The Steel Guitar Forum

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They both sound like you, which is awesome! The Rick seems more open to me, has more sound, and the Gibson a little closed, like it's behind something maybe. But they each have a personality and sound great.

What an interesting comparison. Thanks for doing that, Doug.
It seems to me that the Rick is a hair louder, but more than that - it sounds more assertive to my ear. It's like the Gibson is thinking about it, but the Rick MEANS it.
That said, I really like the laid back tone of your Gibson. A very nice texture for backup steel. Meanwhile, the Rick wants to stand up and take a solo.

To my ears, the Ric has more harmonics in the tone and the Gibson stronger fundamental. Both are great sounding guitars. There's a reason the Rickenbacker horseshoe pickup is renowned. There's something about the strings going through the center of the magnetic field that adds richness and harmonics. The Ric tone has been described as "growl" ... that slight grit in the mid-range ... and you can hear it here, I think.

Bottom line though, ?Doug, for a player of your calibre, it hardly matters. You could probably make a $99 Rogue sound good.

Remember the loudness button on stereo receivers of the 70s and 80s? The Ric sounds like the loudness button is pressed and that is a good thing.

Both sound fine. I could imagine in a recording situation being able to make both guitars sound nearly identical.

Just my opinion.

Fun!

I guess we all agree the Rick is a little louder and clearer. The Gibson is quieter, more mellow.

Side-by-side comparisons are very revealing. Just the guitar, no volume pedal, into an amp, same amp, same input (with an A-B box), same player, playing the same licks on both guitars. I once compared five Emmons push/pull PSGs using the same amp, no volume pedal, and they sounded quite different. One had lots of growl and warmth, and the rest of them sounded fairly good, and one was rather sterile sounding. I also compared a Rick fry pan to a Supro fry pan, same amp, and the Supro sounded hotter than the Rick. Go figure.

I agree that the Gibson, or most any other steel guitar, can be made to sound good in a recording studio. I've played that Gibson quite a bit, and a volume pedal and the right amp can really bring out the tone. For this demo I wanted to compare the guitars' output and inherent tone, without boosting the volume with a pedal.

Doug Beaumier wrote:The slightly tighter spacing on the Rick requires more of an angle on the bar to get the slant in tune. Or maybe the string spacing on the Model B guitar is closer than the Model B lap steel?

The string spacing on my Ric B-6 lap steel is a tad wider (at the nut) than on any of my Gibsons.

I like 'em all, but for about half the price of a Bakelite, you get a lotta bang for the buck with a postwar Gibson Century or Ultratone.

The string spacing on my Ric B-6 lap steel is a tad wider (at the nut) than on any of my Gibsons.

hmm... I'm thinking that my B-6 guitar may have tighter string spacing than the B-6 Lap Steels. I've never played a B-6 lap steel, but I'll look for some pictures on line and check out the string spacing. If they sound as good as my B-6 guitar... I want one!

...you get a lotta bang for the buck with a postwar Gibson Century or Ultratone

Yes, I've seen Century 6's sell for as low as $350. Sellers ask a lot, but they rarely get those high asking prices.

The Gibson is definitely a mellower instrument but still makes a good account of it,s self.

Unrelated to tone but what were Gibson (or whoever) thinking of with the fingerboard???
I have also just realized how flash Gordon the Ricki must have looked when it came out, not only did they nail the pickup but someone knew how to catch the eye of the player.

Regards

Lee

When I owned a Bakelite I found the string height of the molded nut to be too low. My bar was always contacting the fretboard on hammer-ons.

I don't think I've ever played or owned a steel guitar, pedals or not, that I didn't like the sound of, honestly. That being said, I think that pre-war B6's are the best sounding steel guitars ever made, "bar" none! There's something about the combination of velvety tone and extreme sustain that amazes me every time I pick one up.
They have a few quirks ( tuning instability, string height), but to me nothing sounds better.

Lee Holliday wrote:Unrelated to tone but what were Gibson (or whoever) thinking of with the fingerboard???

The postwar Gibson lap steels and amplifiers were designed by the industrial design firm Barnes & Reinecke of Chicago, Illinois, hence the "BR" prefix on the instruments.

The BR-3, BR-4, BR-6, and BR-9 are commonly known model numbers. The Ultratone was originally designated as the BR-1, and the Century was the BR-2.

The back-tinted silver plastic fretboard was styled to mimic the soundboard of a grand piano.

This information is found in the fine book entitled Gibson Electric Steel Guitars 1935-1967 by A.R. Duchossoir.

Nothing more to add on the tone comparison...the Rick is the clear winner, but the Gibson is also a fine sounding steel. The longer scale of the guitar (nut to bridge) may give you an extra advantage in tone as well. Would be interesting to A/B your guitar against a B6 lap steel.

Great playing as usual. Thanks for the demo!

Thanks all, These two instruments are the same scale length: 22 1/2" from nut to bridge, both of them. The Model B may be disadvantaged here because it has a "nut riser" on it. It's a standard guitar, not a lap steel. The nut riser could actually rob the instrument of some sustain and tone..?

Optical illusion! Thanks for the info.

Howdy, Rick
Nice camparison and I really like the Rick the best. I had my wife watch the video and she agrees with me. Jack

I am really suprised how the two guitars sounded so much alike. My 1st electric steel was a Gibson and, to me, it sounded "muddy". I guess I should contribute that more to the Gibson amp than to the guitar itself.
And I know what you're talking about with the issue of string spacing. After playing the Gibson for several years I obtained a T-8 Fender Stringmaster. The striang spacing on the Fender was so much tighter that, after a while, I couldn't hardly play the Gibson anymore.

The Gibson definitely has a really warm, P-90-ish midrange presence that I really like, but sounds 2D, while the Rick sounds 3D. I'm guessing they'd each sound great with some overdrive as well.
Of course the playing on the video is top notch, as always...you have a very clear, concise style that I've always enjoyed.

Gibson = Don Felder
Ric = Joe Walsh

Gibson sounds a lot smoother. Like a studio ready recording. I find the Ric quite bright not my liking but hey thats a personal preference.

Playing sounds solid. Keep it up.

It's interesting to read the different opinions about the guitars. Thanks for the replies.

Erv Niehaus wrote:
And I know what you're talking about with the issue of string spacing. After playing the Gibson for several years I obtained a T-8 Fender Stringmaster. The straing spacing on the Fender was so much tighter that, after a while, I couldn't hardly play the Gibson anymore.

Just the opposite with me. After years of playing a '29 squareneck tri-cone (which as you know has relatively narrow spacing and a much longer scale), I recently got serious about lap steels. Among my first purchases were a Supro Supreme, a student model rebranded Magnatone, and a Fender Champion. Then I got an old beat-up black Century 6. The wide spacing was nirvana to me. Made bar slants and string pulls a breeze. The Supro, Maggie, and Fender are long gone. Postwar Gibbie Ultratones and Centurys rule, as far as I'm conceived.

Doug Beaumier wrote:hmm... I'm thinking that my B-6 guitar may have tighter string spacing than the B-6 Lap Steels. I've never played a B-6 lap steel, but I'll look for some pictures on line and check out the string spacing. If they sound as good as my B-6 guitar... I want one!

To me, my Ric B-6 is the gold standard by which subsequent instruments can be judged as far as pure sound is concerned. (Never had an original frypan, unfortunately. They are the original and may still be the greatest.) The original Ric horseshoe pickup arguably may never have been improved upon, sound-wise.

The Bakelites do indeed have issues when it comes to tuning stability, especially under lights, outdoors, or in environments of temperature and/or humidity extremes. But oh my... that SOUND!

You should get a nice Ric B-6 lap steel, Doug. Can't imagine how you could possibly be disappointed. Under your hands, it would be magic.

Yes, wide string spacing makes for easier bar slants, even on lap steels with moderate to long scale lengths. The Sierra 8 is a good example of that. The scale length is 24 1/4" but slants are very comfortable because the string spacing is extra wide.
I might get a B-6 lap steel in the future. For now I'm enjoying this B-6 guitar, but who knows... I'm a gearhead, like many others here.