Studio California
This blueburst/paua 700C/12 offers an up-close look at Paul Wilczynski’s trademark pickguard.
In a world dominated by Gibson- and Fender-style
instruments, it is easy to forget
that neither Leo Fender nor
Orville Gibson created the
first commercial electric guitar.
Truth be told, the first 6-string
instrument manufactured with
a pickup was a lap steel invented by George D. Beauchamp
Paul Wilczynski tells how his
industrial design background and love
of vintage guitars led him to becoming
Rickenbacker’s only licensed electric
restorer and their only licensed
builder of new Ricky acoustics.
BY MICHAEL ROSS
with help from Paul Barth and
put into production by Adolph
Rickenbacker. The 1935
Bakelite Model B Spanish-style
guitar made by Rickenbacker
predates the Telecaster and the
Les Paul by over a decade. This
guitar eliminated the acoustic
feedback suffered by plugged-in archtops long before the
