Under The Bed Since The Last Century

1999 Rickenbacker 381/12V69

Asymmetrical double cutaway 'Sculpted' semi-hollow body. This 15-inch wide, 2 1/3 inches deep, full-size hollow body 381 twelve-string guitar weighs just 8.50 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 under 1 11/16 inches, a scale length of 24 3/4 inches and a wonderful thick neck 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 white opaque plastic logo plate with black lettering secured by three screws. Individual double-line "Rick" Kluson Deluxe tuners with oval metal buttons. Two Rickenbacker chrome bar "toaster" pickups with outputs of 10.68k and 10.62k. 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 "ROC 9913" (ROC, March 1999). Rickenbacker bridge and Rickenbacker "R" tailpiece. The serial number "99 31610" (1999) is stamped onto the double input ('Rick-O-Sound' and 'Standard') input jack-plate. This very beautiful guitar is in mint (9.50) condition. The inside of the control cavity has "10/20" written in black marker and "9931610" (the serial number) written in red ink. Complete with the original Rickenbacker warranty card and case key. Housed in its original Rickenbacker three-latch, silver hardshell case with black leather ends and padded blue plush lining (9.50).

According to the 1994 Rickenbacker price list, this 'Vintage Reissue' at $2,289 was the most expensive of all Rickenbacker models at that time - and according to the 2009 price list it was still the most expensive model at $5,409.

Derived from a design dating back to 1957, this guitar is memorable for its hand-carved arch top and back. Employing only premium 'charactered' Maple, model 381/12V69 has a full bound body with 'checkered' binding and extreme double cutaways, along with a bound crescent sound hole to complete this exquisite guitar.