History of Checkboard binding

[scoobster28]

My first (and to date, only) Rickenbacker purchase was a 360/12CW which I absolutely loved. I then let it go, though perhaps I will buy another in time. I really liked the checkerboard binding, and that got me wondering more about it.

What year was this introduced, and what models was it primarily featured on? When was it discontinued/replaced with regular white binding? Are the 660 and 660/12 the only current models available with it as an option?