Rickenbacker guitars are closely identified as American products, and Rickenbacker produced some of the very earliest electric guitar designs (and had the patents to prove it). The Rickenbacker company was formed in 1931 by Adolph Rickenbacker and George Beauchamp, whose name we know from the very earliest days of National resophonic instruments.
The Rickenbacker 330 was designed by Roger Rossmeisl, a German luthier who had moved to the United States in 1953. He worked for Gibson for a short while then moved to California and worked for Rickenbacker from 1953 to 1962.
One of the iconic 1960’s guitars, the Rickenbacker 330 features a mostly hollow maple body with a distinctive ‘crescent moon’ cutway body style.
The top and sides are made from a two-piece slab of maple, routed out and then given bracing. The back is a separate section and glued to the sides; the three piece (maple-walnut-maple) neck is set in place. The fingerboard is a fairly thick slab of rosewood with dot position markers and gets Rickenbacker’s gloss finish.
Two high-gain, single coil pickups are installed, with the five-control wiring: individual volume and tone controls, plus the blend control on Rickenbacker’s unique two-level pickguard. As with other Rickenbacker 330s, this guitar is wired for mono only and Ric-O-Sound is not installed. Kluson Deluxe tuners with metal buttons, a banjo style strap buttons, a six saddle adjustable bridge (with chrome cover!) and the R tailpiece complete the hardware.
This 1974 Rickenbacker 330 Natural is a complete, original example of 1970s production. There’s a light amount of buckle rash on the back, though the top is in good condition and there is moderate fret wear, primarily in the lower positions. The nut width is 1 9/16th inches, with the action set at 4/64ths across. The guitar is currently strung with a 9-42 set. It plays cleanly and is well balanced. And of course, it has that distinctive Rickenbacker chime!
Serial Number: NA 421, which dates to January of 1974. Built at the Rickenbacker facility in Santa Ana, California.
Pricing: $1,950.00 with molded hardshell case (non original, acoustic sized). SOLD
You can preview our videos now on Our YouTube Channel!
You can now Visit our Facebook page!
Check out Grant’s Banjo Setup Q&A
