Rickenbacker B6 Panda Price

[Eric Reeves]

I was scrolling through local CL postings and ran into a white and black pre 1950 B6 that appears to be fairly clean with original p/u, asking $1000. Reverb prices seem like they are somewhere around $1500 or above. Is the asking price reasonable? I'm interested but was kinda thinking of shooting lower. However price seems like it's fairly fair currently.

[Paul Brainard]

Just saw the same ad - looks like it's in really nice shape, and seems like a pretty good deal. Seems like I saw one recently for $800 or $850 but maybe with some issues? If this one were a pre-war model with the larger magnets it would be going for more.

[Allan Revich]

$1000 is a very good price these days. Reverb and EBay have them listed for much more, but no one is buying at those high prices. And nobody is selling them for lower prices either. So if you like it, and you want it, I grab it while you can.

[Mark Helm]

The Reverb prices are BS. Same with eBay. Now...

...pre-50's panda is a term fraught with ambiguity. As far as I'm concerned (and I've owned 50 of these guys from 1933/4 to when they were discontinued in 1955) the only ones worth spending real $ on is the pre-war string-through 1.5" shoe models.

Some people will tell you they can't hear the difference between a 1.25" and a 1.5" shoe. OK. Maybe, if you're playing it loud with tons of distortion, maybe...

But I defy anyone to tell me any model B sounds better than a 1.5 string-through model B guitar.

INMHO, the Rick Model B HOLY GRAIL is the pre-war 1.5" string-through 7-string. Something about that combination makes that guitar the sweetest-sounding lap steel on the planet.

Look, I am NOT a great player. Hell, I'm not even good. But this video I recorded (mistakes and all) of my favorite model B 7-string says it all. It now belongs to Bobby Ingano, who convinced me to sell it to him (I wasn't worthy of it when he could be playing it!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_WPZMriltI

[Tim Whitlock]

A pre-war B6 with a 1.5" magnet is probably the top of the top, but any era B6 going to be a wonderful instrument and nothing to look down one's nose at. I think $1000 is a good price in today's market. In fact just this week I paid $950 for this beautiful 1951 BD6. I can assure you it absolutely sings and moans and was money well spent!

[Joe Burke]

Here’s my 1946 Panda. I love it! Lately it’s the only lap steel I play.

[Glenn Wilde]

Great guitars, of course most of us remember them for 400.00 not too long ago but, nowadays 1k is not out of line. If you can swing it, git it, i highly doubt you'll be dissatisfied.

[Jack Hanson]

Don't be put off by the newer ones with the narrow pickup and the strings mounted on a tailpiece. The wide pickup and string-through models may (or may not) sound marginally better, but the newer ones still sound superior to almost anything else available. Bakelites are indeed wonderful instruments!