lluis_paloma_sanchez

Mine is from the "second edition" (2005-9). It differs from the 1985-96 batch in that it has a six-saddle, part through-body and part top-loader, hard-tail bridge, a full-lenght neck with 21 frets, and an almost simmetrical peghead (1985-96 version was a short-neck, 22 frets instrument with a Fender Electric XII-type bridge with 12 saddles, and an assimmetrical peghead). It is Crafted in Japan. It has a really good unplugged sound and a good action. The six-saddle bridge means slight intonation problems, not critical. The electronics are similar to those on 1950's Strats (i.e. no tone control for the bridge pickup), with a five-way selector switch as on most modern Strats. The pickups, being good, could be better, they are ceramic and slightly harsh (bridge) or boomy (neck, middle). The most interesting part is, this is a Fender Stratocaster with 12 strings, and people who look at it feel baffled at first. In fact, a strange thing happens for me the perpetual collector: there is not much info available, only an entry at the Wikipedia and some reviews at the usual webpages, and some of the data is innacurate. In fact, the most reliable source I've found on the matter was a shop owner that told me they were made at the Tokai Factory (not Fujigen Gakki, strangely) and that 2000 or fewer were made. I've tried to verify that info, but Fender Ibérica has not been of much use to me, other than saying that data on japanese instruments is extremely difficult to verify, at best. So this is a mistery instrument. At least it mantains its value in the second-hand market, which is good in a non-american Fender. And it sounds good enough.

The Rickenbacker 330/12 is a near-classic, the reason being that the 360-12 is much more seen in the hands of mighty stars than the 330/12. Now I will write about those subtleties that people tend to overlook in favour of telling you how much they love/hate their instrument or Ricks in general. Body: there have been 360-12s with 330-style body at times (George Harrison's prototype, anyone?), but usually they come with clearly different bodies. When a 360 "apes" a 330, it has deluxe features like body binding and triangular position-markers (and when not, the triangular position-markers remain and the binding is in the slash soundhole). So a 330 always has "dot" position-markers and no binding. Electronics: a 330 always has a mono-only output jack, and it is a crucial difference with 360s, which have always a second, stereo Rick-O-Sound, output jack together with the usual mono one. The rest is identical, at least in the normal production models: three-position pickup selector; two tone and two volume controls (even in 370/12 guitars with three pickups, the neck and middle ones sounding always inseparable), with a fifth small knob acting as a secondary neck volume control, wired to allow a precise balance among pickups in the middle position of the pickup selector; and High-Gain pickups (and I mean really high gain, almost a destroyer thing). High Gains are a late-1960s design. The Beatles and The Byrds used Ricks with "toaster" low-output pickups which sound slightly brighter, but Rickenbacker mounts them now only on the 660 model and on infrequent, costly reeditions of Beatle models or signature limited-edition beauties. Of course, Rickenbacker offers "toaster" pickups as an aftermarket replacement, although Rickenbacker is not the nicest company, it seems, when trying to purchase things like pickups or "R" tailpieces from them (because they fear people trying to improve cheaper Rick-like guitars with the key components of a genuine Rick, and they have lawyers protecting their property). The difference between "toasters" and High Gains is, when talking about 12-stringers, very hard to notice ("toasters" are for a Byrds-y sound, while High Gains define the R.E.M. sound; both are really good). Four final notes: a) 12-string 330 and 360 Ricks come with a six-saddle bridge, and there is a ten-saddle bridge available as an aftermarket replacement (mandatory, IMO: my 330/12 now has it); b) the neck is narrow for a 12-stringer, although there has been too much unnecessary drama about it on the internet, and I myself can play mine with my big sausages; c) be prepared to replace the "R" tailpiece when it breaks after 20 or 25 years of bearing 200 lb. of tension; and d) an advice: use Pyramid flatwound strings, Pyramid sells a set intended for 12-string Ricks and Tom Petty (among others) finds it key to a good Rick 12 sound.