Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Just going over the register tonight and the thought occurred to me that the serial numbers of some iconic guitars are not in it...

I seem to remember seeing the serial number to John's 1958 325 in the BEATLES gear book.

Also I was on some auction site last night and they were talking about auctions for

George Harrison's 1962 425.. Serial BH 439

Or Paul Weller of THE JAM's 1974 Fg 330 SN NG 4292

The FG 450/12 played by the Rembrandts on I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU .... FJ 3351

Or one of John Phillips (mamas and the papas) RIC's a 360 / 12 serial ZI 2519

Or john Entwhistles 381/12 FG F1 8254

There also was an auction for Roger McQuinns MG June 1966 370 12 string, with the vox treble boost circuit.. No serial humber but you know that the letters are FF ????

Or the 1963 625 / 12 that belongs to Mike Campbell - which is supposed to be one number out from George's first 12 string...

Is there some legal reason not to add these in the same category as a Collected item?? As long as we know what they are and who they once belonged to?

Brian

Brian: I see no difficulty adding these numbers. They become collected information (CI). In these cases, however, a complete serial would need to be reported and a detailed description of the guitar in the comments section. An additional downside would be that the location may not be known.

Actually I noticed that George's 425 is actually in the registrar from 1999. Location is given as the United Kingdom. So whoever owned it atthe time must have added it to the register But there is nothing currently that says this was George Harrison's first Rickenbacker...

I understand that any time you source info and especially images from the net there is a potential liability for who ever runs the forum... But I think it is important to remember that originally before the celeb's bought them they were just another guitar coming off Rickenbacker's manufacturing line. It would be really neat to discover that your guitar was one serial number away from Paul Weller's or Peter Buck's, and that at one time they had sat next to each other on the bench at the Factory in Santa Anna.

Obvously if whomever currently owned the guitar today, didn't want it listed they would send something asking for it to be removed, and you would have to respect that. In the meantime, the data is important since we don't have access to RIC's own corperate records...

There is already a list of famous people who play (or played) Rickenbackers... Seems to me we are just filling in the specific details of which instruments they actually used... Which actually may be helpful at some point if one of those guitars gets stolen... It maybe unhelpful though in future years proving provenence, if suddenly there are more then one JG 425 sporting the same serial number BH 439!

Brian

Lennon's second 325: DB 122

dpowell wrote:Lennon's second 325: DB 122

Neat!

DOes anyone know the serial number to Lennon's first 325 or Harrisons' 12 string??

Brian

John's 1958 325 Capri is S/N V81. I believe George's first 360/12 is S/N CM 107.

Yup:
George's 425: http://www.thecanteen.com/harrison5.html (BH439)
George's 360/12: http://www.thecanteen.com/harrison6.html (CM107)
George's 360/12NS: http://www.thecanteen.com/harrison7.html

John's 325 Capri: http://www.thecanteen.com/lennon3.html (V81)
john's 325 Jetglo: http://www.thecanteen.com/lennon5.html (DB122)
john's 325/12 Jetglo: http://www.thecanteen.com/lennon5.html (DB151)
john's 1996: http://www.thecanteen.com/lennon6.html

Paul's 4001: http://www.thecanteen.com/mccartney6.html

Ontario_RIC_fan wrote:...Or Paul Weller of THE JAM's 1974 Fg 330 SN NG 4292....

This one......http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_ ... ID=5101171

I did some more research online and found a few more serial numbers..

Nothing of Pete Townshend's guitars (especially the smashed ones!), but John Entwhistle of the Who was quite a collector. I think there should be something in the register to mark provenence - ie if someone of note owned it.

Several of these guitars (especiallythe Beatles ones are in the register but there is nothing that makes the entry significant... Some wag has designated the DB122 guitar as a JL reissue!

I seem to recall seeing a 1990's picture of George with a 1950's era 6 string Capri... No idea of where that one went

Brian

MORE CELEBRITY RICS

The Byrds: Roger McGuinn
1) Mapleglo Rickenbacker 360/12 ---> 370/12Byrd Serial number: DJ 451

One of only six rounded “new-style” 1964 Mapleglo Rickenbacker 360/12s.
Acquired new in late 1964 with trade-in of McGuinn’s banjo and acoustic 12.
Factory-converted from a 360/12 to a custom-wired 370/12Byrd in February 1966.
Guitar missing from early 1966 to late 1998 when it surfaced at a California guitar
shop with an extra pickguard switch along with a claim of an onboard compressor
allegedly installed for McGuinn back in 1966
http://www.mlode.com/~813/byrdsrick1.html

2) 1966 Rickenbacker Model 370-12 'BYRD' Guitar. 1991. Serial number FF1849 mcQuinn's second RIC 12 string.
http://www.mlode.com/~813/byrdsrick2.html

pics are here:
http://images.heritagecoin.com/images/H ... 16001d.jpg
http://images.heritagecoin.com/images/H ... 16001c.jpg
http://images.heritagecoin.com/images/H ... 16001b.jpg
http://images.heritagecoin.com/images/H ... 16001a.jpg
http://www.mlode.com/~813/byrdsrick2_headstock.jpg
http://images.heritagecoin.com/images/H ... 16001r.jpg
http://images.heritagecoin.com/images/H ... 16001o.jpg


3) 1970 Mapleglo Rickenbacker 370/12 Serial number: JF 129
as seen on the guitar at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, October 1995

This is the third and last Mapleglo Rickenbacker 12-string used in The Byrds.
Presumably acquired around the time it first appears in the photographic record in early 1971.
Has routed see-through headstock since ca. 1973-74.
Guitar is/was a priceless museum piece at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
http://www.mlode.com/~813/byrdsrick3.html
http://www.mlode.com/~813/mcguinn94_hof_rick.jpg

4) 1970 Rickenbacker 341/12SF Light Show Serial number: JJ 291 ...

Reportedly acquired at the end of 1970.Slanted frets (SF) and slanted Hi-Gain pickups.
Originally had the two-toggle Byrd wiring harness.
http://www.mlode.com/~813/byrdsrickls.html


5) McGuinn’s rare 1966 Jest Glow Rickenbacker Model 370Byrd 6-string Serial # FB 545
retired from Byrds duty and sold at a major Hollywood music store • November 1966



The Rembrandts: 1966 Rickenbacker 450-12 Guitar featured in the video for the "Friends" theme. Phil Solem from The Rembrandts acquired this vintage 1966 Rickenbacker shortly before the video shoot for the hit single version of "I'll Be There For You," The serial number, FJ3351, indicates it was built in October 1966.


The Mamas and the Papas: Papa John Phillips' 1987 Rickenbacker 360-12 Guitar. While known for playing a Gibson ES-335-12 during the 1960s with The Mamas and the Papas, John later switched to using Rickenbacker 360-12 models. This instrument, completed in September, 1987, is finished in the standard FireGlo sunburst. The serial number on this guitar is ZI 2519. Included with this lot is the original black hardshell Rickenbacker case, and a letter of authenticity from John's wife, Farnaz Phillips. John Phillips was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 as a member of The Mamas and the Papas.


The Jam Paul Weller
A 1974 Rickenbacker 330 guitar, Serial No. NG 4292, in fireglow finish, double cutaway body, single cats-eye soundhole,
rounded front body, 21 fret fingerboard with dot inlays, two pickups, five rotary controls, selector switch, standard jack
input, chrome 'R' tailpiece and white split level pickguard, scratched on the body I AM NOBODY; accompanied by a copy of The Jam, Extra Special depicting Paul Weller playing the guitar during a 1979 promotional film for German television; a colour photograph of Weller holding the guitar with the vendor; the original invoice on THE JAM headed stationary One RickenBacker

guitar 330 serial no. NG4929...150.00; and a letter concerning the provenance (5)

The vendor purchased this guitar directly from The Jam on 15 August 1980, after his sister arranged a meeting to interview
Weller for a punk magazine she wrote for called Rising Free. Prior to the interview she asked Weller if there was a spare
Rickenbacker going, as requested by her brother. Surprisingly, Weller offered her this guitar.
This guitar with the phrase I AM NOBODY scratched into it, believed to have been done by Weller himself, is very distinctive
and can be clearly seen in images of Weller using it as shown in the illustration. He used the guitar during 1977-1979 and it
is believed he inscribed the body at some point between The Jam's first tour of America in October 1977 and their appearance on Top Of The Pops where they performed The Modern World, circa November 1977. During the US tour, which was not seen as a huge success for The Jam, this guitar was Weller's principal instrument and can be identified by individual marks and scratches prior to Weller's engraving.



John Entwhistle collection

cW - A Rickenbacker 360/12 V64 guitar
serial 01 16695, sunburst finish, thinline bound body with `slash' soundhole, rosewood fingerboard with triangular markers,
in Rickenbacker case with maker's literature

cW - A Rickenbacker 381/12 FG 12-string guitar
serial F18254, sunburst finish, carved-top, chequer-bound maple body with trademark `slash' soundhole and R-for Rickenbacker tailpiece, rosewood fingerboard with triangular markers, in case with maker's warranty


cW - A Rickenbacker 4005 bass guitar, 1966
serial FD1132 for April 1966, double bound natural finish, hollow body with `slash' soundhole, two pickup, five controls/one
selector, bound rosewood fingerboard with triangular markers Rickenbacker's first hollow-bodied bass, introduced 1965.


cW - A Rickenbacker 4001 8-string bass guitar, August 1973
serial MH2553, cream finish with chequered binding, through-neck with rosewood fingerboard and dot markers, headstock with four-a-side machineheads, in Gibson flight case with spare strings


cW - A Rickenbacker guitar 450/6
serial 4C 527A stamped on tailpiece, sunburst `slab' body with metal scratchplate, four controls/one selector, rosewood
fingerboard with dot markers, headstock with metal plate, in case with strap, lead and strings

cW - A Rickenbacker 365 semi-acoustic guitar, 1967
serial GK4495, sunburst finish body with chequered binding, `slash' soundhole, rosewood fingerboard with triangular markers, in case

cW - A Rickenbacker 381MG guitar, late 1980s
serial F2 8338, natural finish, bird's-eye maple sculpted body, chequer binding, `slash' soundhole, in case with maker's
warranty

cW - A Rickenbacker 4005 bass guitar, 1967
serial GE2208 for May 1967, all-natural finish, round-top body with chequer binding, `slash' soundhole, bound fingerboard
with triangular markers


Tom Petty "Damn The Torpedoes" / Mike Campbell 625 12 CM 108


BEATLES:

1958 Rickenbacker 325 Capri (5/8 scale, hollow-body electric); Serial #V81.
http://www.geocities.com/vintage325/

1964 Rickenbacker 325 Jetglo; Serial #DB122.

1964 Rickenbacker 325-12 Jet-glo; Serial #DB151:

1964 Rickenbacker 325 (Rose-Morris Ltd. 1996 model), Fire-glo (sunburst finish) f-hole: ??

1962 Rickenbacker 425 Fire-glo solidbody; Ser. #BH439. Harrison picked this up for $400 in September '63 at Fenton's Music
Store in Mount Vernon, Illinois, Note: When Rickenbacker first introduced the 425 in 1958 it had no vibrato; in 1965
Rickenbacker added a vibrato unit to the 425 and designated the vibrato-less 425 as model 420.

1963 Rickenbacker 360-12 Fire-glo (binding top and back, triangle inlays, trapeze tail piece); Serial #CM107.

1965 Rickenbacker 360-12 (Fire-glo). Radio station WDGY finally got its chance to give Harrison a guitar on 21 August 1965, when the Beatles came to Minneapolis. At a press conference (below) this "new style" 360-12 was hand-delivered from that city's B-Sharp Music. ("Where's mine, then?" asked Lennon.) Like the earlier model, it featured deluxe triangle finger board inlays, but had rounded cutaways and checked binding (on the back only), five chrome-top control knobs and an "R" tailpiece. Harrison retired his first 360-12 and used this one for performances and recording (beginning with "If I Needed Someone" on 16 Oct. '65). This guitar was last spotted in March 1969 at the Abbey Road studio, from where it is reported to have been stolen. If they gave it to him in August Guitar it had to have been made by July so a serial number starting with starting with EA to EG

1964 Rickenbacker 4001S-LH bass (Fire-glo) serial DA 23:

DH 163...

Brian: Thanks for your hard work. Good sleuthing.

wints wrote:DH 163...

Damn Andy,

One of these days, I'd love to get my fat fingerprints all over that baby!

ajish4 wrote:

wints wrote:DH 163...

Damn Andy,

One of these days, I'd love to get my fat fingerprints all over that baby!

Well, how about this Saturday then...

admin wrote:Brian: Thanks for your hard work. Good sleuthing.

It is fun! But somebody has to add them into the registry... And it would be nice to have a new field for provence/claim to fame.

One of my guitars (TF2140) belonged to Chris De Burgh, the irish singer/songwriter... He bought it in 1980 and used it on the Albums EASTERN WIND (song SHADOWS AND LIGHTS) and the song THE GETAWAY from his 1983 album of the same name.

In 1984 he sold it through a Toronto music store that is keyboard player used to work at... I bought it, and had it till lost in a fire in 1991. I actually owned it longer than he did... But more people have heard of him then of me...

Here is a clip of him playing it, on the third song in...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocTmv29ABJY

And here is a picture of me singing with De Burgh years later. So I know completely from personal experience the fact that anyone's RIC might have belonged to someone famous!

Brian

PS.. Who was playing the white bass?

Looks like Maurice Gibb...