The Steel Guitar Forum

I am trying to resolve a question: Gruhn shows no tone control ever on Rick frying pans, Vintage Collector shows one added in 1935, inquiries to several gurus swing both ways. The Rick site is no help. Anyone got THE answer?

I am not the final authority on the subject but, I dont think the Rickenbacher Co. made a "Frypan" model with a tone control on it. I have heard of frypan owners adding the tone control after acquiring the instrument. Perhaps some one else can better advise us on this subject.

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kd...and the beat goes on...

I have one. It has a tone control and it is from the mid 30's. The first couple of years had none and they added one, I Thought, in 33. My website has a picture of it and man, it sounds beautiful. Marc site is: home.hyperworx.com/~jtm/marcmuller <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by b0b on 01 January 2000 at 08:20 AM.]</p></FONT>

Well now......as I sit here in front of my DELL, my eyes are a gazing down upon a an old Rick Fry Pan, Ser.# 281. It is a six stringer and has an octogon shaped white dial knob on an electronic control on the outside of the body;the far side, away from the picker. This knob is identical to the black knob on my 7-string 1934 Rick Bakelite.Does this shed any light on the subject?

No question about the volume control added to the frying pan by Rickenbacher. I'm wondering about the originality of a second control - a tone control knob.

I can't say I've seen a frying pan with both a volume and a tone control. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure if mine is a tone control or a malfunctuning volume pot in need of some cleaning. It is a black octagonal knob. The only numbers on the guitar are B174 stamped on top of the headstock. When I first got the guitar I had no luck in finding any info on them. Most guitar history books credit them as the first electric guitars mass produced and have just basic info, nothing too specific.

Marc, my Frypan (A159 stampled on end of headstock) is identical to yours and came with and still has only one control on it which is volume. Some of the old frypan owners drilled holes into the body to accomodate a second control which was used for tone. They even made the bakelite models with only one control for a while. I believe that they started adding the tone control in 1937 to the bakelites but also made the frypan models until (I could be wrong on this point) 1950 and even those were made with only one control. I got all my input from the "History of Rickenbacher Guitars" book written and researched by Richard R. Smith.


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kd...and the beat goes on...


<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Kenny Dail on 02 January 2000 at 07:27 PM.]</p></FONT>

On page 24 of the book "Rickenbacker" by Roger McGwinn, it shows Adolph Rickenbacker holding the first frying pan built by the company and there is NO controls on the guitar.

On page 16 it shows a copy of the original patent on the Pickup received by the company dated Aug 10, 1937. It is a frying pan also. The drawing on the patent shows a hexagonal knob on a volume control installed on the top side of the body just to the upper left of the PU.

Because of poor record keeping in those days, there has been some debate as to the actual date that the first frying pan was produced. Best guestaments believe sometime in 1932. Other say 31 yet still others say as late as 33. I dont believe anyone is alive that really knows.

Hope this helps,

Praise our Lord,

carl