Rare 1983 370WB?

Transition years of Rickenbacker Guitars from 1973-1983 inclusive

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Woodroce
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Rare 1983 370WB?

Post by Woodroce »

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Greetings!

I am the new very happy owner of a 1983 370WB in black. As I research to find the value of this guitar I am rather surprised to see that there is very little out there on this beauty. I can't find one like it. A friend told me this could be a very rare guitar. I was wondering if any of you might have any opinions as to how rare this guitar may be.

This guitar plays like a dream. I absolutely love it! :D





Image


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cjj
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Re: Rare 1983 370WB?

Post by cjj »

Welcome to the RRF! Nice guitar!

There are 14 listed in "The Register", 3 are 12 string:
http://www.rickresource.com/register/in ... celebrity=
I have NO idea what to do with those skinny stringed things... I'm just a bass player...
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ken_j
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Re: Rare 1983 370WB?

Post by ken_j »

Welcome to the RRF Sean. Nice buy. It looks great in JG.
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Hotzenplotz
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Re: Rare 1983 370WB?

Post by Hotzenplotz »

Nice 370!!! Looks great! Jetglo is the perfect colour for a 370WB, IMHO.

If it were mine I'd fidget with some toasters, trapeze tailpieces, golden guards/ TRCs and cooker knobs. :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
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Woodroce
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Re: Rare 1983 370WB?

Post by Woodroce »

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Hi Hots, ken and cjj!

Thanks for the reply and the warm welcome. It's great to be here. I love forums for getting (& giving, when I can) good information from other enthusiasts.

Yeah, I really got me one sweet guitar. My friend bought her new in 1983 and hardly ever played it. It's got a few dings here & there and needs a good cleaning, but what a great, great guitar. I can't get over how nice it plays.

I stole this guitar. The price was so low that I went back later and gave him $200 more to help me sleep at night. I still got a screaming good deal. So good, that I don't want to make you guys cry by telling you.

So, cjj, I was looking through all those 370's listed in the link you gave (thank you very much) and there is only ONE black one. This is the first picture I have seen on the web of a black 370WB that wasn't mine. That has to mean something as far as rarity goes, doesn't it?

The binding on the 370 sets the whole thing off, for me. I love the look of it. I love the FEEL of this guitar, too. The neck is amazing and the action is flawless. I am in L O V E- love! Yessirree!

And I think she loves me, too!

So, can one of you guys tell me how I find the serial number on this baby?


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leftybass
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Re: Rare 1983 370WB?

Post by leftybass »

I can remember going into a store around 1983-'84 and trying out a 370/12WB in a Ruby finish--at the time it was the most expensive Rick I had ever played...the street price on it was like $1054 back then........BOY it was nice.

Sean, look at both ends of the jackplate to find the sn#..... :wink:
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cjj
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Re: Rare 1983 370WB?

Post by cjj »

Woodroce wrote:.
So, can one of you guys tell me how I find the serial number on this baby?
The serial number will be on the jack plate where you plug in your cable to your amp. There will be 2 letters/numbers on one side, which gives the year and month of manufacture, and numbers on the other side that are the rest of the serial number.

You can "decode" the serial number on the official RIC corporate site:
http://www.rickenbacker.com/service_serials.asp

If you would, please consider adding your guitar to this site's register. It's a great source of info on just about any sort of Rick instrument or amp ever made:
http://www.rickresource.com/register/
I have NO idea what to do with those skinny stringed things... I'm just a bass player...
clementc3
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Re: Rare 1983 370WB?

Post by clementc3 »

cjj wrote:Welcome to the RRF! Nice guitar!

There are 14 listed in "The Register", 3 are 12 string:
http://www.rickresource.com/register/in ... celebrity=
The count of 14 is of 370WBs in all colors. There is also one 375WB in the register.

Based on casual observation I believe the number of guitars for any particular model listed in the Rickenbacker Register here generally reflects between 5% - 15% (more or less) of the total production by the factory. That's a fuzzy range and I am positive that there are exceptions but at least it is a starting point.

The percentage represented in the Register compared to total production appears higher for "pride of ownership" models such as the various Limited Editions than for standard models, which makes sense - those owners are more likely to register their instruments and, equally important, more likely to find the Register and this forum in the first place. Age, which affects the number of instruments that have survived to be registered, also affects the percentage of representation in the Register.

So, in very round and squishy numbers, one could guess that the company may have made something like 70 - 280 370WB guitars. There is only one Jetglo 370WB in the register as of now, S/N UI 3182. It is dangerous to extrapolate from a single data point but yours is definitely uncommon. It looks great, too!
Clint
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Re: Rare 1983 370WB?

Post by Clint »

Ooo...those 1980's Hi-Gains just sing!
Jangle, Chime & Twang.
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Woodroce
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Re: Rare 1983 370WB?

Post by Woodroce »

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Thanks, Guys.

How cool!

My guitar was manufactured in December of 1983!! I was one month away from turning 18 and partying my *** off. The cool thing is, I played this guitar every once & a while when my friend would let me. I was always too scared of it to really PLAY it, ya know, because it was a RICKENBACKER for crying out loud. I was always afraid I would put a scratch on it or something. Man, it flips me out to think that for the last 29 years, this guitar was going to end up MINE! It's mine and I love it!

I am most definitely going to add my guitar to the Ric Registry. I want to wait until I get her all buffed up first. I want her to look her best for the pictures, don't you know.

I have a friend that is going to be in my area in May and he's going to come over and help me get this guitar 100%. She's got noise in the pots and just needs some TLC. He's a bigtime Rickenbacker freak and has many high end Rics.




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paologregorio
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Re: Rare 1983 370WB?

Post by paologregorio »

Whoa! That's a twin to Rich Ferguson's `82 JG 370 WB, though he's since toaster-topped the middle and neck p//ups and installed an HB in the bridge, along with some chrome and black oven knobs.

Very nice guitar! I love Ricks from that era-thick top and X-braced. 8) 8)
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sloop_john_b
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Re: Rare 1983 370WB?

Post by sloop_john_b »

paologregorio wrote: Very nice guitar! I love Ricks from that era-thick top and X-braced. 8) 8)
+1! Welcome! Wonderful guitar. 8)
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Ontario_RIC_fan
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Re: Rare 1983 370WB?

Post by Ontario_RIC_fan »

December 1983... Rickenbacker was not making many guitars at that point... Definitely a rare one!

SN is WL 16??

Post more pics if you can! We never get tired of looking at them! :D :D
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67 FG 625
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analogpackrat
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Re: Rare 1983 370WB?

Post by analogpackrat »

Nice one, Sean! Welcome to the forum. It's hard to beat a JG WB model for classic and timeless looks. Congrats and be prepared for the inevitable second Rick :)
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electrofaro
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Re: Rare 1983 370WB?

Post by electrofaro »

Great guitar, Sean - congrats! :D
'67 Fender Coronado II CAB * '17 1963 ES-335 PB * currently rickless
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