My ebony fretboard on 370?

[kitchnine]

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[attachment=[/attachment]Hi forum people

I need some help with my 370 !! It is a 1975, but the colour & the ebony fretboard have me stumped. Is it a custom order? hope the photo's
can be of help and throw some light this way.
I bought it on E bay from a French guy a couple of years ago, He claimed to have commissioned the guitar, & picked it up personally from the factory sometime in 1975

[scotty]

Cant really see this as im veiwing on my mobile but this looks a bit fishy to me.I need so get a bigger picture. Has the back been stripped?

[electrofaro]

Looks like it could've been Jetglo, and refnished including an ebony fingerboard.
The dots seem too big? A bass fingerboard?
What's the jackplate code say?

[kitchnine]

No it same finish all over she looks great but I can't find it listed anywhere (the colour) jackplate No is og 4155

[jingle_jangle]

Looks like a refinish and replaced fretboard, at least from the photos.

It could have been a special order from the factory, but the wood on the body looks stained, not tinted in the usual RIC fashion.

Neither of these features is a standard Rickenbacker detail.

[kitchnine]

Thats why I'm on the forum to get to the bottom of this ! Who can tell me if it's a custom order, or a refinish

[cjj]

Well, you could ask RIC customer service. They have been known to look this sort of thing up, but I've heard that some records earlier than a certain date (not sure when) aren't readily accessible, so they don't usually look those up...

[electrofaro]

Well, the original owner would have a bill or something to show his story?
If I had a custom made I'd save to bill to show it really is a custom...

The code's '75 alright.

Have a look at the center PU - is it me, or is it badly aligned between the neck and bridge PUs; maybe added afterwards?

[jingle_jangle]

Thats why I'm on the forum to get to the bottom of this ! Who can tell me if it's a custom order, or a refinish

Well, if you want 100% certainty, a receipt or factory record is the only way, and the factory doesn't often do research on instruments--they're too busy making them. An in-hand examination by a Rickenbacker expert is the next best thing.

Upon examining the photos as best I could, however, I can say, "refinished, replaced fretboard, added center pickup" with a fair amount of certainty.

In other words, I hope you didn't pay premium collectible price for it...

[kitchnine]

Thank you Paul! I guess you could be right.
I thought as much but I,d never considered the the middle pup being an "add on"

[jingle_jangle]

You're welcome!

FYI, if the middle pickup would have been centered between the other two, and mounted straight, it would've passed initial muster.

However, chances are that pulling it off would reveal an incorrectly-routed magnet relief...

[jwilli]

Brian, is there anything written in the control cavity? Under the truss rod cover, is there any evidence of another color? Rickenbacker did make some guitars with custom ordered Ebony fretboards in the '70s. You may want to email Rickenbacker to see if they can give you any more info.

[jwilli]

My '69 360/12........

[jwilli]

Brian, it probably did not come the factory with those black knobs and it is missing it's top pickguard. I'm with Paul (and others) in thinking that this guitar has a non factory finish and an added third pickup. Still would love to see pics of whats under the plastic though.

[jingle_jangle]

Still would love to see pics of whats under the plastic though.

How 'bout the entire Oregon offense?