Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I was reading in the "C Series" portion of the board about Rickenbacker's new plans for the "V Series". Apparently, it will now be more of a rotating set of models highlighting certain guitars/basses at certain distinct design periods. My favourite "V Series" guitar -- in fact, one of my favourite Rickenbackers, full stop -- is the 381v69, but I don't know a lot about its history. Did it go through any "distinct design periods"? Has it always been like the 381v69 is now?

Hi John - while I don't know a whole heck of a lot about 381's (in fact I've only seen one in person once - a local band called The Kramdens, and the player broke a string half-way through the first song in the band's set so I didn't even get to hear it for long!), I know that these were produced (sporadically?) from the late 1950's until the early 1970's, and then the reissues began in the late 1970's (www.voltageguitars.com has a 381v69 from 1978 that they claim is the earliest year of these reissues). Most of the original 381's I've seen for sale have been from 1969-onwards since they were sporting the newer hi-gain pick-ups. John Williams has pics of a 1968 381 at his website (www.homestead.com/aurs/68381.html) - this one has a checkerboard-bound headstock. And if you go through the models section of Bjorn Eriksson's website (www.rickbeat.com) you can see some others, including an interesting original 381/12 with three pick-ups. Anyways, that's about all I know on the subject - others can pipe up with additional information and/or corrections to what I've written. On the whole, it seems to me that the 381 guitars were more variable in their features than other models during the same era, so nailing down "distinct design periods" might be problematic.
Chris

Been looking into this a little more and it seems the high-gain pick-ups made their debut on 381s in 1969 (in fact these pick-ups were originally known as "381 type coils"). The model was discontinued in 1974, and then the 381v69 reissues began in 1987 - not 1978 as I thought (seems Voltage must have typo'd 1987 with 1978).

Seems odd that the v69 reissue has toasters!

The high-gains in 1969 probably were the 'screw-top" type, not the modern "round-top" type. Accurate reproduction of those early high-gains would have required another pick-up production effort by a supplier, which probably would not have been cost-effective being that those pick-ups would have been used on only one model (as opposed to the reissue toasters being used on all of the vintage reissues). I also wonder whether buyers would have appreciated the subtleties of the original high-gain pick-up embodied in a reissue.

I have a January '69 381, and a year or so ago I sold one from November.

They were very different in shape, carve, & thickness.

Anthony, can you post a few pictures showing some of these differences? Also, are the pick-ups the screw-top high gains?

Go here:

http://www.tblair.com/collection.htm

Don't have any side-by-side comparisons- but the essential difference was that the November version was thinner & squattier than the January.

Both had replaced pickups when I got them- but the January one should have originally had toasters (short poll at neck, long at bridge).

Thanks for the link, great pics! I can see some subtle diffeences between the 381s; the gap between the bridge and the bridge pick-up seems to be different, for one.

That's a fine collection you've assembled! All your guitars look like they're in fantastic condition. That old double pick-up tulip looks like a fun little guitar.

I know it's off-topic, but I have to ask: what the %$#@ is a "phantasmagorian"???

Great looking 381's there. My band has a 381V69/12 but it is a backup for my 360V64/12 - our guitarist prefers it to the 381.

Yes, what is "phantasmagorian"?

A bit of googling turned up this for 'Phantasmagorian', with a Rickenbacker connection:

http://www.sohostrut.co.uk/Riccky1.html

Groovy. If something like that went back into production, they'd sure find a ripe market in this town....

Was just gawking around Gbase Gear Mall and came across this:

http://www.gbase.com/gearlist/guitar_picture.asp?guitar=564734

Those pickups look like the original hi-gains before the button tops became standard.

What a nice guitar!