Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I've never even knew these existed until today. I guess it was the companion to the 3000 series bass? Has anyone ever plugged one of these in before?
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

If you do a search for "430" on the site you'll turn up a number of threads discussing this model.

They're cool guitars ... I've had mine since the mid-1980s, and while it's been supplanted as my main player by my 620 I keep it in my office to play when the mood strikes. I've modded mine a bit by moving the jack to the side and adding an upper pick guard.

The 430 body is a fairly undistinguished slab of wood without the nice finish one associates with higher-end Rickenbackers, but the bolt-on neck is excellent (although the dead flat fretboard isn't everyone's thing!), the pickups are real Hi-Gains with a cheaper vinyl cover (John Hall himself confirmed this in another thread a few days ago) and the hardware is the same quality as on higher-priced Rickenbackers. It was a budget model, but Rickenbacker didn't cut corners on the stuff that really mattered in terms of playability.

I had one and really enjoyed it. I called it my Rickencaster. Really great sounding pickups. You can find them for well under a grand, and well worth it.

Here's a photo of my Ric 430 (manufactured in October 1975), which I acquired in Florida a few years ago and is in absolutely mint condition with its original case.

The seller had bought it a couple of years earlier from a store in the Midwest that was closing. The old gent that owned the store found this guitar buried in his storage room. It had never sold since 1975! Never been played - all original. Even after almost 40 years, the set-up and intonation are pretty much perfect - a testimony to great build quality.

Budget or not, a Rickenbacker is still a Rickenbacker.

Very cool story, James. I love the photo, with the sparkling bridge!

jps wrote:Very cool story, James. I love the photo, with the sparkling bridge!

Thanks Jeffrey. The sparkle on the bridge was entirely unintentional, though it does enhance the photo. In the higher-resolution version of the photo, you can 'zoom in' and read the Serial Number stamped at the bottom of the bridge assembly. Note also that, although the pick-ups & covers, scratchplate and TRC are all in black, the bridge cover is chrome - unlike later Ric Black Trim / Black Hardware models.

I too have a 430 - mine is JG from February 1976. With Jonathan's in Toronto and this new one at Capsule Music that makes at least 3 model 430s in Ontario... I think this one was on Kiiji last fall.

I have one as well, although it's not in the greatest of condition it plays very well, and has a telecaster sound to my ear. If there is a down side it's that they are not particularly desirable, and don't bring a lot of money. After all, they were the bottom of the line cheapo Rics of the time. As someone already noted the body is pretty much a slab with a mediocre paint job. But they are light and they do crank, flat radius fretboard aside.

Here's mine. Looks much nicer in photo that in real life.