Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I just purchased my first Rickenbacker. It is a 1977 480 in what I believe is Autumnglo. I bought the guitar from its original owner and it looks great. I'll post pictures soon.

Anyway, the bridge pickup is missing the four mounting screws, so it is being held in by the two height adjustment screws. What size are these screws?

Also, does anyone know a source for the o-rings on the bridge?

The selector switch is a bit sticky as well. Are these the same as the Switchcraft switches Gibson uses? The thread looks different but my memory may be off.

Congrats and welcome to the forum.

The four corner screws on the pickups are not mounting screws but just short screws that hold the pickup cover and base together. They are actually a screw and nut each. (they do not go into the wood!) Ric site sells them on their site in the "boutique," customer service can help.

If the selector is original, they are very sturdy and may just need some oil. Switchcraft switches rarely break.

Not sure on the o-rings, but someone here will know.

Pics would help, and we would love to see the guitar.

I'm pretty sure that there were no bun-o-rings on bridges in '77. I believe RIC had already started using springs instead.

Thanks. I have the screws, nuts, and a new foam pad on order from the Rickenbacker Boutique. Now I just need to find the o-rings.

I might be wrong about this guitar being a 1977. I haven't checked the serial number yet. I was just going off of what the seller told me. But the bridge has dried out and cracked o-rings around the height adjustment screws and there are no springs anywhere.

imbuedblue wrote:I might be wrong about this guitar being a 1977.

What's the serial number? It's on the jackplate...a '77 would start with the letter 'Q.'

The o-rings were used at least until the early 80's (through 1982). Then the changes were phased in over the next few years.

I bet Paul W. has a nice cheap source, for a bag of a 100.

Edit: Here's what I came up with at McMaster-Carr. These are $9 for 100. They come in hard or soft, but I would wait for Paul W. to chime in because there are a ton of options before you get to a final product.

Bridge Refurbish kit is $20 at Winfield Vintage: http://winfieldvintage.com/parts/index.html

It will get you close, but not exact spec.

Thanks for all the responses. I'll probably go with McMaster-Carr as I've been getting ready to order a few things from them already.

Here's a pic of the guitar.

Alexis, great guitar in a rare color, very nice. The o-rings above should work well. The vintage ones are hard, but they probably started out soft like the rubber grommets under the PU's and dried up. The purpose of these is more about absorbing vibrations than holding things in place, so the soft ones would be better for that IMO.

David, could you post the McMaster part number on those o-rings? For some reason the attachment isn't showing up on my computer here at work. Thanks!

Beware that all rubber is not created equal and some types will react with the finish. Cheaper is not always the way to go.

The part number is 2418T11 (I measured a vintage one with a pair of calipers so this is pretty close)

Rubber reacting with finish: In this case these will not be touching finish so no worries, but when buying grommets for under pickups that is a concern. Thanks Peter.

Beautiful 480, Alexis! Welcome to the Forum!