Looking for some advice about an old Richenbacher Lap Steel

[John Booth]

Hi folks,
A friend left me an interesting piece and I could use some advice on how to proceed with it.
It is a "RickenbacHer" lap steel (notice the spelling) It is in its original case (still in fair shape)

When I plugged it in I found it didn't work so I removed the strings and pulled the massive pickup out.
I found that none of the pup wires were connected to anything. In the case there was the original
pots (pictured) in a case compartment. The PUP has two cloth white wires that appear to go to the
ground of the PUP and two green cloth wires I am assuming are the hot wires. Please note, I am
not overly knowledgeable of PUP and pot/cap wiring so I want to proceed cautiously

Apparently at some time someone attempted to install modern pots and reused the
original giant tone cap (also pictured). They seem to have stopped at this point without wiring the pickup.

Stuffed inside of the metal body were ancient shredded newspaper. Research showed that this was
common with these metal bodies to lessen feedback back in the day. On a couple of the shredded pieces
there are references to Hitler, so I am making the assumption that this guitar was from the
mid 30s - give or take a year or two.

I suppose my question here is how to proceed with reinstalling the original pots (they work according to my
ohm readings) and how to properly wire up the pickup. I can't find any diagrams on the subject online.

OR, would it just be best to sell it as-is and let someone who knows what they are doing restore it
to its former glory.

My guess is that some of you know far more about this guitar than I ever will and I'd appreciate
any assistance you can offer. Thanks guys.
John Booth - Columbus Ohio



I am attaching a few pics so you can see what I am working with

[Rick Aiello]

Without going into details about Rheostat (2 lugs) vs Potentiometers (3 lugs) …

There are two “hots” coming from the coil …. And two “grounds” (there is just a “Y” split)

One set (hot & ground) goes to the jack ..

One set (hot and ground) goes to the volume and tone ….

IMG_1726.jpeg

In the diagram: red=hot ; black=ground … your looking down on the cases of the pots

Hope this helps …

[Michael Kiese]

Wow, looks like somebody sprayed it with bedliner. I've never seen one like that.

[John Booth]

Without going into details about Rheostat (2 lugs) vs Potentiometers (3 lugs) …

There are two “hots” coming from the coil …. And two “grounds” (there is just a “Y” split)

One set (hot & ground) goes to the jack ..

One set (hot and ground) goes to the volume and tone ….

IMG_1726.jpeg

In the diagram: red=hot ; black=ground … your looking down on the cases of the pots

Hope this helps …

Rick,
This diagram is MUCH appreciated ! Thank you sincerely.
John - Ohio

[John Booth]

Wow, looks like somebody sprayed it with bedliner. I've never seen one like that.

Mike,
Thanks for the reply.
So you think this black powder-coat looking finish is not original?
Would you recommend I strip the paint off and go back to the bare metal? Would that be the original way it was issued?
Thanks for your help.
John - Ohio

[John Booth]

Without going into details about Rheostat (2 lugs) vs Potentiometers (3 lugs) …

There are two “hots” coming from the coil …. And two “grounds” (there is just a “Y” split)

One set (hot & ground) goes to the jack ..

One set (hot and ground) goes to the volume and tone ….

IMG_1726.jpeg

In the diagram: red=hot ; black=ground … your looking down on the cases of the pots

Hope this helps …

Rick, would the two-prong pot picture I uploaded be the rheostat? If so, would that be used for the volume knob?
(I did check it with an ohm meter and it appears to be working, just a little stiff and in need of s spray cleaning)


Thanks,
John - Ohio

[Michael Kiese]

Wow, looks like somebody sprayed it with bedliner. I've never seen one like that.

Mike,
Thanks for the reply.
So you think this black powder-coat looking finish is not original?
Would you recommend I strip the paint off and go back to the bare metal? Would that be the original way it was issued?
Thanks for your help.
John - Ohio

Aloha John,

I personally cannot confirm if the black powdercoat is original or not. I've just never seen one like that.

Rick would know.

I suppose it could be original because there were steels of that era that have black powder coated horseshoe magnets.

[Rick Aiello]

The black wrinkle is original … RIC wrinkled a lot of steels … cream and black the most common.

Any potentiometer can be used as a rheostat … by eliminating a lug (you don’t have to physically remove the lug, just don’t use it) …

You could try out the original Centralab … that big black one … me, I’d put in some new ones and keep the Centralab as a conversation piece

[Michael Kiese]

The black wrinkle is original … RIC wrinkled a lot of steels … cream and black the most common.

Any potentiometer can be used as a rheostat … by eliminating a lug (you don’t have to physically remove the lug, just don’t use it) …

You could try out the original Centralab … that big black one … me, I’d put in some new ones and keep the Centralab as a conversation piece

I learn something new everyday. lol.

Steel is a never ending discovery of quirky things from yesteryear.

[Michael Kiese]

John,

I will say that my buddy back home in Hawaii has a Model 59 Rickenbacher and it sounds really good. He visited me on the mainland and we went shopping for steels in Baltimore, and we saw a Gray Model 59 in the window of a mom and pop.

I had my ACE with me, and my Mobile Cube amp, and we compared it back and forth with the Model 59, and both sounded similar, and I REALLY like my ACE.

Sometimes those Model 59's can get a bad rap because that was the era when Rickenbacher started to move away from the Bakelites and Frypans and started experimenting. Some players take issue with the hollow sheet metal, and say they don't sound as good as the Bakelites and Frypans.

I've had players back home warn me about staying away from Model 59s, saying they don't sound good.

So I was a bit skeptical when I tried out my Buddy's Model 59, but that particular one sounded good to me. He ended up buying it and taking it back home to Hawai'i. It just goes to show that you gotta judge with your ears, and not your pocketbook.

All those old steels are quirky. Every single one can be a player.

If you decide to invest the effort into your Model 59, it could very well be a great player and give you years of enjoyment.

Good luck and enjoy!

[Rick Aiello]

My.most rare Rickenbacher is a black wrinkled Pre-War D14

IMG_1728.jpeg

IMG_1729.jpeg

[Michael Kiese]

My.most rare Rickenbacher is a black wrinkled Pre-War D14

IMG_1728.jpeg

IMG_1729.jpeg

Wow, I've never seen anything like that before.

I can understand why it's rare. I can't imagine there being many people who would purchase a 7 string double neck, much less one that is powdercoated black like that. lol.

Sometimes I wonder what the heck Rickenbacher was thinking. They hit homeruns with the Bakelites, ACEs, and Frypans, and then decided to not make them anymore, and then started getting weird. lol.

That black wrinkle powdercoat on your D14 kinda looks like lava. Maybe that's what they were going for.

No offense, though. It's definitely a cool piece of history.

I didn't know black powdercoated vintage Rickenbachers even existed.

[Rick Aiello]

It’s wrinkle paint …. I love the look …

Here’s Dick McIntires black wrinkled A25s

IMG_1732.jpeg

[Michael Kiese]

It’s wrinkle paint …. I love the look …

Here’s Dick McIntires black wrinkled A25s

IMG_1732.jpeg

Those are some rare steels. I've never seen a black Frypan before.

It's rare to even see a Gold frypan.

So many of the players of yesteryear stripped the paint down to bare aluminum.

Why is there a metal plate on the one with the red volume knob? Did someone drill too big of a hole or something?

[Rick Aiello]

I don’t know that story …. These belonged to Hal Smith …

I think a forum member owns one or both now … I seem to remember