Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I know the that the high performance vibrato option is currently offered only on the 650 series of guitars, but I am curious about whether one could also be offered on the non-piezo 380L? I've been trying to "eyeball" the low-profile bridges of the 380 and the 650, and they both seem pretty similar. I own a 380L but I'm having to work from photos of the 650. Are the bridges even roughly the same? Are they close enough that the VH option would work on the 380L?

Of course, JH would be the ultimate authority...

That said, I own a 650 with the optional vibrato. Two things come to mind...
1) Is the top thick enough to securely hold the vibrato's mounting screws?
and
2) What perpindicular piece of wood is available on a semi-hollow body to attach the return springs?

Hmmm. Both good points. I think that the answer to question (1) is "yes", but I hadn't even considered point number (2). There's nothing there that the springs could attach to, so putting a VH in would require a lot of extra fuss at the manufacturing stage. It's too bad, because I really like the thought of a 380L VH.

Bigsby?

I suppose that would require a non-standard bridge as well.

Yes, you'd need to change out the bridge, and the bridge is integral to the overall design of the 380L. It almost makes the guitar. The bridge is very low profile, which in turn allows for a "shallower" neck profile than on most Rics. This is especially noticeable where the neck joins the body. I've had bad experiences with Bigsby conversions generally -- a couple of nearly ruined guitars -- and I wouldn't want to ruin a 380L.

I did a little bit of digging inside my 380L last night. The "centre block" is sufficiently large, I think, to create a usable cavity for the VH. I don't know if there's other stuff inside there that would get in the way, but it looks feasible to my untrained eye. Sir Andrew, can you post a picture of your VH cavity? I think you've already posted it elsewhere, but I can't find it. Thanks.

"Sir Andrew, can you post a picture of your VH cavity?"

I beg your pardon!!!

Huh? Oh! You mean my guitar's cavity!

Certainly, Sir Squid! I shall forward an image to our noble Forum King, post haste!

What's a little VH cavity between forum cohorts? There are no secrets here. Hey, I'd show you mine if I had one.

So much for the "post haste." My ISP must've had a crash or something... I haven't been able to connect for several days. I'm now signing on using Juno.

Nevertheless, I'm e-mailing Peter a couple of pics. I'm sure he'll get them up here in a jiffy.

OK... perhaps in "2" jiffies.

Did you get the pics, Peter?