FEATURE > RICKENBACKER
EIGHT DECADES OF
RICKENBACKER
BY CHARLES SAUFLEY
There is no denying Rickenbacker’s status as one of the four or five most important electric guitar companies of all time. Still,
for all the company’s iconic status, they are sometimes perceived
as misfits within the pantheon. While the Stratocaster and Les
Paul cemented Fender’s and Gibson’s reputations as the first choice
for legendary lead-guitar hotshots and gunslingers, Rickenbacker
remains, in the eyes of many players, a strummer’s guitar—fit for
rhythm kings and ill-suited for lead aces.
fantastically rare—and perhaps one-of-a-kind—all-turquoise 330 stands alongside a set of mighty and super-stylish Transonic
amplifiers. The solid-state Transonic line never achieved widespread success, but it remains forever associated with Jimmy
Page and the first Led Zep tour in 1969. With built-in reverb, tremolo, and fuzz, Transonics actually sound amazing—and they
stand toe to toe with Voxes of the same era as some the coolest and most contraption-laden amps of the period.
A
74 PREMIER GUITAR FEBRUARY 2012
premierguitar.com
