Rice Custom Guitars Owners' Club

I have owned lots of Fender Teles, lots of G&L ASATs, and plenty of teles by other custom makers. But my favorites of all are Rice Custom Guitars teles. I tend to rotate my gear pretty often so I can keep on getting new ones, but I always come back to the Rich and Chris (and now Matt with Rice pickups) Rice offerings. Rice guitars always make me feel like I bought something from a master craftsman in old world Austria or something like that. These guitars have serious TIME put into their creation. Rich and Chris Rice spend countless hours on the necks, the nuts, electronics, finishes, everything. But it is not just time of course. These guys are both accomplished tele players, and KNOW what a tele is and what they want it to sound like. If you want a vintage sounding tele, man oh man, look no further. My latest Rice is just an awesome guitar. It has finally satisifed my frequent longings for a strat, while playing a tele. This one is a one-piece ash body with Lolllar strat pups, and a gotoh bridge and saddles. It has the famous Rich Rice-shaped fat neck, which are the greatest necks for teles I have ever felt or played. It is such a tremendous instrument. Anyway, the Rices deserve a club here, so pitch in with your pix and comments!

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/johnnyqb/Rice/rice1.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/johnnyqb/Rice/rice3.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/johnnyqb/Rice/rice2.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/johnnyqb/Rice/rice6.jpg

Great guitars! Here's #42. I stupidly traded it away and miss it dearly. Maybe it will make its way back to me one day.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e308/XKnight/DSC01103.jpg

That guitar was #42 in tribute to Douglas Adams.
I wouldn't mind having her come back to me either! Still love that top.

I'm playing #107 a bunch lately:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v328/wildricechris/00%20inv/IMG_0442.jpg

#065 (my wife was heavily involved in this one, she brought the body to life from a deceased Fender):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v328/wildricechris/00%20inv/IMG_0435.jpg

#001 (yes, the very first guitar I built with my dad in '98):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v328/wildricechris/00%20inv/IMG_0472.jpg

#098 (technically, this is half mine and half my wife's, she designed and co-built it):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v328/wildricechris/00%20inv/IMG_0486.jpg

#013 (I've been playing this one for a long time):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v328/wildricechris/00%20inv/IMG_0529.jpg

and #063 (not quite finished, I still haven't put the backplates on):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v328/wildricechris/00%20inv/IMG_0651.jpg

I have another in the works; a 24 fret, trem-laden, MIDI-equipped Tulip in Lake Placid Blue.
Oh, for some time to actually complete my guitars in less than a year!

Here's #125. Esquire-ish, but with an SD Quarter Pounder under the pickguard, about midway to the neck.

Built in Apr '09 (I think), but I just got the guitar last month, purchased from another TDPRI member.

http://www.ricecustomguitars.com/instruments/images/125_1.JPG

http://www.ricecustomguitars.com/instruments/images/125_5.JPG

Not technically a Rice, but they did put a custom neck on my partcaster that is by far the best neck I've ever played. Maybe I could be the club mascot?

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/kalajen/Riceneck.jpg

Don't short-change yourself SF--I think the neck says more about the guitar than the rest of the parts put together.

Beautiful guitar you have there!

Bill

that pink Esquire is so sweet looking. I really want to hear that one.

I shot one video of it back in April:
http://ricecustomguitars.com/mid.html?rcg125
The middle pickup is located in the same place as #122:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/dabluzeguy/122%20todd/DSCN6320.jpg

Couldn't resist taking advantage of the October sale for a second Rice guitar, so I bought this one, #145, this week. I never thought of myself buying a somewhat "exotic" looking dark-colored tele like this, but it has everything going for it. It is semi-hollow mahogany, and this works so well, because the guitar is light (about 6.5 pounds) but doesn't feel like a feather. The mahogany gives it s substantial feel. The mahogany wood and neck seem to bring out the best in these Fralins Blues Specials. This is another guitar that is just blow away sweet to play and feel in person. I always have two guitars, and I have never had a pair that so completely met my needs and wants like these two Rices.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/johnnyqb/Rice/145_1.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/johnnyqb/Rice/145_3.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/johnnyqb/Rice/145_12.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/johnnyqb/Rice/145_5.jpg

JG--from the site, here ya go:

1pfbZi7pyjA&feature=player_embedded

Congrats on your new Rice--I was looking *really* hard at that same guitar but thought I should wait just a bit after this purchase....good on ya for moving on it!!

Bill

Johnny Guitar, I had the opportunity to fiddle with a number of the rice guitars and I have to say 145 is a fine example of rice craftsmanship and is part of the reason I bought #147

I am lucky enough to own #029:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/barthur99/ricetele.jpg

For anyone interested:
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaster-discussion-forum/59494-photos-rice-custom-guitars-giveaway-prize.html