I've had this 430 for about 16 years now and have never seen another like it, in person. I only found out what it actually was a couple years ago, when I started poking around on the internet. From what I can tell, it's from July, 1975 (serial # on the bridge plate reads OG 3840). Did they not make many of these or was it just not popular? I'd love any additional info anyone could give me. Thanks.
Mike these were made in 1975 and 1976 with relatively few made. This two pickup solid mahogany body with bolt on maple neck came in a range of finishes with Mapleglo, Walnut, Brown and Jetglo popular. By all accounts it is a nice player. Welcome and tell us what you think of it's tone and playability. Perhaps owners will offer their opinion too.
Life, as with music, often requires one to let go of the melody and listen to the rhythm
I used to own OG 3727 which looked much like yours before its transfer and subsequent trans red makeover. Peter is right in that these 430s are great little players. They are untypical in that their fret boards are very flat and their style of hi-gains are unique to the model. Mine was a rock monster with a tone that would please Keith Richard. Hang on to it and rock it hard!
Welcome to the site, Mike! You've certainly come to the right place. i got my 430 almost 30 years ago, but until I found this site I rarely saw anything about them or came across anyone else who had one. Since then I've seen a handful for sale here and there, but they certainly aren't all that common.
The 430 was Rickenbacker's "student" model from the mid-1970s to the mid-to-early 1980s (I forget exactly when it was discontinued). The basic body shape of the 430 is similar to that of the later 230s (Hamburg and El-Dorado), although there are a lot of other differences between them. While the 430 was-priced lower than most of the other models available at the time, it's still a well-made instrument, albeit without some of the trimmings found on the higher-end models. The skinny and flat neck is unusual but very easy to play. As Kira points out, the pickups are unlike those on any other Rickenbacker, although i've always suspected they are essentially similar to Hi-Gains with a different cover. While my 430 doesn't sound exactly like my Hi-Gain equipped 620, they sound more like one another than any of my other guitars do. In other words, to my ears it still sounds like a Rickenbacker.
Jonathan: Thanks for your interesting comments. The production did appear to continue into the 1980s with discontinuation around 1982. I note that our Register after more than a decade of data collection has only come up with 1975 and 1976 models. Another example of how our sampling does not tell the whole story! The history continues as we have no information on how many of these Rickenbackers were produced.
Life, as with music, often requires one to let go of the melody and listen to the rhythm
admin wrote:Mike these were made in 1975 and 1976 with relatively few made. This two pickup solid mahogany body with bolt on maple neck came in a range of finishes with Mapleglo, Walnut, Brown and Jetglo popular. By all accounts it is a nice player. Welcome and tell us what you think of it's tone and playability. Perhaps owners will offer their opinion too.
It's a pretty neat little guitar. Gets a lot of gain through those pickups and has a more trebley kinda screech to it. Definitely different than anything else I have. And I like that I've never seen another one.