Bakelite Rick ?

[wt golden]

Here is a pretty great performance from Ry Cooder from just the other day. He looks to playing on a Bakelite Body Rick - but he frets it too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xabbXSog ... re=related

Has anyone ever seen a Bakelite with a Spanish style neck? I know the Ricks have physical frets - but could they really work as frets if you cut the nut down enough? It would seem to me like they would rub down to easily - and not be that accurate. Or maybe it is something altogether different...

thanks

[Michael Hogan]

Here is an article about Rickenbacher round neck Spanish Electric guitars

http://www.gruhn.com/articles/rickelectro.html

[Brad Bechtel]

I have only seen two of these particular instruments (Spanish neck Rickenbacker Bakelite instruments). One of them had a broken neck so I wasn't able to try playing it. The other one was very heavy, the intonation was a bit suspect, and wonderful sounding.
As you see in the performance, Ry mostly played slide on that instrument. I was at that concert and he only played that Rickenbacker on the last song.

[Max Laine]

They were also assembled and sold in England by Selmer. Here's one currently on ebay:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare-SELMER-T ... 0355051469

[Randall Dugan]

Incidentally, a few weeks ago, I saw a guy playing one of these (bottleneck) with a New Orleans style jazz band, fronted by Hugh Laurie the English actor/musician who portrays Dr. Gregory House on the FOX television series House, M.D. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M4D5L2Grms

[Russ Tkac]

I owned one back in the 70's. I was a big David Lindley fan and wanted a Rick lap steel to learn on and went to buy one and ended up with the Spanish guitar neck model.

It was about the most useless guitar you could find and the action and Bakelite frets were a gem. I eventually traded it for a silver Hawaiian and then a bunch of BD-6 Ricks. I still have a few but sold three over the last 20 years and one that was a very nice 7 string that I should have kept.

Here's a picture of me with two instruments you don't see to often. The Rick Spanish and an original Fender electric violin and I found these with out the help of eBAy or Craig's list. Dig the 70's couch!:)