Sweet Score / Need Ideas: '68 Rick 450 for $450

[Retreads]

I've been a longtime lurker harboring lust for Ricks, but didn't have a lot to contribute since, as you know, they're often hard to come by.

Hard to come by until yesterday when I stopped by the local shop and saw/bought my first Rick...a 1968 450 for $450. All original electronics and pickups (one short and one long pole), with a refin and weird plastics. Looks like somebody made made a personal statement with this one, and it's (frankly) a bit ugly right now. But it has that sound and a straight neck. The decision was easy. Heck, $450 is the price of a new Mexican Fender, and this is a 2-toaster Rick. From 1968!

Here's where I need your help. This guitar has already been futzed with...it went from original JG to MG and the plastics were switched to a weird Green...so I'm not really worried about keeping it original and you shouldn't either. What are some ways I can make this into a mean machine? What color should I make it (anything's a possibility)? What color/type/shape guard and TRC - white, gold, anodized, other? I'm not sure there's a lot of room for other tailpieces due to the short neck/body ratio on these, but we're in the realm of anything goes here.

Seriously, what should have been but never was on a 450? I'll post updates and pics as I go through the changes. And have no fear, this is not my first time at the guitar improvement rodeo. I just finished a very tasteful restoration to a neglected 1962 Gibson LP/SG Standard; it now plays and sounds better than it probably did from the factory. I can do most things, and I have a great luthier for everything else. This won't be some hack job.

[sloop_john_b]

Hey Collin, welcome and congrats on the score!

One of the coolest 450's I ever saw was John Jorgenson's, which was Sonic Blue with a gold pickguard (most likely plexi, not anodized) and three toasters. Always wanted to do one just like it. Check it out here:



If it were me, I'd probably move the long pole to the middle position and put a "toasterized" hi-gain in the bridge for a better rock sound (which is what I've done with my '68 330). Then, maybe a 5-way Strat-style switch?

[kennyhowes]

I'll give ya $475 for it.

[collin]

Welcome, fellow Colin!


Great score - it would have been a wise purchase at twice the price!

Cool thing about a project 450 is that you can really do anything with it. Not too clean or a super rare model where you'd feel guilty for modifying and they have large pickup routes where you could fit in a variety of pickups without further routing.

One of the best changes you can make for a solidbody Rick is changing to a Tune-o-Matic style bridge. This is easily accomplished on a 450 by locating the right position, drilling & tapping threaded holes for the posts and voila -instant boost in sustain and adjustability!

You could go with standard toasters or hi gains, or even something custom made (Seymour Duncan etc..) or anything really (Gretsch Filtertron, PAF-style humbucker, mini-humbucker, firebird pickups). You could make a real rock machine out of it, I think.

Originally it had white plastic pickguard and TRC, but you could always have a clear guard custom-made and painted from the back in whatever color you want (silver, gold?).

[Retreads]

I'll give ya $475 for it.

Thanks for the welcome, everyone!

And you might not want to buy it from me when you see how ugly it currently is (below). The only existing changes I like are the movement of the jack to the standard 3XX location and the tuners (though I'll probably put that back to something closer to original). The tramp stamp, not so much. Also, why get rid of the black everywhere but the back of the neck? It's not like there's a repair in there...it's the original JG just like under the pickguard.

[collin]

Ugly indeed, but it has potential!

Plus it has the more expensive parts (toasters, electronics, tailpiece etc). Really easy project once you get some better paint on it.

[Clint]

That's got some nice grain to it. They must have had a lot of Jetglo orders to fill in '68.

[jdogric12]

Awesome! I'd only paint the plastic! Or remove the neon turquoise if you can.

[chronictown]

Welcome, and congrats on a great score, Colin Being a 450 fan, that is exactly the kind of deal I've been trolling around for over the last few years. Your story inspires me to keep looking!

I bought a '64 450/6 husk a couple years ago and had it completely redone (refin, refret, new or used electronics and hardware) in a nice burgundy (semi-transparent to show the wood grain) with white plastic. It's a fine looking beast. If I had the chance to restore another, I would probably opt for a refin in early azureglo (darker, more navy blue-ish) with white plastic and toasters. Whatever you choose, please keep us updated with pics! Good luck

[360girl]

Hi Colin, welcome to the RRF! Yeah, the guitar looks a little ugly, but you got it for a steal IMO! Do some remedial work on it (especially in a cosmetic sense), and it'll be quite the axe.

[IHeartRics]

Is that paint on the outside of the truss rod cover? It may be original so if it is I'd try to figure out how to clean off the paint to expose the Ric logo, and try the same with the pick guard cover (though you can get a repro for that). As for the trash stamp on the back, again, see if you can find a way to carefully remove it. Other than the neck, you've basically got a Mapleglo Ric and at some later date refinish the whole guitar. Nice score!

[dogload]

I'll probably get lynched for saying this, but I quite like the turquoise scratchplate!

If there is a genuine TRC under paint I'd clean the paint off, but otherwise I think the colour combo is very striking and certainly unique! It reminds me of the custard yellow scratchplate I put on a Candy Apple Red Squier P-Bass to replace a broken white one. The turquoise contrasts nicely with the yellowy wood.
Mind, maybe it doesn't look so good 'in the flesh', perhaps?

Anyway, congratulations on a brilliant score!