Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I don't say my last name the way my grandparents that were from Italy did. I say it the "Americanized" way.

JakeK wrote:

1965 wrote:BACK always sounded kind of redneck to me for some reason. "lookey at that thur RickenBACK'ur"

You callin' Pete Townshend a redneck?

Tom Petty, too, calls them BACK, but I guess being born in Gainesville and all could qualify for him being a redneck.

Obviously I'm not calling Pete a redneck, that's just how it sounds to me when people say it. The people at the company say BACK.

If you call the company telephone number, you'll get a recording first, starting off with the opening chord from Hard Day's Night, then followed by John Hall's voice saying: "Thank you for calling RickenBACKer." This is a followthrough of the "Americanization" of the family name, formerly spelled Rickenbacher. Ace Eddie's family apparently had changed to the ck spelling prior to or during the Great War, and Adolph's side did too, a while later. I don't think you'll confuse anyone with the old-fashioned pronunciation, but if JH says RickenBACKer, then it is.

I just shorten it and call them all "RICS", and the very rare occasion I do say the full name, it's taken me awhile to pronounce it correctly as "RickenBACKer," largely because this is the pronunciation always presented by the company itself.

I still don't know which pronunciation is correct, so i say [rikenbeker].

Blackendecker, Brickenthrower, Clickentwanger (or in german Klickentwanger), Gruntenheaver, Fartenblower, Brokenbacker (quiet now!), Chopenhacker, Kickensmacker.

Now just let me put on my asbestos suit while you guys and gals get your flamethrowers out!

Eden. (who seems to be in a stirring mood)

rickenbrother wrote:I don't say my last name the way my grandparents that were from Italy did. I say it the "Americanized" way.

I'm with you Joey,
We've "Australianized" our family name as the Irish way of saying it was too confusing.
So it's now ..."G'day Mate, we're the RALLYS."
Not the Rileys,the Raahlees or the Rah -HILLYs!!

collin wrote:I just shorten it and call them all "RICS"

They would actually be "Ricks". RIC is the acronym for the the Company name, and is short for Rickenbacker International Corporation. As far as the pronunciation of Rickenbacker, John Hall answered this back in the nineties for the old newsgroup alt.guitar.rickenbacker (this newsgroup, I understand, was the impetus for our current forum):

Subject: 5.1 How do I pronounce "Rickenbacker"?

It is Ricken-BACK-er, by the choice of Adolph Rickenbacker.

[John Hall, ceo(at)rickenbacker.com, 3/3/1998

gregga41 wrote:I'm with you Joey,
We've "Australianized" our family name as the Irish way of saying it was too confusing.
So it's now ..."G'day Mate, we're the RALLYS."
Not the Rileys,the Raahlees or the Rah -HILLYs!!

Greg, I was wondering why Trotty pronounced your name as "RALLY" That clears it up!

Adolf Ricken-bach-er, was changed to Rickenbacker to assimilate and possibly cash in on WWI ace pilot/distant relative Eddie Ricken-BACK-er's fame. The composer, J.S. Bach, is still to this day not refered to as "Back". Say it however you like, everyone knows what you are talking about. NO time to argue foreign etymology, got some woodsheddin' to do!

I guess I don't get the point of/need for the original post/thread.

weemac wrote:Blackendecker, Brickenthrower, Clickentwanger (or in german Klickentwanger), Gruntenheaver, Fartenblower, Brokenbacker (quiet now!), Chopenhacker, Kickensmacker.

Now just let me put on my asbestos suit while you guys and gals get your flamethrowers out!

Eden. (who seems to be in a stirring mood)

LOL I love it hahaha My Mrs calls my Rics those bloody guitars!

iamthebassman wrote:I guess I don't get the point of/need for the original post/thread.

The same could be said about any thread. It's discussion, relax and enjoy, or find another thread I guess!

iamthebassman wrote:I guess I don't get the point of/need for the original post/thread.

Tough crowd! Sheesh.

iamthebassman wrote:I guess I don't get the point of/need for the original post/thread.

...and I guess I'm with you, Ronn...I'm not overly passionate one way or other about this, although sometimes 'Americanization' drives me nuts. We've been at war with a country for years now, the name of which most of us (including the Prez) refuse to pronounce correctly: yet another flashback to the '60's. I'm just relieved that we seem to have reached a certain level of sophistication at this point that prevents us from pronouncing the Democratic candidate's name as though it ryhmed with 'Alabama'...

By the way, Ronn, I've been meaning to ask for a long time: do you pronounce the second 'n' in your name, or is it 'silent'?