Comments on: The Right Slant on a Rickenbacker (Vintage 1973 Rickenbacker 481 Electric Guitar)

By: Bob Oettl

Bob Oettl — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 14:52:42 +0000

I have a Fireglo 1975 that’s all original except the bridge pickup was swapped out. Any idea where I can find a replacement?

By: Bram Houps

Bram Houps — Wed, 31 Jul 2019 18:22:27 +0000

Hello,

I have a red rickenbacker 480 build in 1973 or 1974. Does anyone knows the value of this except from the emotional value ?

By: Nightfly

Nightfly — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 21:47:19 +0000

For a Rickenbacker with fanned (as opposed to slanted) frets, check out the photo here: http://guitarangel.co.uk/galleriesDetail.php?Other-makes-5

By: Jens Havgaard

Jens Havgaard — Sun, 27 Jan 2019 13:36:15 +0000

The Slant-fret idea was brought to Rickenbacker by Henry C. Perez- ref. “Rickenbacker Electric 12 String” by Tony Bacon – page 80 last sentence.

By: David Harris Robinson

David Harris Robinson — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 15:02:40 +0000

Hi,my name is David Harris Robinson, and I live in Newark, England.I invented the slanted fret idea In the 1960’s. I applied for a patent in 1968 and was granted patent rights in 1970. It took 2years to get the “letters patent” but was covered since 1968. The patent number is 1237830. Just thought I would write and let you know!. Other manufacturers copied the idea shortly afterwards, but attempts by my solicitor to contact them to ask for a copy of their patent failed to receive an answer!.

By: Evgeni Shishkin

Evgeni Shishkin — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 01:53:38 +0000

I got a 481. Bought it in 1983 from a mate for $300 Australian. Loved the look and the feel of it. A lot of my music heroes at the time played Rickenbackers – eg Paul Weller, Pete Townsend, Roger McGuinn. Rickenbackers made such great looking guitars! (At least that’s what i thought). The 481 was my main electric guitar until the 2000s when I bought a 330. I like the sound of the 330 better – the humbuckers on 481 never did it for me. I do like the look of the slanted frets but I really never noticed the 481 being easier to play than a normally fretted guitar.

By: Freddie

Freddie — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 19:30:51 +0000

I built myself a guitar with slanted frets (https://pin.it/4bR5BSv) and I am very pleased with it. When I was a kid I broke my wrist, which causes trouble now when playing barred chords near the nut. With this guitar I can play guitar much more comfortable. I needed to get used to the slanted frets in the higher positions though. But now I prefer slanted over normal frets 😉

By: Jonathan Segel

Jonathan Segel — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 14:51:47 +0000

I have a Azure-glo blue one, bought new when I was in high school in 1979. I still have it. It’s a weird guitar, but sounds like a Rickenbacker if you use a compressor. The pickups really suck, low-output (like 6.2 kOhm) humbuckers, they’re weak but produce a bit of distortion on the attack, probably due to the classic RIck bridge sound. I use it for recording these days, only specific things…

By: Johnny Globensky

Johnny Globensky — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 19:44:32 +0000

One of my Customer owns a Rickcy 480 Natural, I don’t know why they made it for as long as they did, it’s an awful, feeling guitar, it’s got no soul, although I made sure he gets a real good action, it feels awful, seems to hang weird on you. A big ZEEERo

By: Mark DiMattia

Mark DiMattia — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 18:47:36 +0000

I have a Ric 481 with slanted frets. I bought it a few years ago and it’s like new. Not a visible flaw anywhere… except on the fret board.. The frickin frets are slanted. I tried to play the bloody thing, but it just didn’t work for me. Not that I’m a traditionalist – far from it. It just wasn’t a comfortable player for me. It’s really just a curiosity in my ever-expanding collection now… kinda like my SRV Strat… it worked for SRV… not for MDD (i.e., me!). Or some of my other lesser known guitars, including a really bizarre Scorpion that only a true metal head could love… To me, assuming good quality craftsmanship and conventional design, guitars are all about balance and playability. And from where I sit, there are few quitars better balanced or more playable than the Fender Stratocaster. Even the SRV is very well made and well balanced… just not as playable as the rest due to the features SRV loved… the C neck especially. A good example of a horribly balanced guitar is the Gibson SG. I’d only play that guitar if my slant fret 481 Ric wasn’t available! lol. Just kidding, but it is a handful… My collection is heavy on Fender and Gibson, but I’d like to add some Rics. Any recommendations Mike?

Mark DiMattia
Newark, Delaware

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 20:28:04 +0000

I actually had one of these…bought it from my first ex’s brother for $400 in 1983 and played it for a couple of years before he whined for it back. I sold it back for $400 as I needed the bucks ( hence the ex!). Really liked it and the frets were fun…thanks for the article, they’re worth quite a bit now I hear.,..I’d buy one for the right price.

By: Gary B

Gary B — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 00:47:53 +0000

I see that you can’t make corrections here can you. Sorry for the three correction postings…

By: Gary B

Gary B — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 00:43:30 +0000

I was mentioning to some friends of mine here in Denver Colorado a while back that a friend of mine was in this band that their Lead player played one of these. My buddy Mark was their bass player (he used a 4001 Ricky), but my friends here kept insisting that it must have been Ricky 650 or 620.

It was 1974 and my friends band was playing out on Wesley Island on the Saint Lawrence Seaway; an area close to where I grew up.

Now you have proven it for me. I new they made one… hmm a model 481

Thanks, for this… Made my day on this one.

So cool, dig it.
Gary B [Denver, CO]

By: Gary B

Gary B — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 00:41:20 +0000

I was mentioning to some friends of mine here in Denver Colorado a while back that a friend of mine was in this band that that their Lead player played one of these. My buddy Mark was their bass player (he used a 4001 Ricky), but my friends here kept insisting that it must have been Ricky 650 or 620.

It was 1974 and my friends band was playing out on Wesley Island on the Saint Lawrence Seaway; an area close to where I grew up.

Now you have proven it for me. I new they made one…

Thanks, for this… Made my day on this one.

So cool, dig it.
Gary B [Denver, CO]

By: Gary B

Gary B — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 00:40:00 +0000

I was mentioning to some friends of mine here in Denver Colorado a while back that a my friend of mine was in this band that that their Lead player played one of these. My buddy Mark was their bass player (he used a 4001 Ricky), but my friends here kept insisting that it must have been Ricky 650 or 620.

It was 1974 and my friends band was playing out on Wesley Island on the Saint Lawrence Seaway; an area close to where I grew up.

Now you have proven it for me. I new they made one…

Thanks, for this… Made my day on this one.

So cool, dig it.
Gary B [Denver, CO]