New Memeber - May I Introduce Myself?
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:39 pm
Hello Everyone,
I am in 7th Heaven reading all the posts here as I had no idea this forum existed or that there are this many people as crazy about Rickenbackers as I have been my whole life!
I played in high school bands in the late 60's and although the music scene was mostly getting into heavy psychedelic and rock by the time I started playing, my true love was the British Invasion, Folk-Rock and Garage Band stuff from just a few years before. I kept trying to sneak in songs like Gloria, Louie Louie, I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better, Hey Little Girl, Through A Window, etc., while my bands were moving into Santana, Hendrix, etc.
My first guitar was a sunburst Teisco Del Ray that looked like a Gibson 335. I thought it looked beautiful but it was a chore to play. Then the magic birthday came when my parents took me to a local music store and the salesman took us in the back room and started to open up guitar cases for me. They were just $100 to $250 used guitars then, but they included the most expensive guitars in the world now - early 60's Strats, Telecasters, Les Pauls, 335's, Mosrites and more. Finally, he opened a silver case to the most beautiful guitar I had ever seen - a gleaming, mint Rickenbacker 370 in FireGlo. My 16 year old heart literally skipped a beat! I picked it up and couldn't believe how easy it was to play with its narrow, fast neck. I immediately told my parents that this was the one I wanted and even though it was one of the most expensive ($200) they bought it for me.
I quickly realized that my brown Silvertone sit-on-a-chair combo amp wasn't cutting it and the next step was a one or two year old blackface Fender Bandmaster with two bottoms. Soon thereafter came a Shure Unisphere mic, Arbiter Fuzzface and a Vox CryBaby. I was all set!
The band that I was in for two gig-filled years did quite well and we won a regional battle of the bands, appeared on local TV and were asked to tour with Vanilla Fudge (couldn't do it, we were all in high school!). By the mid-70's I tired of playing and sold my guitar and amp. The 370 went to a friend and I made him promise to give me right of first refusal if he ever sold it. Though we are long distance friends to this day, it still bothers me that he: 1) took off the pickups and put giant humbuckers on it! 2) sold it without ever telling me.
In the late 90's my midlife crisis hit me with a burning desire to get some gear and start playing again. I acquired a 1967 360 in FireGlo, a 1968 370 in MapleGlo, a Tom Petty 12-String in FireGlo and really, really cool 1991 360v64 FireGlo with double binding that was converted to a 1961 look-alike with a gold pickguard, trussrod cover and oven knobs. To go along a picked up a 1966 Band Master, a mid-70's Deluxe Reverb that was "black-faced" and had a JBL in it, a Blues Pearl amp and a few more fun items. I still had my mic and CryBaby. My old band must have gotten hit with midlife crisis's also and we had a reunion in Milwaukee (where we were originally all from) in 2002 and recorded a CD in a real live studio. I know that recording now days is no big thing, but for us (who had never recorded before) it was the thrill of a lifetime!
I am sorry to say that I have never been able to put a new band together. I have had a few auditions with "hobby bands" and the like, but they were all into 70s stadium rock and I just didn't want to do the music. I am still looking.
I have an irrational love of Rickenbacker guitars and pretty much any gear that comes from or looks like it is from the 60's. While I love playing them (and I am strictly a mediocre "rhythm player") even if I lost my hands I would have my Rickenbackers close by just so I could look at them all day long.
I can't wait to start participating in this forum and especially look forward to meeting any fellow members who live in or near the Minneapolis area! I would love to: 1) form another band 2) get another 60's FireGlo 370 3) get a 60's 365 or 375 in FireGlo.
By the way, my mid-70's blackfaced Deluxe Reverb sounds best with my Rics. I attribute it to the crystal clear, chiming JBL.
I am in 7th Heaven reading all the posts here as I had no idea this forum existed or that there are this many people as crazy about Rickenbackers as I have been my whole life!
I played in high school bands in the late 60's and although the music scene was mostly getting into heavy psychedelic and rock by the time I started playing, my true love was the British Invasion, Folk-Rock and Garage Band stuff from just a few years before. I kept trying to sneak in songs like Gloria, Louie Louie, I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better, Hey Little Girl, Through A Window, etc., while my bands were moving into Santana, Hendrix, etc.
My first guitar was a sunburst Teisco Del Ray that looked like a Gibson 335. I thought it looked beautiful but it was a chore to play. Then the magic birthday came when my parents took me to a local music store and the salesman took us in the back room and started to open up guitar cases for me. They were just $100 to $250 used guitars then, but they included the most expensive guitars in the world now - early 60's Strats, Telecasters, Les Pauls, 335's, Mosrites and more. Finally, he opened a silver case to the most beautiful guitar I had ever seen - a gleaming, mint Rickenbacker 370 in FireGlo. My 16 year old heart literally skipped a beat! I picked it up and couldn't believe how easy it was to play with its narrow, fast neck. I immediately told my parents that this was the one I wanted and even though it was one of the most expensive ($200) they bought it for me.
I quickly realized that my brown Silvertone sit-on-a-chair combo amp wasn't cutting it and the next step was a one or two year old blackface Fender Bandmaster with two bottoms. Soon thereafter came a Shure Unisphere mic, Arbiter Fuzzface and a Vox CryBaby. I was all set!
The band that I was in for two gig-filled years did quite well and we won a regional battle of the bands, appeared on local TV and were asked to tour with Vanilla Fudge (couldn't do it, we were all in high school!). By the mid-70's I tired of playing and sold my guitar and amp. The 370 went to a friend and I made him promise to give me right of first refusal if he ever sold it. Though we are long distance friends to this day, it still bothers me that he: 1) took off the pickups and put giant humbuckers on it! 2) sold it without ever telling me.
In the late 90's my midlife crisis hit me with a burning desire to get some gear and start playing again. I acquired a 1967 360 in FireGlo, a 1968 370 in MapleGlo, a Tom Petty 12-String in FireGlo and really, really cool 1991 360v64 FireGlo with double binding that was converted to a 1961 look-alike with a gold pickguard, trussrod cover and oven knobs. To go along a picked up a 1966 Band Master, a mid-70's Deluxe Reverb that was "black-faced" and had a JBL in it, a Blues Pearl amp and a few more fun items. I still had my mic and CryBaby. My old band must have gotten hit with midlife crisis's also and we had a reunion in Milwaukee (where we were originally all from) in 2002 and recorded a CD in a real live studio. I know that recording now days is no big thing, but for us (who had never recorded before) it was the thrill of a lifetime!
I am sorry to say that I have never been able to put a new band together. I have had a few auditions with "hobby bands" and the like, but they were all into 70s stadium rock and I just didn't want to do the music. I am still looking.
I have an irrational love of Rickenbacker guitars and pretty much any gear that comes from or looks like it is from the 60's. While I love playing them (and I am strictly a mediocre "rhythm player") even if I lost my hands I would have my Rickenbackers close by just so I could look at them all day long.
I can't wait to start participating in this forum and especially look forward to meeting any fellow members who live in or near the Minneapolis area! I would love to: 1) form another band 2) get another 60's FireGlo 370 3) get a 60's 365 or 375 in FireGlo.
By the way, my mid-70's blackfaced Deluxe Reverb sounds best with my Rics. I attribute it to the crystal clear, chiming JBL.
It is good to hear your past has been filled with Rickenbacker guitars. I would bet money you will be able to find the guitars you're looking for using the forum resources.