1958 Combo 400

Very Occasionally · Post by **Very Occasionally** » Tue May 21, 2019 12:51 am

I bought this one in 2005 and recently finished some repair work it needed. It had been beautifully refinished (by Paul W?) sometime prior to my finding it on eBay, with the entire Neck-through-Body left natural, which was the way they left the factory. The pickup is the original Rowe-DeArmond and has a wonderfully detailed sound and tone. The switch connects to a .0047 cap to ground, sending some highs to ground and working like the Gretsch tone switches.

I've also included a pic of the treble side showing the holes for bolting together the bouts (I think). They are the same on the bass side and are the depth of the wings; they don't go through the neck-through section.

The serial number dates it to 1958 which raises the possibility this was one of the last Tulip 400's to be produced. Information I've been able to gather indicates the body shape was changed in '58 or early '59.

I love the weight and with light gauge 9s it plays beautifully over the entire fretboard. I use it every day in the shop. I find the single pickup a bit limiting for gigs, though I like to take it out to local jams. It's especially gratifying to see the looks on the faces of other players when they're told they're holding a 60 year old Ric.