Curved Bridge Cover

[fabandgear]

When did Rickenbacker change from the curved cover to the flat cover on their guitar bridge? The one F.C. Hall sent me in '79 for my 365 was curved. I believe my Brother's '80 320's was curved also. All the newer ones on the V reissues are flat. Just wondering when the change was made.

[collin]

The chrome cover that goes over the bridge?


All the 60's ones I've ever had were flat, like the reissues are. No idea about curved ones, though a picture would be cool.

[fabandgear]

Here you go! This is the cover on my '65 365.

[jps]

It looks like the vertical sides are angled in a bit so maybe yours have been mildly reshaped.

[fabandgear]

It actually came from Rickenbacker in 1979 this way. There is a definite curvature to the cover and it was not modified by me. I think the closeup may distort the pic a little.

[jingle_jangle]

Some of these were bent so that the screw holes would line up; they appear to have been drilled a bit too far apart in production.

[fabandgear]

In the foreground is the cover off of my '01 1997, the background is the one off of my '65 365, which I received in 1979.

[doctorwho]

It does look like it was bent slightly in order to line up the mounting holes.

I wonder whether the one on my 1966 340 is curved ...

Nope, only looks bent from use. It is original to the guitar AFAIK.

[fabandgear]

No, that one looks bent by hand. The one on my 365 was curved on a machine before it was chrome plated. I'm going to see if I can find the bridge cover from my Brother's '80 320. It's been a while since I saw it, but I'm thinking it had the same curved profile. This is curious!

[rickaddict]

This might just be another 1979 quality control anomaly.

I currently have 3 such instruments:

I have a 4001 and a 4002 from 1979 where the tailpiece indents that the bridge rests on are not indents, but holes through the tail. Both basses came with longer bridge height adjustment screws that rest on the maple beneath the tail. And I've seen at least 10 other basses like this over the years (all from 1979).

I also have a 1979 4005 with a bridge mount plate that--instead of having 4 indents for the bridge to rest on--has threaded holes that go all the way through the mount plate. So the bridge height adjusters screw into the base plate! Makes height adjustments tricky.

Any who...that's my guess...unless maybe the thing got bent in shipping.