated beautifully with triangular pearloid inlay markers, while the maple double bound neck and body are solid through and through. Rickenbacker’s trademark “checkered” black and white binding set off the body, while white binding graces the neck. The 660 is electronically engineered to the exacting standards of the vintage reissue series, complete with Rickenbacker’s own Vintage Single Coil Toaster Top™ pickups. On this Rick there are THREE!

Using a bright sound and adding a compressor is pretty essential to recreate the tone of the early Byrds and Beatles records that featured the Rick electric 12-string. Roger McGuinn and George Harrison are the godfathers of the modern electric 12-string. Tom Petty and Mike Campbell refined this sound. First time Roger McGuinn heard a Heartbreaker’s song on the radio, he thought he was hearing himself, but could not remember recording the tune.

Adolph Rickenbacker (a cousin of the WWI flying ace Eddie) got the Electro String company going in 1931, teaming with steel guitar pioneer George Beauchamp; their sole goal was to perfect and produce electric guitars. During the ’30s they specialized in lap steel guitars, called Rickenbackers, to capitalize on the famous family name, and their best early model was a Hawaiian style Lap Steel guitar know as the Frying Pan. One of the FIRST electric guitars.

Rickenbacker arch top Spanish electric guitars were among the earliest available in the ’30s and ’40s, and they produced the first solid-body electric guitar in 1935. The 325 model played by John Lennon, was a solid body with slick lines that came with an optional vibrato tailpiece at the bridge. The 330 and 360 “Capri” models were semi-hollow bodied, with a sound chamber in the upper part of the guitar body and a “trapeze” tailpieces with an iconic chrome “R”. Features that set them apart from other makes included two truss rods in the guitar neck to prevent it from warping or twisting (most other guitars have one), and soon to be classic “Toaster Top” single-coil pickups.

The Rickenbacker 360-12 was a revolutionary design, with a headstock that featured tuning pegs for all 12 strings in an ingenious set up with six in standard position and the other six facing the back of the neck, so that a guitarist could tune it much more easily.

Root string on top:
Part of the Rickenbacker 12 string sound is that the higher octave strings follow the lower octave ones. This is the opposite of most all other 12 string guitars. This adds a subtle sound difference and what makes it a Rick sound. So many classic songs would not have been possible without the Rickenbacker 12 string.

February 8th, 1964 was an important day for Rickenbacker guitars and popular music. That’s when Francis C. Hall, the owner and president of Rickenbacker, connected with the Beatles in New York City. In his suite at the Savoy Hilton, Hall unveiled for the Fab Four Rickenbacker’s latest offering: the electric 12-string guitar, the shimmering sound of which would help define an era.

John Lennon was the first of the Fab Four to audition the 12-string, but he thought it might be a better instrument for George Harrison, who had stayed behind in his hotel due to illness. Indeed Harrison gravitated to the guitar and became an early adapter. Harrison’s first 360/12, with its gorgeous Fireglo finish, was the second one ever made. An interesting feature of this—and all Rickenbacker 12-strings—is that the “lower-pitched string is the first one in each course, the opposite of the traditional 12-string.”

George Harrison exploited his new Rickenbacker 360/12 chiming sound to excellent and historic effect with the Beatles. He first used it on I Call Your Name in 1964.

Roger McGuinn first heard George Harrison and wanted his own Rick 12 string. He immediately got one, but wasn’t quite satisfied by his Rickenbacker, so he sent it to the factory to add a third pickup as well as an onboard compressor—an essential effect for the electric 12-string for live playing. Remember was not any compressors in pedal form yet available.

Tom Petty is another guitarist that loved the Rickenbacker 12-string sound. Petty is pictured on the cover of his landmark 1979 album Damn the Torpedoes with a 625/12, that was actually owned by Mike Campbell. Later on Tom collaborated with Rickenbacker on his 660 signature model that offered a bit wider nut and a 12 saddle bridge that allowed for better intonation.

Suggested Listening:

  • Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
  • Listen to Her Heart by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
  • American Girl by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
  • Mr.Tambourine Man by the Byrds
  • I Should Have Known Better by the Beatles
  • A Hard Day’s Night by the Beatles
  • Ticket to Ride by the Beatles
  • Help! by the Beatles
  • If I Needed Someone by the Beatles
  • The Waiting by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
  • Kicks by Paul Revere and the Raiders
  • You Were On My Mind by We Five
  • Turn!Turn!Turn! by the Byrds
  • Eight Miles High by the Byrds
  • Silver by Echo & the Bunnymen
  • This Charming Man by The Smiths
  • Under the Milky Way by The Church
  • Can’t Explain by The Who
  • The Kids Are Alright by The Who
  • It’s My Life by The Animals
  • So. Central Rain by R.E.M.

  • Body Type: Solid
  • No. Frets: 21
  • Scale Length: 62.9 cm (24 3/4″)
  • Neck Width at Nut: 44.45 mm (1 3/4″)
  • Neck Width at 12th Fret: 53.52mm (2 .107″)
  • Crown Radius: 25.4 cm (10″)
  • Body Wood: Charactered Maple
  • Neck Wood: Maple
  • Fingerboard Wood: Rosewood
  • Weight: 3.6 kg (8.0 lbs)
  • Overall Length: 94.0 cm (37″)
  • Overall Width: 33.7 cm (13 1/4″)
  • Overall Depth: 31.8 mm (1 1/4″)
  • Neck Binding: Yes
  • Fret Marker Style: Triangle
  • Tailpiece: Trapeze
  • Bridge: 12 Saddle
  • Neck Type: Thru body
  • No. of Pickups: THREE
  • Type of Pickups: Vintage Single Coil Toaster Top™
  • Output Type: Mono
  • Machine Heads: Gotoh Vintage-type
  • Weighs 7-lbs 10-ozs

Added Rogan knobs like John Lennon had on his early Rickenbacker 325.