Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Just got a well-used 481 jetglo a couple of weeks ago off eBay.... It is certainly different from all my other Rics (it is my sixth)! I don't normally name my guitars, but every time this one comes up in conversation I call it my "Weirdo"... the slanted frets take some getting used to, but are actually quite comfortable for playing double-bar chords.... I kind of miss the fifth knob for blending the tones from both pickups. Because it is in less-than-perfect condition it is the first Ric I am really wanting to take apart: the screws on the front of the pickguard are rusty, and the case smells kind of musty so I am concerned that the wiring inside may have some corrosion. Also, the bass humbucker is missing a rivet on one side, so it is not level on the face of the guitar--I think that may be why I am not getting the great tone out of it that I can pull out of my other Rics (however, it does sound fantastic when played higher up the neck; it has potential for some great lead sound if I can get the bugs worked out!).... Does anyone else have a 481, or can anyone give me any helpful hints for working on one?

Please post a photo, Melissa.
I would love to see it.
Cheers, Noel

Ok...here it is....

http://www.ancientimports.com/images/upload/481.jpg

I've been thinking of a 480 lately. I probably wouldn't go for the slant fret unless I could steal the guitar.
I have a 360V64, a 1997SPC/VB, a 650A/VT, and a Comstock (on order). The 480 would add a nice timbre to my tones.
'course so would a 360F, a Carl Wilson 12, etc.
Cheers, Noel

I just noticed another 481 on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2532516519&category=41439

The color is kind of pretty.... By the way, does anyone know how many of these guitars were made?

Iced-tea-glo

I mean, how many 481's were made, not necessarily in the "iced-tea-glo" color.... By the way, Noel, that is a very apt description!

Wouldn't that be autumnglo ? It sure is pretty, whatever it's called.
Noel, it would be nice (to me) to know of another 480 owner - go for it !

Okay.... Last night I finally took the 481 apart (with a lot of help from my husband, bless his heart!) and got it all cleaned up, and got the pickups reset into the pickguard.....then when I started re-stringing the guitar I realized that the bridge had been on backwards--it looked as if someone had put on a bridge that had been set up for a left-handed guitar so we had to get that disassembled and turned around so it was facing the right way (the saddles were not in the right position and were giving the strings a funny bend between the bridge and tailpiece). Anyway, once all that was done it sounded great in the lower ranges (in fact it really rocks, where before the sound was just average and seemed to be missing something), but now all of the new strings are dead from the fifteenth fret up..... I suspect it has something to do with the bridge alignment, but am unsure of how to proceed now..... Does anyone have any suggestions/advice? I'm a real newbie at this sort of thing!

Oh never mind, I think I figured out the problem.... I set the neck pickup a little too high and it was actually muting the string when I fretted higher up the neck--just needed to look a little more carefully! I can already see a drawback here as I need to remove all the strings again to re-adjust the pickup height.... What a pain! Definitely a learning curve happening here, LOL!

Yes Melissa there is a learning cure. In the end, however, it is worth it.

John: You are correct, that is autumnglo.

Over the weekend I ran into a band (City Limits) in Neosho Missouri. The guitar player had one of these 481 (maybe in MG but it was a bit darker than that..aged patina?) but I was quite surprised.. I had never seen one of these slant fret Ricks. It looked like it had been around for a while.. maybe had a mod.. second toggle.. I assume orig it just had one. He was not sure about the details of it either. I am emailing him the URL here in the hopes he will join in and share this interesting guitar.

Melissa- can you re-post the pic?, the link seems to have died. I am curious about the colour, if it is similar.

When were these made?

Unfortunately the link to the eBay auction has expired--it was a cool color: "Autumnglo." There is an article with some beautiful photos of an autumnglo bass on the Rickenbacker Registration page....

Here's the photo of mine:



My 481 is kind of banged up and the paint is peeling a little around the edges; I think the previous owner stored it in a damp place, as the case smelled a little musty, too. I am in the process of getting some replacement nuts and bolts and hardware, as the ones on the guitar are a little rusty. And since it is in such rough shape anyway, I have actually been thinking about getting it refinished in some wild, unconventional color like dark eggplant purple.... Am I totally crazy? Does anyone know where I can get it refinished at a good price?

According to The Rickenbacker Book by Tony Bacon and Paul Day, the 481's were made from 1974 to 1983. Mine is a 1975. The smaller toggle that looks like it could be a mod is actually a phase reversal switch for the pickups, and was standard on this model.

Very cool... I think Eggplantglo is a great idea. Do you attribute any tonal differences to the bolt on neck vs. neck through models?