Rickenbacker Model 325 Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1967)
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Rickenbacker Model 325 Model Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1967), made in Santa Ana, CA, serial # GJ-4194, black lacquer finish, maple body and neck, padouk fingerboard, original silver tolex hard shell case.
There are "Beatle guitars" and there are "BEATLE GUITARS"; the Rickenbacker Model 325 is one of the latter. When John Lennon appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 seen by millions of instant fans playing this model, the Rickenbacker name and this particular model became forever linked to the band's legend. Certainly one of the most instantly recognizable classic 1960's guitars, the Rickenbacker 325 is a diminutive charmer, a 3/4 sized hollowbody with an utterly distinctive look and feel. This is a truly superb example of the iconic "Beatle look" Model 325 from 1967 in the Lennon-approved "Tuxedo" black and white livery.
Lennon had played an early 1958 Model 325 for all the group's shows and many recordings since late 1960 after acquiring it in Hamburg. By the time the Beatles arrived in the US in February 1964 the guitar had been refinished in black and was heavily worn. Rickenbacker wisely offered to send him an new version of the model posthaste! Lennon's second 325 was delivered to the group in time for their second Ed Sullivan show performance later that month, live from the Deauville hotel in Miami. From that point on the original guitar was retired and this second 325 became Lennon's main stage and studio electric (spelled by the flat-to- Gibson J-160E) up into 1966, when he switched to an Epiphone Casino. The Rickenbacker was seen by millions in Lennon's hands during the height of worldwide Beatlemania in 1964-5 and has been inextricably linked to the group's legend ever since.
Apart from the Beatle connection, strictly as a player's instrument the 325 has always been considered somewhat limited by its VERY short 21" scale, but that was one of the things that attracted Lennon to the guitar. With the short neck and supple low action Lennon found he could play the early Beatles' chopping rhythms and rock & roll riffs effortlessly, especially in an age of heavy flatwound strings and "cheese grater" action. Today that is still true, and the 325 is certainly one of the handiest professional guitars ever designed.
Made in October 1967 this guitar matches Lennon's 1964 model closely except for the single F-shaped soundhole; the Beatle's guitar had an unusual solid top. The "Jetglo" black lacquer finish and white trim are the same, as are all fittings. It is equipped with three Rickenbacker "toaster top" single coil pickups, a bi-level 5-knob pickguard, Kluson Deluxe tuners and the 1960s bent-arm "Accent" vibrato. Lennon's guitar had plain black knobs, while this one has the silver-capped version adopted in later 1964. The small semi-hollow body is made of maple, as is the short laminated neck with a lacquered, dot inlaid fingerboard.
One would think the Beatle connection would have resulted in large sales for this model, but original 1960s 325s are actually quite rare. Even if influenced by the Beatles most subsequent players opted for the full size Rickenbacker 330 series models, which were very popular for several years. Interestingly, the control cavity on this guitar was slightly enlarged with some fairly crude routing at the factory when the guitar was being fitted out, this production error offering proof that very few were being made at the time! The pots and wiring are all original, dating to 1966 and '67.
The 325 was only very rarely seen with other name artists. A Fireglo Model 325 was the mainstay of John Fogerty in the early CCR days, a major part of his sound and style. This beautiful all-original "Beatle finish" 325 is a fantastic find, about as nice as we have ever seen. While the diminutive body and very short scale make for an odd-feeling guitar initially, it does what it does to perfection. Pick it up, strum a few bars of any early Beatle tune and be transported back through the decades to a time when anything seemed possible if you had the right Rickenbacker in your hands!
.
Overall length is 35 in. (88.9 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/16 in. (3.3 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 21 in. (533 mm.). Width of nut is 1 9/16 in. (40 mm.).
This is a very clean guitar overall, and remains all original with one discreet alteration. Someone appears to have applied a touch of black paint to the inside back under the slash soundhole, probably to make the guitar appear more like Lennon's solid-top example on casual glance. When we first saw the instrument we feared this indicated an overfinish, but no, the black lacquer Lennon-correct color scheme is factory original, as verified by the control cavity.
The finish shows only light wear with scuffs and dings and some belt-buckle worming into (but not through) the finish on the back. All hardware is intact and complete with some scuffing to the plating (mostly on the tailpiece) but no heavy wear. Internally the guitar is intact and unaltered. The original frets have some light divoting in the first position but play fine. This guitar really does the "Lennon Thing" perfectly, and is a blast to play "You Can't do That" (and many others) on.
This is simply a superb example of this surprisingly rare Lennon-correct model, to many players somewhat limited by the very short scale but as pretty much good as these come. It lives in the original silver case with the superbly preserved original "No-Mishap" Guitar strap, blue polish cloth and celluloid pick, all period Rickenbacker logo items. This is another Find from the Wilco, Chicago loft and carries their cataloging markings on the bottom edge of the case. Excellent Condition.
There are "Beatle guitars" and there are "BEATLE GUITARS"; the Rickenbacker Model 325 is one of the latter. When John Lennon appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 seen by millions of instant fans playing this model, the Rickenbacker name and this particular model became forever linked to the band's legend. Certainly one of the most instantly recognizable classic 1960's guitars, the Rickenbacker 325 is a diminutive charmer, a 3/4 sized hollowbody with an utterly distinctive look and feel. This is a truly superb example of the iconic "Beatle look" Model 325 from 1967 in the Lennon-approved "Tuxedo" black and white livery.
Lennon had played an early 1958 Model 325 for all the group's shows and many recordings since late 1960 after acquiring it in Hamburg. By the time the Beatles arrived in the US in February 1964 the guitar had been refinished in black and was heavily worn. Rickenbacker wisely offered to send him an new version of the model posthaste! Lennon's second 325 was delivered to the group in time for their second Ed Sullivan show performance later that month, live from the Deauville hotel in Miami. From that point on the original guitar was retired and this second 325 became Lennon's main stage and studio electric (spelled by the flat-to- Gibson J-160E) up into 1966, when he switched to an Epiphone Casino. The Rickenbacker was seen by millions in Lennon's hands during the height of worldwide Beatlemania in 1964-5 and has been inextricably linked to the group's legend ever since.
Apart from the Beatle connection, strictly as a player's instrument the 325 has always been considered somewhat limited by its VERY short 21" scale, but that was one of the things that attracted Lennon to the guitar. With the short neck and supple low action Lennon found he could play the early Beatles' chopping rhythms and rock & roll riffs effortlessly, especially in an age of heavy flatwound strings and "cheese grater" action. Today that is still true, and the 325 is certainly one of the handiest professional guitars ever designed.
Made in October 1967 this guitar matches Lennon's 1964 model closely except for the single F-shaped soundhole; the Beatle's guitar had an unusual solid top. The "Jetglo" black lacquer finish and white trim are the same, as are all fittings. It is equipped with three Rickenbacker "toaster top" single coil pickups, a bi-level 5-knob pickguard, Kluson Deluxe tuners and the 1960s bent-arm "Accent" vibrato. Lennon's guitar had plain black knobs, while this one has the silver-capped version adopted in later 1964. The small semi-hollow body is made of maple, as is the short laminated neck with a lacquered, dot inlaid fingerboard.
One would think the Beatle connection would have resulted in large sales for this model, but original 1960s 325s are actually quite rare. Even if influenced by the Beatles most subsequent players opted for the full size Rickenbacker 330 series models, which were very popular for several years. Interestingly, the control cavity on this guitar was slightly enlarged with some fairly crude routing at the factory when the guitar was being fitted out, this production error offering proof that very few were being made at the time! The pots and wiring are all original, dating to 1966 and '67.
The 325 was only very rarely seen with other name artists. A Fireglo Model 325 was the mainstay of John Fogerty in the early CCR days, a major part of his sound and style. This beautiful all-original "Beatle finish" 325 is a fantastic find, about as nice as we have ever seen. While the diminutive body and very short scale make for an odd-feeling guitar initially, it does what it does to perfection. Pick it up, strum a few bars of any early Beatle tune and be transported back through the decades to a time when anything seemed possible if you had the right Rickenbacker in your hands!
.
Overall length is 35 in. (88.9 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/16 in. (3.3 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 21 in. (533 mm.). Width of nut is 1 9/16 in. (40 mm.).
This is a very clean guitar overall, and remains all original with one discreet alteration. Someone appears to have applied a touch of black paint to the inside back under the slash soundhole, probably to make the guitar appear more like Lennon's solid-top example on casual glance. When we first saw the instrument we feared this indicated an overfinish, but no, the black lacquer Lennon-correct color scheme is factory original, as verified by the control cavity.
The finish shows only light wear with scuffs and dings and some belt-buckle worming into (but not through) the finish on the back. All hardware is intact and complete with some scuffing to the plating (mostly on the tailpiece) but no heavy wear. Internally the guitar is intact and unaltered. The original frets have some light divoting in the first position but play fine. This guitar really does the "Lennon Thing" perfectly, and is a blast to play "You Can't do That" (and many others) on.
This is simply a superb example of this surprisingly rare Lennon-correct model, to many players somewhat limited by the very short scale but as pretty much good as these come. It lives in the original silver case with the superbly preserved original "No-Mishap" Guitar strap, blue polish cloth and celluloid pick, all period Rickenbacker logo items. This is another Find from the Wilco, Chicago loft and carries their cataloging markings on the bottom edge of the case. Excellent Condition.