Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

My 480 points up more on the right, cannot compare thickness. I seem to have read somewhere about the templates wearing down and needing to be replaced and that altering shapes a little bit... Specifically, the lower bout on 360s.

Maybe that is an answer or maybe I just dreamed it.

An ex-RIC employee gave me the goss on the headstock and confirmed there were many variations in the shape usually due to the sanding process.

He gave me some info on control cavity scrawlings so I can confirm that my 480 is legit.

Here's what I know from that era. The peghead was routed on an overarm pin router. A solid steel template was attached to the back of the peghead, a 1 inch router bit and pin were used to carve the shape. The template attached to the holes drilled for the tuning machines. The hardest part was cutting the hook at the end of the peghead..Sometimes this would chip or lose part of the wood due to a process called: back grain routing. This is the end grain of the neck and the most difficult part to route. Because the peghead was smaller than a 4001, it had to be opened up more at the cresting wave area to keep it from chipping or getting damaged during the routing procedure. If it did chip out then extra sanding was needed to compensate for that. Several times I had to glue a small piece of Maple to the hook, then cut and sand it to size. this kept us from throwing away a perfectly good neck.

Thanks, Dale.

JKC

Much appreciated Dale

Everyone has been really helpful and I have managed to get to the bottom of it.