Editing Rickenbacker (section)

== History ==
=== Founding ===
[[Adolph Rickenbacher]] and [[George Beauchamp]] founded the company in 1931 as the '''Ro-Pat-In Corporation''' (Elect'''Ro-Pat'''ent-'''In'''struments) to sell electric [[Lap steel guitar|Hawaiian guitar]]s. Beauchamp designed his instruments in collaboration with Paul Barth and Harry Watson, who had been active in the [[National String Instrument Corporation]].<ref name=Bacon/> The Ro-Pat-In brand name would eventually transform into the  'Rickenbacher' brand, and ultimately the modern 'Rickenbacker’ was adopted.  Early examples bear the brand name 'Electro'.<ref name=Bacon/>{{rp|12}}

The early instruments were nicknamed [[Frying pan (guitar)|"frying-pans"]] because of their long necks and small circular bodies. They are the first known [[solid body|solid-bodied]] [[electric guitar]]s, though they were a [[Lap steel guitar|lap-steel]] type. They had a single pickup with two magnetized steel covers, shaped like horseshoes, that arched over the strings. By the time they ceased producing the "frying pan" model in 1939, they had made several thousand units.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20070202_borntorock.shtml Rock On - 'Born To Rocks' opens], [[BBC Radio 6 Music]] website</ref>

Electro String also sold [[amplifier]]s to go with their guitars. A Los Angeles radio manufacturer named Van Nest designed the first Electro String production-model amplifier. Shortly thereafter, design engineer Ralph Robertson further developed the amplifiers, and by the 1940s at least four different Rickenbacker models were available. [[James Bullough Lansing|James B. Lansing]] of the Lansing Manufacturing Company designed the speaker in the Rickenbacker professional model. During the early 1940s, Rickenbacker amps were sometimes repaired by [[Leo Fender]], whose repair shop evolved into the [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company]].

=== Early history ===
George Beauchamp was a [[vaudeville]] performer, violinist, and steel guitarist who, like many acoustic guitarists in the pre-electric-guitar 1920s, was looking for some way to make his instrument cut through an orchestra. He first conceived of a guitar fitted with a phonograph-like amplifying horn. He approached inventor and violin-maker [[John Dopyera]], who made a prototype that was, by all accounts, a failure. Their next collaboration involved experiments with mounting three conical aluminum [[Resonator guitar|resonators]] into the body of the guitar beneath the bridge. These efforts produced an instrument that so pleased Beauchamp that he told Dopyera that they should go into business to manufacture them. After further refinements, Dopyera applied for a patent on the so-called tri-cone guitar on April 9, 1927. Thereafter, Dopyera and his brothers made the tri-cone guitars in their Los Angeles shop, under the brand name ''National''. On January 26, 1928, the [[National String Instrument Corporation]] opened, with a new factory located near a metal-stamping shop owned by Adolph Rickenbacher and staffed by experienced and competent craftsmen. The company made Spanish and Hawaiian style tri-cone guitars as well as four-string [[tenor guitar]]s, mandolins, and ukuleles.<ref name=Smith>{{Citation | last = Smith | first = Richard R. | title = The History Of Rickenbacker Guitars | place = Fullerton, California, USA | publisher = Centerstream Publishing | pages = 2–5 | year = 1987 | isbn = 0-931759-15-3}}</ref>

Adolph Rickenbacher was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1887 and emigrated to the United States to live with relatives after the death of his parents. Sometime after moving to Los Angeles in 1918, he changed his surname to "Rickenbacker". In 1925, Rickenbacker and two partners formed the Rickenbacker Manufacturing Company and incorporated it in 1927. By the time he met George Beauchamp and began manufacturing metal bodies for the "Nationals" being produced by the National String Instruments Corporation, Rickenbacker was a highly skilled production engineer and machinist. Adolph Rickenbacker became a shareholder in National and, with the assistance of his Rickenbacker Manufacturing Company, National boosted production to fifty guitars a day.<ref name=Smith/>{{rp|5–6}}

Unfortunately, National's line of instruments was not well diversified and, as demand for the expensive and hard-to-manufacture tri-cone guitars began to slip, the company realized that it would need to produce instruments with a lower production cost to remain competitive. Dissatisfaction with what John Dopyera felt was mismanagement led him to resign from National in January 1929. He subsequently formed the Dobro Manufacturing Corporation, later called Dobro Corporation, Ltd, and began to manufacture his own line of resonator-equipped instruments ([[dobro]]s). Patent infringement disagreements between National and Dobro led to a lawsuit in 1929, with Dobro suing National for $2 million in damages. Problems within National's management, as well as pressure from the deepening [[Great Depression]], led to a production slowdown at National. This ultimately resulted in part of the company's fractured management structure organizing support for George Beauchamp's newest project: development of a fully electric guitar.<ref name=Smith/>{{rp|8–9}}

By the late twenties, the idea for electrified string instruments had been around for some time, and experimental banjo, violin, and guitar pickups had been developed. George Beauchamp had experimented with electric amplification as early as 1925, but his early efforts, which used microphones, did not produce the effect he desired. Beauchamp also pursued the idea, building a one-string test guitar out of a 2X4 piece of lumber and an electric phonograph pickup. As problems at National became more apparent, Beauchamp's home experiments became more rigorous, and he began to attend night classes in electronics and collaborate with fellow National employee Paul Barth.<ref name=Bacon/> When they finally developed a prototype electric pickup that met their satisfaction, Beauchamp asked former National shop craftsman Harry Watson to make a wooden neck and body to hold the pickup. Somebody nicknamed it the "fry-pan" because of its shape, though Rickenbacker liked to call it the pancake.<ref name=Smith/>{{rp|9–10}} The final design Beauchamp and Barth developed was an electric pickup consisting of a pair of horseshoe-shaped magnets that enclosed the pickup coil and completely surrounded the strings.<ref name=Bacon/>

===Fry-pan & Electro-Spanish===
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<!-- |image1 = Rickenbacker 330JG.jpg -->
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|footer = <!-- (Left): Rickenbacker 330JG; (right): -->Sketch of Rickenbacker "frying pan" lap steel guitar from 1934 patent application
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At the end of 1931, Beauchamp, Barth, Rickenbacker and several other individuals banded together and formed the Ro-Pat-In Corporation (elekt''RO''-''PAT''ent-''IN''struments) to manufacture and distribute electrically amplified musical instruments, with an emphasis on their newly developed A-25 Hawaiian Guitar, often referred to as the "fry-pan" lap-steel electric guitar, as well as an Electric Spanish (standard) model and companion amplifiers. In the summer of 1932, Ro-Pat-In began to manufacture cast aluminum production versions of the Fry-Pan as well as a lesser number of standard Spanish Electrics also known as "Electro-Spanish" models, built from wooden bodies similar to those made in Chicago for the National Company. These instruments constitute the origin of the electric guitar by virtue of their string-driven electro-magnetic pick-ups. In 1933 the Ro-Pat-In company's name was changed to Electro String Instrument Corporation and its instruments were labeled simply as "Electro". In 1934 the name of "Rickenbacker" was added in honor of the company's principal partner, Adolph Rickenbacker.<ref name="Retrofret">{{cite web|title=Rickenbacker Ken Roberts Model Hollow Body Electric Guitar, c. 1935|url=http://www.retrofret.com/products.asp?ProductID=6407|publisher=Retrofret|access-date=7 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827110732/http://www.retrofret.com/products.asp?ProductID=6407|archive-date=27 August 2016}}</ref><ref name="ReferenceB">{{cite web|title=The Earliest Days of the Electric Guitar|url=http://www.rickenbacker.com/history_early.asp|website=Rickenbacker|publisher=RIC|access-date=8 August 2015}}</ref>

During the early production of the A-22 Fry-Pan, Beauchamp and Rickenbacker would experiment with wooden-bodied Spanish guitars and solid body prototypes; ultimately giving birth to the [[Electro-Spanish Model B]] and the [[Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts]]. Both models had been experimental, produced as early as 1931, and officially released in 1935. The Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts model was subject to a limited production of forty-six. There were several new design elements found on the Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts. The instrument was the first of its kind to be named for an endorser. While most arch-top guitars had 14-[[fret]] neck joints, the Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts fingerboard joined the body at the 17th fret allowing much greater access to the higher frets, creating a full 25-1/2" inch scale. This addition made the Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts the first production full-scale (25-1/2") electrified guitar.<ref name="Retrofret"/><ref name="ReferenceB"/>

Another new feature on the Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts is the stock Kauffman Vib-rola tailpiece, the world's first patented [[tremolo]] ({{US patent|2241911A}}). The Ken Roberts is the first instrument of any type to feature a hand-operated [[Vibrato systems for guitar|vibrato]] as standard equipment. It also marks Rickenbacker's first link to the unit's originator, Clayton [[Doc Kauffman]], who would become a design collaborator for the company a couple of years later.<ref name="Retrofret"/><ref name="ReferenceB"/>

===Model B Electric===

In 1935, the company introduced several new models including the Model "B" Electric Spanish guitar, which is the first known solid-body electric guitar. Because the original aluminum Fry-Pans were susceptible to tuning problems from expansion of the metal under hot performing lights, they made many of the new models from cast [[Bakelite]], an early synthetic plastic used in [[bowling ball]]s.<ref name=Bacon/>

Rickenbacker continued to specialize in steel guitars well into the 1950s, but with the advent of [[rock and roll]], F.C. Hall, owner of Radio & Television Equipment Co. (Radio-Tel), purchased the Electro String Company from Adolph Rickenbacker in 1953. Hall overhauled the business and began focusing on standard electric and acoustic guitars rather than the steel guitars the company pioneered. In 1956, Rickenbacker introduced two instruments with the "[[neck-thru|neck through body]]" construction that became a standard feature of many of the company's products, including the Combo 400 guitar, the model 4000 bass, and, later, the 600 series. Neck Thru consists of a single wooden piece from the neck through the central body section.

In 1958, Hall introduced prototype called "capris" (the same name of Hall family's cat from the pronunciation of the French noun for whim).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/20913-vintage-vault-1964-rickenbacker-325 |title=Vintage Vault: 1964 Rickenbacker 325 |website=premierguitar.com |access-date=March 12, 2019}}.</ref>

In 1963, Rickenbacker developed an electric twelve-string guitar with an innovative [[headstock]] design that fit all twelve [[machine head]]s onto a standard-length headstock by mounting alternate pairs of machine heads at right-angles to each other. After including the twelve-string guitar in the [[Rickenbacker 300 Series]].

=== Guitars and 1960s rock and roll ===
[[File:Rickenbacker 370-12 MapleGlo.jpg|right|thumb|Body of a 370/12, with the distinctive R-tailpiece, sharkfin inlays and stereo jacks]]
In the 1960s, Rickenbacker benefited tremendously when a couple of Rickenbacker guitar models became permanently intertwined with the sound and look of [[The Beatles]].

In Hamburg, in 1960, Beatles guitarist [[John Lennon]] bought a [[Rickenbacker 325]], which he used throughout the early days of The Beatles. He eventually had the guitar's natural alder body refinished in black, and made other modifications, including adding a [[Bigsby vibrato tailpiece]] and regularly changing the control knobs.<ref name="ReferenceA">Babiuk, Andy, ''Beatles gear: all the Fab Four's instruments, from stage to studio'', {{ISBN|0-87930-662-9}}, {{ISBN|978-0-87930-662-5}}</ref> Lennon played this guitar for the Beatles' 1964 debut on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' (as well as for their third Sullivan appearance, pre-taped the same day but broadcast two weeks later). During Lennon's post-Beatles years in New York, he had this guitar restored to its original natural wood finish and the cracked gold [[pickguard]] replaced with a white one.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Rickenbacker made two new 325s for Lennon and shipped them to him while the Beatles were in Miami Beach, Florida, on the same 1964 visit to the United States: a one-off custom 12-string 325 model and an updated six-string model with modified electronics and vibrato. He used this newer six-string model on the Beatles' sequentially "second" appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Lennon accidentally dropped the second 325 model during a 1964 Christmas show, breaking the headstock. While it was being repaired, Rickenbacker's UK distributor Rose Morris gave Lennon a model 1966 (the export version of a 325, available exclusively in a red finish and with an [[F-hole]]). Lennon later gave the 1966 to fellow Beatle [[Ringo Starr]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

[[File:Rickheadstock12.jpg|right|thumb|The typical 12-string headstock, with the slotted tuners for the octave strings]]
Beatles guitarist [[George Harrison]] bought a [[Rickenbacker 400 series|420]] during a brief visit to the United States in 1963.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> In February 1964, while in New York City, F.C. Hall of Rickenbacker met with the band and their manager, and gave Harrison a [[Rickenbacker 360/12|model 360/12]] (the second electric twelve-string built by Rickenbacker).<ref name="ReferenceA"/> This instrument became a key part of the Beatles' sound on their [[LP album|LP]] ''[[A Hard Day's Night (album)|A Hard Day's Night]]'' and other Beatles songs through late 1964. Harrison played this guitar sporadically throughout the remainder of his life.

On August 21, 1965, during a Beatles concert tour, [[Randy Resnick]] of B-Sharp, a Minnesota music store, presented Harrison with a second model 360/12 FG "New Style" 12-string electric guitar, distinguishable from Harrison's first 12-string by its rounded cutaways and edges. A television documentary produced by [[KSTP-TV]] in Minneapolis documents the event. Harrison used this guitar on the song "[[If I Needed Someone]]" and during the Beatles' 1966 tours.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> This 12-string's whereabouts are unknown, as it was stolen at some point after the band ceased touring.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

After the Beatles' 1965 summer tour, [[Paul McCartney]] frequently used a left-handed 1964 4001S FG Rickenbacker bass rather than the lightweight [[Höfner]] basses he had used previously. The instrument became popular with other bassists influenced by McCartney's highly melodic style.

In 1967, McCartney gave his 4001 a [[psychedelic art|psychedelic]] paint job, as seen in the promo film for "[[Hello, Goodbye]]" and in the ''[[Magical Mystery Tour (film)|Magical Mystery Tour]]'' film.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> A year or so later, someone sanded off the finish. A second, over-zealous sanding in the early 1970s removed the "points" of the bass's cutaways. McCartney used the Rickenbacker bass during his time with [[Wings (band)|Wings]] and through his '80s solo career. He continues to record with it to this day.

Partly because of the Beatles' popularity and their consistent use of the Rickenbacker brand, many sixties guitarists adopted them, including [[John Fogerty]] ([[Creedence Clearwater Revival]]), [[Paul Kantner]] ([[Jefferson Airplane]]), and John Entwistle and Pete Townshend of [[The Who]]. As both the [[British Invasion]] and the 1960s wound down, Rickenbacker guitars fell out of fashion for a time. Rickenbacker basses, however, remained popular through the 1970s and beyond. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Rickenbacker guitars experienced a renaissance as [[New wave music|new wave]] and [[jangle pop]] groups turned to them for their distinctive chime. Demand is particularly high among retro groups influenced by the sound and look of the 1960s.