V INTAGEVAULT
1965 Rickenbacker
Model 1993
DAVE ROGERS & LAUN BRAITHWAITE
Nothing says “the sixties” like a Rickenbacker 12-string electric
guitar. After late 1963, when George Harrison of the Beatles
received his first, rock n’ roll would never be the same. Thousands
of aspiring rock n’ rollers saw Harrison use his Rickenbacker
360/12 in the movie A Hard Day’s Night and were motivated to
seek out this exotic instrument so they could create the same
shimmering sounds.
American players were surprised to find that these stunning
guitars with the German name were made in California. British
customers bought their guitars through the U.K. instrument dis-
tributor Rose, Morris. The features of the Rickenbackers made for
Rose, Morris (like this month’s featured guitar) differed subtly from
the American versions. The most notable change was a traditional
“F” shaped soundhole, compared to the “slash” soundhole of the
U.S. models. Rose, Morris also assigned its own model numbers.
This month’s featured guitar is a Rose, Morris Model 1993 dating to April of 1965. Its features are similar to those of a 330/12
except for the body binding on the top and back – this style of
binding was used on the original 360s before the change to a
rounded top in mid-1964.
