I've tried getting hold of someone but they never returned my messages or phone calls. Rickenbacker should realize that these companies are making tons of money that they should be making. You have to communicate with the seller who builds them too. You can swap out pickups and electronics if you want to. NOW.if you do buy a Chinese knock off, Make sure it's not all basswood. It would provide jobs for people and it would make people who want a Rickenbacker happy. Rickenbacker isn't making any cost effective guitars which I think they should. Especially if you are a dedicated guitarist. Doesn't hurt to have some Luthier and guitar repair skills.

A flat rather than raised scratch plate is another strange design variationĭebate rages among guitar buffs about the many idiosyncratic features of Lennon's 'V80' Rickenbacker, but it was certainly one of his most loved and used guitars right through his Beatles career and was used to write and record countless classic songs.I would say to build your own. Another obvious difference is the presence of 4 control knobs whereas other original 325's had only 2 controls. Not least among it's oddities is the absence of the sound hole that is present on all other 325 models of the same period. If you compare it to other 325 models from 1958 it is clear that it is a bit of an oddball. Although the guitar would go through a multitude of modifications and changes including being refinished in black in 1964, it has come to be known as one of the most important instruments in the history of popular music.Īside from it's obvious connection to John Lennon, his Rickenbacker 325 was a truly unique instrument in it's own right. 'V80' was a very early 1958 Capri Series Rickenbacker 325 and in it's original form it had a splendid 'Brownglo Solid Top' natural honey finish. In 1960, while he was in Hamburg with The Beatles, John Lennon purchased 'V80'. Never known as a lead guitar player, it was for his uncanny understanding of chords and melody that Lennon was most acknowledged in the guitar world. In their relatively short career (only 7 years) The Beatles did more to forever change the face of popular music than anyone before or since.īorn on October 9th 1940, John Lennon along with Paul McCartney was one half of the most successful and influential song writing partnership of all time. Even if you happen to have just dropped in from a far-off galaxy you will undoubtedly be familiar with The Beatles.

Rickenbacker 325 copy