Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hello,

I picked this guy up in a pawn shop in central Texas. What a great tone! I could use some help identifying it and also help with choosing strings and tuning.

Rickenbacher is spelled with an "h". I don't see any serial numbers but there is a patent number below the pickup, "PAT.NO.2089171" It's an 8-string.

Thanks,
--Peter

I really don't know about this stuff too much yet but figure I could give it a shot? Maybe Graham or someone could say more about it.

I'm guessing in the dark that it might be a from 1940 or about that time. I would say it's most likely a Model B or B8? I really don't know how it would be said and it's a bakelite or hawaiian lapsteel? Again, not quite sure of the correct wording.

So that's my guess! I can't wait to hear if I'm anywhere close to right and if so how much.

From what I can tell from this picture. It looks to be a B Model lap steel. You can view it in our literature archive for 1933. Which is a six string not 8 like yours, which makes me beleive that yours is a B8.

http://www.rickenbacker.com/catalog_poster_piece.asp?poster_piece=cf33-2.jpg

The T-shaped logo nails it.
It's 1946-50 Model B8.
I'm a 6 string player, so I can't really make any good recommendations about tunings or strings. Check out The Steel Guitar Forum
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewforum.php?f=13
Use the search feature. There have been many discussions on those subjects.
Great instrument. Fairly rare.
How much did you pay, if you don't mind telling us?

Thanks for the quick replies!

It really has an amazing tone, I play it through a Seymour Duncan amp and the sustain is just infinite.

Interesting that one of the enamel plates is missing, looks like the prior owner used the cavity to hold his bar and picks.

I paid $70, is that reasonable? Either way, worth every penny to me.

More than reasonable, Peter. It is, as they say, a steel!

Good one, Peter!

Phenomenal purchase. Definitely a "steel".
Did you get a case with it?

I figured it was a pretty good deal, I don't play a steel guitar myself, I play a "regular" guitar, but it looked like too much fun to pass up. After hearing it, I would have paid more than that just for the pickup alone, to build some sort of weird home made electric guitar, something I always wanted to try.

No case, what you see is what I got, other than a bar slide and a few ratty metal fingerpicks.

Only bad thing is that my Strat really needs to be refinished, I might have to part with this to fund that. Hopefully not. ;-(

It's probably worth $500-800 maybe more.
But I'll give you a chance to triple your money.
No, list it on Ebay if you want to sell it.
Don't take less than $500. If you can't get that, store it well and save your pennys for the refin.