FACTOIDS & TRIVIA

In 1931 Adolf Rickenbacker, along with Paul Barth and George Beauchamp, formed the Ro-Pat-In Instrument Company and produced the world's first electric guitar, known as the "Frying Pan" guitar since it looked like a frying pan. In 1934 the company changed its name to the Electro String Instrument Company. The company developed all styles of electric guitars in the 1930s and 1940s. Adolf Rickenbacker sold the company to F.C. Hall in 1953. In the years that followed, under the supervision of F.C. Hall (and later his son John Hall), Rickenbacker introduced a number of instruments which became legendary as a result of their use by such groups as The Beatles, The Byrds, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Smithereens, and R.E.M. By virtue of their construction and pickups, Rickenbackers have a very unique "jangly" treble tone which was is a signature sound of much of the early British invasion music. In 1991, the company reissued the early style Model 360. All the reissue models use a "V" in the model name to denote "vintage reissue."

 Body:  Semi-hollow; maple, single bound top and back

 Finish:  Mapleglo, conversion varnish

 Neck:  3-piece maple/walnut, set-in

 Fingerboard:  African rosewood, bound;  pearloid triangle markers

 Number of Frets:  21

 Pickguard:  Acrylic

 Bridge:  Tune-a-matic style with trapeze tailpiece

 Nut:  Plastic

 Tuners:  Schaller "Kluson Deluxe" style, nickel

 Pickups:  Two, Rickenbacker "toaster" single coil

 Controls:  Volume and tone for each pickup, blend control, 3-way pickup selector switch

 Scale Length:  24 3/4 inches

 Neck Width at Nut:  1 5/8 inches

 Body Width at Lower Bout:  15 inches

 Body Depth:  1 1/2 inches

 Weight:  n/a