Roger McGuinn

In the hands of Roger McGuinn, this Rickenbacker electric twelve-string guitar provided the signature sound for the Byrds and, moreover, marked the merging of folk and rock music in the mid 1960s.

Inspired by George Harrison’s use of a Rickenbacker twelve-string (the company’s very first twelve-string) in the Beatles’ film A Hard Day’s Night, McGuinn bought one for himself in early 1965. It was originally a model 360-12, with two pickups, but in 1966 he sent it back to the factory to have an extra pickup installed, making it a model 370-12. At the same time, the factory added a compressor, controlled by the mini-switch in the pickguard. To avoid the extra-long headstock that most twelve-strings require, Rickenbacker staggered the tuner mountings on the back and the side of the headstock. Rickenbacker also reversed the typical configuration of the octave string pairs so that the player’s downstroke hit the low string first. The result was a unique sound that made McGuinn’s opening figure on “Mr. Tambourine Man” instantly recognizable.

This guitar was stolen in 1966 at a Byrds concert at Fordham University in New York and didn’t resurface again until the statute of limitations expired. McGuinn immediately ordered another 370-12 in Mapleglo (Rickenbacker’s name for natural finish) and continued to set the standard for twelve-string guitar in rock music

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CF Martin and Co. created a limited edition 12 String guitar to honor Roger McGuinn and can be seen performing with this guitar on Midwest Beat with Tom Lounges.

In a shot of Roger, he can be seen doing some studio work with an apparently rare Rickenbacker double neck guitar, one with 6 strings, the other with 12 strings.

In the picture you can see Roger McGuinn playing a Martin D7 Roger McGuinn signature.

Let’s start by discussing your current stage equipment. What are you using right now?

All the guitars I use are signature models, such as the** Rickenbacker 370/12/RM**— similar to a triple pickup 370—a Martin D12-42/RM and Martin HD-7, the seven string model Martin designed with input from me. I also use a banjo that I got from Bernie Leadon, formerly of The Eagles, and in return I gave him a new Fender Mastertone banjo. It’s a combination of old Vega and Ode banjo parts. It’s one of the best banjos I’ve ever played. I took it to Pete Seeger’s house recently and he played it and gave it his stamp of approval.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DqDXm502ok

In early days of The Byrds, I used an Epiphone with two 10. speakers. We went direct in the studio. Later on, we used Fender Dual Showman amps for live work, which we liked a lot. John Sebastian turned me on to the Roland JC-120, and that was my amp of choice for years. Although it’s a great-sounding amp, I go direct onstage. I use an in-ear monitor and AM wireless. In fact, I start my show offstage, so you can hear me, but not see me. I plug into a Sennheiser wireless, into the Janglebox and then a direct box.

How did you recreate your compressed studio tone onstage back in the days when stompboxes were in their infancy?

I never did. Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane, who also played a Rickenbacker 12, turned me on to the** Vox Treble Booster** in 1966. I took the Rick apart and installed it in the guitar. It really was an outboard box that gave me some gain, but no compression. Later, we got a rack compressor that we used on gigs, but in the early days, I couldn’t get compression onstage until we got that rack. I tried all the compressors available, including the Dyna-Comp and the Boss, but didn’t like any of them. Not until Rickenbacker designed my signature guitar with the built-in compressor, did I find one that worked for me.

When Rickenbacker stopped producing your signature guitar, that compressor was discontinued along with the guitar. I’m surprised they never marketed a stompbox version of it.

It was the best sounding compressor I ever used until the Janglebox came along. I suppose it was because Rickenbacker is not in the effects business. I did the entire Back From Rio album with that Rick compressor. The Janglebox is now the bestsounding compressor on the market in my opinion—I use it all the time. It’s clean and quiet, and it sounds very close to the built-in one I have in the 370/12/RM. As far as that guitar goes, they produced a thousand and sold every one. John Hall won’t reissue it because he wants to keep the collectible mystique alive, I suppose, but I wish he would reissue it.

When Rickenbacker stopped producing your signature guitar, that compressor was discontinued along with the guitar. I’m surprised they never marketed a stompbox version of it.

It was the best sounding compressor I ever used until the Janglebox came along. I suppose it was because Rickenbacker is not in the effects business. I did the entire Back From Rio album with that Rick compressor. The Janglebox is now the bestsounding compressor on the market in my opinion—I use it all the time. It’s clean and quiet, and it sounds very close to the built-in one I have in the 370/12/RM. As far as that guitar goes, they produced a thousand and sold every one. John Hall won’t reissue it because he wants to keep the collectible mystique alive, I suppose, but I wish he would reissue it.

Roger used this rickenbacker guitar during some of his early solo tours.