When did the soundholes get dropped from production?

The short-scale model that changed history

Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4

Post Reply
User avatar
glen_l
Member
Posts: 466
Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2000 3:43 pm
Contact:

When did the soundholes get dropped from production?

Post by glen_l »

So much discussion about soundholes in Rickenbackers from the 50's and 60's. How about the 70's? I recall seeing a nice 310jg that had high gain pickups and a 1 o'clock 'f' soundhole. Likely a 70's model. My question is - When did Ric finally cease production of 310 - 325 models with 'f' soundholes? And as a side question, when did the original 'B' series re-issues start?
rick12dr
Veteran RRF member
Posts: 1209
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2000 7:51 pm

Post by rick12dr »

I think the "B" series started around '81?
User avatar
glen_l
Member
Posts: 466
Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2000 3:43 pm
Contact:

Post by glen_l »

One source mentioned that short scale 3 series rics with sound holes went out of production in 1978. Anyone got a confirmation of that?

I do know that they continued on with solidtop production models until '92. My 320jg is a non-reissue model from late 1990.
User avatar
jwilli
RRF Consultant
Posts: 4327
Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2000 8:45 pm

Post by jwilli »

Both my '83 and '86 320s had F-holes.
User avatar
glen_l
Member
Posts: 466
Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2000 3:43 pm
Contact:

Post by glen_l »

That makes it interesting John. By the 80's the B series was running and they were solidtops I believe. Looks like Ric was running both types for a while or was it perhaps solidtops for re-issues and soundholes for production? Although a friend of mine has an '86 320 solidtop.
larrywassgren
Veteran RRF member
Posts: 401
Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2000 8:34 pm

Post by larrywassgren »

John, are you sure you had mid-80's 320's with
f-holes? I've owned 320's from '75 and '76 that
had f-holes. I also know of a few other 70's 320's that had f-holes but have never seen any from the 80's with f-holes. The 70's Rick 320's
are cool because they have 60's style f-holes, plus they still have Kluson tuners and the smaller headstocks. The '75 320 I had even had
the old style flat truss rod cover and a '60's
nitro, fire-glo finish. It may have been a 60's
320 finished off in the 70's. I don't think there
was too much demand in the 70's for Lennon style
320's so they are pretty scarce.
John_Wiliams

Post by John_Wiliams »

I'll try again :-)
Image
User avatar
jwilli
RRF Consultant
Posts: 4327
Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2000 8:45 pm

Post by jwilli »

BTW, there a ton of differences in these two guitars. The '83 (on the right) was a bit heavier. The body was wider. Look at the placement of the p/ups. The pickguards were different. I liked the '86 much better. The '83 was white but had turned into a uniform cream in color.
larrywassgren
Veteran RRF member
Posts: 401
Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2000 8:34 pm

Post by larrywassgren »

Thanks John, great looking guitars. Both very
unusual colors for the mid-80's. You usually just see them in jet-glo. Also, the '86 looks like the 2 o'clock f-hole and the '83 has the 1 o'clock. Maybe they were both custom ordered with
f-holes and at the same time ordered in those rarely seen finishes? Maybe the jet-glo 320's were mainly solid-top because of the Lennon connection and the other colors got f-holes? But again, why 2 different types of f-holes? More questions than answers once again. Thanks for posting those photos and proving me wrong again! I'll have to start watching for 80's 320's with f-holes as I think they are very cool. Maybe those are the only 2 in existence!?
rick12dr
Veteran RRF member
Posts: 1209
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2000 7:51 pm

Post by rick12dr »

John, Does one[or both] of these 325s have a fairly"thick" top, compared to other earlier Ricks?Seems early 80s Ricks I've seen had some rather thicker than usual tops, and heavier as well.Larry, I don't think that Fireglo on the left is out of charachter for mid 80s Ricks based on samples I recall seeing new back then.This kind of looks like a darker version of what I referred to as "Rhubarbglo". Kinda neat.
User avatar
jwilli
RRF Consultant
Posts: 4327
Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2000 8:45 pm

Post by jwilli »

The '83 model seemed to have a thicker top, back and sides :-). The '86 was lighter in weight and sounded better even unplugged.
User avatar
scoobster28
Veteran RRF member
Posts: 696
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2001 1:16 pm

Post by scoobster28 »

When did black pick-guards come into production. Look kinda weird, (but cool) on a 325!
"Here he is, come to pay homage to the Rickenbacker display!" (Said to me by owner Bruce at the "Great House of Guitars" in Rochester, NY)
User avatar
doctorwho
Veteran RRF member
Posts: 12522
Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2002 3:28 pm

Post by doctorwho »

Something mentioned in this thread is something I think is important: at some time, Rickenbacker changed the body width of the 320/325; does anyone know when this occurred? I have an October 1981 320 MG with f-hole (yes, another one from the '80s) that I bought without a case, and I found out about the body width issue when I bought an '80s vintage shortscale case - the 320 just barely fits (quite snugly). Of course, I then checked how it fit in my 325v63 and 325v59 cases and found that it didn't fit those at all - the body's too wide! It was a good thing I didn't buy a reissue case for it!
It is better, of course, to know useless things than to know nothing. - Seneca
User avatar
glen_l
Member
Posts: 466
Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2000 3:43 pm
Contact:

Post by glen_l »

A friend has an '86 320 with a body so undersized that the control plate hangs slightly over the edge. It seems to be another one of those production variables that we can't really put any dates on.
Post Reply

Return to “Rickenbacker Vintage 325 Models: by Glen Lambert”