Rickenbacker
For the American WWI fighter pilot, see Eddie Rickenbacker.
Rickenbacker is one of the oldest brand names in the manufacture of
electric guitars. The firm is headquartered in
Santa Ana, California, and all of its production takes place there. Rickenbacker is the largest guitar company to manufacture all of their guitars within the United States, which is a key factor in their consistently high quality and prices.
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Sketch of Rickenbacker "frying pan" lap steel guitar from 1937 patent application |
The company was founded as the
Electro String Instrument Corporation by
Adolph Rickenbacher and
George Beauchamp in
1931 to sell electric "Hawaiian" guitars designed by Beauchamp. They chose the brand name
Rickenbacher (later changed to
Rickenbacker) for these guitars.
These instruments, nicknamed "frying pans" due to their long necks and circular bodies, are considered by some to be the first
solid-bodied electric guitars, though they were not standard
guitars, but a
lap-steel type. They had huge pickups with a pair of horseshoe magnets that arched over the top of the strings. By the time production ceased in 1939, about 2,700 had been produced.
Rickenbacher (shortly afterwards changed to 'Rickenbacker' to avoid
German connotations in light of the
world wars, as well as to capitalize on the distant relation between the company owner and WWI flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker) continued to specialize in steel guitars well into the
1950s, but with the
rock and roll boom they shifted towards producing standard guitars, both acoustic and electric. In 1956, Rickenbacker introduced two instruments with the "neck through body" construction that was to become a standard feature of the company's products â€" the Combo 400 guitar and the model 4000 bass.
In 1959, Rickenbacker introduced its "Capri" series, including the double-cutaway semi-acoustic guitars which would become the famous 300 series.In
1964 Rickenbacker developed an electric twelve-string guitar with an innovative headstock design that enabled all twelve
machine heads to be fitted onto a standard-length headstock by alternately mounting pairs of machine heads at right-angles to the other.
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Steve Howe playing a Rickenbacker guitar with the progressive rock band Yes in 1977 |
Many Rickenbackers â€" both guitars and basses â€" are equipped to be compatible with a "Rick-O-Sound" unit via an extra "
stereo" output socket, that allows the two pickups (or neck and middle pickup combined/bridge pickup, in the case of three pickup instruments) to be connected to different effects units or amplifiers. Another idiosyncrasy of Rickenbackers is the use of two truss rods (rather than the usual one) to correct twists, as well as curvature, in the neck.
Rickenbacker guitars are noted for their distinctive jangle and chime. They are very trebly instruments and, unlike most electric guitars used in rock and roll, are often played cleanly, without distortion. Because of their tone, the guitars are favored by
jangle pop,
power pop, and
British Invasion-style groups. Though there are exceptions, most hard rock, metal, and punk outfits eschew Rickenbacker guitars because they are not as well suited to tougher, grittier sounds as are other guitars; Rickenbacker basses, however, are a staple of the hard rock genre (see below).
During the 1960s, with luck on their side, Rickenbacker would go on to enjoy an incredible endorsement when a couple of Rickenbacker models became permanently intertwined with the sound and look of the most popular band of the 1960s and arguably the most influential band of the 20th century:
The Beatles.
In
Hamburg 1960, the then-unknown
John Lennon bought a 325 Capri, which he used throughout the early days of The Beatles. He had this painted black eventually, and used this during The Beatles famous 1964 appearance on
The Ed Sullivan Show. A second one was given to him while in Miami on that same visit to the US. He used this on the next two appearances on the show. He eventually dropped this one at a Christmas show, making the instrument go hopelessly out of tune every time he played it. While it was being fixed, Rose Morris, the British exporters of Rickenbacker gave Lennon an export version of the 325 called the 1996. It was later given to
Ringo Starr.
In 1963,
George Harrison of The Beatles bought a 425. In February of 1964, while in New York City, F.C. Hall of Rickenbacker gave as a gift to Harrison, the second model 360/12 (a 12-string guitar) ever made. This instrument became a key part of the Beatles' sound on
A Hard Day's Night and
Help! and was used by Harrison throughout his life. In August of 1965, Harrison was presented with a second model 360/12 "New Style" 12-string guitar, which he toured with until it was stolen in 1966.
Though difficult to fret cleanly (the 12 strings are on a conventional width six string neck) the guitar remains very popular because it is still the only way to get the true "12 string Rick" sound, one of rock music's most distinctive sounds since 1964.
Meanwhile, Paul McCartney of The Beatles made use of a Rickenbacker bass model (see below).
Rickenbackers were adopted by other 1960s notables, including
Roger McGuinn of
The Byrds,
Pete Townshend of
The Who,
Carl Wilson of the
Beach Boys,
Paul Kantner of
the Jefferson Airplane and
Steppenwolf but they fell out of fashion in the early '70s, though Rickenbacker basses remained in favor. The guitars experienced a renaissance in the late 1970s and '80s as many
New Wave and
jangle pop groups began to use them. They continue to be popular to this day. Later "Ric" players include
Tom Petty and
Mike Campbell of
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers,
James Honeyman-Scott of
the Pretenders,
The Edge of
U2,
Paul Weller of
The Jam,
Peter Buck of
R.E.M.,
Robin Zander of
Cheap Trick,
Johnny Marr of
The Smiths, Wally Palmar, Mike Skill, and Coz Canler of
The Romantics,
Dave Wakeling of
the English Beat,
Paul Westerberg of
the Replacements,
Susanna Hoffs of
The Bangles,
Tom Gabel of
Against Me!,
Lloyd Cole,
Dave Gregory of
XTC,
Guy Picciotto of
Fugazi,
Thom Yorke of
Radiohead,
Ed O'Brien of
Radiohead,
Pete Doherty and
Carl Barat of
The Libertines,
John Kay of
Steppenwolf,
Marty Willson-Piper of
The Church,
Daniel Johns of
Silverchair,
Daniel Kessler of
Interpol,
Sherri DuPree of
Eisley,
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy of
a-Ha,
Kurt Ballou of
Converge, Jim Cuddy of
Blue Rodeo,
Elliott Smith,
Tim Rogers of
You Am I,
Kevin Mitchell of
Jebediah,
Luke Steele of
The Sleepy Jackson,
Toshiya or
Dir en grey, and
Shiina Ringo who makes slight mention of the Rickenbacker 620 in her song "Marunouchi Sadistic".
The 4000 series were the first Rickenbacker bass guitars. The 4000 was followed by the very popular 4001 (in 1961), the 4002 (limited edition bass introduced in 1977, only 100 or so models were produced), the 4008 (an 8-string model introduced in the mid-'70s), the 4003 (in about 1980 and still in production in 2005), and most recently the 4004 series. There was also the 4005 which was a hollow-bodied bass guitar (discontinued in the 80's); it did not resemble any of the other 4000 series basses, but rather the new style 360-370 guitars.
Rickenbacker basses have a distinctive tone. The 4000 bass has neck-through construction for more solid sustain due to more rigidity. The 3000 series made from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s were cheaper instruments with bolt-on necks.
Three of the earliest Rickenbacker bass users were The Beatles'
Paul McCartney,
Peter Quaife of
The Kinks, who played for one of the most popular and acclaimed
British Invasion groups; and
Roger Waters of
Pink Floyd, who played a 4001S in the band's psychedelic early days before permanently switching to the
Fender Precision Bass, which he has been most identified with. McCartney used a 4001S on
Revolver (
1966) and off-and-on afterwards.
The basses were a staple of
1970s hard rock and made a major contribution to the genre.
Chris Squire from
Yes,
Michael Rutherford from
Genesis,
Geddy Lee from
Rush,
Lemmy Kilmister from
Motörhead,
Graham Gouldman from
10cc, Steve Smith of
the Vapors,
Rick James, and
Roger Glover from
Deep Purple comprise just a sampling of Rickenbacker bass players in the idiom. The basses were also popular with later hard rock and metal purveyors, most notably the late
Cliff Burton of
Metallica, a dedicated Rickenbacker player.
The basses were not as visible among the punk/new wave explosion of the late 1970s and early 1980s, though there were three notable users.
Glen Matlock of the
Sex Pistols played a Rickenbacker during his tenure with the band.
Bruce Foxton of
The Jam played a Rickenbacker 4001 through the group's first two albums (both released in
1977), in part because the band strived to emulate the "mod" look and sound of the 1960s and the Rickenbacker label had the ultimate mod pedigree thanks to
Pete Townshend's use of Rickenbacker guitars. Foxton would later switch to a
Fender Precision Bass. (
The Jam's guitarist,
Paul Weller, played Rickenbacker guitars throughout the group's existence.)
Paul Simonon of
The Clash used a black Rickenbacker that he received as a gift from
Patti Smith, but later would switch to a Precision Bass[
1]. Former
Stone Roses bassist
Gary "Mani" Mounfield used a Rickenbacker bass covered in
Jackson Pollock-style drip paint during the band's peak period (1989â€"90).
In recent times, many bass players continue to play Rickenbackers, including
Bob Hardy of
Franz Ferdinand, Mike H. of
the Bravery, Dean Turner of
Magic Dirt and Chris Ross of
Wolfmother.
Rishi Dhir of
the High Dials,
Chris Joannou of
Silverchair,
Guy Berryman of
Coldplay,
Nikolai Fraiture of
the Strokes,
Dr. Matt Destruction of
The Hives,
Mark Stoermer of
the Killers and
Tim Commerford previously of
Rage Against the Machine and currently with
Audioslave have also been spotted using Rickenbackers.
Steve DiGiorgio of
Testament,
Sadus and
Dark Hall used two custom Rickenbackers prior to his ESP endorsement.
Fictional character
Haruhara Haruko from
FLCL uses a left-handed, blue Rickenbacker bass with a pull cord (like on a
lawnmower) not as a musical instrument, but as her
weapon.
There is even an urban Legend of The Red Rickenbacker. The legend says there is a blood red Rickenbacker bass that has ended up in the hands of bassists since the late 60's that is, supposedly, possessed by evil. The bassists supposedly come into possession of the bass and decend into madness and eventually disappear. But while they play The Red Ric, the music they play drives audiences crazy. Officials from the Rickenbacker company deny the existance of such a bass, but the legend lives on. A full explanation of the Legend of The Red Ric can be found on www.bluesband.com.
Some of Rickenbacker's most popular models include the following:
* 325 - Six-string, short scale guitar used by
John Lennon. Less than 400 were built between 1958 and 1970. The 325 has a hollow body, though not all have a sound hole (Most notably,
John Lennon's)[
2]
* 330 - Six-string hollow body with scimitar shaped sound-hole.[
3]
* 360 - A deluxe version of the 330, with stereo output and bound fretboard with triangle inlays. Earlier models have a 330 body shape, with top and bottom binding (known as "OS" (Old Style) or "WB" (With Binding)), later models with more rounded body top and horns, and no top binding. [
4]
* 360/12 - A twelve-string version of the 360. Rickenbacker touts this model as "The world's most popular twelve string electric guitar". Made famous in the '60s by
George Harrison [
5] and arguably the most renowned 12-string player of all-time,
Roger McGuinn. [
6] (see 360/12C63 below for exact Harrison replica)
* 620, 620/12 & 660/12 - Used by
Tom Petty and
Mike Campbell of
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers[
7]
* Rose, Morris 1996 - British export version of 325, distributed by Rose, Morris in the UK. Touted as the Beatle-Backer by RM. Almost all were made in the popular Fireglo sunburst. RM1996s are hard to distinguish from the American counterparts because both varieties had
f-shaped sound holes- the domestic version kept this un-Lennonesque feature until the eighties.
* Rose, Morris 1993 - British export version of 360/12, distributed by Rose, Morris in the UK during the mid 1960s. OS style 360 body with a traditional f-shaped sound hole, and unbound dot inlay neck
Pete Townshend) [
8]
* 4001 - Possibly Rickenbacker's most popular bass guitar. Famous players include
Cliff Burton (
Metallica),
Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister (
Motörhead),
Geddy Lee (
Rush),
Paul McCartney (
The Beatles/
Wings/solo), and
Chris Squire (
Yes).
* 4003 - Updated version of the 4001.
Discontinued models
* 230 Hamburg - Six string solid body electric. These guitars adopted the body style of the 430. They had special design RIC single coil pickups, and later RIC humbuckers. The single coils used a battery-less active circuitry. These guitars were in production from 1984 until the early 90's.
* 250 El Dorado - Deluxe version of the 230, featuring a bound body. Equipped with RIC humbuckers.
* 260 - Deluxe version of the 230, including maple fingerboard, bound body, and single-ply pickguard. Equipped with RIC humbuckers.
* 425 - Six string solid body electric, as played briefly by George Harrison in 1963 - it was used on "Ready, Steady Go!". These guitars were among Rickenbacker's less expensive, and featured the "cresting wave" body shape along with a massive pickguard, neck-through body construction, Combination bridge/tailpiece and one toaster (and later, a higain) pickup. In production from the early 60's to the late 70's.
* 430 - Six string solid body, designed in part with Forrest White, formerly of Fender. The Fender influence is obvious, as this guitar features a bolt on neck and a simplified, stripped down styling reminiscent of the Fender Telecaster. Later, the 200 series guitars would adopt the same body style. These guitars were introduced in the early 70's and dropped in the early 80's.
* 450 - Two pickup version of the 425.
* 460 - Deluxe version of the 450 (Bound body and triangle inlays).
* 480 - Six-string solid body guitar with the body stylings of the 4000 series basses. These guitars had dot inlays, dual higain pickups, and a contoured body. Produced from 1973 to 1983.
* 481 - Like the 480, except it had a bound body and triangle pearl inlays. The most striking feature, however, was the slanted frets/bridge/pickups/nut, supposedly "matching natural finger angle" and enabling easier playing. This guitar also had special design Rickenbacker humbucking pickups, which never appeared in another Rickenbacker instrument. Produced from 1973 to 1983.
* 4005 - Bass with the body shape of the 300 series.
* Five-string basses
* Eight-string basses
Current Reissue Models
* 360/12C63 - While the 360/12, like most of Rickenbacker's guitars, has been subtly updated throughout the years, the 360/12C63 is designed to be a 'frozen in time' replica of the famous 1963 model that George Harrison used during the 'A Hard Day's Night' period. This guitar replaced the 360v64. [
9]
* 1996 - New for 2006, the 1996 is a reissue of the guitar played briefly by John Lennon in late 1964 - known in Rickenbacker advertising of the period as "The Beatle Backer". It is similar to the 325 except for the F-hole, which came standard on all Rose Morris hollow body instruments. This instrument is available in Amber Fireglo only, RIC's 2006 Color of the Year.
John Lennon received this model after damaging his second 325.
* 4001c64 - An accurate replica of the Fireglo 4001s bass Paul McCartney received from Rickenbacker in 1965, and subsequently began using on "Rubber Soul". Paul's was a lefty with a right-handed neck; the current issue of the bass comes in right-handed with a left-handed neck, and left-handed with a right-handed neck. This bass replaced the 4001v63.
* 4001c64s - Designed as a replica of Sir Paul's bass in its current state: The upper horn has been sanded down, the paint has been stripped to the bare maple, and there is a zero fret.
* 325c58 - A reissue of the guitar John Lennon originally bought in Hamburg in 1960, and eventually used on The Beatles' first Ed Sullivan Show appearance. This guitar is available in both Mapleglo (How John originally got it, and though the body is actually Alder), and Jetglo (How it appeared on the Ed Sullivan show). Short scale body, Kauffman vib-rola tailpiece, oven knobs, three toaster pickups, gold plastic parts.
* 325c64 - F.C. Hall presented John with a new 325 to replace his road weary one during the group's first trip to New York. John used the new guitar on The Beatles second Sullivan show appearance and on the group's subsequent tours and albums. This guitar has an Ac'cent Vibrato and white plastic parts.
*
Rickenbacker International Corporation*
Björn Eriksson's Rickenbacker Page*
Rickenbacker registration page*
Rickenbacker players forum*
alt.guitar.rickenbacker Frequently Asked Questions*
The Rickenbacker Page*
Info and photos of Vintage Rickenbacker Guitars
