Pre-War B6
Moderator: Brad Bechtel
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- Posts: 4
- Joined: 29 Nov 2002 1:01 am
- Location: El Cajon, California, USA
Pre-War B6
Howdy Folks,
I'm new to the forum, and I joined because my mom found her brother's old B6 out in the gagage. It's a pre-war, with strings through the body. One thing I'm confused about: I read on the Rickenbaker site that "pre-patent" B6's had "Patent Pending" stamped on the little metal piece that holds the pickup in place. Mine does, but it also has the patent number, #18811229 in raised numbers on the body. It has a single control. I have the original case and Rickenbacher tube amp. None of the pieces is in the best of condition, in fact, the steel needs new tuners. A friend replaced one of them with something non-Rick. Amp works great, but really needs cleaning. Any idea of value??
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Buzz Marcus
Taylor Guitars
I'm new to the forum, and I joined because my mom found her brother's old B6 out in the gagage. It's a pre-war, with strings through the body. One thing I'm confused about: I read on the Rickenbaker site that "pre-patent" B6's had "Patent Pending" stamped on the little metal piece that holds the pickup in place. Mine does, but it also has the patent number, #18811229 in raised numbers on the body. It has a single control. I have the original case and Rickenbacher tube amp. None of the pieces is in the best of condition, in fact, the steel needs new tuners. A friend replaced one of them with something non-Rick. Amp works great, but really needs cleaning. Any idea of value??
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Buzz Marcus
Taylor Guitars
Hi Buzz,
Welcome to the small but enthusiastic group of pre-War Bakelite Ric owners! They are great guitars.
The patent number on the body is for the body. The patent pending is for the pickup. That patent was granted 8/10/37, so your guitar preceeds that date.
Although the guitars cannot be dated exactly, one control knob means it was among the earliest. The model was introduced in July 1935.
As for tuners, many owners seek the originals--and they are hard to find. Mine was already tampered with in that area, so I installed a set of Klusons, which required removing a very slight amount of Bakelite to enlarge the diameter of the holes for the tuner string posts.
I know nothing about the amps.
This should be a great guitar. Depending on condition, it should fetch somewhere above $500, possibly well above--maybe $700-800.
I'm sure you will be getting more opinions. The Bakelite gang is always ready to talk!
Somebody should make a bumper sticker: "Ask me about my Bakelite Ric!"
Welcome to the small but enthusiastic group of pre-War Bakelite Ric owners! They are great guitars.
The patent number on the body is for the body. The patent pending is for the pickup. That patent was granted 8/10/37, so your guitar preceeds that date.
Although the guitars cannot be dated exactly, one control knob means it was among the earliest. The model was introduced in July 1935.
As for tuners, many owners seek the originals--and they are hard to find. Mine was already tampered with in that area, so I installed a set of Klusons, which required removing a very slight amount of Bakelite to enlarge the diameter of the holes for the tuner string posts.
I know nothing about the amps.
This should be a great guitar. Depending on condition, it should fetch somewhere above $500, possibly well above--maybe $700-800.
I'm sure you will be getting more opinions. The Bakelite gang is always ready to talk!
Somebody should make a bumper sticker: "Ask me about my Bakelite Ric!"
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- Posts: 4
- Joined: 29 Nov 2002 1:01 am
- Location: El Cajon, California, USA
- Russ Young
- Posts: 1053
- Joined: 21 May 2002 12:01 am
- Location: Seattle, Washington, USA
I'm not sure I'm any more of an expert than Bob, but the single knob indicates that it's probably from between 1935 and 1937.
The early serial numbers don't seem to be as good a guide as the patent numbers and features. Take a look at http://www.provide.net/~cfh/rick.html#ricklaps; the information is pretty similar to what you'll find in Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars.
And my standard suggestion is to use the Forum's Search feature; if you look up Rickenbacher, Rickenbacker and Bakelite, you'll find a lot of valuable information. (Search by the names Rick Aiello and Ray Montee -- both have forgotten more than I know about Bakelite Ricks.)
The early serial numbers don't seem to be as good a guide as the patent numbers and features. Take a look at http://www.provide.net/~cfh/rick.html#ricklaps; the information is pretty similar to what you'll find in Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars.
And my standard suggestion is to use the Forum's Search feature; if you look up Rickenbacher, Rickenbacker and Bakelite, you'll find a lot of valuable information. (Search by the names Rick Aiello and Ray Montee -- both have forgotten more than I know about Bakelite Ricks.)
-
- Posts: 4
- Joined: 29 Nov 2002 1:01 am
- Location: El Cajon, California, USA
- Russ Young
- Posts: 1053
- Joined: 21 May 2002 12:01 am
- Location: Seattle, Washington, USA
Here's some useful info from JD Sauser ...
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum2/HTML/002123.html
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum2/HTML/002123.html