One of Just Six 1959 Autumnglo Model 315s with 'F' Sound Hole

1959 Rickenbacker 315

This super rare Model 315 is most probably the first example shipped in January 1959 (out of a total of six 1959 Autumnglo  315s.  Asymmetrical 'extreme' double cutaway twelve and three-quarter inch wide, just under one and five-eighths inches deep, hollow maple body weighs just 4.70 lbs and has a single f-hole (running at 1 o'clock and edged in black. One-piece maple top sculpted at bridge end. One-piece maple back. One-piece maple neck with a nut width of just over 1 5/8 inches, a short scale length of 21 1/4 inches and a medium profile. Rosewood fretboard with 21 original medium frets and white dot inlays. Headstock with gold opaque plastic logo plate lettered "Rickenbacker" in black and secured by three slot-head screws. Individual open-back Grover tuners with cloverleaf metal buttons. Two Rickenbacker "toaster" pickups with chrome covers with outputs of 7.59k and 8.02k. Single-level gold opaque plastic pickguard secured by four philips-head screws. Four controls (two volume, two tone, and a three-way pickup selector switch, all on pickguard. The potentiometers are stamped "137 848" (CTS December 1958). Rickenbacker 'TV style' black plastic knobs with diamond-shaped tops with gold metal inserts. Inside the control cavity written in black pencil is "Blond" and under the truss-rod cover is "11/2" (November 2nd [1958]) also written in black pencil. Rickenbacker six-saddle bridge with original cover secured by two slot-head screws and Rickenbacker ‘Kauffman Style' Vibrato tailpiece. Serial number "2V 291" (January 1959) on metal plate with jack input. This guitar is in near mint (9.25) condition. Complete with the original vibrato arm and bridge cover. Housed in its Original Rickenbacker three-latch, rectangular silver hardshell case with red plush lining and dark gray leather ends (9.00). Included in the case pocket is the original Rickenbacker embossed black leather guitar strap, an original 1956 twelve-page Rickenbacker catalog, various original 'Black Diamond' strings in their pink printed envelopes, a late fifties Rickenbacker color post-card and the two case keys in their original manilla envelope. According to Richard Smith just 6 Autumnglo 315's were produced - all in 1959. There were also 5 Natural 315s - 4 in 1959 and 1 in 1966, and also 15 Fireglo 315s - 3 in 1960, 1 in 1961, 5 in 1964, 1 in 1965 and 5 in 1966.
 
"There were three divisions in the Thin Hollow Body category, but just two different body styles. The first division, Models 310-325, had extreme cutaway three-quarter size bodies. The second and third divisions, Models 330-345 and Models 360-375, had extreme cutaway full sized bodies... The first guitars from the 310-325 group had solid tops... In 1961 photos showed traditional F shape sound holes on some of these models. There is no consistent pattern in the production of F hole and solid top guitars. It was probably simultaneous throughout the history of the 325 style instrument... The standard finishes in 1964 were Fireglo and natural maple. Black was available for an additional twenty-five dollars over the retail cost. The traditional F shape sound holes became standard, but, as before, some solid top guitars were made too" (Richard R. Smith, The History of Rickenbacker Guitars, pp. 162-163).