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Could it be that the necks were replaced? Wasn't one of the selling points for Bakelite Ricks, both SPANISH and Hawaiian, that replacement necks would be available and could be easily replaced? Just a reasonably unfounded guess! |
- Rickenbacker 's original lap steel guitar, the 'Frying Pan', is one of the most collectible lap steel guitars. The Model A-22 (22-1/2' scale) and A-25 (25' scale) were introduced in 1934, and discontinued in 1958. The Model B series was made of Bakelite and had many variations, including up to ten strings.
- Nov 16, 2018.
- 1938-1960 Steel Guitars. Oahu, Noble, PAC-AMP. Serial Numbers. Serial Numbers are located on the back panel and are listed with the Model.
Cartwright,
Thank You for your SWAG. That has been one of my 'reasonably unfounded guesses' as well (among several other SWAGs); Although a 'selling point' is new to me, but makes sense, especially during the pre-war / brittle bakelite period. From what I've gathered: The pre-war / pre-mid-1940 necks were vertically thinner and made from a more-brittle bakelite formula prone to breaking, snapping, shattering, chipping, etc. In 1940 a stronger bakelite formula was incorporated, and a new vertically thicker and invisibly reinforced neck design was incorporated; Those thicker necks had no neck heel that pre-wars had. So I had previously SWAG'ed that necks missing serial numbers were replacement necks before mid-1940; But Roy's posting shows a post-war neck without SN on a war-time body. Both of the two necks I've seen without serial numbers were on B6s that dated to 1940 (if all parts were original), and the only one I remember seeing and dating on the SGF was also pre-war (again 1940 if I remember correctly); Which has made me scratch my head about the year 1940. I think it's generally accepted that during the early pre-war / war-time transition year (1940) and the war-time / post-war transition year (1945), previous version parts could wind up on the next version runs, ..so not unusual to see a pre-war neck on a 1940 war-time version, ..or like in Roy's photo, a war-time or post-war neck (T-logo)on a war-time body (big shoe, strings thru body, black UFO knobs on treble bout); that neck could also have been replaced later in the post-war period. I have also seen a few T-logo badges spelled RickenbacHer on early 1946 Ric bakelites, ..and have read that is not uncommon.
The mystery continues, but maybe the discussion will comb info and ideas and get closer to why no SNs on a few(?) bakelite necks.
_________________
Aloha,
Denny T~
http://www.dennysguitars.com/
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![Oahu lap steel serial numbers Oahu lap steel serial numbers](https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/userpix1504/11806_P1010465_1.jpg)
Nawy prestressed solutions manual. Jul 29, 2004. Used c1953 Oahu Publishing Company Electric Steel Guitar serial number X18314. This lap steel guitar is in very good original condition with the exception of the tuners having been replaced with new Kluson units. The output cable was crumbling so we replaced that too.
National Guitar Serial Number Lists
Last edited by Denny Turner on 2 Jul 2016 3:56 pm; edited 3 times in total