Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi gang. I just picked up a 76 450 MG. It has a black pickguard and a nearly paper-thin black TRC with white letters (not raised). Is this real? I'll post pics when I get home if I can remember. It does have the correct "melting" letters, that is, it's not a Rirkenbarker.

That is just about the tail-end of the plexi TRC's, I don't see why it wouldn't be real!

Really? It's practically paper thin, maybe even some kind of metal, it doesn't have the thickness of regular TRC's I have seen. That's normal?

jdogric12aolcom wrote:Really? It's practically paper thin, maybe even some kind of metal, it doesn't have the thickness of regular TRC's I have seen. That's normal?

Oh, perhaps not. Color me curious.

I don't think I can find "Curious" in the crayon box, but I'll keep looking.

RRF search engine scores again... this is the one. Question answered.

http://www.rickresource.com/phpBB3/view ... &sk=t&sd=a

I'm not aware of any black TRCs with white non-raised letters. The plexi ones were all 1/8" thick. Suspect this is a convenience counterfeit.

Black vintage style plexi (with non raised white lettering) were used thru-out the '70s. I've seen basses and 480 models instruments with them.

Jwilli, the only black plexi TRCs I've seen had silver lettering. Do you have any photos of white lettering on these?

I'll find one somewhere and post it. Stay tuned...

jwilli wrote:Black vintage style plexi (with non raised white lettering) were used thru-out the '70s. I've seen basses and 480 models instruments with them.

+1, especially lefties, correct?

I've got two BT guitars and one BT bass. Both have black back-painted plexi TRCs with silver lettering. I've got one BT bass with a black, injection-molded, raised letter TRC with white lettering.

But I've never seen a plexi one with white. My experience is obviously limited in this regard.

Paul, what year are your BT from? I definitely remember seeing (in person) a '75 480 Walnut with a plexi TRC. It was black with white lettering. I am pretty sure that no RIC from the '70s had an injected black TRC with silver lettering at that time.

Sounds like a good time for pics!