No 50's Rick players

Mark Durante · Post by **Mark Durante** » 10 Jun 2001 2:34 pm

Since I'm in a posting mood here I thought some of you old timers might have some insight for me.
As popular as Jerry Byrd was in the 50's and as good as the Rickenbacker steels sounded, (even the various wooden models), it seems that no one played a Rick back then. Bigbys and Fenders were deservedly hot back then, but was Rickenbacker such a joke to country players at the time that nobody would be caught dead with them?

Blake Hawkins · Post by **Blake Hawkins** » 10 Jun 2001 9:02 pm

In 1956, a friend of mine ordered a Rickenbacker D-8 from a local music store.
He used it for two days and sent it back.
The tone was very thin, it was a poor sounding guitar.

Blake

Ray Montee (RIP) · Post by **Ray Montee (RIP)** » 11 Jun 2001 9:33 am

Great post. Besides Jerry Byrd, I do believe that the late great J.Murphy also used a Rick; BUCK OWENS is KNOWN to have personally played one and sorely misses it this many years later. Possibly Howard White? It took me some ten years to get anyone to find/sell me a dbl-8 Rick in about the mid-60's. A factory rep finally came to Oregon and a deal was cut. Has a great crystal clear tone!

Bob Kagy · Post by **Bob Kagy** » 11 Jun 2001 10:55 am

That's a good question.

In all the music stores I frequented during the '50's, there were Fenders, Gibsons, Nationals, Oahu's & Magnatones readily available. But I never saw a Rick.

Did it have something to do with the distributorship, sales, promotions?

wayne yakes md · Post by **wayne yakes md** » 11 Jun 2001 3:01 pm

I saw a picture of Noel Boggs with a Double-8 Ricky in a recording session in the early 1950's.

Mark Durante · Post by **Mark Durante** » 12 Jun 2001 4:46 pm

Wayne, I would love to see that picture of Noel, where did you see it?
Bob, Those must have been problems for them.
Ray, What model Rick D-8 do you have and just out of curiosity, how does the tone compare with that of the Bigsby?
And yes, Joaquin Murphy has been linked with Rickenbacker at times.[This message was edited by Mark Durante on 12 June 2001 at 08:35 PM.]

Ric Nelson · Post by **Ric Nelson** » 15 Jun 2001 4:57 am

Shot Jackson played his Rick on sessions until the early 1950s when he gave it up for a Fender.

Ray Montee (RIP) · Post by **Ray Montee (RIP)** » 19 Jun 2001 7:52 pm

Hey Mark! I don't know what model my Ric dbl-8 might be. It has a dark wood finish; is a short scale; 3-legs; and is designed in a similar fashion as the Fender of that day and age. It had chrome covers for the tuning pegs; and the narrower Ric pick=ups. Has a great tone and lots of whop in the pickups.
It is about a 1965-68 vintage instrument. The Bakelite has a stronger overall sound but they are quite comparable IMHO. Had pix of J.Murphy somewhere, playing a Ric.

Mark Durante · Post by **Mark Durante** » 20 Jun 2001 2:36 pm

Ray, Thanks for your viewpoint on this topic. It sounds like you have a DW-16, Rickenbacker's version of the Fender Dual Professional, but I thought they had stopped making them by the early 60's. Was it a custom order?[This message was edited by Mark Durante on 20 June 2001 at 03:38 PM.]

Andy Alford · Post by **Andy Alford** » 7 Mar 2004 6:47 pm

Anyone else?

Brandin · Post by **Brandin** » 7 Mar 2004 7:18 pm

I was to young, or I would of had a DW-16.

GB

George Rout · Post by **George Rout** » 7 Mar 2004 7:24 pm

When i was taking lessons in Halifax N.S. in 1948 to 50, Rics seem to be almost the ONLY instrument, beside what was sold in Simpsons and Eatons (our Canadian department stores for you out of town folks). The music school sold Oahu's and Rics, I don't even remember seeing a Fender then, and when I bought my Ric at a pawn shop, there were several Rics there, my buddy Hank Fay in Annapolis Royal also bought his there. If Roy Thomson is listening, perhaps he could ad some words about Rics in Nova Scotia. That's an interesting post guys.

Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 7 Mar 2004 7:26 pm

This is from the Rickenbacker 1955 catalog, and I believe this is the model Gary Brandin plays these days (the D8).
(Ooops, that photo was terribly huge,- go here instead: http://www.rickenbacker.com/images/cf55-5.jpg )

PS/Another edit,- double Ooops, I see Brandin just posted....... But this IS yours, isn't it?

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

[This message was edited by Steinar Gregertsen on 07 March 2004 at 07:27 PM.][This message was edited by Steinar Gregertsen on 07 March 2004 at 07:29 PM.]

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 7 Mar 2004 7:29 pm

REMOVED

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 7 Mar 2004 7:54 pm

REMOVED

Tim Rowley · Post by **Tim Rowley** » 7 Mar 2004 9:33 pm

One of the books about the Fender Musical Instrument Co. has in it a copy of a letter written by Bob Wills directly to Leo Fender in the early 1950's, in which Bob was ordering a new Fender steel guitar and he needed it right away. As I recall, this letter stated that the Fender steel formerly owned by Bob and the TPB had somehow "disappeared", and that Billy Bowman had made some sort of arrangement with Rickenbacker to play one of their steels, unauthorized by Bob, etc. The letter went on to say that Billy Bowman was no longer with the band (no reason given) and that Bob much preferred to have a Fender steel in his lineup, and A.S.A.P. because they were getting ready to go out on tour pretty soon. There was nothing in the letter to hint that long-time Fender endorser Mr. Wills was unhappy with the SOUND of Billy's Rick. It's more like he was unhappy with Billy going "behind his back" and bringing in this other brand when everybody knew that it was supposed to be a Fender steel up there behind Bob Wills.

By the 1950's and early 1960's Fender was certainly turning out much higher production and sales than Rickenbacker, albeit not necessarily better instruments. Could it be that Fender was simply a lot more aggressive in the pursuit and use of high-visibility stage and TV endorsers than Rickenbacker was? That's a pretty good way of assuring that all the aspiring players out there will buy your product vs. other brands. Hey, back in the mid 1960's Fender was even a Grand Ole Opry sponsor, remember that?

Tim Rowley [This message was edited by Tim Rowley on 07 March 2004 at 09:40 PM.]

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 7 Mar 2004 10:16 pm

As with everything "new", FENDER was the guitar in great demand during the early fifties. The company was still quite small when compared to the giant GIBSON, which around these parts was the prefered guitar over RICKENBACKER. GIBSON had a very strong dealership and distribution set-up which neither Rickenbacker 'nor Fender had at the time. BIGSBY, here in Canada, was virtually unknown as it had no dealers in this area at all.

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 8 Mar 2004 2:17 am

Bigsby didn't have dealers anywhere, except for the vibrato tailpieces. All guitars were custom built and sold directly to the player. Fifties Ricky consoles are probably the most Bigsby-sounding, compared to Fenders and Gibsons. That doesn't mean however, that those Rickys sound exactly like Bigsbys.
And oh, Blanche Emerson of Ann Jones' band played a console T8 Ricky!

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 8 Mar 2004 6:59 am

REMOVED

Bob Hickish · Post by **Bob Hickish** » 8 Mar 2004 12:33 pm

Mark
Here is a different slant on the use's of Rick's back in the 50's ! I had
two of them back then , and when I saw leon McAuliffe playing a Duel
Fender ! I just had to have one ! I have the pleasure of picking with a
fellow by the name of Bob Macollum and in those days he was a base
player , and the fender Co. gave him there first Base Guitar to use and
demonstrate , and I'm sure it increased there sales of base guitars . My
point is !! pop culture and advertisement of products . and I'm sure that's
why I got a fender , For my Bakelite Rick even sounded good to me back
then and ones sound was not an issue ! at least it wasn't in my world of
music at the time . One other thing ! in the mid 40 to around 50 the steel
was high on popularity and music classes teaching it might have as many
as 25 0r 30 students , and every one bought a guitar so the manufactures
were working over time getting there word out .
Bob

Willis Vanderberg · Post by **Willis Vanderberg** » 8 Mar 2004 6:31 pm

In 1959 I played LLoyd Greens Rickenbacker on the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree.
It had two or three pedals on it ,maybe added by Shot.I was picking on an old Multo-Kord at the time.As I was getting ready to go on, this young man said " you are welcome to play my guitar if you would like "It was all set up and ready to go.
It was a double eight console model and I think it only had three legs but I'm not sure. I have a great picture but not sure how to post it. I would be glad to E-mail it to some one who does.We also had a couple of Wilburns on Bass and Fiddle.I believe they were George and Leslie.
No doubt the high light of my short lived big time career.

Bud

Ray Montee (RIP) · Post by **Ray Montee (RIP)** » 9 Mar 2004 9:20 am

Mark..........Mine is just like the "DW" however it does NOT have the head covers and the tailpiece appears to be different. My strings come out STRAIGHT and the photo suggests to my eyes, that they come out into a fan shape at the tail piece.
It's a great little guitar. I feel it has much more of everything than the Fender offered.........but just never saw one before or since, in the real world.
It took me some five or six years for the Rick Salesman to provide this one. It was like they didn't want to sell me one. I got it thro' one of the areas largest retail music stores at that time. Not a custom order.

Brandin · Post by **Brandin** » 9 Mar 2004 4:44 pm

You can see a picture of my DW-16 on page 194
of Andy Volk's 'Lap Steel Guitar' book. I didn't play them in the 50's, but I play them
in my 50's.

GB

Mark Durante · Post by **Mark Durante** » 10 Mar 2004 4:20 am

Hey guys, thanks for resurrecting my old post. Rickenbacker has quite a history, I guess they were playing catch up in the fifties to Fender after F.C. Hall bought the company. It seems they were a small custom shop working on a shoesting at the time not unlike some of our current builders. They never did catch up until the Beatles, which killed the steels. So far they are about the only company that has not imported guitars from overseas, so I give them credit for that. Willis, I would like to see that L.G. photo, if you can email it to me I'll see what I can do to post it.

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 10 Mar 2004 5:51 am

Here's my 1950's Rickenbacker D6. I love the tone, it's a cross between a Bakelite Rick and a Stringmaster.

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 10 March 2004 at 05:52 AM.]