Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

i am seeking historical information about those vintage rickenbacker capri models which featured gold pickguards and tv/cooker knobs from the late '50s/early '60s, both hollow body and solid body like the 325. here are my questions: 1) what material were fretboards made of? i have been told padauk. i have also been told bubinga and rosewood. seems like there are many opinions. i'm looking for the truth. 2) what were these guitars finished with? did they have poly finish/clearcoat like the more modern rickenbackers or were they using something like nitrocellulose lacquer back then? 3) what are people using for a currently available, modern, period-correct replacement nut material? black graphtech? or? i would be grateful for any details about these topics. thank you!

Paduak was the standard fretboard material though the Capri era. Apart from some rare exceptions that is what was used on all Rickenbackers until 1964 (when Bubinga became standard).

The finish type changed during Capri construction. Initially they were finished in nitrocellulose lacquer until sometime in 1959 or 1960 when the factory switched to Conversion Varnish (a catalyzed two part system that is much more durable than lacquer). Conversion Varnish (CV) was used as the standard Rickenbacker finish system for the next 50+ years.

The original nuts were made of a black phenolic material. The closest available today is Delrin.

Adam, I should also note that the real resource here at RRF (and also Beat Gear Cavern) is the wealth of great discussion over the past 20+ years, all of which is easily searchable (using the search bar on the upper right).

There isn't a question you can imagine related to this sort of tech stuff that we haven't discussed in detail. That's the added benefit of a site like this over Facebook.

collin wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 11:59 amThe original nuts were made of a black phenolic material. The closest available today is Delrin.

Hmmm. I thought bakelite was the closest to the original phenolic nuts. Please advise the difference. Thanks.
https://polymerdatabase.com/polymer%20c ... 0type.html

collin wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 6:34 pm Adam, I should also note that the real resource here at RRF (and also Beat Gear Cavern) is the wealth of great discussion over the past 20+ years, all of which is easily searchable (using the search bar on the upper right).

There isn't a question you can imagine related to this sort of tech stuff that we haven't discussed in detail. That's the added benefit of a site like this over Facebook.

collin,

i think you're missing the point: reading archive discussions only leads to a multitude of differing opinions. no definitive answers. you can see it's already happening in this thread. you say phenolic, others say bakelite. this is the reason i am refreshing the discussion, wondering perhaps if there is new information that has surfaced since some ancient thread from 2003 or whatever.

iiipopes wrote: ↑Wed Nov 30, 2022 11:15 am

collin wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 11:59 amThe original nuts were made of a black phenolic material. The closest available today is Delrin.

Hmmm. I thought bakelite was the closest to the original phenolic nuts. Please advise the difference. Thanks.
https://polymerdatabase.com/polymer%20c ... 0type.html

exactly. i searched extensively prior to posting this question and there are at least 3-4 different answers circulating.

janglemaster wrote: ↑Wed Nov 30, 2022 5:39 pm

collin wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 6:34 pm Adam, I should also note that the real resource here at RRF (and also Beat Gear Cavern) is the wealth of great discussion over the past 20+ years, all of which is easily searchable (using the search bar on the upper right).

There isn't a question you can imagine related to this sort of tech stuff that we haven't discussed in detail. That's the added benefit of a site like this over Facebook.

collin,

i think you're missing the point: reading archive discussions only leads to a multitude of differing opinions. no definitive answers. you can see it's already happening in this thread. you say phenolic, others say bakelite. this is the reason i am refreshing the discussion, wondering perhaps if there is new information that has surfaced since some ancient thread from 2003 or whatever.

Good luck!

iiipopes wrote: ↑Wed Nov 30, 2022 11:15 am

collin wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 11:59 amThe original nuts were made of a black phenolic material. The closest available today is Delrin.

Hmmm. I thought bakelite was the closest to the original phenolic nuts. Please advise the difference. Thanks.
https://polymerdatabase.com/polymer%20c ... 0type.html

Scott, from experience bakelite is far too brittle to be used as a nut material. Delrin cuts like the original phenolic material, looks the same and sounds identical.

Besides, where do you even buy bakelite today?

Adam, I have had a few pretty obscure questions answered by ex-Rickenbacker staff before so hopefully one of them (if they are still lurking) sees your questions and responds accordingly.

janglemaster wrote: ↑Wed Nov 30, 2022 5:39 pm ... you say phenolic, others say bakelite ...

Bakelite is a phenolic polymer (phenol-formaldehyde resin. Delrin, on the other hand, is a polyacetal polymer. As Collin said, phenolics are a bit brittle compared to Delrin; one can find gears made of Delrin, but not of phenolic. IIRC from my plastics warehouse days, we dealt with phenolic sheets and tubing, but not bar stock or rods.

Also, modern-day phenolics often have fiber fillers to add strength.

Where to find a bakelite nut:
http://boutique.rickenbacker.com/NUT-31 ... p_563.html

iiipopes wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 4:05 pm Where to find a bakelite nut:
http://boutique.rickenbacker.com/NUT-31 ... p_563.html

Ok, that's a bass nut.

I don't believe the current RIC guitar nuts are bakelite. And they are not a drop-in replacement for a vintage spec Rickenbacker nut anyway.

They look the same to me. I'll let you contact the factory to confirm.

iiipopes wrote: ↑Tue Dec 06, 2022 8:13 am They look the same to me. I'll let you contact the factory to confirm.

contacting the rickenbacker factory to confirm anything is a complete waste of time. most abominable customer service i've ever encountered in the industry. i've asked them basic questions about products being sold in the boutique and been told "i don't know". i have screen shots of some of the ridiculous exchanges, in fact, because their disinterest in providing support is so unbelievably egregious. i bought a toaster pickup recently from an authorized dealer and it arrived with a bad wiring job. the retailer told me to contact rickenbacker. i did so and was totally shocked when they told me that because i didn't buy it directly from them, there was nothing they could do. what?! phone reps are rude and insulting. no idea what's going on there.

gellkeller wrote: ↑Sun Dec 04, 2022 7:05 am Adam, I have had a few pretty obscure questions answered by ex-Rickenbacker staff before so hopefully one of them (if they are still lurking) sees your questions and responds accordingly.

i hope so. that would be great.