Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 6 Oct 2011 3:26 pm |
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I purchased this not too long ago for my first console steel. It has the classic Rickenbacker tone - a warm, round, bell-like chime - but after playing it a while I've concluded that it just isn't my tone.
I started threads on this forum (link) and on the Rick Resource Forum (link) because I wasn't really sure what this guitar is. Every single piece of hardware is definitely Rickenbacker-built, but the body defies explanation. Instead of the usual box-like Rick construction, it's built from slabs of solid maple. There is no name anywhere on the instrument and no serial number. It's possible that someone bought a bunch of Rick parts and built their own guitar, but I believe that it's a prototype of some kind from the earliest days of the 200 series in the early/mid 1950s. There is further discussion about this in the threads I linked to, but for me the clincher is the extra leg socket that allows the guitar to stand on 3 or 4 legs; that points towards an experimental instrument, perhaps one that was used as a testbed by Rick engineers.
The body has some wear to the finish, but nothing out of the ordinary given its age. Overall, the guitar is pretty clean and the electronics work perfectly - loud and clear pickups, and pots that don't scratch. The guitar has a short 22.5" scale. I believe that it's all original, though one of the tuner covers might be a replacement because it has a satin finish whereas all the other hardware is shiny chrome. The guitar comes with a period case (I assume it's original). One of the original four legs has a faulty clutch mechanism, so I picked up a set of four old Rick legs to make up for it. Two of the replacements have issues as well, so you get five working legs and three which can be repaired if you feel like it.
I am asking $850 including shipping and Paypal fees. Trades for other vintage lap or console steels may be considered. If you have a '30s National New Yorker in good shape, I'll even throw in some cash.
The best way to reach me is by PM; I can check and respond to PMs at work, but not email. Feel free to ask for more info or pics.
     
The case:
  
Last edited by Noah Miller on 28 Nov 2011 3:42 am; edited 1 time in total |
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