655 Model?

[krick]

I was looking through some old RIC literature and found a sheet marked "Additions to Pricelist". It appears to be from 1983 or 1984. It lists the "B" Series models as well as some new guitars including: 230 "Hamburg", 250 "Eldorado", 350 "Liverpool", and 355 "Liverpool Plus" with vibrato unit.

The one that caught my eye though is a Model 655 "Brighton" and the description reads: Special Metallic Ruby finish with all black trim and matte black hardware, vibrato, two pickups. Does anyone have any information on this one?

[BobKat]

Is this a late April Fool's Joke?

[sloop_john_b]

Whoa! Wouldn't be surprised if it were one of the odd prototypes we saw in the RIC museum.

[rickenmetal]

There was a late 1950s 650 model, it was a one pickup guitar shaped like a 350, with a sort of carved-top solid body.

But that 655 was probably something like the 470 or 490: guitars that appeared somewhere in print but were never produced in mass.

[doctorwho]

Hmmm .... I wonder if it's one of these:

[sloop_john_b]

Those were the ones I was thinking of, Gary.

[rickenmetal]

Those are really cool. Is that in the Rickenbacker company museum?

I guess the pickups and bridges would make it from the right period, but those are not vibrato bridges, they are the standard Shaller bridges, originally used on the early 650A and other guitars from that series, and also on the 230 and 250 .

[sloop_john_b]

Those are really cool. Is that in the Rickenbacker company museum?

Yup.