Rickenbacker 480

1972, USA model Rickenbacker 480
24 frets
Jet-Gjo (black)
2 volume, 2 tone
2 single coil pickups.

The bridge pick-up will break eardrums. I'd put it up against any strat/tele bridge pick-ups I've heard. The folks who say these pick-ups are weak, there must be a mechanical problem.
I don't play it much anymore because I don't like how flat the fingerboard is. I'd change the radius and refret it but it has that thick clear finish over the fingerboard and as it's in such good original condition I don't want to change it.

One design flaw I've corrected is that the lower 2 neck to body screws strip out because they are only going into about a quarter inch of wood. This can be corrected by using a short machine screw of the same diameter and some machine nuts inside the guitar.

I have played it on gigs without a backup (20 years ago). Playing in clubs it was easier to use one pickup or the other all night as it was always hard to get the amp set to where you could get 2 good sounds just by switching the pick-up selector. The bridge pick-up was always way brighter than the neck pick-up.

Been playing guitar 40 years
Mostly play teles now (I have 3 of them), all modified mexicans. Each one is set up different (different strings, pots, etc.)
I don't want to sell it. It's a real screamer and totally cool to look at hanging on the wall, every once in awhile I make it scream like it does so well

1971, 24 frets, solid body etc etc. Black body with white scratchplate.

Fantastic sound - really good for getting a sharp british sound that can cut through. Great for Coxon style rhythmic parts (better even than his telecaster / gibson hybrid!). Plenty of meat when switched to to rhythm. Can be tricky to set up the right sound but boy is it good when you get it. I've barely touched my Les Paul or my US Tele since I got this!

Good. Guitar was bought second hand and in a bit tatty condition but was set up well; the machines worked fine, the action is good. Slight loose connection on the jack socket but its not bad if htat is the only thing wrong on a well giged guitar of this age!

Built like a tank and looks cooler than one! Finish is good; strap buttons are chunky and solid; body is heavy but well balanced. Would hapily ploay a gig with this one, though it is a very distinctive sound and I might have other, more gentle sounding guitars in backup for a different sound.

n/a I've ont had cause to deal with Rickenbacker.

I've been playing about 13 years and have owned a range of good guitars. This is definietly my favourite - it sounds great and oozes cool. If it were stolen I'd be on the lookout for another 480 or 481. The sound is so unique - really edgy. Takes the jangle of the usual Ricky's and puts some muscle behind it for a good aggressive sound. The Ricky bass body it uses makes it probably the coolest looking guitar in history!

Earley 70s, 24 frets, Yellow sunburst, Kluson, 3 way, 2 tones, 2 volumes etc. bought it used back in earley 90s for about $300 The fretboard is ebony with binding

The trebble pickup sounded like a thin megaphone when I first got it. after studying the circuitry I found a capacitor in line with the pickup which removes the bass from the pickup and passes only trebble. The trick on this baby is to either put a jumper over it or add a push pull pot that shorts across this cap. Then you will have an equal balance on the pickups. You can also wire the pots to mimick a gibson so one knob will turn the volume completely down like a gibson does. I like the way its setup now minus the cap. Soundwise it gets that earley british sound to a T. The neck is thin but you can access all the way up the fretboard.

Just recently replaced the bridge. The old one was pretty bad shape. Really brought it back to life. I also do refretting and redid the neck with jumbos. Made a big difference. I also changed the nut, had to cut my own. Used bone about 5mm thick. Build wise this is Top of the Line USA made quality workmanship that was considerd low end when first made. I'm thinking about getting a third pickup and making this like the Dakota. (which is just a littel fancier) There is space pre cut for one in the body under the pickguard. All it would take is a pickguard routing and a littel rewiring.

No problem here. Once you get used to the way it hangs with a strap an the long horn the strap button hooks to it is even more comfortable than a strat. Did a Beatles CD awhile back and it really gets that Sargent Peppers crank like the intro has. Also good for stuff like hard days night etc. Use it with a marshall and sun concert lead live. Unique sound for sure, I kind of gauge it between a strat and a gibson, Single coils sort of p90 sound yet unique.

na

33 years own 21 guitars, keys basses studio etc. I'm an electronic tech by trade and gig with about 3 differen bands off and on. I pull this baby out once and a while and match it to other players guitars. It really can create its own gap (sound space) that others cant get. I play back recordings and others say, wow what the hell is that. It does take talent to push any instrument to its sweet spot. Unfortunately they are one in thousands these days.

This guitar was made July 1973 one month after my self. It has 24 frets and is the same body as the 4000 bass. The pickups are standard RIC pickups and the lead pick up is kind of weak, I have to crank up my 80watt peavey to 9 to hear it at a just ear ringing volume. Although the guitar is louder through both pick ups it still sound best jsut through the lead and the sound qaulity is amazing jingle, jangle all the way. The tuners are original and the guitar holds tune amazingly. The neck is bolt on and it is hard to believe it is due the high quality of the the neck. This is the kindest fretting guitar i have ever played. It is fluid and easy....the hard shell case is beat, but what do you expect from a 31 year old case. It really smells bad too. Like some funkified BO. From what I understand this model was made from '73-'84, and was an entry level guitar or a "poormans RIC" they should continue to mae this model, there would be a lot more RIC players (people could afford them)Has the cool '"R" tail piece. I really like how it looks. These are most of the features there are no bells and whitsles it is a guitar not a stump fiddle.

This gutar totally fits my style, very Ocena Blue, Echo and the Bunnymen, Jesus Mary Chain, ect...all that artschool stuff from the 80's guess I will never get over. I have not idea what kind of music this guitar was built for but it fit's mine to a "t" I also have a 1986 Ibanez AS80 nice holow sound but can not hold a candle to this RIC. I like to play it with some mellow delay, very shoe gazer, very dreamy Truly a guitar the RIDE or the Sotne Roses would have used. Did I mention that it fit's my style of palying perfectly. I just wish it i has some more balls.

Perfect...that is all I have to say...despite the fact that this guitar is extreamly dirty, I love it jsut the same. It is howver a pain to set the intonation. Have move some locking bolts.

This guitar is 30 years old. Previous owner lived out his 12 year rocks star fantasy with it and really neglected it...in fact he was down right pigish with it, and it endures. I was gigged hard and still in excellent playing condition. That RIC qaulity. I would never gig anywhere with out a back up jsut because string breakage can be an unforseen disaster. Always have a back up...but Hope I done't ahve to use it...nothing looks as cool as this.

N/A

I can not express the enough the greatness of this instrrument. I guess that is jsut RIC quality. I would love to buy 360 but...hey man I am working musician, who can afford that???

It has 24 easy-access frets on a natural shellac covered (not oil soaked) rosewood fingerboard with a very thin neck. It is equipped with Kluson Deluxe tuners and two unusual size humbucker pickups ? tone and volume controls for each. Body is maple with no piping; neck is bolted on maple with piping and two truss rods (never been adjusted; solid as a rock). Color is solid burgundy with white pick-guard.

The tone on this 31-year old is really mellow and has great sustain. After 25 years of use, the pickups began to loose their magnetic charge and were rewound by Semour Duncan for about $350 (worth the money, screamers!). It has a real bite (but sweet) on the top and really fat mid-ranges and thick bottoms. I played it through a 1971 Princeton Reverb until I got a Mesa Boogie Dual Caliper DC-5 in 1997.

It looks great, just like Paul McCartney?s base. I wish that I had been able to keep my good looks for as long as this one has. Still no flaws evident except the one scratch I gave it when I did a nose plant in 1975. I hang it on the wall and it stays in tune for weeks. Action is set lower than most guitars so that it plays extremely fast with no buzz.

This guitar never fails. I did have to replace one of the tuners in 30 years (G-string, is it just me?). I have used this without a back-up at gigs.

I never asked Rickenbacker for help. I went to Seymour.

I have been playing guitars for 35 years and most of that time this was the only electric that I kept coming back too. This one holds its own in good company with Stratocasters and PRS (McCarty model) guitars. I have a Telecaster with Vintage Noiseless pickups that doesn?t scream as much as this one. The tone and sustain on this one are better than my Les Paul Studio with Burstbucker Vs at much lower weight around my neck. The pick-ups don?t feedback near as much as with my Epiphone Wildcat with P-90?s. I don?t use it for slide because the action is so low ? my resonator acoustic is the way to go for that part of life.

1975
12 frets
2 pick ups
midinight blue paint job (looks great)
thin neck

i think this guitar sounds awesome. powerful chords and strong resonance. can sound kind of country if you want it to, but really it's a cutting kind of pop sound.
pretty quiet pickups- compared to my strat.
i never only use the neck pick-up- unless i'm pretending it is a bass.

action is easy- don't know if it has always been
i've dinged the poor thing a number of times, but at least i have no more anxiety about its condition. again- it was repainted midnight blue. i've lost bridge bolts and replaced them- actually i'm missing one now.
chrome is still in great shape- shiny.
screw went to far into pick guard and cracked it a little- before my time.
i bet it was a great looking guitar.

i can always count on this guitar to sound like it is supposed to.
i once had to rewire the pick up switch, but other than that- it has been dependable.
oh and the strap hook at the base of the guitar stripped the wooden thread.

whatever

i've owned it for about 8 yrs. i like it, but sometimes it is a little exhausting to pull and bend those strings all the time. i play it through a 1962 fender bandmaster which makes everything sound wicked. blues driver and a micro-amp pedal.
i like that it is a unique guitar and that is handy when you are on stage. i am nevertheless thinking about selling it. we'll see.

1974, Obviously made in USA. Never counted the frets, but probably 26. Neck is very nicely laminated-like. Narrow neck, which I like. Plays real easy. 2 controls per pick-up. Deep burgandy in color, no flameburst, just solid color. Got it for free from a neighbor moving to Germany and didn't want to pack it. Also didn't know what he had. I did and took it with glee.

I'm playing it through a small 80-watt Crate, so I don't know if sound limitation is due to the Crate or the Guitar. I considered changing out the pickups, but want to keep it stock.

Because I got it used, can't really rate the "from the factory worthiness".

I've banged the hell out of it for the 15 years I've had it, and missed many 3000-mile oil changes, and like a well worn Timex, it keeps on rockin'.

Been playing sine 1967, on and off. Regularly for the past 8 years. Previously had a Gretsch Tennessean. Like this one better. HAd the chance to trade for others, or sell for good price, but didn't think I could find one with the action and playtabilty of the 480. Kept it, and glad I did.

Very standard as mentioned in the other reviews.

Bad!!! It's all i can say. I have never been so disappointed with a guitar as i have been with this one. No life no sustain no nothing... The pickups has absolutely no output. I switched back to my good old Hofner and my two Mustangs. Twang twang... oh thank you Fender and Hofner for making them

Well i have to say that this was why i bought it. Great looking guitar with a rather nice neck. Nice and playable.

Didn't play it for more then 3 months. And it didn't fail me in that period of time. Allthough.. it had some tuning problems

If you are looking to buy one...DONT. And if you just have to have it. change the pickups.

May 1974 Jet Glo 480. Made in U.S.A. The Usual Rickenbacker pick-ups and materials.

Great sound! Not as jangly as other Rickenbacker's but a lot more versatile being a solid body.

Top notch stuff! The fretboard and frets are still as fresh as they were 28 years ago!

28 years later and it's all still original!!

I also own a Rickenbacker 330 which looks a lot nicer but squeals like a pig when playing live. The 480 doesn't have that problem.

1972 Rick, actually a model 481 with the slanted nut/frets/pickups/bridge configuration. Solid body, bolt on neck. Black with white pick guard and binding, shaped like a 4001 bass. Two humbuckers with vol/tone for each, a three position switch and a coil tap. Grover tuners and the cool "R" tailpiece. 24 frets. Fingerboard has no radius at all, bent notes don't cut out and it's great for slide. Neck is a bit chunky, but good "D" shape and solid as hell with two truss rods (which I've never touched in 10 years despite Vermont's temperature and humidity changes, and packing and moving to Florida). Frets are narrow, and have a little wear, but hey, it's a '72. Great access to upper frets.

Not the jingle jangle Ricks are famous for. Humbuckers are much darker. Takes some playing around to find the guitars voice. Nice rich clean sound from the neck pickup with chorus and reverb. Pickups are low output, which I find offer more flexibility with distortion from mild growl to crunch. I've built 4-5 guitars, but I always pick this one up again, and I'm always pleasantly surprised. It is a bit limited in its diversity of sounds. Really an oddball, but a likeable one.

This is a '72 and I bought it in '90. I'm really impressed with Rickenbacker's fit and finish and this guitar is no exception. The action can be set lower than any guitar I've played or built. I always go through tuning twice, expecting the non-locking tuners, or trapeze tailpiece to vary a little with tightening strings, but it's always dead-on during the second go through.

Well, it's almost 30 years old. I think if it had a reliability or durability problem, it probably would have surfaced by now. Oh, the strap buttons are machined into the body with fine thread bolts, not wood screws. Couple of nicks on the headstock, but "mea culpa".

Rick was good in getting me a replacement knob and bridge cover after I bought the guitar used. Warranty, I think it's beyond that period.

Overall rating an 8. I love the way cool shape. Action is killer, sound requires tweaking, but I'm not replacing pickups in a 30 yr. old guitar. If it were stolen, I'd probably replace it with a 330 or 620 (hey I like the jangle), but for the money these go for used, it's a really good deal for an American made guitar with a hell of alot more style than another strat knock off, and fit and finish comparable to a $3000 Gibson. Been playing 10 yrs and this was my first 'real' guitar, play blues, punk, rockabilly through an old silvertone tube amp, sansamp pedal and analog delay. I've built a tele, LP with flamey top, and hollow body and this thing is a different animal altogether.

Made in the USA, March 1974, 24 frets. Two single-coil pickups, low output, 3-way selector and 2 tone/volume controls per pickup. Design is similar to the famous 4000 bass. Maple body and neck, bolt-on, two trussrods, maple-glo finish. Kluson tuners. Rosewood fingerboard, finished with clear lacquer. Neck is quite small and has a D shape. Body has no bindings but the fingerboard has.

Sounds very thin, clear, very sweet. Pickups have very low output. Not noisy at all. Very disturbing is that the neck pickup is almost twice as loud as the bridge pickup, even if the neck is lowered as much as possible and the bridge has been put as high as possible. I think I'll switch them. Sound is suitable for funk and 'romantic' chords. Definitively not suitable for rock or metal.

Very low action possible, no buzzing. No flaws detected. Well built guitar.

It's dependable but not versatile enough to use it as a #1 guitar

Did ask them about the pickups but they said I had to go to a luthier. Seems to me they don't have any data on this guitar anymore or won't talk about it.

See my entry at El Degas (Plexi Strat)