Guitar and Bass Care & Maintenance Manual ongratulations on your purchase! You are now the owner of a distinctive instrument renowned for quality craftsmanship, tradition, and the legendary Rickenbacker name. Exclusive Head Design Unique and easy tuning head shape on all 12 C string models. In this comprehensive manual, you will find all of the information needed to Dual Truss Rod Neck Design Most fully enjoy and take care of your instrument. Rickenbacker necks are built with two truss rods for added strength and adjustability. Pickups All guitars equipped with pickups manufactured by Rickenbacker. Bridge Assembly Rickenbacker guitars come with a six way adjustable bridge, with individual string saddles for in- creased adjustability. Basses are equipped with the professional adjust- Nameplate Truss rod adjustment able bridge/tailpiece assembly. nuts located under the nameplate. Pickguard Many Rickenbacker guitars offer sturdy plastic pick guards. Many Easy Stringing "R" Tailpiece The models also have a two-level adjustable famous Rickenbacker "R" tailpiece, pickguard. is built with a no hole slot design for easy restringing. Balanced and Contoured Body . Superb design provides total playing comfort, detailed with exclusive high Exclusive Fifth Tone Control Some gloss finishes. models come with a fifth tone control for increased tone adjustment capabilities. Output Jacks Deluxe models come with the exclusive Rick-O-Sound jack for effects and multi-channel capabilities. Tone and Volume Controls Most guitars and basses are equipped with separate tone and volume controls for each pickup and have three position pickup selectors. Volume and Tone Controls When it is in the middle, all three the treble controls at their maxi- Reverse Controls way : pickups are on. When it is up, both mum positions. Finally, adjust the 1. Pickup Selector the bass and the middle pickup are fine tone selection knob on the Some replica models have volume 2. Magnetic Volume on. instrument until the tone which will or tone controls which operate in 3. Piezo Volume be used most frequently is reached, reverse fashion or are located a 4. Mix Knob Rickenbacker basses with two and leave it in that position. After different relative position. In keep- 5. Piezo Tone pickups have the same volume and the small knob has been set, the ing with 1950's specifications, the 6. Magnetic Tone tone controls as the six and twelve pickup selector may be moved Model 325C58, for example, fea- string guitars, as well as a three down for maximum treble or up for tures reverse-wired tone knobs so position pickup selector. maximum bass. The variable vol- the tone is brightest when the ume and tone controls on either the knobs are turned completely coun- Many Rickenbacker guitars and amplifier or the instrument can now terclockwise. Most Rickenbacker six and twelve basses come with a fifth control be moved to the desired volume string guitars come with separate knob providing extra tone adjust- and tone settings. PZ Piezo Option volume and tone controls knobs for ment capabilities. Using this control the bass and treble pickups. In to adjust the volume of the bass To use the fifth knob as an equali- Some Rickenbacker guitars are addition, each guitar has a three pickup in relation to a pre-selected zation control, first place both available with the special "PZ" position pickup selector which treble pickup lead volume setting, volume controls and the treble tone option, which is comprised of six allows instantaneous selection of you can set it at the tone you will control on the instrument at their saddle-mounted pickups and active the bass pickup, the treble pickup, use more often. Or it can function maximum clockwise positions, and circuitry to achieve a rich acoustic or a tonal blend using both pickups. as a bass/treble equalization con- move the pickup selector to the guitar timbre. These instruments When the pickup selector is com- trol. center position. Move the bass tone are also equipped with unique bined with the tone and volume control on the instrument to its output and control systems, which controls, three different sounds can To use the fifth knob as a bass maximum counter-clockwise posi- are designed to optimize the use of be present and chosen simply by pickup volume equalizer, first place tions, and set the volume and tone both the magnetic and piezo pick- String Height Adjustment switching the pickup selector. both volume and both tone controls controls on the amplifier to their ups. on the instrument at their maximum desired positions. Now, with the Most Rickenbacker guitars come When the volume and tone knobs clockwise positions. Then, move instrument's treble up full and the The dual outputs of the "PZ" equipped with a six way bridge. are turned all the way clockwise, the pickup selector to the treble bass at its minimum, the fine tone equipped instruments offer the Individual string saddles allow they are in the wide open "on" position and set the amplifier to the selection knob can be used as a versatility of either a mixed output extremely critical pitch and action position. When the pickup selector desired lead sound. Now, switch tone equalizer, moving the instru- for use with one amp, or a split adjustments. Four bridge height is down, the treble pickup (closest the pickup selector to the bass pick ment through the entire tonal range signal for use with multiple amplifi- adjustment screws are located at to the bridge) is in use. When the up. The fifth tone knob can now be without adjusting the amplifier. ers. When using only one amplifier, each corner of the bridge assem- selector is up, the bass pickup is in adjusted in order to bring the plug into the rear output with a bly. use. The middle selector position is rhythm sound to a volume compati- When using a Rickenbacker guitar standard mono cable. This will give a blend of both pickups. When ble with the already selected lead with the Rick-O-Sound effect, much a mix of both the piezo and mag- using only one pick up, only that sound volume. of the tonal variation produced by netic pickups. When two amplifiers pickup's tone and volume controls playing through R.O.S. can be are available, simply plug into both will have an effect. To use the fifth knob in a set posi- better controlled through two differ- outputs with 2 standard mono tion, first place both volume con- ent amplifiers or through two chan- cables. When used this way, the On Rickenbacker models which trols and both tone controls on the nels of one amplifier. However, rear output carries the signal from have three pickups, the bass instrument at their maximum clock- when using Rick-O-Sound, the fine the magnetic pickups, while the pickup and the middle pickup are wise positions, and move the tone selection knob now becomes front output provides the piezo wired together, and the instrument pickup selector to the center posi- a balance between the two amplifi- signal. is then controlled just as if it had tion. Now, adjust the amplifier, by ers or channels, and can be ad- only two pickups. When the selec- setting the gain controls at the justed to provide the desired blend The controls for the "PZ" models tor is down, the treble pickup is on. desired volume and the bass and of treble and bass. are configured in the following To raise the height of the strings tailpiece assembly, in which the Rickenbacker string sizes, you can Simply use the hex key to raise or retightened after positioning the from the surface of the neck, raise individual bridges are adjusted readjust the pitch by turning the lower the saddle and use a small the bridge by turning each of the separately for each string. Each saddle adjustment screws on the screwdriver to move the entire four adjusting screws clockwise bridge piece is adjusted by two hex back side of the bridge. saddle forward or back to correct using the adjusting key supplied screws, located on either side of for pitch as described above. with the instrument. Lower the the string it supports. When making any pitch adjust- playing action by turning the adjust- ments, first loosen the string, then ing screws counterclockwise. To adjust one of these bridges, first make an adjustment, and finally loosen the locking screw, if present, bring the string back up to pitch. If Some replica instruments with so that an adjustment can be another adjustment is necessary, vibrato assemblies feature bridges made. Then, using the metric repeat the process until the intona- that have individual rollers support- wrench supplied with the instru- tion is correct. This method protects handle to the desired location. ing each string. Just like the original ment, turn each of the two adjust- the strings from damage. instruments, it is possible for these ment screws clockwise to raise the KauffmanTM Vibrato to become loose, vibrate, and string, or counterclockwise to lower provide undesired string noise. the string. The height of the handle is a direct In keeping with 1950's specifica- Pliers may be used to squeeze the function of string tension and can tions, this is a sideways vibrato, saddle from either side to stop Some models may be equipped be adjusted by removing the cover unlike most vibrato units which roller rattle. It is not generally with saddles which have threaded on the back of the guitar to access operate in an up-and-down motion. necessary for the roller to spin rollers to allow for string centering. the vibrato springs. Tightening the It can be neutralized by either freely as the string will easily slide Lift the string and turn the roller to retaining screw will cause the removing the bar or gently turning across the brass surface during move it to either side as appropri- handle to rise away from the body the tip of the bar towards the pick- tuning or vibrato use.