Rickenbacker question

[Kevin Ruddell]

I haven't ever played a Rickenbacker steel except very briefly and don't know a thing about them. I was curious if the metal bodied lap steels were a good playing/sounding guitar. I do know the Bakelites and frypans are expensive . For some reason when doing a search for Rick lap or steel guitar on ebay the last couple of years I've gotten very few hits. I'm not sure why this is.
Are the seven string metal lap steel Rickenbackers much rarer than the six stringers and do they use the same width neck ?
Any forum members care to comment from their experience ?

thanks

[Ray Montee]

NEVER played one.......but I'd not expect it to deliver the kind of "sound" the Bakelites do that's why there is usually a clamor to get ahold of the Bakelite models.
There is an average, I've found, of five or six metal bodied Ricks on EBay each week.
Check under: Steel guitar; lap steel; musical instruments..........etc.
By the time you invest in a metal bodied Rick, you've got nearly half of a Bakelite paid for.

[Ian McLatchie]

Kevin: In connection with Rickenbacker, "metal bodied lap steel" describes a number of models, of very different quality. I suspect you're refering to the guitar shaped, steel body instruments, the prewar Model 59 (usually black or ivory) and the later NS (most often grey or grey sunburst). These have the same horseshoe pickup as the bakelite and other high-end models, but certainly not the same sound. Compared to the bakelite, especially, the steel bodies have a rather harsh tone, and not particularly good sustain. They have their own appeal and are worth picking up if the price is right, but you'll probably find they aren't suitable for many types of music.

The prewar Silver Hawaiian has the same body style as the 59 and NS, but is both a more visually attractive and a far better sounding instrument, thanks to the nickel-plated brass construction. The merits of the Silver Hawaiian's tone vis a vis the bakelite have been debated in a number of earlier postings. As someone who owns both a SH and a pair of prewar bakelites, I love the Silver Hawaiian every bit as much as the Model B. Not quite the same tonal complexity, maybe, but still very impressive in its own right, and one of the most visually beautiful of all steels.
The postwar counterpart of the Silver Hawaiian is the more ornate Model G, also a very good sounding instrument, but not as good as the SH.

Yes, the 7-string instruments do have the same neck width as the 6-strings, but as the strings extend outward a little more, the string spacing isn't all that much narrower. Seven-string Rickenbackers are quite rare.

The aluminum body doublenecks are also fine sounding guitars, especially the ones with a bakelite neck. These came in both 6- and 8-string versions; I don't remember ever seeing a double-seven, offhand. There's also a doubleneck version of the Model 59.

Then, of course, there's the aluminum bodied frying pans. Spectacular sounding guitars, particularly the prewar version with the 1-1/2" wide horseshoe. Good luck getting one for under two grand, at the very least.

[Kevin Ruddell]

Thanks for your information on the Rickenbacker. I always wondered about the other models.

[Zayit]

Hi Kevin,

You've gotten really great advice from Ian & Ray, so I'll just muddy the waters a little.

There IS one more Rick model not yet discussed: There are some cheap, wooden Ricks with string-through body & the 1.25" pickup around that sound pretty decent.

They do not have any of the tonal complexity of the pre-war Bakelites, but they sound way better than the metal-body Ricks and sustain forever. I'd compare my wooden Rick's sound to the later Bakelites (1.25" p\u, no string through) or the Silver Hawaiians.

The wooden-body Ricks are good hot rodding guitars too: I added a stainless steel nut (like on the stringmaster), got the p\u rewound- and since the previous owner had carved fret numbers into the natural wood finish- I re-fin'd it black metalflake. This was an e-bay 'find' that I paid less than $150 for & now its my favourite rocknroll steel.

If you can afford a frypan or pre-war Rick, then go for it, but if budget is a consideration, then consider a wooden Rick.

[Ray Montee]

You can hear the sustain of a wooden body Rick dbl-8.........on "About Ray" at the jerrybyrdfanclub.com web site.

Like he says, it's a different sound but it will certainly put a lot of other machines to shame. I purchased it new in 1965 before I'd ever put my hands on a Bakelite model. I wouldn't sell it...........

[Jay Fagerlie]

Kevin,
You mentioned not finding very many Rick's on eBay.....a shot in the dark here, but could it be because of the spelling?
The older ones were spelled Rickenbacher, with an "H" instead of a "K"
Ya' never know......

Jay

[Zayit]

Good suggestion Jay- I have my favourites page on e-bay set up to prompt if I actually mean to search for Rickenbacher or Rickenbacker as well as lab steel, peddle steel, Whine guitar & slide guitar etc....

[Ian McLatchie]

Since Kevin asked specifically about metal body Rickenbackers, I didn't mention the wood body Model 100s, but I agree, these are terrific sounding guitars which can still be found at very reasonable prices.

I also didn't mention another metal body Rickenbacker. I believe it's called the J-6.
These were strictly student-quality instruments, worth buying only for the horseshoe.

[Ray Montee]

Just in case.....On Jerry Byrd's web site, jerrybyrdfanclub.com.........on Jerry's Music, you can now hear his original Bakelite playing a tune he wrote for his first born daughter "Little Lani Jo".
Great TONE, great sustain, plus Jerry's styling and what you've got, is a forumula for success!
Just tho't you might like to hear it.....