Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

A 1957 Combo 800 has been found after ten years following a discussion on The Rickenbacker Forum. The article can be found here.

I want to add to this tale something ...

The original pickups that were in these instruments had a fault...the polepieces were so narrow ,when you bent a string ,even slightly when fretting ,the signal would fall off to nothing .

I felt it my duty to try something out .I had nothing to lose .

I made a new coil in the shape and material of the original 'two' and wound them to original spec ,except for one thing .

I wound one coil reverse ,so that there could be a humcanceling position .

I changed the wiring of the guitar (it was completely unwired when I got it ) .the two switches gave every combination that I could come up with using the stock selector switches -

individual coils ,parallel,series

The tops of the polepieces were .0340 in diameter and polished .I think it came out rather nice .

I loved the article. What a great story!

You do AMAZING work, Mark.

How about that... a story with a happy ending.

Gee, I'd like a guitar like that!

Maybe you would like a guitar that had the flavor of a guitar like that ?

I'm not sure I understand why that person didn't bother to look Mark's number up in the phone book (or on the internet).

True I thought of that as well.

In any event, everything worked out eventually.

I think that I can give you a reason for this .

for starters ,this was done on the 'sly' for what ever reason Brian had .We had a great relationship when we worked together in the early 1970's and again when he returned in a management capacity.

We spoke many times over the phone during his return period about all kinds of issues ,items and instrument troubles and tools .

He would call and ask of my opinion on things all the time .

As to this guitar ,he did not know of an info at th etime in the factory about it ,how they were wired and how to make the thing work "properly" .
Nice guitar ...but the pickup was a problem and there was no facility to make a custom unit .
Plus trick wiring was not Brians forte.
The guys on the line knew how to make the standard stuff ....I was Brian's "ace in the hole". ( this is not the same thing as a donkey on the ground-if you catch my drift although there may be some one that disagrees with that ).

I was happy to do the work .
Problem..........I had no idea who owned it !

I did not have the heart to sell it nor did I have any need to finish it once Brian was 'no longer' at RIC.

I sat on it ....figuring one day it's owner would find me .

My name and shop name was said in a phone conversation once .The box that it was shipped to me in had just Rickenbacker markings on it ....nothing else .Neither Brian nor I expected this to happen this way .

But finish it I did and return it ....obviously.

It was a pleasure to find the owner ...he had ALL the info and the correct story on it .I had no doubt in my mind connected with him .