Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

hey guys -

are there any retailers you can recommend that specialize in, or have a good stock of, late 50's early 60's Ric steels?

i'll obviously stay peeled to ebay and gbase.

thanks in advance -

There have very recently been two or three very excellent looking 100 series steels on Ebay. I don't know of any retailers that specialize in or have any stock of these instruments.
They are really good lap steels and can usually be had for less than $500.
Good luck in your quest.

Here's a couple current aucs:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rickenbacher-lap-st ... dZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Rickenbacke ... dZViewItem

What I have known for some time is that some people want to buy these Model 100 lap steels to restore Rick bass magnet pickups. What I don't understand is, why, when the old magnets can be replated and remagnetized for little cost compared to raping a 40s-60s lap steel. As some of you know, I collect lap steels. Ricks are an important part of my collection, but not the ones produced from the late 40s to mid-50s and later.
The hardware you guys want is just two horseshoe magnets of a certain alloy and gage that is plated and magnetized. My guess is that I could get about a thousand or ten thousand (or a number much less) produced for a very small amount/magnet. Think about it. Two pieces of metal that have the same magnetic capacity as the original Rick mags.
I'm not going to manufacture them, because I don't really care much about trying to make any more money or restore lap steel guitars, but I really think there is a real opportunity here for someone with a little bit of entrepreneuriealism to both supply what appears to be needed in this community and also make a few bucks as well.
As a collector of lap steel guitars, I can't say that I'm at all unhappy about bass players taking the mags out of the this vintage of lap steels. All that does is to make the ones with the original equipment more and more scarce and valuable.

Peter,
You might want to copy this to the Bass board.

well, you're half on to me Richard...

i was looking for both a less valuable 60's 100 series to knick the HS from, and the other to add to the band's studio.

i've found both.

if anyone is interested in the red 105 w/o a pup (all else is original and i could include a bass treble pup cover, allowing one to simply ad a high-gain pup), let me know.

as for replicating the HS - Lollar was doing this, but i believe he was infrining on Rickenbacker's rights to protect their design...leads one with little option.

What I don't understand is why the magnets on Rick basses need to be replaced when they can be remagnetized.

rshatz wrote:What I don't understand is why the magnets on Rick basses need to be replaced when they can be remagnetized.

the entire assembly on the bass was missing. shoes, mounting plate and hardware, pup.

i definitely would have repaired/re-vitalized the original/existing had that been an option.

I too think it is wrong to take the HS out of a perfectly good lap. I want an old magnetic shoe pickup too, but can't bring myself to do this.

Richard, making shoes is a no-no that will gain the attention of RIC legal. Ask Rick Aiello.

I wrestle with this often, as I have a '63 lap steel I am continually tempted to remove the HS from. If I eventually do it, I'll still keep the steel rather than unload it, but I don't have a problem with that either, since Rick lap steels aren't exactly an "endangered species" like Capri's or 4080's, etc.