The Good, The Bad And The Rickenbacker

The Beatles played them. So does Roger McGuinn. I want to, too.

I am speaking, of course, of the fabulous Rickenbacker.

Rickenbacker guitars were a common sight during the 1960s. Lately, they seem to be making a comeback. You see more and more of them out there now if you watch live music shows.

There are not a lot of models or colors offered. That’s OK. They are fine instruments. They are made in the USA, and, they are one of the guitar lines out there that can make Gibson and Fender look inexpensive.

So what do Ricks go for? How much?

Well, that’s the question and the point of this post. This is another instance of a company making it difficult for us — the consumer — to get information on the product we are interested in buying.

If you check out musical instrument websites and look up the Rickenbacker 360 — either the 6-string or 12-string version — you see this message a lot: “Price too low to show — call for details.”

WTF?

If I am looking it up online, it’s because I didn’t want to talk to a salesperson on the phone. Or, it’s because I am sneaking a peek when or where I can’t converse freely.

In any case, THE PRICE SHOULD BE POSTED! What are they hiding? Better yet, if they really want to sell their guitars — and Rickenbackers ARE exceptionally good instruments — why don’t they make it easier for people to buy, instead of harder?

Jeez. The more I research guitar and amp companies, the more convinced I am that they don’t want to be successful.

So what are they selling for and where can we get one? More good questions.

First, the price. It’s pretty consistent everywhere that I called today — again, I had to call because Rickenbacker doesn’t post their actual prices, although they post their MSRP which scares people away.

Anyway, for a Rickenbacker 360, the 6-string version, expect to shell out about $1,999.99. For the 12-string version of the Rickenbacker 360, expect to fork over $1.899.99.

A Rickenbacker 360 in mapleglo finish. Just like the one that you all are going to pitch in and buy for me.

Yep. You read correctly. The 12-string version is about $100.00 cheaper than the 6-string version. Nobody I talked to really knew why that was the case,  although two different people said it may be related to the fact that the 12-string Ricks are looking at about a 12-month backorder.

To save you all the bother of getting out your secret Rickenbacker decoder rings and magic maps, I checked out where to get one of these beauties. This is where you can find Rickenbacker guitars here in Texas:

Fuller’s Vintage Guitar
116 North Loop
Houston, TX 77008
713-880-2188
http://www.fullersguitar.com/
I haven’t been to Fuller’s in a few months. When I do visit, I usually deal with Eric Hesson or Jeremy Fuller. Yes, Fuller’s DOES HAVE a layaway plan that you can use to purchase your Rickenbacker.

Parker Music
9941 North Fwy
Houston, TX 77037
281-820-0011
http://parkermusic.net/
When I stopped by Parker Music a month ago, they only had one Rick in stock. It was a nice black 360. I really don’t know any of the Parker folks. When I am there, I usually talk to that hot chick with the magenta hair. She’s very knowledgeable about what’s in her store. Yes, Parker Music DOES HAVE a layaway plan that you can use to purchase your Rickenbacker.

Guitar Resurrection
813 Morrow St.
Austin, TX 78757
512-478-0095
http://www.guitarrez.com/

Redbone Guitar
4343 McCullough Ave.
San Antonio, TX 78212
210-822-4111
http://www.redboneguitar.com/

Sam Ash Music – San Antonio 59
25 NE Loop 410
San Antonio, TX 78216
210-530-9777
http://www.samashmusic.com/locations/

Sound Vibrations, Inc.
16385 Staples St.
Corpus Christi, TX 78404
361-884-8981
http://www.soundvibrations.com/sound.htm

And of course, you can get them from the online giants American Musical Supply and Zzounds.

Sweetwater DOES NOT carry Rickenbackers.

To visit Zzounds, go to: http://www.zzounds.com/

To visit American Musical Supply, go to: http://www.americanmusical.com/

Remember, let me know if you wind up getting a Rickenbacker so I can be envious!