Wow - Great to see a video showing off a Chickenbacker using 12 strings. The sound is at-least vaguely "Rickenback-ery", which is a testament to how far Chickenbackers have come. - I personally bought a Lennon, Rickenbacker 325c58 styled Chickenbacker, and I was pretty impressed with my own, considering the price.
Mate seriously, who amongst the working poor in ROW can afford let alone would want to pay the crazy money in overvalued USD Rickenbacker Corporation want for a 325? Jesus I can buy half a dozen Chinese made (which in 2023 is a badge of quality and quite a cut above American made BTW) Gretsch Electromatics. I'd like a Rick 325 because I am a Beatles afficionado, but it's Gretsch for me. No Rick unless I eventually go with a Harley Benton clone or Chinese made Fakenbacker.
It actually sounds pretty good to me. I have never played a 12 string before, was thinking about getting one of those. Tuners are a problem on all cheap Chinese guitars. I bought a used but new condition Kramer Focus 111S (Strat copy) and the tuners were junk. Way too loose, too much play in them, and I actually stripped one of them. I replaced the tuners, removed the whammy bar, locked the bridge in place, adjusted the saddles, adjusted the pickups, put new strings on it, and it played surprisingly well for a $130 guitar. The frets left something to be desired, but they weren't that far off.
Thanks for taking your time to make this reply to my video. I have to tell you that my guitar has 3 pickups and is not a 12-string, in case that was not obvious.
For me weight = sustain and resonance in basses. I dont mind the weight when I know I'm getting the tones I want. A few nites in the gym helps any back issues
You are correct about the tuners. One of mine broke before I even got it tuned. Then I noticed that none of the horizontal tuners had the lock washers on them and they were sloppy. I found some almost identical tuners at the local music store and replaced all 6. The others seemed fine. I put new strings on it and after a couple of days thinking I got screwed majorly it came into tune and plays well. Mine is a different model than yours as mine has three pickups and a more hollow body. But after all the hassle, I am pleased. The only other complaint I hsve is that it was strung as a conventional 12 string and not with the reversed octave strings like the real Rickenbacker.
got that model, the 3 pickup one, after a new set of inexpensive real toasters pickups, new circuit with the middle blend in and a new logo copy "princkenbacker" instead of rick.. it sounds amazing and plays good..love it
Nice fiddle! I picked up a Chickenback 325 Lennon model off of marketplace for $100 about 8 months ago. Everything about the guitar is great except the tuners.
I have the same one tuners work ok guitar sounds good and the fit and finish on mine is really decent frets are good and don't forget a real one cost 10 times more
@colinmoore5991 Howdy, how has your 12 string neck joint held up? Anouther channel player mention they couldn't use their 12 sting anymore, too much tension
I have a Turser ‘Hawk’ 12 string that looks sorta like a 2-pickup Rick 325. Tuners aside it’s a great guitar. Neck is good, frets are good, toaster pickups sound like the real thing. It was something like $250 new when I got it
I've had good luck re the 7 Chibsons, Chenders and a Chofner I've ordered over a decade. The tuners are generally usable but not great; you kind of have to babysit the tuners every 20 minutes. Humbuckers are ALWAYS microphonic; no one in the eastern hemisphere knows to pot or treat humbuckers as a routine part of manufacturing a guitar. They nearly always need a setup. So, you buy a "Les Paul" for $325, then spend another $100 to render it playable; at the end of the day I pronounce that a good deal.
Some more cons: intonation is terrible to fix. And like all “Ricks” the neck is narrow 41 mm at the nut basically a six string neck with 12 strings jammed in. And they are not strung like a “Rick” “Ricks” are strung with the large string first which gives them their distinct sound
You should find a friend with the Harley Benton Ric copy 12 string and do a comparison video! The HB is more affordable and has a real company behind it with a strong warranty!
How good are those guitars actually ? I'm thinking about getting one to work on and mod out. That way I can leave my real Rickenbacker at home when I play out.
There is a pretty wide range of quality (just like with other budget guitars). Some have baseball bat necks, others quite thin. They all will need set up (as is to be expected). Also, the pictured instrument in the ad might be different from what you receive (like receiving fire burst instead of tobacco burst). Many have build quality on par with epiphone or gretsch instruments made in Asia (which also vary a bit). Like all things guitar, when you get a good one, don't let it go
The "counterfeiting" or "copyright 'stealing'" doesnt bother nor offend me at all. The big names did this to themselves via their price-gouging. This is the only way a Texas hillbilly like me would ever possess a "Les Paul" or a Paul McFartney Signature Model "Hofner" bass.
Stealing company names and logos is dead, effin wrong. Period,. Not surprised an inbred, dumbf*k hillbilly wouldn't understand that. Also, these Chinese guitars are NOT the same quality as the real ones. A good value? Yes. But not nearly the same thing.
Please dont waste your money on these. Mail order comes with risks. Why go thru the hassle of not knowing what exactly will arrive at your door ? After you get it you will be wanting 'more' i.e a real Rick. Why go thru the process of constant mods in order to bring the guitar up to a dependable playable level ? In the end you will have spent close to what a used Rick would be. Sooo save up and keep looking for a used Rick if your budget doesnt allow for new.
![JOHN LENNON'S RICKENBACKER 325 GUITARS: A Brief History [Part 1 of 3]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SbuVbe2pirI/mqdefault.jpg)
For a knock off that sounds pretty good
Wow - Great to see a video showing off a Chickenbacker using 12 strings. The sound is at-least vaguely "Rickenback-ery", which is a testament to how far Chickenbackers have come. - I personally bought a Lennon, Rickenbacker 325c58 styled Chickenbacker, and I was pretty impressed with my own, considering the price.
Mate seriously, who amongst the working poor in ROW can afford let alone would want to pay the crazy money in overvalued USD Rickenbacker Corporation want for a 325? Jesus I can buy half a dozen Chinese made (which in 2023 is a badge of quality and quite a cut above American made BTW) Gretsch Electromatics. I'd like a Rick 325 because I am a Beatles afficionado, but it's Gretsch for me. No Rick unless I eventually go with a Harley Benton clone or Chinese made Fakenbacker.
I've owned both. The Chickenbacker is a really nice $300-ish guitar, but it ain't no authentic Ric by any means.
Bullshit. I've owned both. Chickenbacker? Well worth the money, but it's no Ric. Period. @@theblytonian3906
It actually sounds pretty good to me. I have never played a 12 string before, was thinking about getting one of those. Tuners are a problem on all cheap Chinese guitars. I bought a used but new condition Kramer Focus 111S (Strat copy) and the tuners were junk. Way too loose, too much play in them, and I actually stripped one of them. I replaced the tuners, removed the whammy bar, locked the bridge in place, adjusted the saddles, adjusted the pickups, put new strings on it, and it played surprisingly well for a $130 guitar. The frets left something to be desired, but they weren't that far off.
Funny how we all go for Byrds songs as soon as we play a 12 strings. Roger Mcguinn really had it.
Thanks for taking your time to make this reply to my video. I have to tell you that my guitar has 3 pickups and is not a 12-string, in case that was not obvious.
Reviewer: Complains about guitar weight.
Me: Looks over at my basses and sighs.
For me weight = sustain and resonance in basses. I dont mind the weight when I know I'm getting the tones I want. A few nites in the gym helps any back issues
I'll bet this weighs more than your basses. The body is significantly larger than most solidbody bass guitars.
Looks good from a distance, sounds good. I say why not 🤷🏼♂️ good honest review. Thanks.
You are correct about the tuners. One of mine broke before I even got it tuned. Then I noticed that none of the horizontal tuners had the lock washers on them and they were sloppy. I found some almost identical tuners at the local music store and replaced all 6. The others seemed fine. I put new strings on it and after a couple of days thinking I got screwed majorly it came into tune and plays well. Mine is a different model than yours as mine has three pickups and a more hollow body. But after all the hassle, I am pleased. The only other complaint I hsve is that it was strung as a conventional 12 string and not with the reversed octave strings like the real Rickenbacker.
You have great taste in music, btw. And good demo, good insights.
You and the guitar sound awesome 🍻
As soon as you said "now the Cons...", I said "it weighs a freakin' TON!". I had one and got rid of it fairly quickly for that very reason.
got that model, the 3 pickup one, after a new set of inexpensive real toasters pickups, new circuit with the middle blend in and a new logo copy "princkenbacker" instead of rick.. it sounds amazing and plays good..love it
Waiting for my "Ric" 360 12. I had a real 1984 12s 330 Ric so I'll compare.
Thanks, from extreme south Brasil.
God, you have a great voice!
Nice fiddle!
I picked up a Chickenback 325 Lennon model off of marketplace for $100 about 8 months ago.
Everything about the guitar is great except the tuners.
I have the same one tuners work ok guitar sounds good and the fit and finish on mine is really decent frets are good and don't forget a real one cost 10 times more
Hey. At least it has the toaster pickups. That guitar there sounds good to my ears!
They are mini-humbuckers, not single-coil (like the real Ricks). Not really the same sound at all.
my lefty rick bass is pretty heavy too
@colinmoore5991 Howdy, how has your 12 string neck joint held up? Anouther channel player mention they couldn't use their 12 sting anymore, too much tension
I have a Turser ‘Hawk’ 12 string that looks sorta like a 2-pickup Rick 325. Tuners aside it’s a great guitar. Neck is good, frets are good, toaster pickups sound like the real thing. It was something like $250 new when I got it
I've had good luck re the 7 Chibsons, Chenders and a Chofner I've ordered over a decade. The tuners are generally usable but not great; you kind of have to babysit the tuners every 20 minutes. Humbuckers are ALWAYS microphonic; no one in the eastern hemisphere knows to pot or treat humbuckers as a routine part of manufacturing a guitar. They nearly always need a setup. So, you buy a "Les Paul" for $325, then spend another $100 to render it playable; at the end of the day I pronounce that a good deal.
Some more cons: intonation is terrible to fix. And like all “Ricks” the neck is narrow 41 mm at the nut basically a six string neck with 12 strings jammed in. And they are not strung like a “Rick” “Ricks” are strung with the large string first which gives them their distinct sound
You should find a friend with the Harley Benton Ric copy 12 string and do a comparison video! The HB is more affordable and has a real company behind it with a strong warranty!
got me curious so I looked. several companies there who make them. do they all come with the Rickenbacker truss cover or blank?
Which seller did you buy this from?
Does it have the same thin neck that makes a Ric 360/12 so hard to play?
Is it even good to buy a guitar off Aliexpress because I found a lot of guitars I’ve dreamed of owning that I wanna buy off there
I have real 360/12 and that sounds pretty damn close
If you can't tell the difference, then you don't deserve a real one.
@@MikePierce-u2plol well I have one so kick rocks man
How good are those guitars actually ? I'm thinking about getting one to work on and mod out. That way I can leave my real Rickenbacker at home when I play out.
There is a pretty wide range of quality (just like with other budget guitars). Some have baseball bat necks, others quite thin. They all will need set up (as is to be expected). Also, the pictured instrument in the ad might be different from what you receive (like receiving fire burst instead of tobacco burst). Many have build quality on par with epiphone or gretsch instruments made in Asia (which also vary a bit). Like all things guitar, when you get a good one, don't let it go
wow, Egor Letow from USA remake him guitar collection)))
I wish they made a 6 string version of this in this color. All I ever see is a black 330.
They do,l just found one by accident while looking for a 12.😌
I like that guitar like to have it
300 to 400 buck right nw
That's the funniest name ever for a knockoff
The "counterfeiting" or "copyright 'stealing'" doesnt bother nor offend me at all. The big names did this to themselves via their price-gouging. This is the only way a Texas hillbilly like me would ever possess a "Les Paul" or a Paul McFartney Signature Model "Hofner" bass.
Stealing company names and logos is dead, effin wrong. Period,.
Not surprised an inbred, dumbf*k hillbilly wouldn't understand that.
Also, these Chinese guitars are NOT the same quality as the real ones. A good value? Yes. But not nearly the same thing.
Please dont waste your money on these. Mail order comes with risks. Why go thru the hassle of not knowing what exactly will arrive at your door ? After you get it you will be wanting 'more' i.e a real Rick. Why go thru the process of constant mods in order to bring the guitar up to a dependable playable level ? In the end you will have spent close to what a used Rick would be. Sooo save up and keep looking for a used Rick if your budget doesnt allow for new.
Some people enjoy a project :)
so that's what people from the 70'became.... sad.
I'll give you a quick review, its a piece of sh*t
I would be happy to have it!