To be, or not to be...

Hello!!! Not a Luthier dammit.. lol.. If I was, I really want to build a Uke from scratch... Actualy, I only said that to keep this Uke related so it don't get moved, hahha.. Actually, I DO want to build a Uke from scratch. But, that said, Everyone that has seen my Gibson restoration has loved it. I am flattered, and humbled really, because I am not a luthier.

But, now that project led to me ending up with a Vintage Rickenbacker 330, that the owner wants me to repair and/or restore/preserve. Not sure If or what I will do with it yet. I really don't want to change anything on it, because it has a a cool history. But, take a look at this baby...

So, should I cut it up and make a Rickenbacker Uke out of it? <grin>

The daughter wants it, but I told that bratt to Fagedda-bowddit... lol It can be bought, but she don't have enough hide to afford this baby.

Yah know, other than a bit of surface corrosion on the metal parts it looks like it's in fair shape already. I don't think I'd go much beyond cleaning it up a little and doing a really good setup - fix the electronics but only if they're broken.

You don't wanna be one of those guys on Antiques Road Show where they say, "it's worth about $500...but if you'd left it alone you could pay off your mortgage and retire..." LOL

John

I agree... just clean it up... check the neck/fret action and intonation and electronics. Please don't mess up a beautiful Rick.

oh no worries, I aint touching it other than a light clean up. It has decades of road warrior patina I am leaving intact. Even a ciggarett burn on the headstock done in an old dirty country western dive.. lol. All that stays..

No way your lovely "bratt" can make payments on it??? They look really good together!

my lovely bratt dont make that much. And seeing her guitar splurges recently, shes out of the market for awhile.. lol

Not an expert, but have never seen a Ric with humbuckers, haven't seen one with that quilted maple finish either, but like I said no expert here but have owned a few Rics. See from the controls it has Ric-o-Sound stereo inputs. The serial number for vintage Rics is stamped on a metal plate held in place by the input jack. If you google Rickenbacher serial numbers there is a site where you can date it. That said, beautiful guitar, would love to have it.

ukestang is right, but to me the pickups look gold and so do the tuners. Am I seeing this correctly?

:drool:

Not an expert on these either. I have owned and played many Ric bases over the years, but not their guitars so much. This one has all the grit and history embossed in it, from the cigerette burn in the headstock, to the yellowed laqcuer from all the old smoky dives it's played in. The original owner bought it new in 67, and had the humbuckers installed at the dealer before he took it home for the first time. He toured all his adult life all through Texas, the Midwest, and out west to California and everywhere in between. He was in the county genre for decades. Anyway, his best friend owns it now, and it was given to her by the original owner on his death bed. Weird how you can feel the storeis holding it. My daugher sits there holding it like she is listening to the stories it tells. In fact earlier today, she was on the couch quiet, and I looked over there and she was sitting there with the Ric in her lap and eyes all red. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "you can feel all the, blues, sadness, and lonely nights in old dirty motels this thing has been through. " Man, the kid is DEEP, lol...

UkeNukem said:

ukestang is right, but to me the pickups look gold and so do the tuners. Am I seeing this correctly?

:drool:

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the pups are very reliced gold. But the tuners are Kluson Deluxe nickel tuners. Just reliced too.

Hey Tudorp, hope you don't think I was trying to knock the guitar, love it. The pick-ups just threw me. I'd take my time working on it so I could enjoy it.

ukestang said:

Hey Tudorp, hope you don't think I was trying to knock the guitar, love it. The pick-ups just threw me. I'd take my time working on it so I could enjoy it.

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No worries bruddah, didnt take it as such. Rics didn't have humbuckers, they had very distintive pickups, and that era had what they called "toasters" because they looked like the top of a toaster, lol.. This one was modded with the buckers at the dealer when the original owner bought it, becauese he wanted it with them. So, it's had the buckers in it since 1967 when it was new, even tho not factory correct.

Even with those pickups, it is still a very cool guitar to add to any collection.