Rickenbacker Lap Steels

Peter McCormack · From: Fredericton, NB Canada

There are photos of various models of Rickenbacker Lap Steels at http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/mccorp/lapsteels.html Should you have any photos to add or should you wish to write an article on Rickenbacker Lap Steels or Steels please send them along to mccorp@nbnet.nb.ca

------------------

[This message was edited by b0b on 14 April 2001 at 09:02 PM.]

Steve Honum · From: Oregon, USA

Some pretty cool looking Ricks on this site. Anyone know what year they started reinforcing the necks on bakelite Ricks to prevent tuning problems due to the neck and body expanding and contracting? How rare are the 7 string models? I've heard the earlier Ricks are superior to the later ones. The early ones have no lines on the frets, just molded ridges which seem a little hard to see. Is this a hassle when playing? Do the bakelite body Ricks really sound alot better than the metal ones? This stuff has probably been posted before. Sorry If I'm bringing up prevously discussed stuff.
Haere mai,
Steve

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Steve,

I do not know when they started reinforcing the bakelite necks. In fact, I never knew they did.

Here are what most Rick afficienados say about the really sought after guitars:

1. Must be pre-war.

2. Must be bakelite.

3. Have 6 strings. 7 even better (although these are very rare indeed). Most do not care for 8 or 10 stingers.

4. Must have this printed on the PU magnet holder--"Patent Pending" rather than a patent number. (a patent was issued on the PU on August 10, 1937. All guitars built on or after this date had the patent number imprintied on the plate. While one could still get a fine Rick with a patent number, there is no guarantee that it was built before the war. So most want ones with NO patent number. (Note: Do not confuse this with the patent number of the guitar itself which is embossed in the bakelite).

5. The PU magets should be 1 and 1/2" wide rather than 1 and 1/4" inch wide. Most feel you get a better sound with the wider magnets.

6. Strings must come up thru the body of the guitar rather than attach to a metal tail piece on the right end of the guitar.

7. Must have chrome plates rather than painted ones.

8. Just a tone control is preferred when looking for one. Although it is nice to have a volume control, and some added them later.

The fret lines paralleling the raised frets are of little use. In fact fret markers on any steel guitar are just a rough estimate. Most seasoned players position the bar by ear rather than try to place the bar dead over a fret. Parallax error alone would tend to hamper this anyway.

And yes, there is NO comparison between metal bodied Ricks and bakelite ones. Preferred is bakelite for most Rick lovers. One excepton to this is the "Frypan". But it is unigue among Ricks. And not included in the above "things".

The thing most collectors listen for on a Rick that fits the above criteria is what is often referred to as a "moan" or as Tom Brumley calls it, a "wow". It is a sound NO other steel guitar ever produced has, and is particularly "sweet" when sustaining and/or sliding into the next note.

No human on this earth ever got this moan as well as the master and that of course is Jerry Byrd. If you listen to his older recordings particularly the ones backing stars like Hank Willians and Ernest Tubb, you will clearly hear this "moan".

Note: NOT all Ricks have the moan. NOT even ones fitting the "musts". Bit of Trivia to back this up:

Tom Brumley, Wayne Tanner and I had been looking for a 7 string prewar Rick for years. In my case over 40 yrs. Ironically, all three of us found our 7 strings within just months of each other. They are identical and match all above "specs". Yet Wayne's had the best moan. Then mine. And Tom's barely has it at all.

NO one is sure just what produces this moan. But when you find one that has it, NEVER let it go. You may not find another one.

And don't let a japanese player see it or he will mortgage his home to buy it from you.

Well almost. Seriously, they buy all they can find.

carl

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

Carl, thanks a million for this informative post. I thought I was educated on this topic but still learned some new info. I have a near-mint 6-string ... with the patent number on both pickup & bakelite body. Dang!
I don't know if it has the 'ol "moan" but it sure sounds great to me. The one thing that I like better about my Gibson EH-150 is that the strings are much higher off the fingerboard than the Bakelite. They're both great steels, however.

[This message was edited by Andy Volk on 05 April 2001 at 06:51 PM.]

Steve Honum · From: Oregon, USA

Thanks for the info Carl. There's something about the Ricks that appeal to me. I play a single 8 Fender in A6. I'm thinking of getting a second steel and don't want to go to a single 6. A seven string bakelite would be great. The only two 7 strings I've seen on ebay or on the forum have been pricey and gone quick.
Hare mai,
Steve H.

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

tom's might have had that 'moan' but he probably just couldn't get it out of it due to his lack of experience, lousy hands, and
toneless ears..............
...............................
........(ha ha, just a joke).......duh!

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

For what it's worth. The Bakelite Ricks tend to snap off at the tuning end of the neck just beyond the nut....if dropped.
There is a fellow here in Oregon that has repaired two such instruments....one was my own that ultimately was stolen by the EVIL ONE.........and it's a supurb job. Should yours chance to fall and break, give me a call and I can put you in touch with this master artist repair person. A very classy repair. DO NOT THROW it away!!!

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

The Bakelite Rics will also break right where the neck joins the body. Wayne Tanner said he was moving his while on a stand and it broke right in half when it crashed to the floor. Ouch! He glued it back together. I forget what the glue was, but I believe he said it was readily available at most hardware stores. Anyhow, that was 20 years ago--or longer--and it remains his main guitar--plays it every day. Quite a story with a happy ending. So be careful handling your Ric. Gig bags might be nice, but I'd be afraid to use one with my Bakelite.

Seven-string pre-WWII bakelites are very rare, so one would expect them to be pricey.
Consider their intrinsic worth as fine playable instruments. Some say they are the ultimate lap steels. Just ask Carl Dixon if he wants to part with his. My pre-WWII six is a lifetime keeper.

Paul Crawford · From: Orlando, Fl

Bob: I seen your Rick. It's really a work of art.

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

I was thrilled to get my Bakelite 6. Mine is unusual in that it has white Bakelite plates that are a kind of "milky" & translucent rather than others I've seen that have metal plates that were painted white.The knobs, which are factory-original, are stamped for "volume" & "tone". For my money, it's got that unique Rick sound. The Bakelite guitars are great example of industrial design - the perfect marriage of form & function. They were one of the few steels featured in the Boston Museum of Art's exhibition called "Dangerous Curves - The Art of the Guitar".

oj hicks · From: Springville, AL

I have a post war Rick 6-string. It has the chromium plated plates, but has the 1-1/4" magnets and the chromium tail piece to which the strings attach. I understand, as Carl said, these do not have the same quality of tone as the pre-war models he described. I have often wondered how great the difference is. I have a new Sierra 8-string that is has a superb tone and sustain. The Rick compares favorably, but does not (in my opion and to my ear) come up to the Sierra.

I have often wanted to get my "mits" on a pre-war model. They must be something else.

I know . . . and so would a lot of other folks.

oj hicks

Andy Alford · Posted 13 Apr 2001 3:20 am

After the war old bake.bodies and other parts were used to make new steels.It is hard to say when some of the Ricks were made.The very best Rick with that moan that I ever heard was a Rick that had a pre war body with after war parts.Beware of dating problems on the bake. Ricks.

Alan Berdoulay · Posted 19 Apr 2001 9:23 pm

glad to hear some folks confirm that seven strings can be rare and pricey, as i paid a bit for mine. "had to have it". some may recall; it was on ebay back in the fall. there was a picture of the original owner playing it at a veterans hospital in the forties. i do like this guitar. it makes me moan/wow.

John Drury · From: Gallatin, Tn USA

When you see some of the prices they ask for a decent pre-war bakelite, you will p!$$ and moan. I had a 1936 six string, drop dead mint. Not a scratch. It hung in my office for about six years. Neat looking guitar but I was never shot through the @$$ with its tone. I really like the Fenders. JMO

John Drury
NTSGA #0003

Forum Index > Steel Without Pedals		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic

All times are GMT - 8 Hours	Jump to: