Gorgeous 780

[jwilli]

Sold (not to me). What a gorgeous example!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Rickenbacker-Consol ... dZViewItem

[sloop_john_b]

Where would one get pedals for this? Did it use knee levers as well?

[ozover50]

Hubba hubba!!!

[johnallg]

That certainly is a nice clean model, despite the missing pedal assemblies. Beautiful flaming! Seems like a good price also, considering what other less shaped models have been going for.

[jsm610]

I'm guessing that getting operational pedals won't be problematic...

[1965]

Wow! I've no idea how to play it though

[rshatz]

That's the best looking chunk of wood I've ever seen used in a Rick steel.

Where would one get pedals for this? Did it use knee levers as well?

I think it would be very difficult to find original pedals for this or any other Rick pedal steel. The pedal and rod mechanism is said to have been terrible, making it almost impossible to keep the instrument in tune. I've been told that a lot of players threw the pedal assembly away and played them as a standard steel guitar. As far as I know there were no knee levers.

[admin]

What a beautiful specimen. I would love to know the serial number on this one for the Register.

[jsm610]

I would love to know the serial number on this one for the Register.

I doubt it will have a SN. I've only seen one other and it didn't from the best I could tell... Where would the SN be?

[8mileshigh]

It'll have one. You should find it in the little trap door at the end. Mine's stamped on the metal plate which the magnet closes against. It'll all make sense

[jsm610]

I think it would be very difficult to find original pedals for this or any other Rick pedal steel.

Never say never. The pedals are in the mail! Will they fit is the question?

It'll have one. You should find it in the little trap door at the end. Mine's stamped on the metal plate which the magnet closes against. It'll all make sense

It didn't make sense. Couldn't find one...

[doctorwho]

I had an old model 100 that had some sort of 'serial number' stamped into the body ... I was able to establish a rough date of 1959 by looking at the date codes on the pots.

[rshatz]

I had an old model 100 that had some sort of 'serial number' stamped into the body ... I was able to establish a rough date of 1959 by looking at the date codes on the pots.

There were two model 100s.
The first was the chrome plated Silver Hawaiian that was made in the late 30s and early 40s. The serial numbers of those were stamped into the top of the headstock. Then there was the wood body 100 series made from the mid 50s onward, whose serial numbers were stamped into the jackplate.
If yours is one of the later ones, it probably has a number stamped on the jack plate.
I had a Jerry Byrd console that had an inked serial number on the bottom.
The 780 was made from about "60-"70. By that time I'm pretty sure that there were always serial numbers.
Anyway, it's always fun trying to figure it out.

[doctorwho]

... If yours is one of the later ones, it probably has a number stamped on the jack plate ...

There was nothing stamped on the jack plate on mine. I may have an old picture of the number that was stamped into the wood body.

[doctorwho]

OK, here are some pictures I have of my former model 100:

c. 1959-1960 Model 100

Here is the 'serial number' stamped in the body:

Stamped 'serial number' in body

And here is the plain, unstamped jack plate:

Plain unstamped jack plate

I wish I had learned how to play it!