I picked this guy up in a pawn shop in central Texas. What a great tone! I could use some help identifying it and also help with choosing strings and tuning.
Rickenbacher is spelled with an "h". I don't see any serial numbers but there is a patent number below the pickup, "PAT.NO.2089171" It's an 8-string.
I really don't know about this stuff too much yet but figure I could give it a shot? Maybe Graham or someone could say more about it.
I'm guessing in the dark that it might be a from 1940 or about that time. I would say it's most likely a Model B or B8? I really don't know how it would be said and it's a bakelite or hawaiian lapsteel? Again, not quite sure of the correct wording.
So that's my guess! I can't wait to hear if I'm anywhere close to right and if so how much.
"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."
FYI: My band, The Madams, will be playing this Saturday, November 17th in Costa Mesa, CA @ eVocal. Message me for more details or go to our myspace page....THANKS!!
From what I can tell from this picture. It looks to be a B Model lap steel. You can view it in our literature archive for 1933. Which is a six string not 8 like yours, which makes me beleive that yours is a B8.
The T-shaped logo nails it.
It's 1946-50 Model B8.
I'm a 6 string player, so I can't really make any good recommendations about tunings or strings. Check out The Steel Guitar Forum http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewforum.php?f=13
Use the search feature. There have been many discussions on those subjects.
Great instrument. Fairly rare.
How much did you pay, if you don't mind telling us?
I figured it was a pretty good deal, I don't play a steel guitar myself, I play a "regular" guitar, but it looked like too much fun to pass up. After hearing it, I would have paid more than that just for the pickup alone, to build some sort of weird home made electric guitar, something I always wanted to try.
No case, what you see is what I got, other than a bar slide and a few ratty metal fingerpicks.
Only bad thing is that my Strat really needs to be refinished, I might have to part with this to fund that. Hopefully not. ;-(
It's probably worth $500-800 maybe more.
But I'll give you a chance to triple your money.
No, list it on Ebay if you want to sell it.
Don't take less than $500. If you can't get that, store it well and save your pennys for the refin.
