page_title: Rickenbacker
section_title: Guitars and 1960s rock and roll
hierarchical_section_title: Rickenbacker / History / Guitars and 1960s rock and roll
caption_attribution_description: English: The body of a 1999 Rickenbacker 370/12 Mapleglo, with the distinctive R-tailpiece, 5-knob control and bubinga fretboard Nederlands: De romp van een 1999 Rickenbacker 370/12, met het kenmerkende R-staartstuk, de 5-knoppen bediening en de bubinga toets
context_page_description: Rickenbacker International Corporation is a string instrument manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California. The company is credited as the first known maker of electric guitars—in 1932—and eventually produced a range of electric guitars and bass guitars. Rickenbacker twelve string guitars were favored by The Beatles, Roger McGuinn of The Byrds, Hilton Valentine of The Animals, and Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers. Players of the six string include John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Kay of Steppenwolf, Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles, Tom Petty of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Steven Schouten of Misty Lanes and Kat Harley of The Laurels. Players who have used Rickenbacker basses include Paul McCartney, Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, Cliff Burton of Metallica, Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple, Paul Wilson of Snow Patrol, Chris Squire of Yes, Geddy Lee of Rush, Al Cisneros of Sleep and Om, Rick James, and Pete Townshend of The Who.
  Current line of products manufactured include electric and acoustic guitars and basses.
context_section_description: In the 1960s, Rickenbacker benefited tremendously when a couple of Rickenbacker guitar models became permanently intertwined with the sound and look of The Beatles.
  In Hamburg in 1960, Beatles guitarist John Lennon bought a Rickenbacker 325, which he used throughout the early days of The Beatles. He eventually had the guitar's natural alder body refinished in black, and made other modifications, including adding a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece and regularly changing the control knobs. Lennon played this guitar for the Beatles' 1964 debut on The Ed Sullivan Show (as well as for their third Sullivan appearance, pre-taped the same day but broadcast two weeks later). During Lennon's post-Beatles years in New York, he had this guitar restored to its original natural wood finish and the cracked gold pickguard replaced with a white one.
  Rickenbacker made two new 325s for Lennon and shipped them to him while the Beatles were in Miami Beach, Florida, on the same 1964 visit to the United States: a one-off custom 12-string 325 model and an updated six-string model with modified electronics and vibrato. He used this newer six-string model on the Beatles' sequentially "second" appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
  Lennon accidentally dropped the second 325 model during a 1964 Christmas show, breaking the headstock. While it was being repaired, Rickenbacker's UK distributor Rose Morris gave Lennon a model 1996 (the export version of a 325, available exclusively in a red finish and with an F-hole). Lennon later gave the 1996 to fellow Beatle Ringo Starr.
  Beatles guitarist George Harrison bought a 425 during a brief visit to the United States in 1963. In February 1964, while in New York City, F.C. Hall of Rickenbacker met with the band and their manager, and gave Harrison a model 360/12 (the second electric twelve-string built by Rickenbacker). This instrument became a key part of the Beatles' sound on their LP A Hard Day's Night and other Beatles songs through late 1964. Harrison played this guitar sporadically throughout the remainder of his life.
  On August 21, 1965, during a Beatles concert tour, Randy Resnick of B-Sharp, a Minnesota music store, presented Harrison with a second model 360/12 FG "New Style" 12-string electric guitar, distinguishable from Harrison's first 12-string by its rounded cutaways and edges. A television documentary produced by KSTP-TV in Minneapolis documents the event. Harrison used this guitar on the song "If I Needed Someone" and during the Beatles' 1966 tours. This 12-string's whereabouts are unknown, as it was stolen at some point after the band ceased touring.
  After the Beatles 1965 summer tour, Paul McCartney frequently used a left-handed 1964 4001S FG Rickenbacker bass rather than the lightweight Höfner basses he had used previously. The instrument became popular with other bassists influenced by McCartney's highly melodic style.
  In 1967, McCartney gave his 4001 a psychedelic paint job, as seen in the promo film for Hello Goodbye, and in the Magical Mystery Tour film. A year or so later, someone sanded off the finish. A second, over-zealous sanding in the early 1970s removed the "points" of the bass' cutaways. McCartney used the Rickenbacker bass during his time with Wings, until the late 1970s.
  Partly because of the Beatles' popularity and their consistent use of the Rickenbacker brand, many sixties guitarists adopted them, including John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival), Paul Kantner (Jefferson Airplane), and John Entwistle and Pete Townshend of The Who. As both the British Invasion and the 1960s wound down, Rickenbacker guitars fell out of fashion for a time. Rickenbacker basses, however, remained popular through the 1970s and beyond. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Rickenbacker guitars experienced a renaissance as new wave and jangle pop groups turned to them for their distinctive chime. Demand is particularly high among retro groups influenced by the sound and look of the 1960s.
caption: Body of a 370/12, with the distinctive R-tailpiece, sharkfin inlays and stereo jacks
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