Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Howard, I traded the 320 for a dead mint Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop Hall of Fame all-gold Standard.

Len, I can answer the pot date-code question: the answer is yes, with some caution. The pots have to be original to the guitar, of course, and one must remember that the manufacturers' stock of pots may have varied enough that older pots might have been used months, or even years, later. The latter part comes from experience: I have a 4001 WAL that has a replaced jackplate; the pots date to mid 1973, but the bass has 1974 features, so it probably dates from sometime in 1974, not 1973.

Len, the company records at RIC are not for public knowledge, and there is no one employee devoted to archiving IIRC... but there may be a point in time where someone can check a number for you...I suggest you contact RIC directly.

Rickenbackers used CTS pots in the 60s almost exclusively, YMMV..; I can't remember any other brand used as a factory part since about 1959-60.

WHO modified that 360/12? Wahhh!

When I get home tonight I'll post the pics of the 320 (I Think?)that I recently purchased. It has been refinished and the original jackplate was replaced years ago. Perhaps from the pics someone will be able to provide further commentary.

Bob, there is more than one of those floating around like that, and I think it is more than a coincidence. It may have been done on purpose, by the distributor or maybe even Rickenbacker..I'm thinking the latter as a long-shot, though. I think both guitars were in Italy, IIRC....

There was a thread last year about those 360/12 exports to Italy...They were american Rickenbackers, not RM. The sound hole was the only difference from US products.
I own one of them as you can see in the picture...another one appeared on ebay last year..anyway, they were "professionally" modified into 6 strings just putting black plastic plugs into the headstock to cover the holes of the removed 6 Klusons and adding an Accent vibrato and a 6strings bridge...maybe the purpose was to sell unsold guitars when the 12strings golden age was almost over...at least here in Italy.
15 yrs ago a luthier modified the headstock covering it with a wood sheet and finishing it fireglo...It doesn't look too much worse than before when it used to have black plugs.
the rest is completely 1967 original...

As promised here are some pics of the Ric 320?

Well, thats different.

Hmm. Len, did you buy it as we see it? I would like to see close-up pics of the bridge and the pickups, and the headstock as well. If this is an older Rickenbacker, it may have been originally made in the 60's, I think I can see a 3-piece top. It has Sta-Tites on it too, from what I can see. I'd bet it had an Accent when it was originally made too. Any red pigment in the control cavity??

John,

I have not actually received the guitar yet - it is in transit. I purchased the guitar with the intent of restoring it back to its original condition. The seller was very forthright about the guitar. He bought it in 1978 and he was in a Beatle cover band. The guitar was in exceptionally bad shape when he got it. It was originally an MG or so he believes as it was plain wood. It had only 1 tuner, the pick ups did not work, there was a small crack/hole under the pick guard (which was repaired), and he replaced the bridge and the jackplate as it was rusted over. He discarded most of the parts when he repaired it as he never thought it would be worth much but did keep or found the original bridge, 1 pick up, 2 pick up covers. I did get a picture of the control cavity and it is all black and I could not see any red. Not sure on the 3-piece top but certainly could be. I'll try and answer other questions more fully when I get the guitar.

Congrats on your purchase and good luck with it no matter what it turns out to be. Regarding 70s 320s, back around 78-79, I had a friend in the northwest suburbs of Chgo and his local music store had a new FG 320 with an F hole in stock for what seemed like years. Of course, now I wish I had bought it. In 79, the guitarist in my band bought a new, solid top JG 320 (on a trip to NYC.) The FG made me think most had F holes back then. We were all jazzed about the solid top because of Lennon but if I had my choice now I'd go for the FG (thus, in fact, I ordered a 1996.)

I knew a Guy named Chris Parry who was in a local Beatle/60s cover band called "Shout". They use to play at place called "Buckys" back in the early eighties in covina ca. He had a beat up Rick 310/320 that had 2 pickups and pickguard that looked like one from a 4001 bass. Fast forward to early 90s. I met up with him again at local pub in Upland, Ca. He was playing a blueburst looking 320. He told me that it was the same guitar but he sent it to Rickenbacker and had it restored. It actually was a 320 and he had Ric do the blueburst finish on it. I remember the wood having a nice flame to it. It looks just like Len`s guitar.

If that is the case, then......DON'T TOUCH THAT GUITAR! John Hall could tell you "yea or nay" for sure.

If so, it's the strangest color I've seen on a 320, yet. Very distinctive. Bruiseburst, I'd call it.

Cool..... I kinda like it.

But then, I kinda like unusual colors.....

Very eye-catching, with that dark blue color and the f-hole....