Rickenbacker 325

Rickenbacker 325C58 Color: jetglo

3 x Single Coil

• 2 × volume
• 2 x tone
• 1 × 3- pick-up selection

The Rickenbacker 325 is an electric guitar model that was made by the U.S. musical instrument manufacturer Rickenbacker since 1958. The instrument belongs to the class of electric guitars with a cut-out hollow wooden body (English: Semi -solid - " semi- solid "). At its launch the model was one of the first industrially mass-produced electric guitars with a walking through the entire Body Neck (English: Neck -thru ). Another feature of the model is its short scale length of 20-3/4 inches. Gained international recognition the Rickenbacker 325 in the 1960s by John Lennon, member of the British pop and rock band The Beatles. Lennon used the Rickenbacker model in the first half of the 1960s as one of its main instruments.

History

The company Rickenbacker introduced since 1932, manufactures industrially produced electric guitars. The first model produced in series was the Rickenbacker Frying Pan, a lap -steel- Hawaiian guitar with a single electromagnetic pickup. In addition, the company built since the 1930s, electrically amplifiable archtop guitars (company designation: "Electro Spanish " ), their market success, however, fell short of expectations.

In 1954, the company Rickenbacker had begun with the production of electric guitars whose design was based no longer on that of acoustic guitars. To this end, the company had the German -born, 1953 by Berlin emigrated to the USA luthier Roger Rossmeisl set, which had been previously employed for a short time when competitors Gibson Guitar Corporation. Rossmeisl designed from 1954, the new product line Rickenbackers, which consisted of solidbody and semi -solid electric guitar models. The first models of this series were equipped with the manufactured since 1932 type of pickup Horseshoe pickup ( "horseshoe pickup "). In 1956, Rickenbacker a design principle of going through the whole body of the instrument neck, which has remained a characteristic feature of electric guitars and electric basses of the company to the present.

On these developments, building designed Rossmeisl in 1958 a first Capri said series of electric guitars, whose first model was the Rickenbacker 325. A little later, the series was renamed in 300 series. The model 325, single instrument the series short scale, sold sluggishly in the first years after its introduction. Only through the success of the Beatles and John Lennon, who played the instrument regularly in stage performances and studio recordings, the model 325 was the beginning of the 1960s to one of the most popular guitars by Rickenbacker. The success of the Beatles for advertising purposes taking advantage applied to the UK Distributor for Rickenbacker Company Rose, Morris, Ltd.. , The guitar model mid -1960s in advertisements as " Beatle backer " ( in German mutatis mutandis as " Beatles - backbone" ). The purchase price for the model was in the U.S. at this time 269,50 U.S. $ (now about 1,700 € ).

A copy of the Rickenbacker 325 was shown in 2004 during the German traveling exhibition on the history of electric guitars electric guitar at the State Museum of Technology and Work of Mannheim and at the German Technology Museum in Berlin.

Construction and design

The Rickenbacker 325 is a semi -solid electric guitar with two large cavities in the body. On the over the entire length of the instrument continuous one-piece neck made ​​of solid maple wood each wing is a body left and right glued. An actual frame is missing. The body wings are made by two identical in outline, also made of solid maple wood, sawn in the form of plates per leaf are aufeinandergeleimt fit in " sandwich" construction. The side facing the front wing panels are previously hollowed out by milling. The results from the strength of both wing panels body thickness is about two inches. The model 325, like most Rickenbacker guitars and basses left and right of the neck ever a body incision ( cutaway ), whose " body horn " forms a tip. A particular characteristic of Rickenbacker guitars design element is a trapezoidal cutout of the instrument blanket on Korpusfuß. This was designed by Roger Rossmeisl form of construction has the advantage that the tailpiece or the mounted on the ceiling tremolo system a few millimeters lower than the ridge. This increases the pressure of the guitar strings on the bridge and thus contributes positively to their Ausschwingdauer (English: Sustain) at. The Rickenbacker 325 was available with fixed tailpiece and with a tremolo system called the Kauffman Vibrato as well as from 1964 called with an accent vibrato tremolo system.

The electrical system of the guitar model consists of three electromagnetic pickups in single coil design ( single coil ), two knobs (potentiometer) for the volume and tone of the pickups as well as a socket for a 6.35 - millimeter jack to connect the guitar by instrument cable to a guitar amp to be able to. The potentiometer and the knobs are attached to a large pickguard made ​​of multilayer plastic which the lower wing of the instrument body almost completely covered. A striking feature of the Rickenbacker 325 is also the size of the " frame " seated base of the jack; this also contributes the imprinted serial number of the instrument. The bridge of the guitar model is multi-part, made ​​of chromed steel and aluminum and can be adjusted both in height and in the intonation.

The existing maple headstock wears the six tuners in a 3-3 arrangement and the characteristic crescent-shaped cover plate for the neck truss rod with Rickenbacker company logo. The fretboard with 21 frets some early instruments of the model 325 is also in maple, later versions carry a rosewood fingerboard. The saddle of the Rickenbacker 325 is made of plastic.

The Rickenbacker 325 was black by default in the body and headstock paint and " Hi Lustre Blonde" (colorless clear coat ) and in the Sunburst variants " Autumnglo " ( "Autumn Shine", a brown concentric gradient ) and " Fireglo " ( " Feuerglanz " gradient in red- orange) available.

The Rickenbacker 325 and John Lennon

John Lennon had until the mid- 1960s, a total of four copies of the Rickenbacker 325 guitar with his first copy of the colorless transparent body painting he bought in 1960 during the time of a guest performance of the Beatles in Hamburg. The year before he had seen the guitarist Toots Thielemans in the quintet of George Shearing play a Rickenbacker and was immediately interested in the guitar model. In an interview in 1964, Lennon described the Rickenbacker 325 as "the most beautiful guitar ever " and praised the " incredibly low " string position. That same year, Lennon got his second set of Rickenbacker 325 available to them. In black body paint The third copy came from the British Rickenbacker Sales Rose, Morris, Ltd.. , And the fourth instrument was a twelve-string custom-made of 325 for Lennon.

From Lennon's buying his first Rickenbacker with the serial number V81 are two different versions. After presentation of John Hall, in 2001 owner of Rickenbacker, the musician bought the instrument in the Steinway-Haus at Hamburg Jungfernstieg; according to another version Lennon bought the guitar in the music store Rotthoff at the hill road - near the Reeperbahn, where the Beatles had their concert engagements. For installment payment instrument has been agreed. During the early 1960s, John Lennon had to make some changes on his first Rickenbacker. The gold-colored pickguard (English: Pickguard ) the guitar was damaged; a luthier it exchanged at a restoration against a white. The knobs of the potentiometer has been replaced, the original and Kauffman vibrato has been replaced by a vibrato stimmstabileres Bigsby including dazugehörendem web. In 1962, Lennon left body and headstock of the originally colorless lacquered instrument on black paint to match the elegant become for stage appearances appearance of the Beatles.

A Beatles recording in which the sound of the Rickenbacker 325 can be clearly identified, is the studio version of the song All My Loving from 1963 released album With the Beatles. Lennon played rhythm guitar in this recording.

Lennon's original first Rickenbacker 325 is now in the possession of his widow Yoko Ono.

Other prominent users of the Rickenbacker 325

• The guitarist John Fogerty played a Rickenbacker 325 throughout his time with the U.S. rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival.
• The guitarist Susanna Hoffs, U.S. member of the pop band The Bangles used the Rickenbacker 325 as their trademark before moving to its sister model, the Rickenbacker 350 with standard scale.