Got a Frankenbacker!

pumpkin · Post by **pumpkin** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:28 am

I thought about this last night before going to bed... if you "restore" it, it will be like any other Rickenbacker 480, but in it's current form it's "special".

That said, if it were mine, I would put in some Rickenbacker style pups, take off the bowen handle, put on a bigsby. The pups that are in there are very nice, don't get me wrong, but I would put them in a Les Paul or an SG. However, that's just me. It's your guitar and you have to be happy with it.

Also, something many people don't know about Rickenbackers... those two truss rods are in there for a reason, the Rickenbackers are designed to have no neck relief, sure you can have a little but it should not need it to play right. Keep that in mind when considering your setup.

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 7:30 pm

pumpkin wrote:I thought about this last night before going to bed... if you "restore" it, it will be like any other Rickenbacker 480, but in it's current form it's "special".

Thanks man! Your right,That is why I bought it.

pumpkin wrote:That said, if it were mine, I would put in some Rickenbacker style pups, take off the bowen handle, put on a bigsby. The pups that are in there are very nice, don't get me wrong, but I would put them in a Les Paul or an SG. However, that's just me. It's your guitar and you have to be happy with it.

Also, something many people don't know about Rickenbackers... those two truss rods are in there for a reason, the Rickenbackers are designed to have no neck relief, sure you can have a little but it should not need it to play right. Keep that in mind when considering your setup.

The only Rickenbacker pickups that would fit it now are the 481 full sized humbuckers. If I found a matching pair I might do that. But right now I like it the way it is...the Gibson T-top and the DiMarzio make a well balanced set and with the coil tap on the Super Distortion I get a bit of versatility.

Changing the Bowen Handle would be difficult. Removing it would leave holes and a Bigsby wouldn't cover them. The Bowen handle works just like a Bigsby so there wouldn't be much gain in switching plus the guitar plays great the way it is so why mess with it?

No,all I want to is change the knobs

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 8:38 pm

At this point I feel rude for being so persistently OCD about someone else's guitar, but is the Bowen Handle brass or just gold plated? If it's gold plated you could probably make it chrome to match the rest of the guitar easy enough with a little metal polish. I've done that before to some gold humbucker covers, worked like a charm.

I would also get a trem arm for that thing to actually get some use out of it if it's for function.

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 9:20 pm

Nick wrote:At this point I feel rude for being so persistently OCD about someone else's guitar, but is the Bowen Handle brass or just gold plated? If it's gold plated you could probably make it chrome to match the rest of the guitar easy enough with a little metal polish. I've done that before to some gold humbucker covers, worked like a charm.

I would also get a trem arm for that thing to actually get some use out of it if it's for function.

Thanks,it came with a trem arm,works great since I got the Schaller roller bridge.

I just take it off to put in the case.

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:48 am

Maybe I should do witch hats or speed knobs?

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 12:32 am

New Knobs!

rodvonbon · Post by **rodvonbon** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 3:05 am

Man I love that guitar, mods and all. I keep coming back to this thread every couple days lusting over it.
It kind of reminds me of a ric I once came very close to buying, except that one had slanted frets. Oddly enough it was when I was living in Minneapolis at a place called kneut & Krappy (or something like that). If I remember right they wanted 500 bucks for it, but I bought a Mustang instead.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 3:55 am

It looks a million times better with the Ric knobs. Also, nice cat.

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 4:23 am

rodvonbon wrote:Man I love that guitar, mods and all. I keep coming back to this thread every couple days lusting over it.
It kind of reminds me of a ric I once came very close to buying, except that one had slanted frets. Oddly enough it was when I was living in Minneapolis at a place called kneut & Krappy (or something like that). If I remember right they wanted 500 bucks for it, but I bought a Mustang instead.

Wow,thanks man! Was the store Knut Koupee Music? It used to be on Hennepin Ave in Uptown Minneapolis.The Luthier who worked there built Prince's Cloud guitar.

laterallateral · Post by **laterallateral** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 4:32 am

Hey just wondering cause I found a local ad for a pair of Super Distortions, like the ones in your guitar...
Is 60 bucks a piece a good enough deal?

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 4:50 am

laterallateral wrote:Hey just wondering cause I found a local ad for a pair of Super Distortions, like the ones in your guitar...
Is 60 bucks a piece a good enough deal?

Sounds good. How many wires does it have? Mine have 3 leads and a ground but some just have 2 leads.

laterallateral · Post by **laterallateral** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 4:53 am

I can't see the ends but they are both rated at 13.90 kOhms. Does that sound right to you?

http://montreal.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sel ... Z344626121

SKC Willie · Post by **SKC Willie** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:14 am

rodvonbon wrote:I bought a Mustang instead.

wouldn't have guessed.

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:19 am

laterallateral wrote:I can't see the ends but they are both rated at 13.90 kOhms. Does that sound right to you?

http://montreal.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sel ... Z344626121

Yes,that sounds right. I found out the pickup in my guitar is a DiMarzio Dual Sound which is basically a splittable version of the Super Distortion.That is why mine has 3 leads. Vintage Super Distortions just have 2 leads.

rodvonbon · Post by **rodvonbon** » Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:01 pm

westtexasred wrote:
rodvonbon wrote:Man I love that guitar, mods and all. I keep coming back to this thread every couple days lusting over it.
It kind of reminds me of a ric I once came very close to buying, except that one had slanted frets. Oddly enough it was when I was living in Minneapolis at a place called kneut & Krappy (or something like that). If I remember right they wanted 500 bucks for it, but I bought a Mustang instead.
Wow,thanks man! Was the store Knut Koupee Music? It used to be on Hennepin Ave in Uptown Minneapolis.The Luthier who worked there built Prince's Cloud guitar.

Yep, that's the place. It must have been around '91 or so and I've always kicked myself in the ass for not getting it. Instead I bought my blue mustang from the guy in the AmRep band Guzzard.

littlericky · Post by **littlericky** » Fri Jan 20, 2012 1:43 pm

It's definitely got a punk vibe going on. If you're happy with it leave it as is. Personally I'd sell the vintage parts, might even pay for the guitar. 481 guard and chrome/nickel or white pickups of your choice. If not a 481 guard a chrome pickup ring. Bigsby and done. Don't worry about the holes left over from the trem studs. Fill them and stain or use covers.