Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Does anyone know the number of units produced for this reissue series? I've been searching around and have seen several references to 36 of the 425V63 issued in Burgundy, but I can't seem to locate anything definitive on numbers produced for the following (it appears they were all isssued with 1999 serial numbers):

--425V63 in Jetglo

--450V63 in Burgundy

--450V63 in Jetglo

--Total units of all 4 types issued.

Thanks in advance for any info.

Internet wayback machine has it...
Grabbed a screenshot, will email you

Also, i know of at least 1 or 2 of that run's 325/12's that were finished in 2000 thus got 99-53### serial numbers. Neat quirk.

Thanks to Jason, here's the info:

--425V63 in Burgundy = 36

--425V63 in Jetglo = 84

--450V63 in Burgundy = 80

--450V63 in Jetglo = 61

--Total units of all 4 types issued = 261

Most of the 425v63 that I have seen have a serial number printed in the center of the bridge plate. However, I just found one that has the serial number split like it was in the sixties. Anybody have a reissue model with the split serial number?

It seems like 261 isn’t a tiny run of these guitars (all combined), by RIC standards anyways.

But you rarely see these guitars on the secondhand market. I can recall seeing maybe a dozen of these offered up in the last 15 years or so that I’ve been paying attention.

Here’s an even more detailed shipping breakdown:
While the majority stayed in the USA, this partly explains the scarcity of these on the secondhand market - many are overseas.

Wow, they made nearly as many 325/12 reissues as the 425/450 series ..... and you almost never see those for sale either.

A couple of the 425 reissues I've seen listed were in Japan, so that makes sense if many of these went overseas.

Here's a pair in Burgundy. Note the plastic tuner buttons on the 425.

chrispaul wrote:Most of the 425v63 that I have seen have a serial number printed in the center of the bridge plate. However, I just found one that has the serial number split like it was in the sixties. Anybody have a reissue model with the split serial number?

I had a 425v63 BG - it had the serial number straight across, in the center of the bridge plate.

This is the guitar I am referring to. It has the split serial number. I found it in the Rickenbacker Register.

Is it authentic?

http://www.rickresource.com/register/vi ... 6order%3D5

A check of the info in the Register regarding the 425V63 model indicates this example may have been among the first produced.

The serial number indicates production in September 1999; all the others listed have the month of production as December 1999.

http://www.rickresource.com/register/in ... 99&order=6

The usual way of stamping the bridgeplates on the 'traditional' 425/450 series was some digits on left, some on right of the plate - usually no more than 6 digits total.
But that was before the RIC serial # system was standardized in 1999 to have a total of 7 digits.

In order to fit all 7 digits on the bridgeplate, my guess is that RIC moved the stamping to the center of the plate for most of the production of this model.

So this looks like a legit early model.

Thanks for the info. I appreciate the detailed information.

libratune wrote:...
The usual way of stamping the bridgeplates on the 'traditional' 425/450 series was some digits on left, some on right of the plate - usually no more than 6 digits total.
But that was before the RIC serial # system was standardized in 1999 to have a total of 7 digits. ....

My 1981 460 has the serial number that way.

libratune wrote:... In order to fit all 7 digits on the bridgeplate, my guess is that RIC moved the stamping to the center of the plate for most of the production of this model. ....

That's how my 450v63 JG has it.
Both of these have the "430 style" tailpiece with the four "dimples" to accept a standard RIC bridge: