During Lennon's post-Beatles years in NYC, this very same Rickenbacker 325 guitar was "refurbished" somewhat, with its black paint stripped, stained in a "honey colored" tinted finish and the gold pickguard replaced with a white plastic one.Ī brand new one-off custom second 325 model was created just for Lennon and shipped to him while The Beatles were in Miami Beach, Florida, on the same 1964 visit to the US. (This has led to much confusion over the years, since the first and third Beatles headlining shows on The Ed Sullivan Show, were taped to time on the same day with different live studio audiences). In its Beatles era final modified form, Lennon played this guitar during The Beatles' famous 1964 debut and third appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. He eventually had the guitar's natural alder body refinished in black (a color later to be officially known as 'Jetglo' by Rickenbacker), and made other modifications. In Hamburg 1960, then-unknown John Lennon bought a 325 Capri, which he used throughout the early days of The Beatles. Rickenbacker Guitars and the Rock & Roll Explosion of the 1960sĭuring the 1960s, Rickenbacker would enjoy an incredible endorsement when a couple of Rickenbacker models became permanently intertwined with the sound and look of the most popular band of the 1960s and arguably the most influential band of the 20th century: The Beatles.
Hall to Beatle George Harrison in February 1964. The second electric 12 string prototype, which was somewhat different, was given by F.C. Hall to Suzi Arden, a Las Vegas country and western music entertainer, in 1963. The first prototype of this 12 string electric guitar (originally produced as a "show and tell item" only) was ultimately sold by then Rickenbacker CEO/Owner F.C. In 1963 Rickenbacker developed an electric twelve-string guitar with an innovative headstock design that enabled all twelve machine heads to be fitted onto a standard-length headstock by alternately mounting pairs of machine heads at right-angles to the other. In 1958, Rickenbacker introduced its "Capri" series, including the double-cutaway semi-acoustic guitars which would become the famous Rickenbacker 300 Series.
In 1956, Rickenbacker introduced two instruments with the "neck through body" construction that was to become a standard feature of the company's products - the Combo 400 guitar and the model 4000 bass. Rickenbacher (shortly afterwards changed to 'Rickenbacker' to avoid German connotations in light of the world wars, as well as to capitalize on the distant relation between the company owner and WWI flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker) continued to specialize in steel guitars well into the 1950s, but with the rock and roll boom they shifted towards producing standard guitars, both acoustic and electric. During the early 1940s, Rickenbacker amps were sometimes repaired by fellow Californian Leo Fender, whose repair shop soon evolved into the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company.
#RICKENBACKER 325 RUBY PROFESSIONAL#
Lansing of the Lansing Manufacturing Company designed the speaker in the Rickenbacker professional model. Shortly thereafter, design engineer Ralph Robertson was hired to further develop the amplifiers and by the 1940s at least four different Rickenbacker amplifier models were made available. Van Nest, designed the first Electro String production-model amp. Right from the start, Electro String also sold amplifiers to go along with their electric guitars. By the time production ceased in 1939, several thousand frying pans had been produced. They had huge pickups with a pair of horseshoe magnets that arched over the top of the strings. These instruments, nicknamed "frying pans" due to their long necks and circular bodies, are the first solid-bodied electric guitars, though they were not standard guitars, but a lap-steel type. They chose the brand name Rickenbacher (later changed to Rickenbacker) for these guitars. The company was founded as the Electro String Instrument Corporation by Adolph Rickenbacher and George Beauchamp in 1931 to sell electric "Hawaiian" guitars designed by Beauchamp. Rickenbacker is the largest guitar company to manufacture all of their guitars within the United States. All production takes place at its headquarters in Santa Ana, California. Rickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker (pronounced /ˌrɪkənˈbækɚ/) ), is an electric guitar manufacturer, notable for having invented the first electric guitar during the 1930s. Rickenbacker - marque/manufacturer information