A Near Mint 1966 Rickenbacker 330

1966 Rickenbacker 330 (two pickups, no vibrato)

This 15-inch-wide thin-body (1 1/2 inches deep) full-size guitar weighs just 7.10 lbs. and has a nut width of 1 5/8 inches, a scale length of 24 3/4 inches and a nice comfortable medium profile. Unbound hollow birds-eye maple body with a "cat's-eye" or slash soundhole, three-piece maple/walnut/maple neck, and a rosewood fretboard with 21 original medium frets and white dot position markers. Five-piece (maple/walnut/maple/walnut/maple) headstock with white opaque plastic logo plate with black lettering. Individual dual-line Kluson Deluxe tuners with oval metal buttons. Two Rickenbacker chrome bar "toaster" pickups with chrome covers and outputs of 7.56k and 8.19k. Two-piece split-level white plastic pickguard with four screws. Five controls (two volume, two tone, and one blend control) plus three-way pickup selector switch, all on lower level of pickguard. Seven-sided black plastic knobs with metal tops with black lettering. The potentiometers are stamped "137 6601" (CTS January 1966). Rickenbacker bridge and Rickenbacker "R" tailpiece. The serial number "FD 1351" (April 1966) is stamped onto the jack plate. This guitar apparently has only been used for chords on the first three frets, which do show some playing wear, however the fretboard shows almost no wear. This beautiful guitar has been babied all its life and has spent most of its time - in its case - 'under the bed'. It is an exceptionally resonant example with a neck pickup to die for - It is truly in near mint (9.25++) condition. Complete with the original Rickenbacker black leather guitar strap, an original eight-page "Rickenbacker Technical Data and Price List effective August 1, 1965", and the original case key. Housed in its original Rickenbacker silver hardshell case with blue plush lining (9.25++).

"The full sized Thin Hollow Body Standard Models 330-345, along with the Deluxe Models 360-375, were the quintessential Rickenbacker Capris. In 1961 Rickenbacker introduced the Ac'cent vibrato tailpiece and made the bodies thinner. 1962 examples were 1 1/2 inches thick. In 1963-1964 the company introduced white plexiglass pickguards and the R tailpiece." (Richard R. Smith. The History of Rickenbacker guitars, pp. 167-168).