Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

JF 129 = J(1970), F(June), 129 number assigned to this instrument in sequence.

This also verifies that it is the #3 Byrd Rickenbacker that was in the RRHOF for a while.

Mark, did you invite him to the forum?

Interesting that he's using this guitar after so many years. Has he used it since the 70s?

Cole

John,
Thanks for deciphering the number for me.
I’m glad the info helped verify some things.

Cole,
No, unfortunately I didn’t specifically ask Roger to join the forum. I just said that the question had come up on the forum and whether it was ok if I passed along his answer.
The question of whether Roger reads or joins a forum also came up recently over on the RIC site.
In some ways I think it would be great but maybe it some ways it wouldn’t.
I’ll ask him next time I write but I doubt he will join (but ya never know).

PS1: Paul Kantner is a semi-regular contributor to two Airplane-related forums. (Though I don’t know how comprehendible his musings are.)

PS2: I asked Jorma if he reads any of the online Airplane stuff and he said no but that he would check them out. (I doubt that he has though.)

RE: “Has he used it since the 70s?”

Well, since John S. mentions that this guitar used to be in the RRHOF, then probably not.
Also, combined with the info that Roger gave me last year (which I mentioned in earlier post) it seems as if this is the guitar he is touring with now.

NOTE: The funny thing is, last April I was standing literally no more than five feet away from this guitar and didn’t notice the headstock. A friend of mine took a couple of pictures of fair/poor quality. I’ll have to go back and check.

Epilogue – I just read my post and want to add…

Cole, I’m sorry I think I misunderstood your question the first time. I guess you meant has Roger EVER used this guitar since the 70s. (I don’t know.) Not has he used this guitar CONTINUOUSLY since the 70s. Right?

And as far as inviting Roger to the forum, maybe that is Peter’s place to do so. (But if it is ok with Peter I have no problem passing the invite along.)

I know he has used his sig model since he got it. I was wondering if he had used Byrd 3 during his early solo period and beyond.

Cole

Roger used this guitar regularly up till his RM sig. models were introduced in '87-'88.Yes, he used it in the Byrds with Clarence, but at the tail end of the Byrds ,mid '70 to '73 when they disbanded.Sometime later in '70, he got the lightshow 12 as well, which he used intermittantly
in the 70s.

Don, he must have that lightshow 12 back in his posession now as well, I didn't see it out when I was at the RRHOF last time.....

If that Rick is #3 for Roger, then somewhere along the way, the odd combination of tuners he had on it at least through the McGuinn, Clark and Hillman days were changed to Schaller minis.I got to hold and play #3 when I first met Roger in early '74, and that Rick had a set od Schaller M-6 tuners in the std. position, and a set of Grover Imperials for the slotted part of the headstock.Kinda neck heavy, IIRC.The guitar also was Very worn and beat up, especially for a guitar that was only 4 years old at the time.Pieces of binding were missing off the body, and the chrome on the PUs was in bad shape.Played nice, though.Is this the same guitar I saw a pic of Roger holding, maybe from late 80s[?] where he's wearing a tropical shirt? I think that pic showed a std 360 style control pickguard on it.Did he have the guitar refinished or fixed up at some point, maybe by Rickenbacker?

Yes, it was redone in the 80's..I am thinking RIC redid it for him...

Maybe JH will chime in.

If I recall, this guitar has high-gain pickups too, or did have for a long time...

Yes, hi gains for sure.

This guitar also had a custom-built 12 saddle bridge on it when I saw it at the RRHOF 6 years ago. anyone know who built the bridge. It was much heavier-duty looking than the RIC piece.

RM plays and talks about this guitar here:

http://webcast.msc.uky.edu/woodsongs-398.wmv

Here is another pic. Looks like new Schallers to me.

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4031/1170/1600/IMG_2112-1.jpg