Rickenbacker BD - 1940s vs. 1950s

Phillip Holt · From: Colorado, USA

Is there a big difference between '40s and '50s eras on these panda bakelite Ricks?

Musician's Friend is selling this one and seems kind of cheap.

[url] https://www.musiciansfriend.com/folk-traditional-instruments/vintage-rickenbacker-1940s-b-6-lap-steel/119865368

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Not an expert so grain of salt.....That is mid-to-post war with the difference between it and the earlier model being that it has a narrower pickup and the strings do not go thru-body.
Mine is nearly identical and it is a superb sounding guitar.

I could go on like an old timer and remember a few short years ago when the post-war models were going for a few hundred $$ less but that's boring.

If I were looking for another bakelite Ric I'd be very interested in this.
Original tuner buttons show their age and could well disintegrate on your first string change (and no, do not emulate how Bozo strung 4th string). This is common enough and there are replacements available.

Phillip Holt · From: Colorado, USA

Thanks Jon, I'm doing a crash course and it does look like the tailpiece (non string through body) signifies a post war model. Sounds like Jerry Byrd and some folks prefer the string through body with the bigger pick up magnet but not a deal breaker for the price I suppose.

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Conventional Wisdom places the pre-war models at the top of the heap. I have never played one for comparison (although I've got a pre-war Silver Hawaiian with the large pickup but it's got a hollow body so it's apples/oranges).
But I believe you will find a lot of love for the model that you are looking at. The differences will not be night & day significant. I'm not downplaying the potential of the pre-war guitars. Just that it's not a good vs. not so good thing.

Phillip Holt · From: Colorado, USA

Good deal, understood and thanks for the clarity.

Noah Miller · From: Rocky Hill, CT

I can't say my ears hear a difference between the 1.5" magnets and the 1.25" magnets even in a direct A/B test. My 1960 B7 sounds just as good as the pre-War ones I've compared it to.

Allan Revich · From: Victoria, BC

Honestly, if I were looking for one, I would consider that one a good find. Yes, the prewar Bs are more desirable, but that in no way makes the postwar models undesirable.

My own Rick is a postwar B7 and it is a beast! Great instruments if you can get your hands on one, especially at a decent price.

I have a feeling that more than one person here is politely waiting for your decision before snapping this one up 😜
_________________
Current Tunings:
6 String | G – G B D G B D
7 String | G6 – e G B D G B D (re-entrant)

https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Here's a visual of the wide vs. narrow pickups.

Tim Whitlock · From: Colorado, USA

I think the consensus has them ranked:

1. Big magnet - string through
2. Big magnet - tailpiece
3. Narrow magnet - string through
4. Narrow magnet - tailpiece

2 and 3 may be interchangeable, but any way you go you get a glorious sounding instrument with marginal differences. The one you're looking at is at a relatively good price and personally I like the aged look. I already own the '51 BD6 pictured in my avatar. If I were in the market for another Ricky lap steel, I would strongly consider buying the one at MF.

Phillip Holt · From: Colorado, USA

Any thoughts on how a post war Ric would stack up against some of the prewar Gibsons (EH-100 or 150) given that they are roughly in the same price range? For reference my main guitar now is a Fender Dual 8 Pro with the trapezoid pickups which I love. Haven't played much outside of this.

Noah Miller · From: Rocky Hill, CT

Phillip Holt · From: Colorado, USA

Copy that Noah, really appreciate everybody's feedback here. I've seen some of these postwar panda bakelites that have a hinged headstock cover. Does that signify any different era or other opinions?

Noah Miller · From: Rocky Hill, CT

The headstock cover indicates a model BD instead of a regular B. BD is often said to stand for "B Deluxe" but I have yet to see anything from Rickenbacker that confirms this. The BD appears to have replaced the B in the early '50s. There's no difference except for the headstock cover.

Cartwright Thompson · Posted 11 May 2024 4:10 am

I’ve owned a bunch of both early and later Bakelite Ricks. They all sounded great, but the prewar models definitely sound better to my ears, fatter with more sustain. I may be wrong but I think that the strings through the body make more of a difference than the size of the pickup.
But again, they are all great sounding guitars. I steer clear of the eight string ones, string spacing is too tight for me. The sevens and sixes have the same spacing.

Jack Hanson · From: San Luis Valley, USA

Regarding lap steels, I'm a Gibson guy through and through. Even so, I regard the first lap steel I ever purchased -- an early postwar B6 (narrow pickup & tailpiece) -- as the gold standard for both sound and playability. It's the one I will hang on to after all my Gibsons are have found new homes.

Andy Alford · Posted 13 May 2024 4:31 am **Pre war post war**

There are some obvious differences between the two but either one is a magnificent instrument. I prefer the Rickenbacher steels over all the other brands out there.

Steve Marinak · From: Man O War Cay, Abaco, Bahamas

Phillip, I have a handful of Pandas. My personal favorite in my collection is one just like this with the "T" logo badge on the head stock. I have pre wars and post wars, etc. The guitar in the link still has original tuners (which I look for), they can be cleaned up and work excellent. Plus it has an original case! It looks like it can clean up nicely overall. Very good guitar.
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Steve Marinak

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