The Steel Guitar Forum

I have spent quite a bit of time lately looking at Rickenbacker consoles on the internet and quite frankly, there arent very many around so it seems. Which led me to wonder how many of the various models were original built, how many are known to exist or in actuality do exist, and what has happened to the others. Its not like baseball cards where you hear dozens of stories about how Mom threw them away or burned them in the fireplace ! Makes you wonder how many are under beds, in basements, closets, etc Its hard to imagine that they would have been thrown away, burned, etc. Some of the older Fender multi-necks got separated and made into single necks, but with Rickenbackers, they appear to be constructed differently and I cant see that happening either. Anyone have any thoughts, or am I just a weird guy with too much time on my hands ! Wait ! Dont answer that !

You DO have way too much time on your hands. Compared to Gibson and Fender Rickenbacker was a small company. Small in square footage, payroll, output, and distribution. They were also expensive when new. Shipping costs were another factor. They had few outlets in certain areas, for example east coast dealers were not going to buy a higher-priced product with less profit margin and then pay for 3000 miles of shipping on top of that. Many of their dealers were small teaching studio operations as opposed to larger full-line music stores. They made and sold fewer instruments. Other manufacturers had larger product lines, bigger production , better distribution, and higher profile dealers. Also Rickenbacker in the pre-Beatles days did very little advertising.
MLA

Just a wild guess, but perhaps they just didn't produce all that many of 'em. Especially after that fateful night in early 1964...

Michael, that does explain why there arent very many of them around today. Back in the 60s my guitar teacher and boss was a rickenbacker dealer and sold quite a few 6 string electric Rickys, but I never saw him have a steel in the store, and he was a steel player himself, but he played Fenders early on. Thanks for your perspective and input.

Larry...
Your teacher probably liked the Fender sound, brighter and more cutting, and didn't offer the Rick steels for a number of reasons.
Not enough space to carry enough of both lines. Didn't want the "conflict" of two similar products. Fenders were cheaper and easier and faster to get. Simple choices, two or three necks, light or dark finish, short or medium scale. On the other hand Rickenbacker offered three different series, the 200, 500, and 700, plus you could specify any combination of 6,7,8, or 10 sting necks. Once the order was placed the instrument was "built up" from stock parts. So, too many choices and a waiting period. Customer can't decide. Customer doesn't want to wait. Studio owner doesn't have the time to go through all this time-wasting crap. Customer may change his mind after the order is made. Fenders are ready to go, boxed up, and waiting for orders, logical choice is the Fender. They made it easy.
The DW-16 you want to get is a solid-body so it will sound more Fender-like. Less wood to it but it's still going to be brighter than the "hollow-box" construction Rick consoles. Calm down and curb your excitement. These things are all out there. They turn up. It may take awhile. It's not like shopping for a Les Paul or a Strat. You have to patient.
MLA

Michael said; "Calm down and curb your excitement. These things are all out there. They turn up. It may take awhile. It's not like shopping for a Les Paul or a Strat. You have to patient."

Good advice, Michael...haha...your are obviously right and after all the hunt is half of the fun !!

Thanks for taking the time to write to me !

Without spending time looking things up ( not that the information is accurate ) the DW-16 was produced for several years. The "hollow-box" construction consoles were available for well over a decade. You'll find one or more soon enough. IF you want to pay the price is another thing altogether. It's not like you're looking for a Koontz archtop, or a working GuitOrgan, or Robert Johnson 78s, or Fabrege Eggs, or a Bugatti.
I just got done writing up the checks for a couple things I wanted and hadn't seen offered in over a year. And there a a few things I'm "watching" or "interested in" that depend on what my tax guy has to say later in the week. But I can live without all of it, it's just "stuff", I may want it but I sure don't need it. With a dozen steels, a dozen amps, more than a dozen "ethnic" instruments, and sixty plus guitars I have way too much "stuff" already. When I die it won't matter, my cat will have it all converted into cat food, cat snacks, cat litter, and cat toys.
And the "hunt", back in the days before the internet. Long distance was expensive. People wrote letters. Exchanged "want lists", on a Saturday you'd have the car emptied out and gassed up, be out on the road early for a day trip to a nearby city. One week Milwaukee, one week Indianapolis, one week Peoria, and so on. Give each town two months or so to "resupply" before you hit it again. That was a real "hunt".
MLA

Larry
I think Michael has summed up your first post question about availability of older consoles with a lot of useful information on the models made by the Rickenbacker factory.
I submitted a post in January to find out how old my Rickenbacker consol was and received a good guess as to the age of about early fifties, where it was sold, how it crossed the Atlantic, where it was kept before I acquired it, Is anyone's guess.
The only information I had on mine was it belonged to a deceased steel player and had been "stored" in the loft so long his wife had no idea where it had come from when she was selling it!
The front neck pick up had a fault and that was likely the reason it was put away for so long, how many forum members have guitars "squirrelled" away in a safe place for future "projects" that have never occurred?
Here in Scotland we have an old saying which translates to
"what is for you will not go by you"
so I think you should live in hope and keep your eyes open!
Best wishes in your quest
Robert "Paul" Mac Neilage

I had kept my eyes open for several years for a 708 long scale console. I missed one on eBay (off line that week....) that was really nice, but ended up getting a nicer one with through body string mount--seems to be fairly odd on this model. Even though both pickups worked when I got it, the far neck sounded a little strange and tinny, and turned out to be a "zombie" pickup--it read open on an ohm meter, but still worked due to capacitive coupling--that's what made it sound weird. I had it rewound by Tom Brantley and it's good as new.

At any rate, like others have said, be patient and eventually the one you're looking for will show up. Mine was definitely worth the wait.

Dave