Rickenbacker 260 El Dorado

Guitar made in California in a small but very good factory, no big production line (you know what I mean)
The 260 is maple top and neck
3 way pick up selector bridge and neck
My colour is Black with white binding front and back and the neck is a natural maple finish (jetGlow I think)
In some ways it looks like lennons 325 but with a narrower body and a more basic look
I bought this because I play in a resident band in the cavern club liverpool I did not want to look like a lennon rip off but it has that 60's Merseybeat vibe.

In a couple of reviews prior to mine I have read say its not jangely, with some compression and a little chrous it is
I use mine with a marshall JCM 800, the valve sound also creates natural compression when turned up (not overdriven but Turned up)
Sound remains subjective but this is very versitile
My other guitars are a 70's Les Paul Standatrd, a 77 Strat, 90's telecaster and a epiphone casino.
This guitar is diffrent think Glen Fry Joe Walsh

action is great but post 12 fret they are close and for little fat fingers like mine you have to be precise However Subjective to my feel
Stragight from case no set up good enough to gig

loves live gigs
fret board stained due to thin finish on neck but that looks great Clapton esque with blackie
I always use a back up anyway but the baby stays in tune well

I called rickenbacker for information and they were great
They told me history and confrimed that from the serial the guitar was genuine

I play 4 gigs a week and for the stuff I play if fits the bill

1993 260 El Dorado, made in the USA. As noted by the previous reviewer, this is a somewhat rare solidbody Rickenbacker made in the early 90s. Double bound, double cut-away body with a bolt-on maple neck. Two rickenbacker humbuckers. Mine is a red sunburst (Fireglo). Scale length is shorter than a Fender strat but neck width is about the same, making for a rather big, meaty neck. 24 medium frets. No tremolo, just a fixed bridge with six adjustable saddles (not the Tune-o-matic type). There is a volume knob and a tone knob as well as a three-way switch as already noted.
Simple and easy.

The 260 El Dorado has a tele-like sound, if somewhat less "twangy". The body is heavier and feels more substantial than most tele's I've seen, and the extra weight seems to give a bit more "wood" to the overall sound. Absolutely does not sound like your typical Ricky (no "jangle"). It's a little bit difficult to compare it's sound to other guitars, because it doesn't really sound like most guitars I've playted.
The bridge pickup is considerable softer on my guitar than the neck pickup (I haven't tried adjusting the pickup height).
Depending on what you play, the uniqueness of the sound can be rather limiting. This is not a guitar for heavy music (forget anything remotely close to metal) in my opinion. It's very well suited to classic rock and I enjoy whipping out the El Dorado anytime something "vintage" or "classic" is called for.

Action, fit and finish are typical of Rickenbacker's products - a well-made, carefully constructed guitar.

The guitar is solid - no fears about taking this guitar on stage. However,I found that my guitar did not stay in tune very well and trying to correct the intonation was a bit difficult for me - I'm more used to Tune-o-matic type fixed bridges. The problem was terrible with extra-light 9 gauge strings, much better when I changed to 10s.

Never had to deal with Rickenbacker

Overall, an interesting guitar to own and play. It's certainly very rare, and it's sound usually generates comments from other guitar players who expect it to sound, well, like a Rickenbacker.
The intonation and tuning problems are probably my own fault (I should have it professionally set-up at one point) and certainly do not reflect the high quality of the guitar.
If you see one and anjoy classic or vintage sounds, definitely check it out!

(Note: not a real high score for features, but this is supposed to be a simple guitar. The parts on it, however, are top-notch.)
This guitar was made in 1993. I obtained it in 1995. I am the first owner. It has since been discontinued. As with all Rickenbackers, this guitar was hand-made in the USA. This solidly built solid-body is made from Eastern hard-rock maple and has 24 frets on its bolted-on maple fingerboard. If you're into "scale length", according to the catalog, the distance between the nut and bridge is (in-between Gibson and Fender) 25 inches. No frills or fancy gadgets to be found here. Just a simple, straight-forward, excellent playing guitar.
The body style on this somewhat rare model is a double-cutaway and is not a typical shape for a RIC; looks more like an Esquire or Tele that has a cutaway on top. It also has white binding on the front and back edges and gold hardware. My particular model is painted in a red 'burst that RIC calls "Fireglo".
Controls: a 3-way switch for the pickups, one volume knob, one tone knob. Very simple yet functional.
Pickups: 2 of them (bridge and neck positions) made by Rickenbacker. They are said to be hum-cancelling single coils. They bolt through the guitar, so to raise or lower them, you turn the allen-head screws on the back-side of the guitar. Nice idea - no strings to get in the way!
Bridge: has 6 individually adjustable saddles with rollers. Rollers are very conducive to string life.
Tuners: Schallers. Standard issue on RIC's (except for some vintage re-issues).
Accessories: like all RIC's, it comes with a hard case. Inside the case was an owner's manual, a polishing towel and an allen wrench.

I enjoy playing (or attempt to play) music from bands like Cream, Yardbirds, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, etc. Also like blues stuff, and a lot of the variety of Jeff Beck's playing. Since I don't strive to sound identical to anyone, this guitar suits me. It's very "mid-rangey" and unique to my ear. And that is my preference. I prefer this guitar's "growl" to the "jingle-jangle" sound RIC's are traditionally known for.
I can, however, get a variety of sounds out of this guitar - from "woman tone" to a very shrill, treble-laden scream. Slide playing sounds good, too. I play through a newer JCM 900 with 5881 tubes, and I have a half dozen different stomp boxes to add flavor to the tone.
Overall, it's a pretty versatile instrument.

A 10-rating is warranted here. Straight from the case, all I've had to do is play the thing! The action and intonation were fine. This is probably because RIC uses dual truss-rods in their necks. I think this design keeps the guitar's adjustments more steady. All fretwork was done very well, also. As mentioned before, the pickup adjustment was simple.

Although the majority of action this guitar sees is within the confines of my own house, I don't hesitate to take it out and play when the opportunity arises. It's a very dependable and reliable guitar. It also stays in tune better than a lot of my friend's guitars.
Although it's not wise to gig without a back-up, I would not worry too much about gigging solo with this guitar. As stated before, the bridge is very easy on the strings. There's not much else that could go wrong in a gig. I'm not one to go jumping all around when I play, so my strap always stays in place.

I got this guitar in an insurance settlement because my house was broken into and my other guitars were stolen. When I called RIC to inquire about this model's availability, I was promptly informed about what colors were available in stock.
Inquiring about other things, I've used e-mail to the RIC web site. Responses arrive the next day. Very good customer relations.
I've never needed to have anything repaired, but it has a 5-year warranty.

I've been playing (on and off) since 1980. Currently, I own a Martin (Dreadnought), a old National (Dobro-type guitar), and a Takamine (Classical nylon stringed type). This is my only electric, but the guitar I play the most often. If it were stolen, I'd be out of luck because they are not made anymore.
I chose it partially because of RIC's reputation and partially because I wanted something that looked and sounded different. About the only thing that I wish were different on this guitar would be to have separate volume and tone knobs for each pickup. In the middle position (both pickups on) the neck pickup seems to dominate over the bridge pickup. Also, there are times I wish it had a vibrato bar. But, all in all, a very well made and good sounding guitar. It's also an excellent value in my opinion.