#accent vibrato

[ricfreak]

Love your accent 😍

[ricfreak]

Rickenbacker 325 & 1996

[turtle--club]

[mmguitarbar]

You're Thoughts on Ac'cent Vibrato

Hi, good evening!

As a long-time thankful reader, I’ve seen a few positive mentions of Rickenbacker’s Ac'cent vibrato and its cousin the Vibrola. I have a year-old Ric 360w, which I’m contemplating adding a vibrato to, and would like to see if you have any suggestions for how to set up the whole instrument to accommodate.

First, I intend to fit a Mastery M5. My preferred strings are Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Swings–10-46 flatwounds. I mostly play jazz, and like my strings on the loose side.

Many people seem to dislike the ac'cent, and claim that they diminish the tonefullness and tuning stability of the instrument. I think you feel differently, and would love your guidance as I plan out these modifications.

Best to you each morning, Hunchiepunker in San Francisco

Hey! Sorry it took so long to get to this question. If you can get an original Accent, go for it! Like Gibson’s much-maligned Vibrola, the Accent is simply a bent metal ‘spring’ with an arm, which is simple but effective. And like the Vibrola, I love it. They’re both fantastic units, and it’s sad that so many players misunderstand them.

And as with the Vibrola, these units really benefit from heavier string gauges or hi-tension strings to work properly. Your flats might do the trick, but 10 rounds often don’t have enough tension for the spring, which is designed for heavier string gauges. You may want to try 11s for the best balance between spring and string tension. But I think it’s a great idea, so go for it! Most of the complaints about the Accent have nothing to do with the unit itself, but rather, are symptomatic of improper maintenance, a poorly cut nut, or too-light strings. And the claims that the units kill tone is completely unfounded. And silly, too.