Is it real or is it memorex?

[meistro56]

Can anyone help me identify this guitar? It was stashed away in the garage of a friend who passed away recently. Since I know a little (just enough to be dangerous) about guitars, I have been asked to do some research. I don't know enough about Rickenbackers to tell for sure, so I've included a link to some pictures.

http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h35 ... ry%20Rick/

Almost everything points to this being an actual Rickenbacker, but then there's a couple of features that have me scratching my head. Just to fill in a few blanks: this was found without any other parts, except the truss rod cover. No pickups, pickguard, electronics, tuners, or jack plate. The TRC looks real and as old as the guitar appears to be. From what I can tell, the TRC is from an old "B" series 320. The guitar was (originally) painted Jetglo and partially stripped at some point. All the body and neck dimensions look to be right. It's a 20-3/4" scale neck with a heavily lacquered maple fretboard. The fretboard markers are only from the 5th fret to the fifteenth with no double dots at the twelfth fret. The neck width at the nut is about 41mm and 49mm at the twelfth fret. The fretboard radius is very small, probably 7" to 7-1/2". Double truss rod which each is one piece of steel bent in two with one end threaded. This looks to be the same as the ones used up until 1986 or so. The neck joint appears to run up to the middle pickup, and then it's open beneath the bridge pickup. The body is routed from a solid piece of wood (maple?) with a two-piece back. The holes on the butt-end match up exactly to a Ric "R" tailpiece bracket. The big problem for me is the cat's eye sound hole. I have never seen a 320/325 with a sound hole other that an "f" hole. Also, it was painted inside the sound hole, pickup cutout and electronics cavity. Any help would be appriciated.

[sloop_john_b]

It does look like a real 320 to me. That slash soundhole was added by a previous owner and they did a really shoddy job of it to boot.

Hard to tell if the TRC is white or gold, but if it's white (which I think it is), then it isn't from the B series.

[ken_j]

Welcome to the forum Paul. Looks like that could be a fun project.

[meistro56]

@sloop_john_b: the TRC is gold, just like the "B" series. I was afraid you'd say the sound hole wasn't original.

I'm close enough to Santa Ana that I might just take the guitar for a ride and have Mr. Hall look at it.

[Ontario_RIC_fan]

I saw this guitar up on Ebay about a week back... Didn't it sell?? I thought it had. Out of Hawaii.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dl ... true&rt=nc

Yes it looks like a real Rickenbacker 320, but one with an f hole that someone has modded into a slash. RIC was making 320 with f holes from 1975 though to about 1982. Which is the likely era of this guitar.

http://www.rickresource.com/register/in ... 77&order=5

The B series (82 to 83) had solid tops. So while it could have had a solid top - i think it more likely to have been a stock 320 with an f hole that has been modded this way.

There was no jackplate I take it? That (and the SN attached to it) would have been your best way to date and authenticate the guitar.

[sloop_john_b]

I saw this guitar up on Ebay about a week back... Didn't it sell?? I thought it had.

Yes it looks like a real Rickenbacker 320, but one with an f hole that someone has modded into a slash. RIC was making 320 with f holes from 1975 though to about 1982. Which is the likely era of this guitar.

http://www.rickresource.com/register/in ... 77&order=5

The B series (82 to 83) had solid tops. So while it could have had a solid top - i think it more likely to have been a stock 320 with an f hole that has been modded this way.

There was no jackplate I take it? That (and the SN attached to it) would have been your best way to date and authenticate the guitar.

The majority of 320s made within that timeframe (post 1976) would not have had plexi TRC's and ESPECIALLY would not have had gold TRCs.

[Ontario_RIC_fan]

From looking at the different pics in the Ebay auction I am betting the pick guard and TRC are not original to the guitar.

[sloop_john_b]

Oops sorry, missed your auction link the first time.

That ramp look odd to anyone else?

[Ontario_RIC_fan]

Oops sorry, missed your auction link the first time.

That ramp look odd to anyone else?

That is because I added it after an edit

Looks like it was over sanded when the finish was removed.

The fret board looks absolutely correct to me...

[jingle_jangle]

Late entry here...I've been offline all day on my office computer.

Biscuti's right. Judging from The two mid-seventies NOS bodies that I have, the shape, fretboard, and control cavity mark it as genuine. Whoever hacked that sound hole, though, missed the boat by a mile.

Now what to do? You can't un-hole it...

[ken_j]

...Now what to do? You can't un-hole it...

Send it to the Bondo boys in Chi town.

[Ontario_RIC_fan]

Late entry here...I've been offline all day on my office computer.

Biscuti's right. Judging from The two mid-seventies NOS bodies that I have, the shape, fretboard, and control cavity mark it as genuine. Whoever hacked that sound hole, though, missed the boat by a mile.

Now what to do? You can't un-hole it...

Here is a 320 that was "un-holed" I am not fond of the result though!

Look at picture 9 in the entry below.

http://www.rickresource.com/register/vi ... 6order%3D5

[jingle_jangle]

Like I said, you can't un-hole it.

[ken_j]

You would need to veneer the top after fixing the hole. The edges of the veneer would be at the edges of the guitar and most likely still visible, but would look better than the one in the register. Of course binding would make the veneer edges invisible.

[jingle_jangle]

Depends on the thickness of the veneer. You'd need at least 1/16" of wood on top of the patch to keep it from showing over time.

You could also hide the seam with the edge radius and JG paint.

Strictly speaking, it's a bodge.