Rickenbacher - Frypan or Bakelite

Fred Kinbom · From: Berlin, Germany, via Stockholm, Sweden.

Having not yet had the opportunity to try out either model, I was wondering what all you who have done think of the aluminium vs. the bakelite Rickenbachers?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of each model? Which one has most issues with temperature changes? The bakelite ones seem more popular here on the forum - or is it just that they are more common in general?

I would be very interested to hear your opinions.

Best regards,

Fred
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Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

I have never played a frying pan,except years ago when I was just beginning to play.

As for thermal instability, my understanding is that the frypan is worse than the Bakelite. My ca 1936 Rick Bakelite is very sensitive to temperature changes and, in my opinion, anything more sensitive would be difficult to deal with on gigs.

Also, the brittleness of Bakelite Rics is something to reckon with. Playing from a stand can be scary. Ask Wayne Tanner, His fell and broke in half. Ditto for gig bags or leaving your instrument in a floor stand while on break at a gig.

Both guitars present some challenges in terms of "fretboard" visibility and minimal position markers. But maybe that's a good thing in that it forces you to really get familiar with the neck.

But the tone of my Bakelite is so nice that I put up with the thermal instability and other idosyncracies. There is nothing quite like that Bakelite sound!

Mike Neer · From: NJ

Frying Pan gets my vote. I've owned 3 bakelites and 1 Frying Pan. I've played a dozen bakelites, but nothing compares to the Rick Frypan that Rick Aiello owns (A-25). My A-22 was great but, sadly, I no longer own it. A wartime Rickenbacher B-6 was the best bakelite I've ever played.

The Frying Pan just has a special shimmer to it that I've never heard on another instrument; an almost magical quality. The bakelite tone is perhaps a little richer, with similar fundamentals, but missing that top end that the FryPan has (although it is not a dull sounding instrument). Both instruments are extremely inviting to play--in fact, I think they are more fun to play than any other steels I've played, just feel-wise.
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Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

I can compare my all aluminum, 4-neck Bigsby, with Howard White's all aluminum, former Trot-Mor, with the Jerry Byrd/Shot Jackson all aluminum Fry Pan with Mike Neer's former Ric Fry Pan....and the guitar that I find to have the MOST PLEASANT TONE is my "broken neck" pre-War Bakelite Ric from Queensland, Australia. It's also fun to play.
I recorded a session using both preWar and post-War Rics and were it not for a 'dead', 'wound' fourth string on the postWar g'tar, I cannot today tell which g'tar is on which song.
PERSONALLY, I beleive all the rap about 'which is best and which is less best' is merely a function in futility. The selection of which strings you're using, what amp and what settings are dialed in and where the picking hand is positioned has more to do with 'the SOUND' your getting...than the gutiar. A fabulous tone is more than a guitar body..... Yes some deliver more but you must know and choose what sound it is that you're seeking. None of the afore-mentioned g'tars hold their tunings in hot sunshine or under hot television studio lighting.

Don Kona Woods · From: Hawaiian Kama'aina

I previously owned a Rickenbacher Bakelite while living in Hawaii. It never stayed in tune. It was stolen.

I now own a 1934 A-25 Rickenbacher Frypan and have acquired another Rickenbacker Bakelite (1940's Post-War). I believe the Frypan stays in tune better than the Bakelite. But temperatures still affect these instruments.

As far as comparing the tone between the two, I believe it is just a matter of taste.

In playing with a group, I believe the Frypan excels because it cuts through the backup where it can be heard more clearly because it has a more distinct sound (more treble).

The Bakelite is more mellow in tone and sometimes blends too much with the backup.

However, I enjoy the sound from each of the instruments and play them both.

Aloha, Smile

Don

Jeff Watson · From: Anza, CA. USA

I think the temperature/tuning issue is a huge drawback for bakelites. I had a nice assortment of bakelites before I really started performing and once I did I discovered the tuning problems made them almost unusable in my situation (bunch of different guitars in different tunings). It took forever to tune those guitars up before hand just to have them be out of tune again as soon as I picked them up for a song. I had never noticed this as a problem when playing by myself or casually with others, but in performance situations this bacame a nightmare for me. I now play a couple of frypans & a supro doubleneck for gigs and barely have to tune them out of the case and rarely find them out of tune later.

Bill Creller · From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)

It;s tough to beat the sound of either one. Myself, I feel more comfortable on the bakelite. Maybe because my frypan is a seven string, making the strings closer on the nut end. They both certainly have their own character and tone quality. I usually take the frypan when I go Hawaii, because it's lighter to lug around, and gives me a little time to appreciate it.
Like any other guitar, a little time spent on it gets you used to the spacing and other differences.
They are both temp sensitive, and the 30s hollow neck frypan is more sensitive than the post-war solid neck type, which means it must expand faster from body heat when played on the lap than the solid neck type.
Also, a bakelite just fits certain flavors of music better than a frypan, and vice-versa.
Many greats from the old days used frypans, like Pua Almeida and others, but played them on a stand, which would make a big difference as far as temp from body heat is concerned.
Just my observations. Smile

Oh yeah, if I didn't have one or the other,I would sure get one and have both Very Happy

Gary Lynch · From: Creston, California, USA

Fred,

Another option to consider is an early Ric 1950's console. The early DW modle that looks carved, with the logo that looks almost hand painted on. I have a duel six string and it stays in tune well and sounds great because of the mass. They are not easy to find but I do see 3 - 4 a year on eBay. Here is an example from the Ric archives;

http://www.rickenbacker.com/catalog_poster_piece.asp?poster_piece=cf53-3.jpg

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

I have only had the chance to play a frypan once - Ralph Kolsiana's, the 4th one ever made! It sounded pretty good! The marriage of form and function is so cool - not to mention that scalloped fretboard.

A few years ago, I had a serious jones for a Bakelite. I HAD to have one. I was lucky enough to have a video shoot in California and hook up with a forumite who sold me a 99% mint '37 Bakelite for $725. Except for a small scratch, it looked like it had left the store last week. (It's on page 238 of my book). It had that Ric "moan" I suppose, but as I owned and played it, I found that I wasn't loving it the way I was supposed to love it. The strings were low enough over the fretboard that the bar would occasionally hit the neck if I wasn't careful and it needed constant tuning tweaks. I finally had the "holy grail" and it turned out not to have the magic I had expected - at least for me, personally. I eventually sold it to fund my Stringmaster but kind of wish I had kept it as it's now worth about double what I paid.

Bill Creller · From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)

I know what you mean Andy. The Rick frypan and bakelite are my favorites, but have their share of things to have to put up with. I'll likely never part with my frypan 'cause I couldn't afford to get another one. Very Happy

Ian McLatchie · From: Sechelt, British Columbia

Ray: Check your p.m.

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