Review on new Rice Tele style guitar

[dreamer]

I have been looking for the right guitar for years and years now and stumbled upon this forum a few months back and thought that you all could help me find my next guitar. Reading through the posts several of you suggested a Rice Custom guitar. I went to their web site and looked at what they had to offer but thought I wanted another Fender (because I had this wierd need to have "Fender" on the headstock, sorry Rich). Or just build my own guitar, which would have been a mistake for me to undertake a project like that.

I have been playing guitar for 12 years, I have been in several bands, lived in Nashville and Memphis playing out and have owned dozens of guitars, most notably several Fender, G&L's and Gibson's; but have never found that one or two guitars that not only gave me the tone I was looking for but the feel that made me want to stop buying guitars.

So, after considering dropping another thousand on yet another Fender or a couple of thousand on another Gibson I read up on everyone's reviews here and at the Fender Forum on Rice guitars again.

I e-mailed Rich Rice a couple of weeks ago and told him I had heard wonderful things about his guitars and told him I was looking for a Blackguard style tele that was distressed / relic'd (for that broken in feel and because I have young kids that make their way over to the guitars when not in the case and I don't want to have a heart attack everytime they mess with it), a 9.5" radius neck and custom pups; thinking that I would have to wait the normal 2-3 months for a guitar.

He just so happened to be finishing up a guitar to my specs, shot me some pics (which I have included in this post) and explained to me what the guitar sounded and felt like. He told me he could ship it out after payment was recieved and would give me a 48 hour approval period.

The specs:

Solid 2 piece ash body

Aniline dye, hand finished with nito and distressed

Maple nech with no truss rod, 21 6105 frets. Super fat C carve.
1.06" thich 9.5" radius. 1 11/16" nut width.
Hand fitted/carved bone nut. Black dots.

Nickel Gotoh repro Kluson style vintage tuners, 15:1 ratio.

Pups: Fralin Stock Hybrid set, AINiCo V magnets.

CTS 250k pots
CRL 3-way switch
.05 tone capacitor
Switchcraft 1/4" output jack
Electrosocket jack cup
Cloth wire used throughout

Chromed steel bridgeplate, Glendale compensated brass saddles.

Distressed/aged hardware

Chrome knobs. Volume and Tone

TKL Prestige Hardshell Case

Let me say, I have not been able to put it down since I received it, my fingers hurt badly!! Rich told me this guitar could go from twangy to mellow and the lack of a truss rod in the neck really opens the guitar up - he was not lying.

I feel like I can do anything with the guitar with any style of music. The neck was very intimidating at first because it looks huge, but it just works and is very comforitable. I have never played a neck this big but it does not limit me in anyway.

The finish is not overly distressed nor is the neck. The frets are fantastic and the set up was flawless. I really can't put into words the fantastic tone this guitar gets and the tonal range. There are absolutly no dead spots in the neck when bending, which has been a problem for me with Fender guitars.

This is the type of guitar you cannot find/buy in a store. This is the kind of guitar that you have to forget about name brands and trust in these guys to give you the best possible quality instrument for your money.

I am proud to have "Rice" on the headstock. I am just bragging to everyone about the guitar, the quality, tone and especially Rich and Chris Rice. If you can afford an American Fender or a Gibson buy one of these guitars, you will not regret it!

I will be purchasing a semi-hollow within the next 12 months (when I have some more cash to blow) and will have Rice build me one.

Here are the pics:


http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...guy/cinnamonT/

Again, if you can spend $1,200 to $1,600 for a guitar seriously consider a Rice Custom, you will not be disappointed, they will give you the best possible quality and their customer service is unmatched.

Thanks Rich and Chris!

[marc sosnoff]

i love it beautiful guitar good luck im sure the honeymoon will go on for a long time

i like the fralin pup got in them in my tele parts geetar

[Pete Galati]

Nice

[Mark Davis]

I know that sounds great with the no truss rod neck and Fralins.

congrats

[P-Zilla]

Is the neck superhard and thick to have no trussrod? Would that cause problems later on down the road?

Either way its a sweet looking axe and I bet it plays like butter.

Thanks for the review.

[getbent]

Thanks for sharing! It sounds like a great deal all around!

[zombywoof]

Wow, sweet Rice Custom....

Congrats....

Those fat C sans truss rod neck, lightly "distressed" B-Guards are the Rice guitars that first caught my eye. Stunning looking guitars and I am a sucker for a Louisville Slugger neck.

When I was first thinking about ordering a Rice I also was not sure about the wisdom of buying a guitar which did not have a familiar logo on the headtsock. Plus in over 40 years, I had never bought a guitar I had not held in my hands first. It was a leap of faith to say the least.
Just seems stupid now as I could not imagine not having the Rice Custom in the house.

Anyway, enjoy and play in good health.

[straightface]

These Rice guys are gonna make me spend some money very soon! That is beautiful!

[G Man]

Wonderful looking guitar! Great job on the pics. Looking forward to hearing a clip when you can.

G Man

[Rich Rice]

Originally Posted by Flashback

Is the neck superhard and thick to have no trussrod? Would that cause problems later on down the road?

Wow. I just spotted this thread. Thanks so much for the nice words. We appreciate it. As for the neck, it is very big. I made the mistake of playing this one too much during the build, and now my 1" necks feel small. Being quartersawn is the key to strength, and the percentage (as I understand it) is 3 out of 1,000 necks go bad... We warranty the guitar for lifetime to original owners, and have not had any complaints about quality to date. I love 'em.

[furrfurrfurr]

Originally Posted by Rich@wildriceband.com

Wow. I just spotted this thread. Thanks so much for the nice words. We appreciate it. As for the neck, it is very big. I made the mistake of playing this one too much during the build, and now my 1" necks feel small. Being quartersawn is the key to strength, and the percentage (as I understand it) is 3 out of 1,000 necks go bad... We warranty the guitar for lifetime to original owners, and have not had any complaints about quality to date. I love 'em.

are all of your guitars truss-free? is it optional?

[Rich Rice]

No, most of ours use truss rods. It's an option. Not for the faint-of-heart.

[Arlo]

Nice axe!

Rich, Chris outstanding work guys!

Arlo

[Buckocaster51]

Neat.

I may have to buzz over to the CITY some time and visit the boys.

[wilkat1]

Oh my heavens



I believe I'm in love! Y'all can spot me $1400 can't ya?

[giantslayer]

good grief, that is one gorgeous guitar.

[Kevyn]

Another 'Rice' guitar fan here!

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...re/kvfine4.jpg

[Sarge]

Yea, I was checkin' out the red one with the Bigsby also...what a guitar. I know if I played it that I'd pull that credit card out in a heart beat. It appears with Rice guitars you get a lot of tone for your buck.