help identifying a Rickenabacker

Darren Lee · Post by **Darren Lee** » 7 Apr 2019 7:50 am

Just purchased this one and need a little help in ID'ng the year, etc. Thanks in advance!!

admin · Post by **b0b** » 7 Apr 2019 8:31 am

Looks a lot like mine, which was originally sold by a music store in San Francisco in 1962. The serial number on the output jack is U472.

I love this guitar! It has an absolutely beautiful tone and is very easy to play.

Darren Lee · Post by **Darren Lee** » 7 Apr 2019 8:49 am

Wow! looks like we have twins. It is easy to play and absolutely sounds amazing through my '67 dual showman. A website resource stated 1955,,, does this seem reasonable? Also, would it be possible this is a model 100 or perhaps an S-100 ?? I'm new to this stuff (steels)

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 7 Apr 2019 8:57 am

James Honberger · Post by **James Honberger** » 7 Apr 2019 12:17 pm

Very nice LSG! I like that red.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 7 Apr 2019 12:54 pm

I've seen the silver-gray ones from that catalog. I'm not sure when they added red. There were also some later models without the horseshoe pickups that weren't as nice.

Phil Donnison · Post by **Phil Donnison** » 7 Apr 2019 2:11 pm

Here's a link to a silver/grey one for sale which says it's a sixties model. The title includes s274 - probably the serial number. https://reverb.com/item/21153980-ricken ... 1960s-s274

admin · Post by **b0b** » 7 Apr 2019 7:09 pm

The name plate on the red ones is "Electro". The silver-gray name plate is "Rickenbacker". Also, the cases for our red guitars are brown instead of gray.

William Rasch · Post by **William Rasch** » 8 Apr 2019 2:55 am

I own a 62 and love it. Very overlooked guitar. Everything Bob said. Yours dates to 1955

Darren Lee · Post by **Darren Lee** » 8 Apr 2019 6:29 am

Was secretly hoping I could validate the 1955 date, thanks for the information so far all. This is now my oldest instrument! Brown case is a handsome match for the trans red too. Any recommendations on strings? Also, the low E seems to sit just a hair under the rest of them,, it engages fine but seems as though it should be sitting about a half string height higher. Are saddles easily replaced?

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Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 9 May 2019 7:39 pm

Would anyone know what model and/or year this one was?

Tom Snook · Post by **Tom Snook** » 10 May 2019 1:54 am

Jack,that looks just like my 1955 model 100.I saw it on the Elderly Instruments web site and said it's as old as me and looks like new for $450.sorry no case!
ALOHA

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 10 May 2019 8:51 am

Thanks for that info, Tom. There's little if any information on the latter day lap steels in the otherwise excellent Rickenbacker book by Richard Smith. The "H" instead of the "K" on the logo was confusing. Perhaps the factory had a pile of old decals that someone decided to use on at least one batch of 100s in the fifties.

The stripped carcass in the above pix was purchased on eBay a few years back for $35.00. A few hundred dollars later, I cobbled together enough parts from a number of sources to return the instrument to playable condition. It has the distinction of being the easiest 22.5" scale lap steel to coax harmonics out of that I have ever played.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 10 May 2019 1:57 pm

Jack Hanson wrote:It has the distinction of being the easiest 22.5" scale lap steel to coax harmonics out of that I have ever played.

The "strings through the body" design probably contributes to that. Even without a horseshoe pickup, there's a resonance that contributes nicely to the tone of the instrument.