Just won a 1976 JG 430 today on Ebay... I ultimately will end up doing some surgery on it to make it into a custom one of a kind guitar.
It has the small head stock and Kluson tuners I love so much
I want to refinish it in Jet glow and add three toasters, an R-Tailpiece and white pickguard and TRC... It will likely take me 6 months to get it the way I want it...
Not sure what to do about the plate with the Serial number on it... I don't want to take it off the guitar but it will likely get in the way of the regular tailpiece... Yours was gone already as I recall...
This one is missing one of the original pickups... So a restoration is not the way I want to go...
I also saw this FG one for sale in Italy this year... From 1979 if the ebay ad was correct, no SN listed to confirm... I like the colour but Jetglo is more my style...
The original anchor/bridgeplate won't get in the way of an added "R" but it will look funny. My 430 now sports a Bigsby B5 and makes use of a 330 plate. I have the original in safe keeping. It also has the double line Klusons with white plastic buttons.
I like the pic of the one with the toaster. You say one pickup in yours is already replaced? What's in there now?
Yeah, I hope they didn't rout too much. I'm so used to seeing mine with the plastic covers - the toaster and metal frame add a certain flair to its image. Three toasters would be quite something, I bet. This is a model which lends itself to nice upgrades. I thought the addition of an upper guard also improved its appeal.
Thanks everyone... I will let you know my impressions when I get the change to plug it in and play it!
But I do really like the shape of this guitar, also the chance to have a Rickenbacker that is unique to me, like Mike Campbell's oft modified JG 615/350... But on a much smaller and cheaper scale of course!
As another Canadian 430 owner (just up the road from you in Toronto), let me add my congratulations.
Since you're replacing the pickguard in any case and are making other modifications, I'd recommend that while you're at it you install a barrel jack on the side of the body in place of the jack mounted on the pickguard. In my experience, the pickguard mounted jack is a bit of a design flaw, since if you use a straight-ended patch cord an accidental tug on your cord can put too much torque on the jack and crack the plastic. I did this to mine earlier in the month and have been happy with the results. I had to cut the body cavity slightly to make the inside surface square to the barrel jack, but it is otherwise pretty straightforward.
I also copied Kira's idea and added an upper pickguard, and quite like it.
That's cool, Jonathan! I'll take that as a compliment. I also like your side jack mod. The only good thing about the face mount connection is when one (like me) plays reclining or sitting a great deal it can be more convenient to have the jack on the face. But the side connection makes much more sense in general.
And Brian, has your new one arrived yet? I wish I lived closer to you guys so we could have a 430-fest.
I followed the mods you made to your 430, and agree with all of them. I would like to use the regular square input jack like the one that is on my 320. Your guitar already has the Black with white trim colour scheme.. Mine is currently BT. I would also like to add the blend knob, which likely means replacing (or at least adding to the existing wiring harness)...
The reason why this guitar model (and the 230's that followed it) failed in my opinion is because they did not reproduce the dominant style of what I consider to be a Rickenbacker.
First step in this project is getting my hands on a 430, which hopefully will be here by the end of next week... The seller avoided UPS for me, which would have added extra cash in brokerage fees... So the downside of that is that the guitar will take longer to get here... which is fine with me!
I really want to see the guitar with Toasters.. (For one I don't own a RIC with them), and two the effect would be if Rickenbacker had made a 430 circa 1966).
I'd say enjoy it but I know you're going to. 
