Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Around Oct 1970 I bought a used Rickenbacker 420 mapleglo from Patti Music in Madison WI for $125 as I recall. I was in senior in High School then and kept the guitar until I traded it in to either Ray Ketner Music or Ward Brodt Music Madison WI in 1975 for a '73 Les Paul Deluxe cherry sunburst.

As I recall the 420 Mapleglo was a '68 or so vintage. Being oh so young I first replaced the single pickup with a gold Gibson humbucker then in a flash of stupidity I installed TWO more humbuckers for a total of THREE and 6 vol/tone controls! This was in 1974 just after I got out of the Army. Ugh!!! But it played well. I also replaced the tuners with Japaneses closed tuners that looked like either Grovers or Schallers.

Unfortunately I do not have any remaining record of the serial number or photos of the guitar with the 3 humbuckers. I used a hammer & chisel to route out the spaces for the pickups and it was very ugly under the pickguard.

So by any chance does anyone know where my monstrosity is? I feel that I should find it and restore it as I still have the orginal toster pickup for it.

Thanks!

aoresteen wrote: Being oh so young I first replaced the single pickup with a gold Gibson humbucker then in a flash of stupidity I installed TWO more humbuckers for a total of THREE and 6 vol/tone controls!

Don't feel too bad about those 3 humbuckers. Some fool managed to fit 4 of them into a 360:
I don't suppose you have the serial no. for your 420?

The toaster might be worth more than the guitar given the mods you described.

Well I guess that it could have been worse

No, I don't have any record of the serial number. Things like serial numbers were not too important to when I was 22 years. At least I still have my 1959 Grestch Duo Jet that I got from a pawn shop in 1973 for $10.

Here I am playing the 420 in 1973 or so at a function at the NCO Club Ft. Hood Texas.



At this time I had managed to put only one humbucker in it and it still had the original tuners installed.