Rice Custom Has Arrived

[zombywoof]

Well, about 9:30 this morning my Rice Custom T-style arrived. It then spent four hours at a local music store being played with other folks through quite a few amps (Rivera, Matchless, & Laney). Tomorrow it is going to run through some Fenders - a '55 Twin and '65 Deluxe.

Preliminary thoughts - YUP, I'M PRETTY DARN HAPPY !!!
The guitar is alot lighter than I thought it would be and perfectly balanced.
The color is based on what was in the neck pocket of my '58. It is lightly reliced.
Power to the point is provided by a Van Zandt True Vintage in the bridge, and a Truetone PAF (wound by our own Benny) in the neck with a 5-way switch. The single coil screams while the humbucker is perfect for open tuning blues. A bit of mid-range snarl when both are in play.

But it is the neck which just floored me - a quartersawn big fat C with a compound radius (7.25 to 9.5). Literally fills the hand but outrageously comfortable and easy as all get out to play. Rich also did a beautiful job of aging it to resemble my '58.

These photos suck - maybe Rich or Chris can post some better ones - but they will give ya an idea.





My thanks to Rich & Chris.

[furrfurrfurr]

Outstanding!!! Love the neck!!!

[beachkos]

WOW !!!! Magnificent ! Truly "classic" ! Glad to see it's exceeded your expectations ! Good luck with it, Thom! Regards, Gary

[getbent]

zw,
that is gorgeous... I just got a new piggy bank just for this kind of thing.... I'm gonna start filling it... I think I need a rice with a b bender...

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by beachkos

WOW !!!! Magnificent ! Truly "classic" ! Glad to see it's exceeded your expectations ! Good luck with it, Thom! Regards, Gary

Gary, I am sure you will posting a similar thread fairly soon. Me thinks you are going to be pretty pleased with what shows up at your door.

[harlycarly]

That one's a beauty. Have a ball with it.

[mojocasterman]

Another gorgeous Rice creation!

[TheViking]

Congrats man. Looks great

[geemo]

BEAUTIFUL, congratulations!

Nice work Rice!

[Sarge]

Sweet! I really like the neck, see thru color and the HB at the neck.

[collinsman]

Nice axe !

[Rich Rice]

Thanks for the nice words, guys. Zomby, I'm curious about your thoughts, now that you've had a chance to settle down and compare- I'll admit I was a little nervous because I know you have a real '58 Tele.. I don't know if I have any better pics of the finished guitar, I have a mess of shots from during the build, though.

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by Rich@wildriceband.com

Thanks for the nice words, guys. Zomby, I'm curious about your thoughts, now that you've had a chance to settle down and compare- I'll admit I was a little nervous because I know you have a real '58 Tele.. I don't know if I have any better pics of the finished guitar, I have a mess of shots from during the build, though.

My digital camera is pretty old so the quality of the pix reflects that.

The guitar you, Chris and I conjured up is a different beast than the '58.
The body of the Rice Custom is at once familiar but with a little twist here and there as it is a copy of the Broadcaster body style (going as far as to include the "shelf").

It is lighter than my original. That is probably the hardest thing to get used to. The neck is the best I have ever wrapped my hand around - period - and the "tinting" (to capture the amber color of the '58) eye catching.

It is hard to compare the pups, since the ones in the '58 are, of course, near 50 years old and I do not remember what they sounded like decades ago.

The VZ in the bridge of the Rice Custom does have much of the same tonal quality as the original - extended mid-range with absolutely no shrillness. Like the original it's got the quack factor (one of the guys who played it the other night spent quite awhile chicken picking) but it can just scream when pushed. The bass the VZ puts out is a bit deeper and warmer than the '58 bridge pickup.

I have nothing, of course, to compare the True Tone Humucker to. The goal was a pickup that would produce a slight mid-range snarl when combined with the bridge but be meaty and warm with no muddy sound when on its own or tapped to handle open tuning rhythm work and finger picking. And that is just what is does - a result of the puickup choice and Chris' careful mating of pots and caps.

We kinda jokingly referred to this guitar here as the Deltacaster. I wanted it to be able to not only be used to play Chicago blues and vintage style Stones-like barrelhouse rock but also an amped up version of Son House and Mississippi Hill Country blues. This is does.

Again, my thanks to you and Chris

[Arlo]

Rich you are the neck king man! Any chance you will share you secrets? Just lovely work my friend!!

[chicknpickn2]

Killer Axe...I love the neck tint! Great guitar
1

[Wild Rice Chris]

Forgot to write down the weight before it got packed up, but if I remember correctly, it was 6 lbs 4 oz.
Do you have an accurate scale?

[Pete Galati]

Looks great. Something in one of the other threads reminded me that the ZombyRice Tele was pending, and I was wondering if it was done yet.

What's your opinion zombywoof? Can a new instrument be a suitable substitution for a worn in old one?

Pete

[daviddoubleu]

Very nice indeed! I like the black and white contrast and the quarter sawn neck, class.

[caveman]

My oh my but that is one georgeous guitar!

Dick

[Zekke]

Sweet! Looks sexy, and I've always wanted the idea of a Bucker in the neck and a single in the bridge. Have fun!

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by Pete Galati

Looks great. Something in one of the other threads reminded me that the ZombyRice Tele was pending, and I was wondering if it was done yet.

What's your opinion zombywoof? Can a new instrument be a suitable substitution for a worn in old one?

Pete

Ya know Pete, the Rice is a great axe. I have been out playing it everywhere I could for the last couple of days. Even got to play it through a '55 Twin and '65 Super Reverb.

To be honest, I think I was using the Rice as an excuse to part with the '58. Ya know - the I don't reall need three guitar kinda thing.

And I came close to trading the '58 Tele for the Twin, a 1960 Gibson J-200 and cash. Went as far as to place it in its original case (I usually tote it around in a new tweed case) and was ready to "dispose" of it. I did walk out the door but the Tele was not with me.

It is not an issue of the Rice not doing what I want it to do - I am just so darn attached to the '58. Every ding and scratch seems to have a memory tied to it. On the other hand, I have the Rice and the '86 G&L ASAT - both killer guitars.

So, in a nutshell - still got the Tele.

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by Wild Rice Chris

Forgot to write down the weight before it got packed up, but if I remember correctly, it was 6 lbs 4 oz.
Do you have an accurate scale?

Sure don't Chris but I gotta tell ya, if it were any lighter I would think I was playing a toy guitar. BTW, this guitar, particularly the Humbucker, really hit its stride when played through the '55 Twin.

[Wild Rice Chris]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

So, in a nutshell - still got the Tele.

I think that's the right move. Each instrument is different and there is no substitute for history. Do I have guitars that eat my '78 for breakfast? Yes. Do I still keep the thing and play it regularly? Yes.

However I will throw out this quote from the gear page:

Originally Posted by johneeeveee

I have owned a LOT of Tele's over the years, including 50's and 60's Fender vintage guitars, and this Rice instrument played and sounded at least as good as any of them and was pretty to boot.

I'd love to hear it through the Twin. Any way you can get the amp without losing your old tele?

[zombywoof]

[QUOTE=Wild Rice Chris]I think that's the right move. Each instrument is different and there is no substitute for history. Do I have guitars that eat my '78 for breakfast? Yes. Do I still keep the thing and play it regularly? Yes. [QUOTE]

I do not want ya to misunderstand me in anyway Chris. I am overjoyed with the Rice Custom and my reluctance to let go of the 1958 Tele at this point has nothing to do with the guitar you and Rich conjured up for me. It is more of an emotional thing with the Tele. I have had it darn near all my playing life. It is a trusted old friend who I know inside and out. There is just a part of me that keeps saying it is ridiculous to keep a guitar worth serious money around when I do not really need it.
What the Rice Custom will definitely do is allow me to put the '58 into semi-retirement and make any eventual parting of the ways alot easier.

You and Rich did one heck of a job in translating my mumbling about tone and feel into wood and wire.

In all honesty, the neck on the RC is a far more comfortable fit than that on the '58 and the RC is a far more versatile instrument. The guitar as a whole is more responsive than any I have owned. Ya can feel the strings vibrating through the whole guitar when you hold it up to your chest.

You were also right about that bridge pup being capable of doing some serious damage. That VZ moves from traditional Tele quack to a scream almost effortlessly. It has a fantastic extended mid-range as well as clear highs and lows. No thin or ice pick sound to be found.
The Humbucker does exactly what I was hoping - it is perfect for open tuning rhythm work but can also handle a more distort drenched version of Mississippi Hill Country Blues, especially when combined with the VZ.

Thing is, the Rice Custom has been passed around quite a bit over the last several days and played in a number of styles (hey, its the "new kid" in town and everyone wanted a shot). Alot of drooling over the feel and look of the neck and it was great to watch one guy do some chicken picking while the next laid down overdriven 80s style licks followed by another running some Chicago style blues.

[Wild Rice Chris]

No, no misunderstanding. I was agreeing with you, spend enough time with a guitar and you just want to hang onto it. My '78 tele will never leave, nor will my '57 Gibson L-48. :)

[Big Tony]

Originally Posted by furrfurrfurr

Outstanding!!! Love the neck!!!

What furr³ said!

Simply a fabulous looking Telecaster.

[tele-martini]

She's a thing of beauty. I'll bet the neck pup (humbucker)sounds awesome. Congrats and have fun,
martini

[BrassRat]

Can you share what the settings are on the 5 way switch? Got some coil splitting or phase options going on there?

[freshmattyp]

That neck looks like solid honey. Stunning.

[Wild Rice Chris]

The switch is a 5-way superswitch.
1. Bridge pickup
2. Bridge and split neck
3. Bridge and full neck
4. Full neck
5. Split neck

The neck humbucker is split with a bass boost, basically giving full humbucker strength on the low frequencies and single coil on the high frequencies. Helps with balancing the pickups.

The switch also selects tone capacitors and pot values. .044 and 250K for the single coil settings, .022 and 500K for the humbucker settings.

I had a picture of the guts, but seem to have lost it. Hmmm.....

[fenderix]

... wonderful guitar! That neck seems to be in a class of its own - never seen anything quite like it! Congratulations!

[Wild Rice Chris]

[fenderix]

Delicious!!!

[BrassRat]

Originally Posted by Wild Rice Chris

The switch also selects tone capacitors and pot values. .044 and 250K for the single coil settings, .022 and 500K for the humbucker settings.

Wow, so each knob spins the wipers on two stacked pots and the seletor changes changes the signal path based on whether or not the humbucker is engaged?

[Wild Rice Chris]

Not quite. The superswitch is 4 switches on one blade, a 4-pole 5-way design.

Adding a 500K resistor in parallel with a 500K pot changes the value of that pot to 250K. The first switch puts the resistor into the circuit for positions 1,2,and 5. Two .022 capacitors in parallel make the value .044, so the second switch puts the second tone cap into the circuit at pos. 1,2,5. The third switch selects when the bridge pickup is on and the fourth selects the neck pickup and splits it through a .1 capacitor.

Just don't ask how all that fits under a plate. It is very tight.

HTH, Chris Rice

[BrassRat]

Very clever. Nice work.

[mojocasterman]

wow, that sounds like a killer design... GAS attack