Rickenbacker 300 Series
Encyclopedia
The Rickenbacker 300 series is a series of semi-acoustic guitar
s manufactured by the Rickenbacker
Company. The series was launched in 1958, shortly after F.C Hall took over Rickenbacker. The guitars were created by Roger Rossmeisl, a German guitar maker. http://www.rickenbacker.com/history_modern.asp
There are three main groups in the 300 series:
The 310 group instruments (310 to 325) feature a 20-3/4" short scale, dot fretboard inlays, and small (12-3/4" wide) bodies. The body is unbound, semi-hollow (though lacking a sound hole), and boasts the "crescent moon"-style cutaways. This series is currently available only in "Vintage" or "C" reissue forms. These instruments were originally intended to be student models, but gained prominence due to John Lennon
's use of a 325 during the early years of The Beatles
. Lennon first heard of Rickenbacker guitars from an early musical hero of his, Jean "Toots" Thielemans
. Lennon was able to obtain his first 325 from a Hamburg
, Germany music store in 1959. Although accounts differ as to whether the instrument was part of the shop's regular inventory or if Lennon had it specially ordered, George Harrison
maintained in an interview with Guitar Player Magazine that Lennon bought it "'on the knocks'—ten percent down, and the rest when they [catch] you!"
The 330 group consists of full scale guitars with standard features. These models (numbers 330 to 345) feature 24-3/4" scale necks, unbound 15" wide bodies with Rickenbacker's trademark "slash" sound hole, and pearl dot fretboard inlays.
Finally, the 360 deluxe model group, numbers 360 to 375. These instruments have hollow bodies with rounded top edges and binding on the back edges, stereo "Rick-O-Sound" output in addition to standard mono output, and large triangular fretboard inlays made from crushed pearl. There are two body styles for these models: the earlier or "old style" which was produced from its introduction to approximately 1964, and the new style, with rounded top edges. The original style shared the body style of the 330, with sharp edges and cutaways, distinguishable only by the front, back and neck binding and triangle inlays. For examples of the different styles, one could see George Harrison of The Beatles, who used an old style 360/12
(which was actually the second of three prototypes) in the movie
and on the album
A Hard Day's Night, while Roger McGuinn
of The Byrds
used a new style 360/12 with a factory-added third pickup and onboard compressor.
In addition to the three main groups, there are two other models:
The model 350 (now existing only as the reissue models 350V63 and 350/12V63) is a full scale version of the three-pickup 320 as it would have been produced in 1963 (although the 350 itself was not introduced until much later). This shares all of the same features as the 320, with the exception of scale length.
The model 381 is, in reality, a hollow body archtop guitar and is seen as the flagship of the 300 Series in the form of the model 381V69. Its body style is similar to the 330, but with a Gothic carved top and back providing extra depth. The "1" in the model name signifies pickups, as the 380 was originally intended as an acoustic guitar with electric guitar styling (although the 380 was supplanted by the 381's popularity.) It was most famously used by John Kay
of Steppenwolf
.
Rickenbacker guitars sold in Europe had traditional f-shaped sound holes until the 1980s. This was at the request of European instrument dealers, who were afraid that buyer response to the non-traditional "slash" sound holes would be poor. An example is the 1996, a (now discontinued) reissue of the export version of the 325.
http://www.rickenbacker.com/model_all.asp?series=300
http://www.rickenbacker.com/catalog_poster_piece.asp?poster_piece=cf68-6.jpg
, two tone pots, one blend pot, and a toggle to switch between pickups. A set of one tone and one volume pot control each pickup, or each set of pickups, in the case of three pickup models. Three pickup models feature a different pickup selection system than their two-pickup brethren, with the upward position meaning the neck and middle pickups are selected, the middle position meaning all three are selected, and the downward position meaning only the bridge pickup is selected. All current production 300 series models feature singlecoil pickups (either modern Hi-Gains or reissue "Toaster Top."http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdfs/manual.pdf
Semi-acoustic guitar
A semi-acoustic guitar or hollow-body electric is a type of electric guitar with both a sound box and one or more electric pickups. This is not the same as an electric acoustic guitar, which is an acoustic guitar with the addition of pickups or other means of amplification, either added by the...
s manufactured by the Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California...
Company. The series was launched in 1958, shortly after F.C Hall took over Rickenbacker. The guitars were created by Roger Rossmeisl, a German guitar maker. http://www.rickenbacker.com/history_modern.asp
Model Number and Rank
The Rickenbacker model numbering system includes many variables such as scale length, number of pickups and deluxe features such as binding and inlay. In addition to the model numbers (310, etc.), a 5 added to the model number signifies the addition of a vibrato, a 10 an additional pickup, and a 1 special features (such as the 331 "Light Show" guitar with internal multicolored lights and translucent plastic top).There are three main groups in the 300 series:
The 310 group instruments (310 to 325) feature a 20-3/4" short scale, dot fretboard inlays, and small (12-3/4" wide) bodies. The body is unbound, semi-hollow (though lacking a sound hole), and boasts the "crescent moon"-style cutaways. This series is currently available only in "Vintage" or "C" reissue forms. These instruments were originally intended to be student models, but gained prominence due to John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's use of a 325 during the early years of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. Lennon first heard of Rickenbacker guitars from an early musical hero of his, Jean "Toots" Thielemans
Toots Thielemans
Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans , known as Toots Thielemans, is a Belgian jazz musician well known for his guitar and harmonica playing as well as his whistling. Thielemans is credited as one of the greatest harmonica players of the 20th century...
. Lennon was able to obtain his first 325 from a Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany music store in 1959. Although accounts differ as to whether the instrument was part of the shop's regular inventory or if Lennon had it specially ordered, George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
maintained in an interview with Guitar Player Magazine that Lennon bought it "'on the knocks'—ten percent down, and the rest when they [catch] you!"
The 330 group consists of full scale guitars with standard features. These models (numbers 330 to 345) feature 24-3/4" scale necks, unbound 15" wide bodies with Rickenbacker's trademark "slash" sound hole, and pearl dot fretboard inlays.
Finally, the 360 deluxe model group, numbers 360 to 375. These instruments have hollow bodies with rounded top edges and binding on the back edges, stereo "Rick-O-Sound" output in addition to standard mono output, and large triangular fretboard inlays made from crushed pearl. There are two body styles for these models: the earlier or "old style" which was produced from its introduction to approximately 1964, and the new style, with rounded top edges. The original style shared the body style of the 330, with sharp edges and cutaways, distinguishable only by the front, back and neck binding and triangle inlays. For examples of the different styles, one could see George Harrison of The Beatles, who used an old style 360/12
Rickenbacker 360/12
The Rickenbacker 360/12 is an electric guitar made by the Rickenbacker company; it was among the first electric twelve-string guitars. This instrument is visually similar to the Rickenbacker 360...
(which was actually the second of three prototypes) in the movie
A Hard Day's Night (film)
A Hard Day's Night is a 1964 British black-and-white comedy film directed by Richard Lester and starring The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—during the height of Beatlemania. It was written by Alun Owen and originally released by United Artists...
and on the album
A Hard Day's Night (album)
A Hard Day's Night is the third studio album by The Beatles, released on 10 July 1964 as the soundtrack to their film A Hard Day's Night. The American version of the album was released two weeks earlier, on 26 June 1964 by United Artists Records, with a different track listing...
A Hard Day's Night, while Roger McGuinn
Roger McGuinn
James Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
of The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
used a new style 360/12 with a factory-added third pickup and onboard compressor.
In addition to the three main groups, there are two other models:
The model 350 (now existing only as the reissue models 350V63 and 350/12V63) is a full scale version of the three-pickup 320 as it would have been produced in 1963 (although the 350 itself was not introduced until much later). This shares all of the same features as the 320, with the exception of scale length.
The model 381 is, in reality, a hollow body archtop guitar and is seen as the flagship of the 300 Series in the form of the model 381V69. Its body style is similar to the 330, but with a Gothic carved top and back providing extra depth. The "1" in the model name signifies pickups, as the 380 was originally intended as an acoustic guitar with electric guitar styling (although the 380 was supplanted by the 381's popularity.) It was most famously used by John Kay
John Kay (musician)
John Kay is a German-Canadian singer, songwriter and guitarist known as the frontman of Steppenwolf...
of Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)
Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The...
.
Rickenbacker guitars sold in Europe had traditional f-shaped sound holes until the 1980s. This was at the request of European instrument dealers, who were afraid that buyer response to the non-traditional "slash" sound holes would be poor. An example is the 1996, a (now discontinued) reissue of the export version of the 325.
http://www.rickenbacker.com/model_all.asp?series=300
http://www.rickenbacker.com/catalog_poster_piece.asp?poster_piece=cf68-6.jpg
Features
The key features of the 300 series are their thick rosewood fretboards, and their hollow maple bodies and necks. All of the guitars in the series feature two volume potsPotentiometer
A potentiometer , informally, a pot, is a three-terminal resistor with a sliding contact that forms an adjustable voltage divider. If only two terminals are used , it acts as a variable resistor or rheostat. Potentiometers are commonly used to control electrical devices such as volume controls on...
, two tone pots, one blend pot, and a toggle to switch between pickups. A set of one tone and one volume pot control each pickup, or each set of pickups, in the case of three pickup models. Three pickup models feature a different pickup selection system than their two-pickup brethren, with the upward position meaning the neck and middle pickups are selected, the middle position meaning all three are selected, and the downward position meaning only the bridge pickup is selected. All current production 300 series models feature singlecoil pickups (either modern Hi-Gains or reissue "Toaster Top."http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdfs/manual.pdf
Notable Models
- Rickenbacker 325Rickenbacker 325-Overview:The Rickenbacker 325 was the first of the Capri series of hollow body guitars released in 1958 by Rickenbacker. It was designed by Roger Rossmeisl, a guitar craftsman from a family of German instrument makers. Production models were 20-3/4" short scale, dot fretboard inlays, and a small ...
- Rickenbacker 330Rickenbacker 330The Rickenbacker 330 is part of Rickenbacker's 300 series of guitars, the series for which Rickenbacker is perhaps best known. The 330 entered the Rickenbacker product line in 1958, though at the time the 300 series of guitars was known as the "Capri" series. It was designed by the German luthier...
- Rickenbacker 330/12
- Rickenbacker 340
- Rickenbacker 340/12
- Rickenbacker 360Rickenbacker 360The Rickenbacker 360 is an electric, semi-acoustic guitar made by Rickenbacker, and part of the Rickenbacker 300 Series. The instrument incorporates many features standard on Rickenbacker guitars, including a three-ply maple/walnut neck, shallow headstock angle, a thick rosewood fretboard finished...
- Rickenbacker 360/12Rickenbacker 360/12The Rickenbacker 360/12 is an electric guitar made by the Rickenbacker company; it was among the first electric twelve-string guitars. This instrument is visually similar to the Rickenbacker 360...
- Rickenbacker 370
- Rickenbacker 370/12
- Rickenbacker 380L Laguna (discontinued) http://www.rickenbacker.com/model_all.asp?series=300