One of Just 250 John Kay 'Steppenwolf' Limited Edition Rickenbacker 381's

1989 Rickenbacker 381JK John Kay Steppenwolf Limited Edition

Asymmetrical double cutaway 'Sculpted' semi-hollow body. This 15 1/4 inch wide, just over 2 1/2 inches deep, full-size hollow body 381 guitar weighs 9.20 lbs. Double 'Checkerboard' bound hollow maple body with a carved top and back and a single-bound "cat's-eye" or slash soundhole, Three-piece maple/walnut/maple neck with a nut width of just over 1 5/8 inches, a scale length of 24 3/4 inches and a wonderful medium-to-thick profile. Rosewood fretboard with a graphite nut and 21 original medium-thin frets with inlaid triangular sparkle crushed pearl position markers. Five-piece (maple/walnut/maple/walnut/maple) headstock with black plastic logo plate with raised silver lettering, secured by three screws. Rickenbacker 'double' truss-rod assembly. Individual double-line "Schaller" Kluson Deluxe tuners with oval metal buttons. Two Rickenbacker "HB-1" pickups with matched outputs of 10.50k each. Two-piece, split-level silver plastic pickguard with five screws, lettered in black "Limited Edition" and with the facsimile signature of John Kay and a circular "Steppenwolf" logo. Five controls (two volume, two tone, and one twelve-way rotary tone control) plus three-way pickup selector switch, two-way mini-toggle "phase" switch, all on lower level of pickguard. Seven-sided black plastic knobs with metal tops. The potentiometers are stamped "ROC 9913" (ROC, March 1999). Rickenbacker bridge and Rickenbacker "R" tailpiece. The serial number "L2 5498" (December 1989) is stamped onto the double input ('Rick-O-Sound' and 'Standard') input jack-plate. This very beautiful guitar is in mint (9.50) condition. Complete with the original Riceknbacker certificate of authenticity (in original envelope) "serial number L25498 is number 88 in a production run of 250 instruments… 15th day of December 1989"; original Rickenbacker "Owner's Manual" sheet; original Rickenbacker "Instrument Controls" sheet; original "Stereo Mode/Active Mono Mode/Passive Mono Mode/Lead Phase Switch Option" sheet, and original Rickenbacker polishing cloth. Housed in its original Rickenbacker three-latch, silver hardshell case with black leather ends and padded blue plush lining (9.50).

"Rickenbacker Introduces John Kay Limited Edition 381JK - 10/1/1988. John Kay Limited Edition Model 381JK. Rickenbacker International Corporation announces acceptance of orders for the John Kay Limited Edition. John Kay, as founder and leader of the legendary rock group, Steppenwolf, has been an integral component in forming the Los Angeles music scene since the 1960's with such monster hits as "Born to Be Wild". John Kay and Steppenwolf continue to perform to sold out concerts throughout the world. The John Kay Limited Edition incorporates elements of the Rickenbacker 381 he used in early Steppenwolf days with additions for active electronics and personalized appointments. The instrument features two HB-1's, Rickenbacker's newly designed humbucking pickup, active and passive modes, lead phase switch and a four position rotary switch which offers various combinations of single coil and humbucking pickup configurations. The guitar offers stereo and monaural outputs and includes unique appointments such as silver pickguard, Jetglo finish and silver nameplate. John Kay offered over 25 years of professional experience in design specifications for this instrument. The Company considers the electronics as leading innovations in offering a variety of tonal qualities and electronic configurations.
"Greetings! This guitar is based on the model 381 which I first played in 1968 and used on various Steppenwolf records. The pickups and electronics have been updated using some of Rickenbacker's most recent advances. As a result, this instrument, while very quiet, has a high output level and a wide selection of tonal colors."
"The look of the guitar is something I am particularly pleased with. Since I am totally color blind, I gravitate towards high contrasts, hence the black and silver combination. I enjoyed designing what I think is a striking instrument, which is made with much skill and care in the USA." "In these times of stamped out imitations, it is a pleasure to be associated with something genuine and of high quality." "Hope you feel the same." A limited number of instruments will be manufactured. Each instrument will be accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity and Origin. The list price is US $1,699. A hard shell luggage case is included." (Rickenbacker, Santa Ana, CA. October 1, 1988)