A One-of-a-Kind Rickenbacker 381 Prototype

This one-of-a-kind 15-inch-wide thin-body (1 1/4 inches deep) full-size Thin Hollow Body "Prototype" 381guitar weighs just 7.20 lbs. and has a nut width of 1 5/8 inches and a scale length of 24 3/4 inches. Unbound hollow maple body with a carved face, flat back, and "cat's-eye" or slash soundhole, three-piece maple/walnut/maple neck with a medium to thin profile, and rosewood fretboard with 21 frets and inlaid white dot position markers. Five-piece (maple/walnut/maple/walnut/maple) headstock with white opaque plastic logo plate with black lettering. Individual single-line Kluson Deluxe tuners with oval metal buttons. Two Rickenbacker chrome bar "toaster" pickups with outputs of 7.87k and 10.25k. Two-piece split-level white plastic pickguard. 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 6648," "137 6708," and "137 6808" (CTS November 1966, February 1967, and February 1968). Rickenbacker bridge and Rickenbacker "R" tailpiece. The serial number "HF 1041" (June 1968) is stamped onto the jackplate. This unique guitar is in exceptionally fine (9.00) condition, with only a few tiny surface marks and a very small area of arm wear on the upper bass edge of the body. Housed in its original Rickenbacker silver hardshell case with blue plush lining (8.50).

"On the new 381s, the factory changed the single pickguards to double split pickguards. They added two additional knobs and the mixer control to the tone and volume circuit. The body was undoubtedly narrower, although it was still beautifully bound and carved on the top and back. One 1969 special order 381 had a carved face and a flat back; the invoice called this a 'thin model.' Another special 1969 381 had a flat finger board. Some had special order pearl tipped tuning pegs. The Model 381 was first with the redesigned higher gain Rickenbacker pickups. These first appeared in February 1969 on an experimental Model 381 and later became standard on production models. At first, the factory even called the new Hi-Gain units the '381 type coils.'" (Richard R. Smith. The Complete History of Rickenbacker Guitars. p. 179.)

This guitar is featured on p. 263 of Normans Rare Guitars with the following quote: "381-330 1967 Fireglo One-of-a-kind. Combines features of 381 archtop with 330 unbound body and neck."