Serial Numbers on Rickenbacher Metal Body Steels

[Steve Wilson]

I am currently working on a Rick metal 59/NS body that I purchased as a body only. It has a clearly stamped serial number of E3027 at the top of the headstock. I have worked and/or owned several other NS models that did not have a serial number on them. I was wondering if anyone knew when they stopped stamping serial numbers in these guitars? I am thinking this body could actually be a pre-war Model 59. I have seen a few later 59's with the volume and tone controls on the same side like the post war NS models. Is there any way to tell?

[Bill Creller]

Good question !...next question ?

[Mark Helm]

How much of the finish is left on the guitar? Can you post some pics? Cause the finish on the pre-war models is pretty different. But you might have have something there. I've had a few post-was NS models and none of them had a serial number stamped into the head.

Best of luck with the restore. If you have an extra $600 kicking around. Jason Lollar makes a dandy repro 1 & 1/2" pick-up.

[Steve Wilson]

Hi Mark,
There is absolutely no paint left on it. It had been stripped down to bare metal before it came to me. Not even a hint of paint! It might be a fair assumption Rickenbacker stamped the "budget" metal body guitars before the war and stopped after the war. I wonder if the premium metal models like the Silver Hawaiian were stamped after the war?

I would love to get a Lollar pickup, but it is not in the budget. I am working on a "cradle" that will attach to the four pickup mounting holes in the body and be able to accommodate a P-90 I have. I would not call my work restoration, more like reclamation

[Steve Wilson]

I have also noticed the two stripped metal body guitars I have with serial numbers seem to be made of a shinier more silver looking steel compound than the ones without the serial numbers.

[Mark Helm]

Please post pics of your progress.

[John Dahms]

There is no definitve guide to old Ricks yet but with data collected over years there is always an educated guess.
Model NS is the post-war designation for all intents and purpose and model 59 for models made before war-time production stopped.
NS models have 1-1/4" wide pickup and model 59 has 1-1/2" pickup. I have records of a medium to light gray NS with no serial number and 1-1/4" pickup. Inside was crumpled newspaper with the date 8/10/1945. It has a decal not a screwed on badge on the headstock but holes drilled for the badge. I have seen model 59s with decals (not badges) where the serial was over E3000 or so. These have 1-1/2" pickups and were Black to gray in color, white knobs both on the same side.
For practical purposes there is no difference in these models. Any 59 or NS can be better than another one and they can all better than many models and brands as it is mostly a matter of taste.

[Steve Wilson]

Thanks for the info, John!
I have three of the 59/NS guitars, but I bought two of them as bodies only. They both had a serial number. The one I am working on now had the paint stripped when I got it, but the other one had been hand painted blue. When I stripped the paint off I found the original paint, black and cream like a model 59. The only one I have that was for sure a post war NS was gray and no serial number. Inside was a western edition of The Wall Street Journal dated May 16, 1945.I really like these guitars.

[Bill Groner]

John, that old newspaper is cool. I love to see stuff like that.

[Steve Wilson]

The date on that newspaper is only four days after Hiroshima was bombed and one day after Nagasaki was bombed. I often have wondered if Rickenbacher used old newspapers from a big stack, or if the date of the newspaper was close to the date of manufacture.

[Bill Creller]

Seems like Rickenbacker didn't use serial numbers after the war, on anything, that I've seen..

[Randy Reeves]

if you carefully remove the horseshoe pickup you will find crushed newspaper inside the hollow metal body. I have been told that when assembled the newspaper at hand is used. This is a good indication of the date of my Model 59.[/img]

[Bill Groner]

John Dahms, Randy Reeves you have inspired me. I have a homebuilt hollow aluminum Lap Steel. I plan to tear it apart sometime in the near future to put a Lollar P 90 in it. I need to make some mods to it, but before I close it back up I am going to stuff the newspaper of that day inside. Maybe in the year 2100 someone will discover that newspaper and see the price of gasoline was $2.75 a gallon and think...WOW, things sure were cheap back in 2018. Probably cars won't run on gas by then???