1966 Model 340 in black

Early years of Rickenbacker Guitars prior to and including 1972

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severflux
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1966 Model 340 in black

Post by severflux »

Hi, new member here.

After never being exposed to a Rickenbacker instrument, I have found myself in possession of one.
The axe in question is a 1966 340, and she is in rough shape. I have put about 5 hours into getting her cleaned up and restored, and still have to get the electronics back in order.

Pics attached. If anyone could shed some more light on this instrument for me, as far as construction, history, current value, or anything else to note, that would be awesome.

*Have found that the neck pickup is a Gibson PAF with the patent # sticker on it. So roughly late 60’s, early 70’s?
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jdogric12
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Re: 1966 Model 340 in black

Post by jdogric12 »

Cool instrument, but yeah it's seen better days. The good news is, I'm guessing you paid little to nothing for it, making it a great candidate for a full restoration. Someone who knows Ricks like Larry Davis (Davis Guitar Works in Florida) could take this and reset the neck (it probably needs that, maybe not), fill any wood that was removed for that Gibson pickup, and give it a nice new Rick-appropriate paint job. Congrats! I'd be excited about taking on a project like that.
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collin
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Re: 1966 Model 340 in black

Post by collin »

I have to respectfully disagree with Jason about this one.

This guitar has character in spades - it has the kind of vibe that money cannot buy. It would be a damn shame to completely restore the guitar when it could be a superb player with only a minor amount of work, and look great in the end.

While we can't see what the actual pickup routes look like, it appears that the person who installed the humbucker was smart about it and top-mounted the pickup above the surface of the guitar. This only requires a small amount of routing underneath to fit the pole pieces, plus two screw holes where it's mounted.

The alternative many people do is routing out the entire area of the pickup and installing it below the surface of the body (which is NOT necessary on a Rickenbacker because the pickups sit proud of the top).

You might be able to mount a toaster pickup back in the neck position, possibly with a foam surround underneath (instead of the black rubber grommets) and the only visible telltale would be two discreet holes where the HB pickups were mounted. These can be touched-in easily with black.

I'd play the hell out of that thing with just a simple return to the Toaster pickup, that's all.

BTW - that pickup is a T-Top patent number humbucker ('67-70). They're great pickups, and worth about $400 by itself.
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sloop_john_b
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Re: 1966 Model 340 in black

Post by sloop_john_b »

Wow. I absolutely love this guitar.

Adding that T-Top at the neck was an interesting choice (usually you’d see a humbucker at the bridge) but as Collin mentioned, it’s a desirable pickup and no doubt sounds really good!

Wear like this is pretty uncommon on Ricks, and highly desired by many (including myself), so if you decide to restore it, please first consider selling it instead and looking for an example in the condition you prefer. It would be quite a shame to erase that great patina from the guitars history, which it will never get back.

I'll take a shot at current value - if you get it functioning 100% and can establish that the neck doesn't need to be reset or anything like that, i'd say in the neighborhood of $2,500. An all-original example of this would probably bring anywhere from $3,000 to $3,500. Ultimately defer to Collin on this.
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collin
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Re: 1966 Model 340 in black

Post by collin »

sloop_john_b wrote: Wed Jan 26, 2022 3:53 pm I'll take a shot at current value - if you get it functioning 100% and can establish that the neck doesn't need to be reset or anything like that, i'd say in the neighborhood of $2,500. An all-original example of this would probably bring anywhere from $3,000 to $3,500. Ultimately defer to Collin on this.
I'd say the current value is a little lower than that, more like $2K retail.

But if it was all original and unmodified, probably $3,500-4K

The neck angle looks really good! The bridge is sky high
severflux
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Re: 1966 Model 340 in black

Post by severflux »

Thank you all for the info.

I did not pay a dime for this guitar. A coworker bought this when he was 19, and is now passing 60. His health has taken a dive lately, and he has no children. He has insisted on passing his gear to me so I can restore/fix/clean and use it. I’m conflicted on how I feel about all of it, but honestly the gear is in good hands with me, so I will take it on.

As far as the neck humbucker, there are no holes routed of any kind for the install, thankfully. Pic attached for reference.

As far as the rest of the hardware, it is original. I will keep the wiring the same and reflow the joints. I will most likely not be refinishing it; just seems a bit taboo to me at this point.

I’ve worked on a lot of guitars in the past few years, and the neck on this one seems solid. Action is fine, although I have been avoiding checking the truss rod. (Kind of just waiting to know the state of it until it needs an adjustment). I may crack it open soon just to get it over with.

Something also to note is that, (never having played a Ricky until now), the neck is super narrow. Very different feel to anything modern. But, I suppose that is to be expected with something this age.
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maxwell
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Re: 1966 Model 340 in black

Post by maxwell »

The only thing I’d do is paint those two metal tabs securing the humbucker black. As long as the action is OK, I wouldn’t touch the trussrods (ever). Really, it’s a wonderfully unique guitar. Congrats!
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collin
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Re: 1966 Model 340 in black

Post by collin »

Excellent! You could swap a toaster pickup back in the neck spot and it would almost be invisible. Just a dab of touch-up paint where those humbucker mounting screws went and you’re good. That’s the cleanest / least invasive humbucker mod I’ve ever seen on a Rickenbacker.

If the neck is straight, don’t touch the truss rod. If you do have to adjust the rod for any reason - do a lot of searching and reading threads on the subject here. The hairpin style rods on a pre-1984 Rickenbacker do not function like any other guitar truss rods, and tightening the nuts like you would on a Gibson is guaranteed to pop the fretboard right off the neck near the nut.

Looks like an excellent guitar and they’re not easy to find in Jetglo compared to the other colors, enjoy.
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jdogric12
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Re: 1966 Model 340 in black

Post by jdogric12 »

Oh - I did not catch the bit about how the humbucker was minimally invasive. That IS unusual.
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kennyhowes
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Re: 1966 Model 340 in black

Post by kennyhowes »

that’s hot
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