Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I just realized something as I was scrolling through the eBay auctions for the 325C58...

It is kind of false for Rickenbacker sellers to call the JetGlo "just like the one John Lennon bought in Hamburg and played for years".

According to Andy Babiuk's book "Beatle's Gear", someone handpainted John's original MapleGlo that he purchased in Hamburg in 1960 with balck paint and then lacquered it for John. It never was a factory finish. In fact, eventually John had it restored to it's original finish as it is today... still in the possession of Yoko Ono.

John didn't get a JetGlo finish until he bought his second Rickenbacker 325 in '63 because the old one was a bit road weary. That is the guitar featured in "A Hard Day's Night" and becams so closely associated with John.

Funny how legend becomes fact. Johhny's JetGlo was the "original" he purchased in Hamburg. If you want a true "replica" of his first Ric, it should be in the "MapleGlo" finish (which now is actually alderwood).

I guess we are all lucky that the factory was nice enough to reissue it in jetglo, that would be a lot of work to paint one black if you wanted to do up the Sullivan show version, lol.

BTW, the second 325 was given to Lennon by the factory in Feb '64.

I think the Black ones(I won't say Jetglo, as Jetglo didn't EXIST in 1958) were made with the intent of people converting them to how the guitar was at it's most famous...the first American visit. It still looks sharp, though(black body, brown knobs, gold gaurd, nice contrast).

I think the Mapleglo should come stock(Kaufman vibrola, Ric bridge, stove knobs) and the Jetglo should be offered modefied. That way you can get the "325c58 Hamburg", or the "325c58 Liverpool".

Now I can understand the arguement of how RIC would want to only use Rickenbacker specs, and thus offer the JG non technically modified, but then why does the 4001 MG have the "satin" finish with the sanded down horn? With the logic of that model, the JG should be as it was when it was last publically used, with Bigsby/Burns/Sta-Tite changes.

I don't think ANYBODY would buy a 70's restoration whitegaurd c58, as he was never seen publically with it, and therefore holds no sentimental attachment in the eyes of us fans. Supposedly that was the guitar he was using in the studio in 12/80, so if he had lived to used it on a hypothetical 1981 "Double Fantasy" tour, than maybe that would make a nice third option on the model. But sadly...

Chris Scruggs