Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Now featuring a crooked tremolo, poorly fitted humbuckers, a Gibson ABR bridge, and Les Paul knobs. Maybe you had to special order these "rare options" from the factory?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1973-Rickenback ... 2eb9b58360

I love it. For a little bit less then the starting bid I would rock the **** out of it.

Knock a zero off the price, and I might be interested....if it could be restored to original, that is.
JimK

Don't like humbuckers Jim? My Les Paul does a real good Clarence White impression!

Find some 481 HBs and make it a non-slant fret 481. Not sure what to do about the rest of the Bridge and whammy bar bits; I'm a whammy bar nut, but surely something more cosmetically appealing could be found.

paologregorio wrote:Find some 481 HBs

Before or after finding the Lost City of Gold?

Grey wrote:

paologregorio wrote:Find some 481 HBs

Before or after finding the Lost City of Gold?

After, of course; the p/ups will be more affordable. . .

Failing that, I'd prolly install something that fit the existing footprint and looked similar.

paologregorio wrote:Find some 481 HBs and make it a non-slant fret 481. Not sure what to do about the rest of the Bridge and whammy bar bits; I'm a whammy bar nut, but surely something more cosmetically appealing could be found.

Don't like slant frets, Paulabbadabba?

Seems like there a lot to like/not like about this.

JB, you're giving me a clue about why you commented that you don't like these in another Forum. I thought it might be the body shape and balance that you had issues with. Apparently, however, if a 480 had hummers, you would rock the socks off it. So it's the single-coil Hi-Gains?

Paul, the last one I tried really sticks out in my mind. It was a beautiful Burgundy '74 and I really would have liked to have it. The flat fingerboard is a little odd to me, but I could probably live with it (my favorite guitar has a 12" radius). What I really couldn't get past was a serious imbalance with the pickups. The bridge Higain, for whatever reason, was just silly low in volume compared to the neck. I think I posted about on this forum afterward and Peter mentioned that he had the same issue with his. Could be anomalous, sure, but first impressions are everything.

To me, there is something very "punk" about these guitars. I can't imagine playing anything but straight up rock 'n roll on one and a pair of uncovered humbuckers just somehow seems appropriate to me! We've seen a number of them come down the pike with this sort of "mod" and I have to think there's a good reason why.

That vibrato though...no thanks.

If someone here buys this and wants to buy my last remaining pair of 481 pickups they can.

No snide remarks, you know who you are. Wouldn't want you to get banned or nothin'.

sloop_john_b wrote:Paul, the last one I tried really sticks out in my mind. It was a beautiful Burgundy '74 and I really would have liked to have it. The flat fingerboard is a little odd to me, but I could probably live with it (my favorite guitar has a 12" radius). What I really couldn't get past was a serious imbalance with the pickups. The bridge Higain, for whatever reason, was just silly low in volume compared to the neck. I think I posted about on this forum afterward and Peter mentioned that he had the same issue with his. Could be anomalous, sure, but first impressions are everything.

To me, there is something very "punk" about these guitars. I can't imagine playing anything but straight up rock 'n roll on one and a pair of uncovered humbuckers just somehow seems appropriate to me! We've seen a number of them come down the pike with this sort of "mod" and I have to think there's a good reason why.

That vibrato though...no thanks.

My own 480, a beautiful BG, does have this problem. I simply turn down the neck hi-gain and turn up the amp. Silly, but I LOVE the guitar. BTW, the 481 has a flat board; the 480 has a broad radius, like 18" or so. Nearly flat.

I wonder why that is? I remember leaving with the impression that it had to have something to do with the construction or something. This was way beyond the imbalance caused by the .0047 cap.

jingle_jangle wrote:

paologregorio wrote:Find some 481 HBs and make it a non-slant fret 481. Not sure what to do about the rest of the Bridge and whammy bar bits; I'm a whammy bar nut, but surely something more cosmetically appealing could be found.

Don't like slant frets, Paulabbadabba?

Seems like there a lot to like/not like about this.

JB, you're giving me a clue about why you commented that you don't like these in another Forum. I thought it might be the body shape and balance that you had issues with. Apparently, however, if a 480 had hummers, you would rock the socks off it. So it's the single-coil Hi-Gains?

I don't mind slant frets; they can get a bit weird to play higher up on the fretboard. I was just recalling JH's comment that not all 481s were slant fret models. might be cool to have a non-slant fret version-ish. Would just seem like less work to mount 481 HBs rather than block and fill the HB routs. . . and it would make the guitar more Rickunique, of course.

jingle_jangle wrote:My own 480, a beautiful BG, does have this problem. I simply turn down the neck hi-gain and turn up the amp. Silly, but I LOVE the guitar. BTW, the 481 has a flat board; the 480 has a broad radius, like 18" or so. Nearly flat.

I've heard you mention this before, but i've placed a level on my fretboard and it's dead flat. It seems unlikely that they would make such a minor difference between the 480/481.

paologregorio wrote: I was just recalling JH's comment that not all 481s were slant fret models. might be cool to have a non-slant fret version-ish.

There's atleast a couple that I know about.

Interesting. I'm gonna re-check. Maybe I'm having a senior moment...