Rickenbacker 335

This is my favourite guitar EVER. I have a '66 335, so I guess it's a vintage piece. I bought it in '88 and it was well used, having suffered a broken headstock at one time and a truly beat finish (fireglo- and the '60s fireglo finish looks much differnt than the modern ones). Original tuners and an accent vibrato that's idiosyncratic to say the least. I prefer the vibrato to the 'R' tailpiece; easier to change strings and if you're not too heavy handed you can use it and it stays in tune.

This guitar KILLS for sound... but it's had the pickups swapped out at some point for active pickups! To whomever did it: I love you. The toaster covers are still on them for that vintage look, but unlike my other vintage Rick (a '68 335) it's great for leads. I've found that Rick toasters (and to a lesser degree the high gains) just fall short for heavier lead sounds, especially on the bridge pickup. Now, before the traditionalists start firing away, I know it's personal preference and I LOVE Ricks. Still, this guitar has real bite on the bridge pickup and the neck's is fat and warm. You put them together and wow. If I could figure out what somebody put in this thing I'd install them in my other Ricks.

The necks on a '60s Rick are very slim and fast; it's a love it or hate it proposition. Everything works and fits well and always has. I change strings (I've never broken one and I play a lot and fairly aggressively). I've found older Ricks like mine are fussy about strings and I use 9-42 Dean Markley. Your experience and mileage may vary. Setup is perfect: nice and low, not a buzz in sight and stays in tune unbelieveably well.
I've said it before: I think Ricks from the '60s are some of the finest and well built guitars ever produced.

The finish is very weathered but has proven resilient overall. Everything's original except the pickups and it's never let me down. I bring a backup, just in case I break a string. It'll happen one day. The only complaint I have is the strap button on the upper horn, which appears to constantly try and unscrew itself from the guitar! I check this on my older Ricks everytime I pick one up. I guess I could change them, but that sounds like too much work for me. So, minus one for goofy strap buttons.

Hmmm... the guitar's 40+ years old, so I'm pretty sure there's no warranty issues still applicable. Rick's a funny company to deal with anyways, so everybody's happy.

I've been playing nearly 30 years and have an observation or two for the potential buyer. If you're considering a Rick, you're looking for something a little unique; they're a different breed and people are fanatical for good reason. You love them or hate them. They've recently bumped their prices, and considering they're still 100% American made I'd say that's entirely reasonable. It's a LONG wait (app. two years) for a new one. I would recommend if you're looking seriously looking to purchase a Rick, consider a vintage one. If you're thinking a 330 or 335, they're generally $500-$1,000 more for a player's piece from the '60s, which is incredible value.
I've had a lot of guitars and still do, including all the standards (Les Paul, a Strat, Tele), but this is the one guitar I could never sell.

This guitar was made in July of 1966. It is what I would call a semi-hollowed body guitar. I bought it from a college student for $160.00 US dollors in 1973, no case. I picked up a case a short time later for $35.00. Not a bad deal for a vintage guitar.This guitar has the sunburst finish, with a slash as a sound hole, two toaster pickups, vibro bar, two volume, two tone controls with a master mixer on the very bottom. Satin finish, but a bit worn. Don't know what the body is make of.

The sound is a very dated sixies style sound, but I think with the ride kind of tweaking, you could get just about any thing you want, except heavy metal. I play in an oldiesrock/country band and this was my only electric for many years. After getting a few to many dings, I retired it as the main ax. When I played it I used, at one time or another, a Peavey Duece, a Fender Silver face twin, and lastly a Fender Deluxe 85. With the two fenders, a nice bright clean sound, with the Deuce, good but a little mellow. This guitar can really get nasty at high gain settings but it is prone to feedback if you are not careful. I almost always used it for rhthym very seldom leads. This is not a lead instument at all. It can be done but it just does not have the hard hitting sound of other guitars. For rhythm it has to be one of the best ever.

Who knows the action from the factory but when I got it it was perfect, very smooth and low. Pickups set fine. The guitar looks to be perfectly made. Just the nicks and worn areas that you would expect from a guitar made in 1966, and played a lot. I will give it a 9 because of the wear and tear but that also gives it charcter.

This one is easy.
Yes it has done tons of live playing.
All hardware is original.
The finish seems thin but it has held up well.
The buttons screw in and I would always make sure they were tight every time I played. I would make a mental note to always give them a little turn by hand because they would work loose sometimes.
Yes I could depend on it to be there for me.
I never once used a back up when I used this full time. For my replacement ax, I bought an American Standard Strat. It's an all around better working guitar, leads and all, but once the jack came loose and the guitar stopped working. I fixed it but now I always bring a spare guitar to the gigs. With the old Rick, I never had a backup.

Yes I wrote to them a couple of times. Once to get a bridge cover mine was missing. They sent one right out. At once to date the guitar via the serial #. Again a very fast response. As far as a warranty, it was over when I bought the guitar.

Let's see I'm 47 and I bought this in 1973. Been playing a long time.
To replace this on stage I bought a Fender Strat and as a backup I bought a Danelecto U2 56. I play thru a Fender Deluxe 85, which I love, but I am thinking about picking up one of the new Vox amp. The Cambridge twin. I would like to take the Rick back out playing but I worry about adding more dents and dings to such a nice old guitar. If it were lost or stolen I would probably not replace it, at least not right away. It is a great guitar, beautiful to look at, and play but when they are this old it's not a guitar to bang around with gigging. If I could find one this cheap I would buy it in a heartbeat but they are not easy to find at a low price. It is so light that a full night of gigging is not hard to do at all. The Strat is heavy for a full night, the Dano light. Except for not being a lead instument this is just about the perfect guitar for my playing style. I have done a bunch of home recordings with it and when I go back to listen I am always amazed at the sound of it on tape. I have to imagine that an audience out front in a live gig is hearing the same thing from it. This type of a guitar, a thin hollow body is not for every body but if you like clean shimmering sounds, full chords, and ease of playing check out any of the Rickenbackers. They have their own sound.

This is a 1960 fireglo maple, 2" hollowbody guitar with 3-piece maple-walnut-maple neck, 6-string, 2 toaster single-coil pickups, Kauffmann vibrato tailpiece, 2 vol/2 tone oven-style knobs, double-layer gold pickguard, 3-way pickup selector, 22 frets, rosewood fingerboard, Fender-sized frets, "slash" soundhole, 4 way adjustable bridge. A vintage piece, basically.

It has the sound of Lennon's '58 325 hollowbody, only more volume due to the size of the body and the depth. It's like a jazz guitar that can perform pop and blues. The pickups are low ohm, very bright, and will not blow you away unless you rig up an overdrive effect, and, even then, will have you wondering if you've forgotten to set the volume on the amp high enough. Also sounds a little like a Gretsch Tennessean with the single coil sound. Obviously, this type of sound doesn't excite everyone on the planet, so I won't rate it.
Generally speaking, the neck width at the nut is narrow, so this is a rhythym machine. With some careful picking, you can do leads, but it is easy to fuck up -- leave the leads to Fender and Gibson et al.
The sound of this older Ric hollowbody is deeper and more resonant than the thinner 1 3/4" hollowbodies that Ric started making in 1961 and thereafter. I suppose that, besides the collector value, the only real reason to seek out a guitar like this is to satisfy the search for the Holy Grail of Tone (is it out there?)

Well, 1960 was a pretty decent year for manufacture; the wood and finish on this guitar have survived nearly 40 years. No flaws, no cracks, no separations. Hardware is nickel and chrome -- virtually new, save for he usual nickel tarnish. The action is really low; I read that Lennon liked the 325 for the same reason.

Ric necks are supersolid; even though they are 3-piece, the laminate does resist warping and is strong. I have a '61 Ric 365 that I found in a trashcan (no shit! I'll post a note about THAT one sometime) which I restored, and it survived the trashcan, along with numerous bangs and 2 coats of red housepaint that someone applied to the original finish. I'd think that this 335 would have survived a trashcan as well.
Having said that, remember that this is a 2" hollobody and it is more delicate, and should be treated with care, unlike a Strat or Jazz bass which you can use to paddle down the Niagra Falls.

Ric is actually pretty decent with support. However, being an older guitar, there's not much you can expect.

Again, this is an unusual guitar with no real modern counterpart to compare it with. If you are looking for a vintage sound that NOBODY is currently using, find one of these. They usually go for $2 - $3,000, and I've seen most of these in VG+ condition (i.e., finish gone, bangs, dents, lots of playing wear) but still sounding very cool and retro in design.