Rick parts - real or fake?

walker · Post by **walker** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 5:49 pm

Hey - I figured this would be as good a place as any to start a thread addressing the validity of guitars & parts and get the input of those in the know. For starters, I got a batch of vol & tone knobs in a Rick parts lot and noticed that some of them had a line marker instead of the customary dot. The knob with the line - cool rare Rickenbacker oddity? Or cheap knock-off part?

Walker

aceonbass · Post by **aceonbass** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 5:54 pm

Do they have set screws or are they pressure fit onto the pot shaft? All of the RIC knobs have set screws.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 6:36 pm

These are one variation on this OEM knob. The legend "Treble Tone" on the aluminum trim plate indicates a Rickenbacker knob.

These are available plain (without the lettering) in three sizes, from many electronics stores, including Radio Shack.

The Rickenbacker "vintage" knobs are also available in three sizes from open stock.

Rick knobs typically also have a bottom surface that has been touched to a disc grinder.

paulv63 · Post by **paulv63** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 8:27 pm

Y'know Paul, That was almost too much knob information!

walker · Post by **walker** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 1:40 am

For what it's worth, neither set of knobs has the grinder-marked bottom surface like the vintage knobs. But both do have set screws. They also have almost the identical part number cast on the bottom, too.

dot: S-647 H, line: S-647 D

Walker

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 2:01 am

I should have said "newer Rick knobs have a bottom surface", etc...

My older ones do not, Mark.

randyz · Post by **randyz** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 2:40 am

Mark: I have owned a number of Ricks over the years. Some have had the 'dot' and others have the 'line' on the knob. I have every reason to believe that all the knobs were originals.

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 3:38 am

I think the one with the dash on top is earlier than the one with dots; I will have to check, but I'm think the one with the dash could be from the mid 60's....The very first examples of the chrome-top knobs had no writing on them IIRC...I believe there was a version that had a dash on the skirt and the top as well...

jwilli · Post by **jwilli** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 5:25 am

Leftybass is right. Also....my '68 and '69 RICs have dots. So, there was bit of variation.

fran4001 · Post by **fran4001** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 7:31 am

Interesting stuff! My '69 was dots for sure. Plus all the 70s ones that came through here had dots too. I'd say the lines are real, but there sure couldn't have been too many floating around.

walker · Post by **walker** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:55 am

Interesting, guys. I've got three for sure, and the fourth one might be floating around somewhere, but missing the metal cap. If anyone needs this particular set, I don't have any use for it myself... I don't go thru many guitars.

Walker

rick_ovic · Post by **rick_ovic** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 10:22 pm

I understood that the knobs with the dash on the top started out life as the earlier sixties black knobs with the white radius line, which were used from 1960 through until 1965 (and longer on Export models).

When Rickenbacker first started introducing the silver disc on the top, they simply ground out the top of the old knobs...hence the "dash".

I assume that once they ran out of old knobs they ordered new ones with the white dots. I have a June '67 450-12 JG with the new style dot knobs. My '66 Rickenbackers all have old knobs with the dash and silver insert.

walker · Post by **walker** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 4:11 am

Good to know. Thanks, Darren. I checked to see if I have the whole set. I have three out of the four. I'm missing the "Treble Volume" knob.

Walker

qmoder · Post by **qmoder** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 4:03 am

It probably should be pointed out that Kustom has used these types of knobs on its amps and guitars since the sixties too.
So they are not limited only to Ric's. I have even seen them with a solid white line all the way down the pointer side and its recessed into the knob itself.
Even the little fifth knob that Ric uses has been and is still used on some Kustom amps in different spots for different purposes.
My current brand new Kustom 36 Coupe uses them too. Its a very retro amp with lots of cues on it from the orginal Kustom amps. So whoever is supplying Ric is also supplying Kustom.
I have often wondered who started using this type of knob first as real early Ric's used the black knobs. But I have seen these types of silver top knobs on other gear too.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 4:22 am

As I've pointed out on a half-dozen occasions in the past year and a half, these knobs are open stock from the manufacturer, and can even be bought at Radio Shack.

The only difference between RIC's aluminum-topped knobs and the open stock ones, is that the RIC knobs have printed legends on the aluminum inserts, whereas the open stock ones are plain.

The variations in the knob markings (dots, dashes) are due to normal production changes and the occasional custom order (lines).