https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJhFkT-HZoc
My new to me 1946 Rickenbacher B6. I thought I would share with you my experience of purchasing this really nice sounding and playing B6.
I live in the UK and Lap steel guitars over here are really quite uncommon. Anything like a vintage instrument would be really difficult to find and would be prohibitively expensive in todays market place. Having played the Lap Steel guitar for a few years now and getting to understand what I really wanted from a Lap Steel Guitar. For me I wanted a six string short scale instrument to play Hawaiian style music on. Having researched and taken advice, also watching great players on YouTube and learning from the greats such as Jerry Byrd Dick Mcintire etc I decided a Rickenbacker type guitar would be a good choice for me.
This is where this forum became gold.
I have spoken with forum member Kevin Glandon over the last few years and he has a couple of B6 vintage Rickenbackers. It was his view that I would be advised to look for early Rickenbacker B6s. Frypans are now too expensive. I did consider purchasing a new Clinesmith but with shipping, Import duties and VAT that the UK government adds to imported items........ this would be quite expensive.
Just before Christmas the B6 I purchased was advertised on this forum for $750 US dollars plus shipping. I spoke with Kevin and also emailed the seller at the same time. Kevin then kindly contacted the seller and verified that this was a good guitar with no issues bearing in mind that the instrument was built in 1946. The seller also informed us that the case was very poor ... both in condition and not very protective. I decide to buy. Kevin Purchased the instrument and had it sent to his place so he could thoroughly check out the guitar. I paid Kevin via Paypal. The guitar duly arrived at Kevins and he looked over the instrument and checked it out for me. Checking the pickup and informing me the the pots had been replaced at some stage but worked well and just needed cleaning. We decided to ditch the inadequate case and to pack the instrument really well for the subsequant air journey into the unknown to hopefully end up with me in a week or so. Kevin who has knowledge of the fragility of these instruments was a little concerned about the how to pack this guitar for the most trouble free journey. He thought it might be best to take the neck of the body and ship the guitar in 2 pieces. He conferred with another forum member....Ricky expert Rick Aiello. Ricks advice was that you really must ship with the neck and body separated. With that now confirmed, Kevin packaged the guitar really really well. I think this is the key to the whole operation. The guitar was then shipped to me and within a few days it was in the UK. Just waiting for it to be checked by customs I guess and then within a few more days it was delivered to me in perfect condition.
In this day and age of media information misinformation.......It is really nice to have a positive story regarding how the world can work with the internet. Without the internet there would be no YouTube and I would still have no idea about Hawaiian style steel guitar. This forum is a conduit for like minded people who have a love for steel guitar and whos members are so helpful that I have been able to purchase this lovely instrument in a trouble free way. A big shout out to Kevin Glandon for his help in procuring this instrument. When Kevin was describing the instrument to me he was saying how well it played and that it looked like a Stealth Ricky......... That name has stuck
!Thank you all for listening to my ramblings. There is a short YouTube demo of the guitar. The link is below the pictures.
Mike
