Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

A few pics of Tom Petty's Solid Body 360 got posted to the RIC facebook group...

It is on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

I think this just predates the Tom Petty LE in 1990.

Anyone know more about it?

Solid?

It's heavy.

I heard it has a balsa wood body...

Do you mean solidtop (no soundhole) vs. solid body?

Looks like it has a control cavity like a regular 360 would.

There is an old thread here that discusses this guitar,

It is the one Tom is holding on the cover of FULL MOON FEVER.

Looking at some other pics I found on line - it has a single jackplate.

The exhibit describes it as a "Prototype"

Prototype how is that a prototype? It's just a 21 fret 360 without a sound hole.

scotty wrote:Prototype how is that a prototype? It's just a 21 fret 360 without a sound hole.

It also has binding on the neck, dot inlays and a slightly wider neck (at least to my eye).... None of which are standard on a 360 WB.

The "is it solid vrs is it a standard 360 without a slash sound hole" could only be discovered if you looked under the control plate. It was made by Dick Burke - he would be able to answer - or John Hall.

It think its prototype status is that it was a first try at what became the Tom Petty LE. Or perhaps not... It is just what is written on the card in the display "Tom Petty Electric Guitar - Prototype Rickenbacker"

A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.
That is still a 360 no matter what you slap on it.LOL

Whatever it is - my eyes just can't get used to looking at this without a soundhole. It's like a tiger with no stripes.

Maybe with 24 frets the missing sound hole would be less of an issue. I like the bound neck w/ dot inlays!

It is not a solid top. It is solid. It's a solidbody.

And I always loved that coat with the little Saturns on it.

kennyhowes wrote:It is not a solid top. It is solid. It's a solidbody.

I love the alliteration Kenny.. Sounds like the Chorus in a 70s pop song!

Tom mentioned this guitar in an interview I can't seem to find anywhere. It is a solid bodied instrument through and through. This guitar appears to be from that same run of custom guitars made for Tom and Mike in 1989, along with the Campbell 350 and the 660/12 Petty signature model.

From photographic evidence, He played it on a few songs on his 1989 tour, but I'm not surprised he rarely played it...it has to weigh a ton!

It came as no surprise to me that Petty began using the Rose Morris 1993/12 in 2008, as this guitar (slightly) resembles just that!

JakeK wrote: From photographic evidence, He played it on a few songs on his 1989 tour, but I'm not surprised he rarely played it...it has to weigh a ton!

This is the same reason that Petty rarely used his JG 362 doubleneck - except in the studio.

Some cool pics on the RIC Facebook group of Campbell playing the 67 615 into 350 conversion in Montreal last week. Tom was playing his 2012 1993 12 string.

As I recall there is some mention of the Solid Body 360 in the Tony Bacon Book.