Why Are There No New Rickenbacker Models?

Baxter and Jonathan chat about Rickenbacker guitars, a brand that is as classic as rock and roll its-self.

[jimcox]

I have multiple Rics, completely sold out to them. Wonderful guitars, high quality.

[ZonkerRoberts]

I think the Rickenbacker 4001 bass is every bit as iconic as the Les Paul or Stratocaster.

[jeffball]

I have a 2002 burgundyglo 330 six string and a Ruby 660 12-string.

Both sound and play great.

They are definitely their own thing, in the way that they feel and the sound.

But in some musical situations, they are the right tool for the job.

The Beatles, Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, The Edge, Johnny Marr…. Have all made great music with them

[markskrocki]

I own a 2002 Rickenbacker 650 Dakota, maple neck and fret board and walnut body. Purchased it in early 2020 and really love how it plays and sounds.

[shelpais]

Last year I bought a new 330 JetGlo after years of wanting one. It's an awesome guitar and I love how it sounds, plays and looks.

[seppi]

They've recently started offering some models with unglossed fretboards, which shows they're not completely averse to change. There are no CBS, Norlin, or Baldwin-era Ricks, just the same build and quality since the beginning.

[francispower]

Casino don’t have a Rickenbacker in stock (although a 60s example is with their luthier). Neither does anyone else. The main reason most people have never played a Rickenbacker is that they have never had the chance to. I recently acquired a 360 and I am completely besotted with it (especially the neck - oh, and that Ric-O-Sound thing for twin amping). But it had to find me. It had been my luthier’s studio guitar for 20 years (you can imagine how it plays, plus its a bit tricked out from the factory spec) and he had decided it was time to let it go. There it was, on the wall of his workshop one day I went it to pick up an acoustic, winking at me. “Who’s is the Ricky…”? “Oh, that’s mine, take it away for the weekend if you like, see how you get on” (I think he kinda wanted me to have it). And for me its the perfect singer songwriter guitar. There is something about them that just doesn’t get in the way of a singer. But they are relatively rare because production is relatively low by volume and nobody really needs to market them. So nobody does. If you are ever fortunate enough to have a Rickenbacker track you down don’t fight it. Give it a big old French kiss on the first date and if necessary sell your neighbor’s mother to raise the $. Always remember it chose you, which means you now have a solemn duty to make great guitar music with it, for ever and ever, amen!

[davidwillford]

I just bought a Rickenbacker 330 two months ago, and I am already lusting after several other models. Only that long waiting list is holding me back.

[shaunw]

I own a 2013 model 330 in Ruby . I had promised myself a Ric as a 13 year old Jam fan, 30 years previously. Still lovin it.

[justinguitarcia]

This is also why Duesenberg is so smart- they took two relatively stubborn (in a good way) legacy brands, Gretsch and rickenbacker, and created an amalgamate of their designs into something that captures the essence but is way more player friendly in a modern era. Still, Ricks rule, especially their basses and 12 strings

[citizenk]

I've owned a Ric 365 since 1966! Wonderful instrument. It's the quirkiest guitar I have.

[BLKBETE]

North Carolina boys. Love their knowledge & admiration for the brand and business model of Rickenbacker… Just got my Mapleglo 330. It’s like a timepiece. You’ll never regret buying one. It oozes cool!

[bobbyblair]

Youll get whatever we feel like giving you, at whatever level of quality we feel like. Love, Ric

[joseph]

Rickenbacker makes fantastic basses and we've always thought it was great that there is such confidence in the quality of the original designs. Every bass I've held by them felt great whether it was vintage or modern. I think they enjoy an advantage that Chrysler(USA) used to have in the car industry which is you can make what you want when you aren't #1 or #2 and that gets the attention of people who don't want "the industry standard".

[robertblackburn]

The 4001 Bass is just so uniquely razzamatazz beautiful, that neck just goes on forever. It’s a work of art.

[BasswipeNC]

And if you want certain models, you wait until one is available. I grew up watching people play the guitars and basses, and I'm not talking about The Beatles. People like Peter Buck, Marty Wilson Piper and people like that. Iconic looks. I had to have a bass too. I bought my 360 when Tom Petty passed.

[Baelthaazar]

I bought a used 13 year old 1974 Jetglo 4001 bass in my early 20's, also because of Chris Squire. I paid $150 CA and it even came with the original case. It did need a little bit of work but I loved the sound and feel, even if I didn't play or sound like Squire. I ended up selling it for $800 six years later. I never regretted it, i used that money to help pay for an Apple ][+ computer and spent the bulk of my working career in IT. However, I did miss it.

My wife finally told me to "Just go and buy one" after spending too many hours on eBay looking at Rickenbacker basses. After doing some research, I ordered a Jetglo 4003 from the factory through Canadian retailer Long & McQuad the end of September 2014. I was told it would be a least a year. Imagine my surprise when I got a phone call the end of February 2015 that my bass had arrived. Serial number said it was built in January. The bass was still off gassing when I opened the case in the store.

I've got a number of Fender's, a Stingray and various other bass shaped objects, but the 4003 is my number one. Yes, it doesn't work for all music styles but I've been playing the heck out of it and loving it. It just feels right in my hands.


Rickenbacker has been making small, incremental changes. The new five string bass (4003S/5), reissue of the 4005, changing dual truss rods to single, non-laquered fingerboards and redesigned bridges on the 4000 series basses, all point to a slow and steady attitude to change. I don't think you'll be looking at any radical new designs in the near future.

[lynnglidewell]

In the Beatles you always think of John and George when it comes to Rickenbacker but Paul was a Rickenbacker man too. Most recordings of the group from Sgt. Peppers to the end of the group in the studio was him playing a Rickenbacker Bass. You see it in the old video of All You Need Is Love.

[mrpbody]

I have 35 Rickenbackers and have been playing them since 1976. Pros- Quality has been great for all years, Cons- Parts like tailpieces and truss rod covers are not sold unless you send the broken one back, mid 80's there was a run of sticky finishes that the only thing you can do is refinish. They are pretty much like a really good Telecaster.

[steverok]

Wow guys, awesome. Every Ric is exquisite. For someone coming from acoustic guitar flat-picking, going to a Ric is the most natural transition to electric guitar. They are the most tuneful electric guitars I have ever used, by far. I started this side project covering early R.E.M., and playing that material on a Tele or something else is NOT the same. Jonathan most definitely needs one. For a 6-string, I would go for a 330 or 360. For 12-string, if you want the wider fretboard, look at the 660/12 and 1993Plus, else, be prepared to design a custom nut with your preferred string placement.