Rickenbacker Model 365 Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1966)
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Item #9118
Rickenbacker Model 365 Model Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1966), made in Santa Ana, CA, serial # FD-1170, mapleglo natural lacquer finish, maple body and neck, padouk fingerboard, original silver tolex hard shell case.
One of the most recognizable of the classic 1960s guitars, the Rickenbacker "300" series of thin hollow-body guitars has returned to favor again and again as new generations discover its bright, well-defined sound and utterly distinctive look and feel. This is a very fine example of a "Mapleglo" (natural finish) Model 365 from Rickenbacker's peak year of 1966. This sleek California hot rod was the mainstay of Rickenbacker's line from the late 1950s to the present, and one of the most popular guitars of this period. The round-edge (post-1964) Model 360 is virtually an icon of the 1960s, and is synonymous with the music and sounds of that era as well as more recent styles. They remain one of the sharpest-looking and most distinctive-sounding of all vintage designs.
This is a lovely original guitar, in extremely fine condition. It has what Rickenbacker termed the "Deluxe" features of the period. The round topped carved maple body is checkerboard bound on the back, with a laminated maple neck that has a lacquered padouk fingerboard with "slash" inlay made of crushed pearloid. The headstock is fitted with Dutch-made VanGent tuners with pearloid buttons (used only briefly as Kluson had supply issues right around this time) and the trademark white Rickenbacker logo headplate.
The two "toaster top" pickups are mated to a 5-knob wiring rig allowing maximum blending flexibility, with pots dated the first week of 1966. The guitar is wired with the "Rick-O-Sound" stereo output the company has installed for decades but almost nobody has ever used. Fortunately a convenient mono jack is provided as well...something Gibson missed! The "Accent" vibrato unit is simple but fairly effective, using a bent piece of metal as the spring and a bent and dangerous-looking sharp-tipped arm many players have removed or at least swung backwards.
The single most famous 330 series Rickenbacker guitar would of course be John Lennon's 1964 Model 325, used during the Beatles peak of worldwide fame. Following the Beatles' lead, many young musicians in the 1964-68 era worldwide chose thinline Rickenbacker guitars, making them an enduring 6-string symbol of the period. The models 335 and 345 are firmly associated with the early Who; the group's first records are an absolute showpiece for the unique Rickenbacker sound.
The Model 365 designation on this example refers to the "deluxe" features combined with two pickups and vibrato; the 360 is identical with no vibrato, and the 370 and 375 have three pickups. This natural finish example is substantially rarer then the trademark "Fireglo" sunburst finish most associated with these Rickenbacker models. Despite sometimes being dismissed with a "1960s cliche" tag, the Rickenbacker 365 is a more versatile guitar than many realize; a great-sounding and very classy instrument for both retro and modern sounds!
Overall length is 40 in. (101.6 cm.), 15 1/4 in. (38.7 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 9/16 in. (40 mm.).
This is a lovely original 365; it has been neatly refretted but is otherwise unaltered with only some light wear and in excellent playing condition. The original finish is clean and bright, with only small scuffing and dents, mostly on the back. There just a few dings, here and there, with a few on the back of the neck around the 2nd fret area. All hardware is all original and complete, even the often lost parts like the vibrato arm and bridge cover.
Internally the wiring rig is untouched original. The neck angle is very good; the fingerboard has some worn spots, but the newer frets show only very minimal wear. This is one of the nicer '60s Rickenbackers we have seen in a long time, still resting in the original silver HSC and even including the original bill of sale for a buyer on time payments. This model 365 cost $464 not counting the interest...the total cost over 24 months came to a whopping $555.28! It also shows how in demand these guitars were; the receipt is dated the 22nd of April 1966, and the serial number on the guitar dates to the same month. There was a waiting list situation for Rickenbacker 12-strings at the time...this 6-string seems to have been an immediate sale as soon as it came into the store. Excellent Condition.
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One of the most recognizable of the classic 1960s guitars, the Rickenbacker "300" series of thin hollow-body guitars has returned to favor again and again as new generations discover its bright, well-defined sound and utterly distinctive look and feel. This is a very fine example of a "Mapleglo" (natural finish) Model 365 from Rickenbacker's peak year of 1966. This sleek California hot rod was the mainstay of Rickenbacker's line from the late 1950s to the present, and one of the most popular guitars of this period. The round-edge (post-1964) Model 360 is virtually an icon of the 1960s, and is synonymous with the music and sounds of that era as well as more recent styles. They remain one of the sharpest-looking and most distinctive-sounding of all vintage designs.
This is a lovely original guitar, in extremely fine condition. It has what Rickenbacker termed the "Deluxe" features of the period. The round topped carved maple body is checkerboard bound on the back, with a laminated maple neck that has a lacquered padouk fingerboard with "slash" inlay made of crushed pearloid. The headstock is fitted with Dutch-made VanGent tuners with pearloid buttons (used only briefly as Kluson had supply issues right around this time) and the trademark white Rickenbacker logo headplate.
The two "toaster top" pickups are mated to a 5-knob wiring rig allowing maximum blending flexibility, with pots dated the first week of 1966. The guitar is wired with the "Rick-O-Sound" stereo output the company has installed for decades but almost nobody has ever used. Fortunately a convenient mono jack is provided as well...something Gibson missed! The "Accent" vibrato unit is simple but fairly effective, using a bent piece of metal as the spring and a bent and dangerous-looking sharp-tipped arm many players have removed or at least swung backwards.
The single most famous 330 series Rickenbacker guitar would of course be John Lennon's 1964 Model 325, used during the Beatles peak of worldwide fame. Following the Beatles' lead, many young musicians in the 1964-68 era worldwide chose thinline Rickenbacker guitars, making them an enduring 6-string symbol of the period. The models 335 and 345 are firmly associated with the early Who; the group's first records are an absolute showpiece for the unique Rickenbacker sound.
The Model 365 designation on this example refers to the "deluxe" features combined with two pickups and vibrato; the 360 is identical with no vibrato, and the 370 and 375 have three pickups. This natural finish example is substantially rarer then the trademark "Fireglo" sunburst finish most associated with these Rickenbacker models. Despite sometimes being dismissed with a "1960s cliche" tag, the Rickenbacker 365 is a more versatile guitar than many realize; a great-sounding and very classy instrument for both retro and modern sounds!
Overall length is 40 in. (101.6 cm.), 15 1/4 in. (38.7 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 9/16 in. (40 mm.).
This is a lovely original 365; it has been neatly refretted but is otherwise unaltered with only some light wear and in excellent playing condition. The original finish is clean and bright, with only small scuffing and dents, mostly on the back. There just a few dings, here and there, with a few on the back of the neck around the 2nd fret area. All hardware is all original and complete, even the often lost parts like the vibrato arm and bridge cover.
Internally the wiring rig is untouched original. The neck angle is very good; the fingerboard has some worn spots, but the newer frets show only very minimal wear. This is one of the nicer '60s Rickenbackers we have seen in a long time, still resting in the original silver HSC and even including the original bill of sale for a buyer on time payments. This model 365 cost $464 not counting the interest...the total cost over 24 months came to a whopping $555.28! It also shows how in demand these guitars were; the receipt is dated the 22nd of April 1966, and the serial number on the guitar dates to the same month. There was a waiting list situation for Rickenbacker 12-strings at the time...this 6-string seems to have been an immediate sale as soon as it came into the store. Excellent Condition.
