Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I sold this in 1974 for $50!

The guitar, not the wife! (I still have her)!!!

I've "lost" several...but is it really "losing" them if you decide to let them go?
1. 1973 4001MG - Had to sell because of "unexpected expenses" following my brother's death last year Dec. 30 - leaving me Rickless.

2. 1975 Rickenbacker 4001Azure - Another one I stupidly let get away....

3. 1982 Rickenbacker 1982 4001S Azure - Traded in because I wanted the 1973 4001MG. Been kicking myself ever since.


This is a very painful topic!

During a poor spell, I traded the first guitar I bought with my own money - a 456/12 made in September of 1967 and in need of repair - straight across for a Kay hollowbody. SMACK!!! I subsequently learned that the repair the guitar needed was a simple touch of the soldering iron. SMACK!!! But at least the experience inspired me to learn about DIY guitar repairs!

I never view them as "lost".
At least I've had some pretty cool ones over the years.
I can't have 'em all, but I'll have all of them once.

Or-
Better to have loved and lost.....

Or-
We really don't own them; we just pay the repair bills before
we send them on....

I feel like Carole Ann in Poltergeist when her bird died-
"Can I get a gold fish now?"

And so it goes.

THEY'RE HERE...
Er... I mean they were here at one time:

1972 FG 4001
1977 BG 4001
1980 JG 4001 (later stripped)
1980 JG 4001
1982 FG 4001
1981 JG 4003 (later stripped)
1992 MG 4003 lefty
1989 MG Black Trim 360

My favorites were the 1972 and the 1982.

The Ricks I let go of:

1991 620/6 midnight blue-This was my first Rick and I really wish I had it back.
1991 330/12 midnight blue
1998 330/6 mapleglo-Traded a local musician for the 350 Liverpool.
2003 650 Dakota
1994? 350 Liverpool-One of the previous owners of this guitar had installed a 2-tier gold pickguard assembly, gold TRC, "oven" knobs and a Bigsby to make it look more like Lennon's guitar. It was also mapleglo. I HATED the Bigsby, so I sold it on E-Bay back in 2002. Perhaps a fellow forum member snagged it?
1992 610/6-midnight blue

The 620/6 and the 330/6 were my favorites that I wish I still had.

Ok-
Here's a partial list-
59 4000MG
60 4000MG
57 800CG
57 600BLD
58 330DK
58 335DK
59 360AG
59 365FG
60 360FG
61 460FG
64 4001MG
64 4001FG
65 4000FG
65 370/12Byrd MG
67 4005FG
67 4005OS FG
68 4001FG
69 4001FG
69 6006MG
71 331JG x2(Yes I had 2)

And so on......
Peter-
I think you made the wise choice of your keeper
Guitars are a dime a dozen; soul mates are the needle
in the haystack.

Dave - that 4003/5 in Sea Green kills me! Is that the one that was at Pick of the Ricks? I remember seeing it at the time and not thinking it was worth the asking price (around $2200?). After a while I started kicking myself for not buying it! I don't know how it left you, but if you had been posting around here at the time, I certainly would have been interested. Any chance the current owner might give it up?

"I think you made the wise choice of your keeper Guitars are a dime a dozen; soul mates are the needle in the haystack".

Keep up the comments like this, you have no idea how many "Brownie points" I am getting from my wife. And it's nearly bed time too.... sigh!!!

The losses are numerous but I'll always have a thought for a shall remain nameless model I really 'cut my teeth' on, abused and played until the frets were worn out. I have no idea what happened to it, but that was true love.

Steve, yes that is the one POTR had. I traded Chris for a new C64, with a birds eye neck. I thought it was a good deal at the time, since I only paid $1,100.00 for it. I just could not get use to the small neck with 5 stings on it.

It broke my rule of "if I don't play it out, I shouldn't keep it". I think I should have bent the rule on that one.

I believe that Chris told me that it went to Texas, to an airline pilot. This was some time ago..

I got a '65 or '66 4005 back around 1980 from a guy who used to use the neck as a whammy bar. He eventually broke the fingerboard off and his furniture making friend threw the board with original inlays in the trash! I got the bass, had an ebony fingerboard with MOTS triangle inlays installed along with a new clear finish(he had put cigarettes out on the upper horn and headstock!) and played it for about a year. I sold it back to guy I got it from because I needed the money and I liked my 4001 better....but not before I swapped out the stronger of the two toasters for neck high gain in my 4001! He couldn't tell because he had put a Gibson Ripper pickup cover over the bridge pickup and I put it back on to hide my little switcharoo. I've recently gotten back in touch with a mutual friend so maybe I can get the bass back and to it right.

I have never lost, sold or traded a Rickenbacker...and after reading this thread, I will try not to. However, my friends on this forum may not care, but at the risk of looking really stupid I will say that I DID trade a 1967 White Falcon for a 1978 Ibanez Musician!...straight! I also traded a 1964 Nashville for a Yamaha Acoustic in 1979! This embarrassing trend has stopped.