Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Very nice pics of your 480. To me it looks like a dark Fireglo, and I like it.

Andrea, welcome to the forum!

You have a beautiful 480. The finish is gorgeous.

Thanks kiramdear!
I joined the forum last year but that was my first post so I am pretty new here!

@Iheartricks
yes it is a dark fireglo..almost no trace of 'yellow' but I like it! I bought the guitar 1year ago and considering it's age it is in an incredible good condition.

Andrea: Welcome to the RRF from all 480 lovers. Your instrument is in excellent shape for its age to be sure.

Chip: Lie is killer. Nice work. Congratulations to you and the group. Your lead work on the 480 rules.

loopyreed wrote:Can anybody help? I've tried to find videos of 480 demos, but I only found one on a 481. And to the 480 owners, what do you like or dislike about the guitar?

I know this is kind of an old post, but it's a rare chance for me to pipe in with a shred of authority.

I played a 480 in my old pop band. It was all I played. Sounded really honeyed and glassy through my Roland JC 120. I tell you this: although it's not a 480 (it's actually a '54 Telecaster), the guitar on this old Smiths recording almost perfectly matches the sound I had with my 480, except the 480 was just possibly a very slight tick thicker:


Honestly, my 480 sounded just like the main riff here (apart from the minor difference than I'm not Johnny Marr )

admin wrote:Andrea: Welcome to the RRF from all 480 lovers. Your instrument is in excellent shape for its age to be sure.

Chip: Lie is killer. Nice work. Congratulations to you and the group. Your lead work on the 480 rules.

Thank you for the kind words Peter. Greatly appreciated.

And Andrea, forgive me for the belated welome as I was enamored with that 480 of yours!

DOUBLEUman wrote:although it's not a 480 (it's actually a '54 Telecaster), the guitar on this old Smiths recording almost perfectly matches the sound I had with my 480, except the 480 was just possibly a very slight tick thicker

I've always thought the 480 sounded like a "angrier" Telecaster...

Mine's got transitional hi-gains:

...great pickups.

badeggs wrote:

DOUBLEUman wrote:although it's not a 480 (it's actually a '54 Telecaster), the guitar on this old Smiths recording almost perfectly matches the sound I had with my 480, except the 480 was just possibly a very slight tick thicker

I've always thought the 480 sounded like a "angrier" Telecaster...

Mine's got transitional hi-gains:
...great pickups.

Yeah, beautifully angry. I'm in the process of digitizing some old tape recordings of my 480 in a song contexts, and I'll post one of the songs here when I get the files (in a few weeks). You won't believe how BIG these pups can sound; then again, you may already know what I mean.