Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi all!!! I'm new to the forum.

The first good guitar I ever had was a Model 420 Mapleglo that I bought used in 1971 as a senior in high school. It was a'68 to '70 Model 420. I joined the Army after high school and while on leave I bought a gold Gibson humbucker and replaced the toaster pickup. After I got out of the Army in 1974 I added 2 more gold humbuckers, and some Jap Schaller kockoff tuning pegs. It had 6 control knobs! In the fall of 1974 I traded it in at Ward Brodt Music or Ray Ketner Music in Madison WI. I'm not sure what I traded it in on but my guess is it was a '72 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe sunburst from Ray Ketner.

I always missed the 420. In 2000 I started looking for another 420 Mapleglo and found one! The serial number is KJ 666 (Oct '71).

The pick guard has cracks by the selector switch. Rickenbacker is closed so I'd thought I'd ask here.

Does Ric offer replacement pick guards for the 420? Since it's the same as the GH 425 that was recently re-issued I thought they might have some.

Oh, if anyone knows where my triple pickup Mapleglo 420 is I'd love to get it back!

Thanks!

Tony

BTW, I still have the toaster pickup from my first 420. It's mounted on my '59 Gretsch DuoJet but that's another story!

Welcome to the Forum, Tony!

The RIC website lists pickguards only for current models:

http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdfs/gpickguards.pdf

But it probably wouldn't hurt to inquire with them when they are back from the holiday break. If that doesn't pan out, you can always try Pickguardian:

http://www.pickguardian.com/pickguardian/RickGuitars.html

I have two 450v63s (one JG and one BG) and a 1981 460 BG. The 460 is probably the second sweetest guitar I have ever played, with my 1967 Gibson ES-335TDC (a guitar I've had since 1969) being first.

Here's a couple of pictures of the toaster pickup from my first 420 on my '59 DuoJet.

When I was stationed at Ft Hood in the early 70's I used to go into the all the pawn shops (25 or so) looking for guitars. One day a pawn shop owner said he had something I might like. He brought out a black Gretsch guitar with nothing on it. Just a neck and body, not a piece of hardware. He let me have it for $10. I wrote Gretsch and was able to get most of the parts for it. They told me in 1972 that it was a 1965 RocJet. I got the bridge, tailpiece, and jack socket. Since it didn't have any pickups I took a junked Hoffner and put them on it.

When I replaced the pickup on my 420 with a gold Gibson humbucker, I put the toaster pickup on the DuoJet - a hand me down!

I decided to strip the black paint off of it an found some very nice wood underneath.

During my college days I had a lot of guitars but ended up selling them all except the DuoJet. I always wanted to get it into playing condition again so I hung onto it.

In 1978 I bought a used Gibson Humbucker for it from Ray's Heart of Texas Music. They said it was from 1968 or so but I've never tried to date it. The Rick toaster fit perfectly by the neck. It stayed this way until 1989 when I started playing again.

In 1989 my wife had Guitar Medic in St Charles IL complete the guitar and it was put into it's present condition but with a Les Paul pick guard. Schaller tuners and strap locks were added.

In 1998 with the help of Duke Kramer I got a correct Grestch pick guard for it. To my surprise, Duke dated the guitar as a 1959 DuoJet! That very day I went to Guitar Center and got a Gretsch hardshell case for it. I had been using a gig bag!

The guitar sound great as it is hollow like an ES 325. It's also light weight.

Tony

Tony: Do you live in the Chicago area?

Ted,

I used to live in Batavia. In 1993 I left and moved to Atlanta. In 2001 I moved to the Orlando, FL area where I currently reside.

Tony

Hey Tony. Welcome to the forum. I also reside in Orlando. Paul

I think I've now seen everything.

I would LOVE to hear that Gretschenstein.

Here's a shot of my '69 or '70 420 after I replaced the toaster with a gold Gibson humbucker circa 1973.



I don't have any pictures of it with 3 humbuckers which I did in 1974.