Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

A few common abbreviations from the USA Retail Price List effective December 15, 1995

BT - Binding, nameplate, pickguard and hardware reversed to black, except vintage reissue has chrome parts - $75
WT - Binding, nameplate, pickguard, reversed to white, hardware chrome - $75
LH - Lefthand available all models - $125
RH - Right-hand stringing of lefthand instrument - $50
VB - Vintage reissue vibrato - $125
VH - High performance vibrato system on 650 series guitar - $165
VP,HB - Custom pickup charge, vintage or humbucking - $50
UP - Upgrade from Standard to Vintage Case - $25

Perhaps a couple of other abbreviations of interest. There may be some discussion with respect to these abbreviations.

OS - old style 360 body before the new style shape with rounded edges was introduced in 1964

WBBS - white binding on both sides of old style (pre 1964) body

WB - also refers to binding on both sides of the original (pre 1964) body style. An "abbreviated abbreviation."

NS - new style 360 body (rounded edges and binding on back only) introduced in 1964.

F - full scale neck thick body series.

How about the 'VN' (vintage neck), offered by Woody....

Peter, it should be noted that all of those in your first post and "WB" from the second are official option designations.

"F" is actually part of the model number, and you might add "S" to this category.

"OS" and "WBBS" were informal, warehouse codes, never official designations. I don't recall ever seeing "NS" used at the company on any real level compared to the other designations, and suspect this is something mainly among collectors or the various books, although it might have appeared a few times on an internal invoice during the time of transition.

So what does the "S" in 4003S (5 string)means???

Thanks for the clarification with regard to the official versus unofficial use of these abbreviations John. In a world that uses more shortcuts every day, it can get confusing. I appreciate the guidance here. Even our causal time is filled with these abbrevations. The television line up the other night was OC, ER, CI, SVU and CSI.

Dan: I believe S, stands for special along with SPC which has also been part of model numbers in the past.

Don't forget FL for fretless (bass models).

Darn! I thought F was for fretless...well, I'll be FL'd from now on...

Another unofficial warehouse designation is "FU".

I wonder if Frank Untermeyer from Hamer guitars ever initials instruments he's worked on.

Peter....I recall hearing that SPC was "special" but I believe the S (as in 4003s) was "standard". Since the 4003 was considered deluxe with bound body and triangle inlays.....the 4003s with dot fret markers and unbound body was considered standard

I've got some FU's too. None on a guitar.

Thanks for the info, guys!

Brian: I believe you are right on the "S." Standard seems right. Without the deluxe features.

beat me to that one, stan!

B - for the B Series, although this would be part of the model number.