Very rare 'Bakelite" Rick

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 13 Aug 2000 3:17 am

Is this for real, I can't find this model "in the book"
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&tc=ps&item=406576650

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Basil Henriques
Emmons D-10
and
Emmons D-10
1949 "Leilani"
RICKENBACKER "Olde Uglie" Twin 8

Steel players do it without fretting

http://homepage.tinet.ie/~basilh/

http://www.stax-a-trax.com/

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 13 Aug 2000 3:42 am

Gruhn had an identical guitar for sale on their site last year.

J D Sauser · Post by **J D Sauser** » 13 Aug 2000 6:36 am

Yeah, Jon is right and I was the one who bought it. I later traded it for an other B-10 which is older but was in rougher shape and I had to rebuild (almost completed now).
Rickenbacker has no records whatsoever of when they started building them and how many were built. You can see some pictures of them in Loreen Ruymar's "Hawaiian Steel Guitar Book".
Every one I've seen is a little different. Only one thing is consistent: They used ONE neck casting (aluminum) that inserts like a bakelite neck into a B-8 body. Additional space for the longer pick-up (all I've seen are 1.5" wide, BTW!!) was milled into the body and the pick-up is suspended on the side plates.
But then, some have the later phillips screws and others the earlier knurled nuts.
Some have a bakelite bridge, some an aluminum bridge. Some have a chrome plated brass nut or an aluminum nut and others again even had a bakelite nut.
There are some with chrome plated plates others are white and I've even seen pictures of one that I would think was black.
SHORT, they were probably custom assembled, on order.
Many believe there were only "one or two" built. Not so. I have played two, I have talked to two other people that had one and someone even told me that Buddy Emmons has/had one too (?!?). And I have seen pictures of about five or six others. All this in about a year of research. So,I think that while they may only have built a few compared to how many of their "regular" B and BD guitars they've produced, it was more than just "one or two".
Both, my first one and the one I presently have, are excellent sounding instruments.

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Work is only for people who don't steel

</img> jaydee@bellsouth.net

Bill Moore · Post by **Bill Moore** » 13 Aug 2000 6:52 am

This looks like a version of the Alkire E-harp. Perhaps these were made for E-harp players who prefered the Rick. I have a very old E-harp and the case looks identical to this one. Here is a photo:

[This message was edited by Bill Moore on 13 August 2000 at 07:53 AM.][This message was edited by Bill Moore on 13 August 2000 at 07:56 AM.][This message was edited by Bill Moore on 13 August 2000 at 07:57 AM.]

John Drury · Post by **John Drury** » 13 Aug 2000 10:13 am

It's in the Rick book page 34. It is not 30's but 40's. I wouldn't call it rare either.

John Drury
NTSGA #0003

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 13 Aug 2000 10:51 am

That is a 10 string and while they did not make many, they made quite a few. Due to the added stress on the already fragile bakelite neck, they used a metal neck as JD said.

Many feel the metal neck changed the sound a lot over the bakelite necks. So that may be one of the reasons it did not sell as much. Not sure though. Could also be that at that time 6 strings was considered to be enough by most players.

It looks like a very well kept guitar. And any one looking for a 10 string Rick would most likely be happy with it.

God bless you all,

carl

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 13 Aug 2000 2:22 pm

Did you notice that its strung as a seven string tuning with added high strings on the LOWER side ?
I wonder what the tuning was ?
Baz

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 13 Aug 2000 7:03 pm

I also have a B-10. Mine has chrome plates and knurled screw knobs.The volume and tone control knobs (one is black,the other white)
are both on one side,the far side as it is sitting on your lap,as opposed to them being on opposite sides of each other. I don't believe that I have seen that before,has anyone else?