A Short and Incomplete History Of the f-hole in Rickenbacker Guitars   The Early Years (1932-1950) While collectors have been captivated by numerous design features of Rickenbacker guitars over the past seven decades, one of the most distinctive has been the f-hole. This decorative sound-hole has graced many a classical instrument over the centuries, allowing […]

A New Standard for Affordable Guitars Most instruments designed with the basic premise that they be in by inexpensively priced usually succeed in trading off basic uti and function toward a rock bottom price. This is not an acceptable compromise to Rickenbacker designers as more than a half century of reputation for the finest electric […]

Part I Rickenbacker’s Silver Finish One of the more unique finishes used by Rickenbacker International Corporation was that of “Silver.” This finish is on the record books as having been offered from 1980-1984, however, a keen eye and some sleuthing will reveal that the instruments finished in Silver continued to roll off the assembly line […]

Some Signs of Rickenbacker Addiction Here are some criteria against which you may be able to assess a potential or longstanding Rickenbacker Addiction. I need not tell you what could happen should this information get into the wrong hands. The good news is that you can be treated. The bad news is that if you […]

Joe Hardman’s Newsgroup Comments Joe Hardman, an avid collector of Model 325 Rickenbackers has recently made some very interesting comments regarding the f-hole positions on these instruments. His October 3, 1999 response to questions about the Model 325 posed on alt.guitar.rickenbacker was “I believe pre 1970 310 -325 models are exceedingly rare, relatively speaking, regardless […]

Model 350 “Susanna Hoffs” Highlights: Over the period 1988-1991, Rickenbacker crafted the Susanna Hoffs’ Signature Limited Edition. The guitar obviously gets its name from Ms. Hoff’s who performed with “The Bangles.” This exquisitely beautiful model had the artist’s signature and the “Limited Edition” notation on the two-tier white plastic pickguard. The instrument is most striking […]

Rickenbacker Bass Models and Specs 2000 Series The basses in this series have the following features, unless otherwise noted, bolt-on neck, double cutaway maple body, non-cresting headstock, unbound Padouk fingerboard, dot inlay, 20 frets. 2020 “Hamburg” (Second Version) This instrument is the revised bass version of Hamburg guitar. Features: Two single-coil pickups, active circuitry, chrome […]

The British Invasion From my viewpoint, there is no more attractive and unique bass than the Rickenbacker Model 4005. It is simply one of those designs that has instant appeal with regard to look and sound. At the peak of the British Invasion, during the mid 1960’s, Rickenbacker International Corporation began to receive orders from […]

Raspberries and Rickenbackers Wally Bryson, guitarist with the Raspberries played one of two Rickenbackers he owned on two of the group’s greatest hits namely: “I Wanna Be with You” and “Let’s Pretend.” These songs were written by Eric Carmen for the Rickenbacker 12 string as this is said to be a sound that he always […]