Rickenbacker

US · est. 1931 · 2 models

Rickenbacker is an American manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California, whose origins lie in the Electro String company formed in 1931. Its early electric lap steel is generally counted among the first commercially produced electric guitars. The modern line is small and has changed little: the 300-series semi-hollow six- and twelve-string electrics, including the 330 and 360, and the 4000-series basses such as the 4003. Neck-through construction, distinctive single-coil pickups and a bright, chiming voice make the instruments easy to identify, and they are associated with 1960s beat groups, folk rock and jangle pop, and — in the case of the basses — with hard rock and progressive rock.