NGD: Polynesian in the House!

Early years of Rickenbacker Guitars prior to and including 1972

Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4

User avatar
libratune
Veteran RRF member
Posts: 4254
Joined: Mon Jul 29, 2002 9:06 am
Contact:

NGD: Polynesian in the House!

Post by libratune »

I am now the proud owner of the fabled 1958 Rickenbacker Polynesian 325/Combo -- the guitar so rare it has no serial number! Also discussed here: viewtopic.php?f=27&t=405381

I acquired this guitar from the same seller in Japan from whom I acquired the V87 Longbody short scale Capri, via a trade of non-Rickenbacker vintage guitars from my collection. Thanks to Adam Tober of Expat Guitars in Tokyo for facilitating these transactions. Both guitars are shown reunited, below, with a standard-scale 1958 335 added for, erm, scale!

Not much else I can say that hasn’t been said about this guitar, except that in person it’s a little gem, nice and light, wonderful to look at, plays well. Unique in that it closely resembles the 850 Capri body style with German carve top but has a semihollow body with a thin piece of plywood glued to the back, covering even the neck tenon (which shows on an 850). With its short scale and three-toaster configuration, it seems more akin to a 325 Capri than a Combo. It may have been an experiment, incorporating the features of each as Rickenbacker transitioned from Combos to Capris beginning in late ‘57, early ‘58. Wiser heads than mine have weighed in on this guitar and its significance in the prior thread. I have nothing new to offer about its history.

So there you have it.

And no, I am not taking the back off so you can see what’s inside!

For more photos of this guitar, see Register entry at: http://www.rickresource.com/register/vi ... p?id=26244
Poly in Case
Poly in Case
Poly Front
Poly Front
Poly Neck Heel
Poly Neck Heel
Poly, V87, 335
Poly, V87, 335
JakeK
RRF Consultant
Posts: 5757
Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2007 9:08 pm

Re: NGD: Polynesian in the House!

Post by JakeK »

Man, Ron, you're racking 'em up! You only had reissue short scales, and now you have two vintage. What's next, a RoMo 1996? :lol:

In all seriousness, this is a fine looking guitar. No doubt the instrument that would inspire the German Carve of the 381. Is it next-through? How do your two vintage short scales compare to each other, despite have the same neck, number of pickups, vibrato bar and wiring configuration?
User avatar
bitzerguy
RRF Consultant
Posts: 1678
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 10:22 am

Re: NGD: Polynesian in the House!

Post by bitzerguy »

Wow! Just wow! 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

Congrats Ron!
...Dean
Never, ever drool on your surf shirt. It wrecks the solo.

660/12FG, 350V63/6FG, 620/6JG, 360WB/6DBG, Dingwall C1 #001, Prestige Heritage Elite FM
egosheep
Intermediate Member
Posts: 1258
Joined: Mon Nov 17, 2008 10:29 pm
Contact:

Re: NGD: Polynesian in the House!

Post by egosheep »

Wow... amazing. So awesome that this guitar ended up in forum hands.

I'll be right over to take it for a test run, Ron! :wink:
Great Ramp In My Opinion.
User avatar
jps
RRF Consultant
Posts: 37142
Joined: Wed Feb 12, 2003 6:00 am

Re: NGD: Polynesian in the House!

Post by jps »

bitzerguy wrote:Wow! Just wow! 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

Congrats Ron!
+1!!! 8)
User avatar
Ontario_RIC_fan
Advanced Member
Posts: 2796
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 8:39 pm

Re: NGD: Polynesian in the House!

Post by Ontario_RIC_fan »

Brilliant Congrats! I wondered what could be cool enough to justify getting rid of Capri's for...

:D :D
Brian Morton
A Rickenbacker Fan
in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
=========================
67 FG 625
74 JG 4000
76 JG 430
77 JG 620
77 JG 320
79 MG 450
79 JG 4001
80 FG 620/12
81 BG 480
91 JG 610
02 BG 620
78 TR7
83 TR25
User avatar
Danotron
Intermediate Member
Posts: 1423
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:07 pm

Re: NGD: Polynesian in the House!

Post by Danotron »

Ontario_RIC_fan wrote:Brilliant Congrats! I wondered what could be cool enough to justify getting rid of Capri's for...

:D :D
Me too.

Now I know!

Congratulations Ron 8)
User avatar
8mileshigher
Senior Member
Posts: 4871
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 12:34 pm

NGD: Polynesian in the House!

Post by 8mileshigher »

Congrats ! That is real special ! :D
User avatar
rickendelic
Member
Posts: 278
Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2007 6:13 pm

Re: NGD: Polynesian in the House!

Post by rickendelic »

Congrats Ron, wow!
User avatar
collin
Senior Member
Posts: 6951
Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2007 6:28 pm

Re: NGD: Polynesian in the House!

Post by collin »

:shock: :shock:

Wow, Ron---it's incredible. Massive congratulations on this one!
User avatar
8mileshigh
Senior Member
Posts: 3532
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2003 6:00 am

Re: NGD: Polynesian in the House!

Post by 8mileshigh »

Congrats Ron. That must have taken some haggling! Glad to see it back in the USA. Not quite the UK, but closer :lol:

I'd love to see it in person one day, at a MARF maybe?
User avatar
leftybass
RRF Consultant
Posts: 5359
Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2001 10:23 am

Re: NGD: Polynesian in the House!

Post by leftybass »

Congratulations Ron.....You have been quite busy the last few months..!! Some great great acquisitions. :D
User avatar
T.A.R.
Intermediate Member
Posts: 1412
Joined: Sat Feb 20, 2010 9:39 am

Re: NGD: Polynesian in the House!

Post by T.A.R. »

Congrats Ron, Wow!
User avatar
sloop_john_b
Rick-a-holic
Posts: 13836
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2005 6:00 am

Re: NGD: Polynesian in the House!

Post by sloop_john_b »

Congrats Ron. :D
User avatar
deaconblues
RRF Consultant
Posts: 2390
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:14 pm

Re: NGD: Polynesian in the House!

Post by deaconblues »

Love this guitar! Congrats.
Post Reply

Return to “Rickenbacker Guitars: Vintage Years - Before 1973”