The Rickenbacker "Multi-Pick"..........???????

joe_hardman · Post by **joe_hardman** » Fri Feb 21, 2003 9:20 am

Peter, I could not agree with you more regarding F.C. Hall and how he "was way ahead of the curve". Where would the guitar world be without the genius of F.C. Hall, Leo Fender, and Ted McCarty? Three giants in their respective industry who arguably changed the direction of modern music. It is hard to imagine a world without the Capri 300 series and the 4001 bass or the Stratocaster, Telecaster and Precision bass or the venerable Les Paul, ES-335 and SG, but there was a time when those instruments did not exist. Many of the products introduced by the gentlemen previously mentioned have become "classics" and apparently are still as viable and desirable today as they were 40 to 50+ years ago. How many industries have the ability to recycle and repackage 40-50 year old designs and successfully market them year after year? Not many, which I believe further illustrates the genius of those truly great men.

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Fri Feb 21, 2003 10:23 am

One thing worth mentioning as well is F.C.'s hiring of Roger Rossmeisl, who gave us many of the designs we know and love today. What is interesting that with all the success(albeit latent) that Rossmeisl had with the various Rickenbacker Capri designs, his approach to guitar design was considered by some to be unorthodox and too far off the beaten path, Ted McCarty being one.This is based on observing Rossmeisl's work for a short time(6 months or so) for Gibson. I am not sure whether this is pre-Capri or post-Capri history; maybe Joe or someone else can add something here.

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Fri Feb 21, 2003 2:06 pm

Roger came to us from Gibson (where his father, Wenzel, had worked before the war). I have no idea what McCarty thought but the basic elements of his work are in fact derived from Northern German luthiery circa 1890. He was, after all, a "Guitarenbaumeister" from the Mittenwald school, sort of like having an MA from Harvard guitar school, if there were such a thing.

After he left us, he did both the Coronado and Ltd. guitars for Fender (and probably most Ltd's were mostly hand-made by Roger). Phil Kubicki was lucky to have apprenticed with him there.

jwilli · Post by **jwilli** » Fri Feb 21, 2003 3:22 pm

There was a nice article about Roger and his work at Fender in Vintage Guitar Magazine a couple of years ago. I'll try and find the issue.

mortivan · Post by **mortivan** » Fri Feb 21, 2003 5:13 pm

Mr. Hall,

Thanks, very much, for posting here! I've learned quite a bit from your posts!

tracy · Post by **tracy** » Tue Mar 04, 2003 11:28 am

I had a whole boxful of these picks awhile back. Sold 'em all to one pick collector as he was the only person interested out of dozens of Rick fans I contacted. Unusual collectible, but hard to figure where & when to use; clumsy & bulky.