Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

What do you all think of the 200 series guitars....Id like a backup rick....and fairly soon...and these are definetly in the price range

I've got two of them: a 220 in Midnight Blue and a Fireglo 260. Their "earlier" incarnations (i.e., the 230 and 250) seem to pop-up more frequently on eBay, though. Of course, they are all decendants of the 430.

Since they are discontinued, it's would appear they didn't sell well enough. But I think that's primarily due to their "look" -- not they way they play. Most RIC-aficionados take one look at a 200 Series guitar and say: "Yuck!"

Both of mine are excellent players. Pretty versatile, too! And, yes, they can be picked up pretty inexpensively. A couple of years ago, I got my 220 for a whopping $360 on eBay... and the "cosmetics" were in great shape!

Alex - I've got an old 430 - which is almost identical to the 200 series. Sir Andrew is right - they don't look "RICish" but my 430 plays and sounds great. Don't know about used prices as I bought mine new in 1975. It's a Jet Glo - which I believe was the only factory finish available for the 430's. Check out Bjorn's site as he has a lot of models there with pictures.

I've had an '89 230 since I bought it used in 1991 and I love it. There is another at a local store (a 1991 model) and I want it but don't have the dough. Excellent playing and sounding guitars. Pretty ugly body though. You shouldn't pay any more than $700 for one I would guess.

This 430 is not in Jetglo...Bjorn's page says there were 5 incarnations of the 430:

http://www.rickbeat.com/modelslibrary/430/430.htm

hmm I think id like to buy a 430 and see if I could modify a full size pickgaurd to fit on it.....

I would really like to own a 200 series guitar ... I think I would turn it into a 7 string .... ahhh just kidding ... well half kidding ...

Alex: Why not just make a pickguard? Stew Mac has all the materials and there must be a bandsaw or jigsaw in your neck of the woods. The rest is just sanding, as long as you stick to celluloid. If you use acrylic, well, that's a whole 'nuther animal.

i just think the mini pickguard looks daft....Im basically trying to get my hands on ANY rick....as a backup 6 string....but i need it to be cheap. I dont care if its trashed...but I figured the least expensive one i could find is a 200 or even 430

Alex, what do you mean by full size? The 200 Series has the smaller of the two pickguards.

Looking at the pictures on rickbeat.com of the 200 (or 460?) it has kind of a tiny pickgaurd it looks kind of awkward

Not a 460, Alex. A 460 has a very LARGE pickguard... it covers almost the whole front side of the guitar! You must've been looking at the 260. Which is mine, by the way.

220s and 260s have small, single tier pickguards (so do the Glenn Frey's)... about the same size as those found on the 650 Series. If you opt for a 230 or 250, there are no pickguards... so you can fabricate whatever you want without having to worry about "existing holes." Although I'm not sure how the volume/control cavity will line-up.

Are you wanting a pickguard the same size as the bottom pickguard on those Ricks that have the two-tier design? Or are you wanting to have the two-tier pickguard? The string height is pretty low on 200 Series guitars... I don't know if you could get by with a two-tier pickguard; the pickguard might be higher than the strings and interfere with your strumming.

I did replace the small-sized "chrome" pickguard on my 650D with a RIC two-tier pickguard... and it's a close fit. My profile has a link to my site... see the "Photo Page." Is what I did to my 650 the same as what you want to do to a 200 Series guitar when you get one?

Just trying to be clear on what you want to do...