Rickenbacker 325v59 help please

[wj350]

Cosmetically, no, I would leave it--very Lennon-esque. The more important question might be whether the previous owner did the Lennon mod to the wiring harness, which (I believe) essentially shuts off the middle pickup. I personally like the middle pickup on my 325s, so were it mine, I'd undo such a change. But I'm guessing more than likely you're just looking at a cosmetic alteration here.

Bill

well if the middle pickup isnt working id probably replace it cos im a player it doesnt have to look exactly like lennons id rather it function properly

Well, keep in mind that guy Lennon was a bit of a player too! IIRC, I think the wiring mod is supposed to mimic what Lennon did to his original 325, as he didn't like the sound of his pick striking the middle pickup. There are folks around here much better versed on the history of his guitar than I though....

Bill

[BeatleJohn]

hi guys
dont mean to sound like an old granny by going on about this guitar.
ive been told by the shop in london that the guitar is coming from japan.
ive been on the ric site and read quite a few posts about ric copies in japan so should i be concerned
can anyone give me tips on what to look for on the day to spot if this is a fake? obviously i know the serial number should be on the jack plate but just incase its been replaced (as this guitar seems to have had a few mods done) is there anywhere else i can look or any other things to keep my eye out for?
ive been told that all 3 pickups work and and i want to replace the cover they will put a new toaster cover on free of charge also.
thanks again guys hope u dont mind helping a ric novice out

[BeatleJohn]

and what should the guitar be worth? what would u guys pay?

[BeatleJohn]

some better pics of it

[BeatleJohn]

one more pic

[1965]

It looks pretty darn legit to me. There are lots of Rickenbacker collectors in Japan, so the fact that it's coming from over there shouldn't be of any concern. What are they asking for $ wise?

[BeatleJohn]

hope u dont mind all the questions im just making sure im covering it all and making sure im getting the real thing.
its 2150 pound is this about what i should be paying?
they said it comes with everything pictured and it looks like the owners manual and stuff is in there so i guess it should be ok. i just wanted to make sure thats all
thanks for yr help

[1965]

That price seems pretty high to me, but I'm not too familiar with the Rickenbacker market in the UK. I can't imagine paying ~$4200 US for a 325V59, but as previously mentioned, this might be one of the only lefty short-scales you'll ever see.

[BeatleJohn]

well works out to be about $4000 australian.
and the model is no longer made and cos its a lefty the price is pretty much always higher than right handers.
aslong as u guys think its the real deal and ive got nothing to worry about im happy to pay it because i really dont think im going to get too many chances at a lefty ric for a long long time but if any of u have any concerns about it please let me know i love all yr advice
thanks for yr help

[1965]

Go for it, you've got nothing to worry about.

[BeatleJohn]

Go for it, you've got nothing to worry about.

thanks again for all yr advice i think im going for it

[BeatleJohn]

hi guys
now that ive got all the details of this guitar sorted i think im going to have a shot at it, but ive been thinking and just wanted to know some of yr thoughts........
i do really want a JG 325 i like the lennon look of 64 but if i was to buy a right handed ric (lets say a 350v63 cos theres no trem) and switched the strings round would it be so tragic? yeah it would be upside down but i could swap the nut around and as long as there is no probs with the bridge i really dont think id mind so much when i got my hands on it and was playing. i know it seems a bit strange the thought of it but i really dont wanna switch the way i play i like being lefty as hard as it is to get the guitars sometimes. id have to do something to protect the finish from my pick though wat do u guys think?

[gregga41]

Hey David, welcome from another Aussie Rick/Beatle NUT!
Go for the lefty! It looks awesome! $4K in australian dollars isn;t too far off the mark for a lot of standard new RIcks! I did have a 320 and found the 3/4 size very hard to play, so have gone for a full scale JG 350....love it!
Where in Australia are you based?

[wj350]

Yeah, unless your name is Jimi Hendrix I don't care much for the look of guitars upside down--even pictures of McCartney with his Esquire and Casino look silly to me.

Considering how rare the 325 lefties seem to be, I'd go for this one and see how the color sits with you. If you really want one in black, you can have it refinished...can't get more Lennon than that!

And FWIW, I don't see anything to indicate this guitar is a fake--if it is, someone probably went to more trouble than Ric does in making it so!

Bill

[jim_w]

Where on God's green earth did whoever did the Lennon mods to this get a comp'd LEFTY bigsby dog-bone bridge???

I went through hoops to borrow a righty one to measure it, reverse engineer it, make a cad model and get one machined from billet!

The guy who did the machining did 5 as the minimum order, so I have 4 extra lefty bridges (just the bridges, not the dog-bone)