From R.E.M. to Metallica to the Eagles to the Beatles, Rickenbackers have been used by the best, most famous artists world-wide. The list of Rickenbacker players extends further to Rush, Bruce Springsteen, the Bangles, The Byrds, and Tom Petty and the heartbreakers.
They are known for their crisp, bell-like twang, and are the most played twelve string electric guitar in the world. What makes them so popular? Let’s find out
Hollow-bodied Goodness
Most electric guitars you see today have solid bodies. The Rickenbacker does not. It has cavities in the body of the guitar, which makes it a semi-hollow guitar.
The advantage of a semihollow guitar is that the vibrations of the strings will reverberate within the cavities. The air inside the hollow body will vibrates also, so the final tone that comes from the guitar itself is clear and makes each string ring like a bell.
That's not to say that the solid bodied Rickenbackers don't sound good. They still have a nice sound thanks to their pickups.
Unique Pickups
The advantage of an electric guitar is in the magnets that are placed in the body of the guitar to pick up the vibrations and play it by amplification. The magnets are called “pickups” because they pick up the vibrations.
Rickenbacker’s pickups are often called “Toasters”. It has 6 separate aluminum nickel copper magnets that are upright and coiled up. The size and the position and the winding of the coil around the magnets are all very different and is responsible for the classic “jangle” sound.
Turn up the volume, however, and you’ll hear some growl. That’s what makes these pickups special. Think Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - American Girl. Better yet, give it a listen:
Not only are they unique in sound, but they have a deliciously vintage design that has not changed for years. Pick one up today and play it, I promise you’ll find it hard to put down.
