Rickenbacher DW-16: Yay or nay?

[Alex Cattaneo]

A friend of mine is selling one, and I'm really keen to buy it from him. How do you guys feel about these versus say, a Stringmaster? Also, what is the going rate?

[J Fletcher]

Nice steels those DW16's . More like a Fender Dual Pro than a Stringmaster . Pricing about the same as a similar Fender. I found that the pickup horseshoe magnets got in the way of my right hand. My preference is a 24 1/2 " scale Stringmaster . Hope that's useful.

[Paul Seager]

I have one, they're wonderful. I recently acquired a 24.5" Stringmaster T8 because I fancied a third tuning. They are equals for quality and tone. The DW16 lends itself to Hawaiian music but is also perfect fine for Western Swing, Rockabilly etc.

One nuance is that the pickups only have 6 poles (I think this is general and not just mine!) This means that the outer two strings have slightly less output if the pickup is even under the strings. I simply tilted mine up on the treble side a little and I would not say it is a problem. I disagree that they sound similar to a Dual Pro. Rickys are much warmer tonally. Their acoustic tone is stronger than a Stringmaster (not sure if this makes a difference when amplified).

Mine has 3 legs and in comparison to the 4 leg Stringmaster, it is not as solid (but certainly not unstable!). However, it takes up less floorspace!

I never heard much praise for 3 neck Rickenbackers (e.g., the 700's), there was not a DW24 as far as I know so the Stringmaster will probably be my #1 going forward. But I cannot part with the DW16 even though I could with the money!!

[Noah Miller]

Comparing it to a Stringmaster is a real apples-to-oranges exercise; the sound and ergonomics are totally different.

And mine had two 8-pole pickups, as most of them do.

[Garry Vanderlinde]

To me the Stringmaster is more strait up country like Hank Snow and maybe Western Swing where the the Ricky is more rounded tone wise and fits more with Hawaiian and exotic pop like the Vanduras. Not that you can't play Hank on a Rickenbacker or a Stringmaster on Harbor Lights, it's been done many times, but just a personal preference. You should definitely have at least one of each...
These days I would expect to pay around $1500+ for a D 16 Rickenbacker and upwards from $1500-$2500+ for a a Stringmaster in really good condition.

[Allan Revich]

I don’t own any double necks, but I do own Fender and Rickenbacher single necks.

The Fender gives you that famous twang while the Rick horseshoes give you beef and grit. So IMHO either will be fine for Hawaiian, the Fender adds country while the Rick adds blues and rock. Just my two-bit generalizations

[J D Sauser]

They are great steels, just that the string spacing is rather narrow, as they placed 8 strings on necks which were originally for 6 strings.
1 1/4" horseshoe magnet pickup.
Very tight guitars.

... J-D.

[Tim Whitlock]

I have owned both. I really wanted to love my DW16. The tone and portability were fantastic, but it was a question of ergonomics. The controls really get in the way of your picking hand. I found myself frequently hitting the selector switch, causing cutouts. I love Ricky horseshoes (I have three Ricky laps) but they tend to get in the way as well. I eventually sold it and do regret it somewhat.

The Stringmaster was the next evolution after the Fender trap guitars. Like the DW16, the Custom and Dual Pro also have the controls way up the fretboard and string through pickups. This doesn't seem to bother many great players (Scruggs, Roberts), so it's a personal preference and a dealbreaker for me (getting ready to sell my '51 Custom). I think Fender took this into consideration when they designed the Stringmaster with the controls behind the bridge and the pickups under the strings, so you have full unobstructed access to the entire fretboard. The Stringmaster is such a comfortable guitar to play and sounds fantastic. I will never sell mine.

[Joe Burke]

I currently have a DW-16 and a D8 Stringmaster. Love them both. At one point I might have sold the Stringmaster, but I then joined a Hank Williams tribute band, and playing up the neck is easier without the string through pick ups, so I kept both.
I use the DW-16 when I'm hoping to sound more like Jeremy Wakefield!
Maybe one day I'll pick up a Gibson Grand Console...

[Bill Sinclair]

They are great steels, just that the string spacing is rather narrow, as they placed 8 strings on necks which were originally for 6 strings.
1 1/4" horseshoe magnet pickup.
Very tight guitars.

... J-D.

JD,
While that may be true of the bakelite single necks, the DW16 (solid wood body with two 8-string necks) has a nice wide string spacing. 3/8" at the bridge, I believe.

[Joe Burke]

JD,
While that may be true of the bakelite single necks, the DW16 (solid wood body with two 8-string necks) has a nice wide string spacing. 3/8" at the bridge, I believe.[/quote]

The Rickenbacker is wider than the Stringmaster.

[Alex Cattaneo]

Really appreciate all the info guys!

[J D Sauser]

They are great steels, just that the string spacing is rather narrow, as they placed 8 strings on necks which were originally for 6 strings.
1 1/4" horseshoe magnet pickup.
Very tight guitars.

... J-D.

JD,
While that may be true of the bakelite single necks, the DW16 (solid wood body with two 8-string necks) has a nice wide string spacing. 3/8" at the bridge, I believe.

You're right Bill, I was confused with the bakelite neck D16, which I found to be a great guitar. I can't comment on the DW 16 console.

Thanks!... J-D.

[Tony Oresteen]

Humm. Maybe a double 8 with one neck setup like a Stringmaster & the other neck with a Lollar Rick Horseshoe.

I'll put it on the To Do List as something to think about. A "Rickmaster" maybe?

[Tom Wolverton]

Tony. I did something similar. It is very do-able. A double 8 would be easier.

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[Tony Oresteen]

Tom,

I remember your Stringmaster/Supro! That was well done.

Budget is the obstacle. $600 for a Lollar horseshoe is a lot of dough right now for a pickup.

But you are right - it is do-able.