Bill Dillon and his 58 MG 355
Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 1:13 am
Howdy folks.
It is the Victoria Day long weekend here in Canada. A time to open a 24 of beer and watch the fire works.. (it is the Canadian version of the 4th of July basically)...
Instead I spent an hour with Local guitar hero Bill Dillon!.
Bill has been into Rickenbacker's since he bought his very first one in 1964, (a Rose Morris 1993 that he still has although now modified with Triangle inlays from its original dot inlays)... "If only I had kept that one original" he said to me ruefully tonight...
It is just like George Harrison's but with the "f-hole" rather then the slash.
Over the years he has owned "a truck load of them", although only 4 are still in his possession today. A couple of years back he sold his 1968 4001 through the 12th fret in Toronto for example.
I contacted him to give him info about ORAC in Toronto on June 6, and also to ask him about my recently recovered 77 jg 320, which I had been told at the time by the salesguy at the Guitar Clinic that it had previously belonged to him. Not true according to Bill, although he does acknowledge that it was possible that he was selling on it behalf of someone else...
Anyway tonight he played a couple of Beatles tunes and we shared the joy of these remarkable instruments...
I retold the story of how we first met back in 1983 when we both answered an ad in the local paper for a Rickenbacker capri. Bill got there 15 minutes ahead of me and bought the guitar for $350, which he still has to this day, sort of...
It has become his favorite guitar, as it was basis of the 355 custom guitar that he built for himself. The neck was absolutely dead straight, and super super thin, I would say about 3/4 the width of my own 320's. It has a single truss rod, and it played like butter, just perfect action. The serial number of the guitar was 2v535 (or perhaps 2v 585) the picture I took of the jackplate is a little unclear... Which means that originally it was a two pickup vibrato (with a kaufman that didn't work anymore). Bill has a bixby on it now... As I recall from back in 1983 the guitar was in really rough shape, the original owner before Bill had stripped it to the maple from its original fire glow.. Also I remember the top pickguard being broken or cracked in half, and the body was pretty chewed...
Bill has had a great history as a professional musician, he has jammed with George Harrison, was briefly a member of the PRETENDERS in the period right after James Honeyman Scott died... and has played as a session musician with 100's of top acts over 35 years. One of his specialties is playing something called a Guitorgan Info on that is here... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitorgan
I remember Bill Dillon with Ronnie Hawkin's band (You know the guy that John and Yoko stayed with during their peace tour in 1969/70), and also as part of the Boomers with Ian Thomas of ("PAINTED LADIES, and a bottle of wine mama" Fame). I got given his phone number last week and was really nervous about calling him up... But he was gracious and kind and we met up at a local coffee shop tonight.
Bill told me that he also has a 355/12 John Lennon limited edition given to him by Tom Cochrane after a Canadian tour a few years back. As well as a '68 360 WB that is in pieces being restored. Bill bought another guitar player along with him, who owns a 67 FG 450 12...
With luck, both of them will join us at ORAC on June 6, and more forum members can see this lovely one of a kind guitar.
Here follows a flood of pictures. My guitar now sports a new to me 80's TRC with model 330 on it... It hides the fire damage much better!
I had fun tonight!
Brian
It is the Victoria Day long weekend here in Canada. A time to open a 24 of beer and watch the fire works.. (it is the Canadian version of the 4th of July basically)...
Instead I spent an hour with Local guitar hero Bill Dillon!.
Bill has been into Rickenbacker's since he bought his very first one in 1964, (a Rose Morris 1993 that he still has although now modified with Triangle inlays from its original dot inlays)... "If only I had kept that one original" he said to me ruefully tonight...
It is just like George Harrison's but with the "f-hole" rather then the slash.Over the years he has owned "a truck load of them", although only 4 are still in his possession today. A couple of years back he sold his 1968 4001 through the 12th fret in Toronto for example.
I contacted him to give him info about ORAC in Toronto on June 6, and also to ask him about my recently recovered 77 jg 320, which I had been told at the time by the salesguy at the Guitar Clinic that it had previously belonged to him. Not true according to Bill, although he does acknowledge that it was possible that he was selling on it behalf of someone else...
Anyway tonight he played a couple of Beatles tunes and we shared the joy of these remarkable instruments...
I retold the story of how we first met back in 1983 when we both answered an ad in the local paper for a Rickenbacker capri. Bill got there 15 minutes ahead of me and bought the guitar for $350, which he still has to this day, sort of...
It has become his favorite guitar, as it was basis of the 355 custom guitar that he built for himself. The neck was absolutely dead straight, and super super thin, I would say about 3/4 the width of my own 320's. It has a single truss rod, and it played like butter, just perfect action. The serial number of the guitar was 2v535 (or perhaps 2v 585) the picture I took of the jackplate is a little unclear... Which means that originally it was a two pickup vibrato (with a kaufman that didn't work anymore). Bill has a bixby on it now... As I recall from back in 1983 the guitar was in really rough shape, the original owner before Bill had stripped it to the maple from its original fire glow.. Also I remember the top pickguard being broken or cracked in half, and the body was pretty chewed...
Bill has had a great history as a professional musician, he has jammed with George Harrison, was briefly a member of the PRETENDERS in the period right after James Honeyman Scott died... and has played as a session musician with 100's of top acts over 35 years. One of his specialties is playing something called a Guitorgan Info on that is here... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitorgan
I remember Bill Dillon with Ronnie Hawkin's band (You know the guy that John and Yoko stayed with during their peace tour in 1969/70), and also as part of the Boomers with Ian Thomas of ("PAINTED LADIES, and a bottle of wine mama" Fame). I got given his phone number last week and was really nervous about calling him up... But he was gracious and kind and we met up at a local coffee shop tonight.
Bill told me that he also has a 355/12 John Lennon limited edition given to him by Tom Cochrane after a Canadian tour a few years back. As well as a '68 360 WB that is in pieces being restored. Bill bought another guitar player along with him, who owns a 67 FG 450 12...
With luck, both of them will join us at ORAC on June 6, and more forum members can see this lovely one of a kind guitar.
Here follows a flood of pictures. My guitar now sports a new to me 80's TRC with model 330 on it... It hides the fire damage much better!
I had fun tonight!
Brian
- Bill Dillon with my 320
- SN 2v585 or 2v535??
- 355 front
- Capri headstick
