Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi everyone im new here and im on the brink of getting my very first rickenbacker and im a lefty so that makes it even more special lol.
ive managed to track down a 325v59 lefty and i just wanted some more info on it to make sure it is what its ment to be. i thought that john used a 58 model but ive been told this is a "1999 reissue of the 1959 guitar as in 58 it had the Kauffman Vibrola and in 1959 Lennon change it to the Bigsby Tremolo" does that sound right to u guys? does the guitar have a model number i should look out for? they have to order it in for me they didnt have th number of it but says it says 1999.
i cant seem to find this model on the ric site so does it exist really or is it no longer in production
ive attached some pics for u 2 look at
id appreciate any help
thanks so much

Welcome, David. The 325V59 was a model that Rickenbacker made for a number of years in the '90s. It's true, this model came stock with a Bigsby vibrato, and it appears that someone's added the Bigsby bridge as well to the one you're looking at. If you can get the serial number of the guitar, punch it in here to find out exactly when it was made: http://www.rickenbacker.com/service_serials.asp .

The 325V59 is a short scale capri-style guitar like John's but there are a few major differences between this model and John. Most notably that the 325V59 has a maple body (John's was alder) and it has hotter pickups than John's. They've corrected almost all of the slightly incorrect bits of the 325V59 in the current model 325C58. The 325V59 is no doubt a great guitar though. Unless you feel like you need to have an exact reproduction of John's 325, the V59 will fit nicely.

thanks for yr help thats given me some great info theres so many models going round (or seems to be) i wondered what this really was.
so this guitar has better pickups then johns wow thats cool. they told me this guitar was a rare find in a lefty so im pretty thrilled at the find. are the short scale guitars good? ive heard a few times that people dont like them saying the frets are too close together.
anyway aslong as this looks like johns and is close enough i think im gonna be happy i dont wanna wait 3 years thats a joke! rickenbacker take too long man.

Lefty Rickenbackers of any kind are quite rare. The short scale guitars are very good, unless you have gigantic hands they're really not that hard to get used to. They give you a plunky sound unachievable with any other guitar. I've got a 325C58 and it's just dandy.

is that yr guitar in the pic? it looks darker than the one im looking at or is that just the light of the picture?
i was looking round for a 325v63 or 325c64 but all i get told is a 3 yr wait on it!
anyway im thrilled ive found this one now and aslong as it is what they say it is im happy still going to save for one of the others tho lol i want a black one too!

are the body, neck and headstock size on the v59 the same on the c58?

BeatleJohn wrote:are the body, neck and headstock size on the v59 the same on the c58?

David, no, there are small differences, most noticeably in body depth and headstock size. Different woods as well.

Here's some info:
325v59, 325c58
Body Type: Semi-Hollow, Semi-Hollow
No. Frets: 21, 21
Scale Length: 52.7 cm (20.75"), 52.7 cm (20.75'')
Neck Width at Nut: 41.3 mm (1.625"), 41.9 mm (1.65'')
Neck Width at 12th Fret: 49.2 mm (1.93"), 49.2 mm (1.93'')
Crown Radius: 25.4 cm (10"), 18.42 cm (7.25'')
Body Wood: Maple, Alder
Neck Wood: Maple, Alder
Fingerboard Wood: Rosewood, Rosewood
Weight: 3.2 kg (7.0 lbs.), 2.3 kg (5.0 lbs.)
Overall Length: 87.6 cm (34.5"), 87.6 cm (34.5'')
Overall Width: 32.4 cm (12.75"), 32.4 cm (12.75'')
Overall Depth: 47.6 mm (1.875"), 50.8 mm (2.03'')
Fret Marker Style: Dot, Dot
Tailpiece: Bigsby, Kauffman Vib-rola
Bridge: 6-Way, Vintage Repro Roller
Neck Type: Set, Set
Type of Pickups: Vin Single Coil, Vin Single Coil Toaster
No. of Pickups: 3, 3
Ohms: 12K, 3.5K
Output Type: Mono, Mono
Machine Heads: Deluxe Vintage, Sta-Tite repro
Truss Rods: ?? , Single
Controls: 2V, 2T, 2V, 2T
Other: 2-Pc Pickguard (Gold), 1-Pc Pickguard (Gold)

One other cosmetic difference is the knob placement on the two models is slightly different, with an asymmetric spacing between the forward knobs compared to the rear knobs. It looks like the previous or current owner of the guitar you're looking at has done a nice job adding the Lennon pieces--Burns style knobs, bowtie bridge, removing the upper p/g, and removing the paint from the Bigsby logo. I'd guess that's a custom pickguard, as the knob placement is very symmetrical, ala the c58.

Congrats on your guitar though! Many people prefer the v59 to the C58!

Bill

A lefty V59? This must surely be one of a mere handful of these ever produced. A true rarity. Buy it and leave it to your kids in your will...

You know... if you found a lefty George, and a righty Paul.... you'd have quite the group on your hands...

BeatleJohn wrote:is that yr guitar in the pic? it looks darker than the one im looking at or is that just the light of the picture?

It's darker because it's a C58 made of Alder, the V59 you're looking at is maple, which is a lighter colored wood.

Be forewarned, it looks like someone replicated the rust on the middle pickup as it looks on Lennon's guitar.

dpowell wrote:Be forewarned, it looks like someone replicated the rust on the middle pickup as it looks on Lennon's guitar.

replicated the rust? isnt that just a reflection on the pickup?

I think Daniel might be right, considering the "bigsby" has been worn off the vibrato as well. See how in my photo the 3 pickups all have very similar reflections?

are u guys saying this guitar should probably be avoided

No, I'd go for it if I was a lefty and really wanted a short scale. We're just saying someone went through the effort to make it more lennon-like, that's not necessarily good or bad.