Cool and odd Rickys? You and we love 'em and if it's something off the beaten path, (as this guitar is) then we're the first in line to scoop one up. The slanted fret configuration is a nice change from the usual and I thought it would be hard to play. Boy, was I wrong! I'm primarily a bass player and the way the frets are laid out on this little 481 makes it both easy and a hoot to play. Chording is no problem, as the slant fits the natural angle of your left hand and I actually had some extra fun dirtying this old girl up through a Johnson 120 combo. I'd take the nastiest distortion I could find and let the dual OS Humbuckers do what they do. Add in a nice analog delay and you can actually play some interesting leads on this thing. Who woulda thunk that? In my mind, Ricky have always been more of a rhythm instrument that you used to get your jingle- jangle on, but to break out of that box and play leads on one was a nice change of pace. That's when Lee barreled into the workroom and threatened me with a slow painful death if I did not stop what he referred to as "that dammed caterwauling." Call it what you will, I was having a blast and believe that you, too can do the same with this neato little solidbody. Better yet, if you have a neighbor that sounds like he's stomping on a cat's tail when he cranks up in the raggedy old shed behind his house, break out this Risky and your Johnson. That ought to set him straight (or at least let him know that you're hoping he'll soon move to a banana farm in Costa Rica). Calls and requests are always welcome- please send either at any time and we'll be right on it!