If you’re looking for a powerful and reliable vintage bass guitar, get yourself a Rickenbacker. The Rickenbacker International Corporation has a long and stellar history in music, and they are renowned for quality guitars. Once you’ve learned about the great history behind this musical instrument company, you’ll understand why getting a vintage bass guitar from them is a must-have for any serious collector.
When you go back far enough, you see that the Rickenbacker International Corporation is responsible for rock and roll. If not for Adolph Rickenbacher, George Beauchamp, and their guitars, the musical revolution of rock and roll might not have come until decades later, or maybe not at all. This is why owning a Rickenbacker is essential for any collector, but I can hear you asking already: how could Rickenbacker be responsible for rock and roll?
Rickenbacher and Beauchamp founded the Ro-Pat-In Corporation (which stood for ElectRO-PATent-INstruments) in 1931 with the intention of selling Hawaiian guitars. Beauchamp was the designer for the guitars, and Rickenbacher was the driving force in the company. They started out using the brand name Electro, but they only made a couple of models before they switched over to Rickenbacher. Eventually, they changed the name to Rickenbacker. They also sold amplifiers during this time, which were often repaired by Leo Fender, then of Fender’s Radio Service, who would – in just a few short years – found the Fender Musical Instruments Company (under the name Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company). That makes Rickenbacker responsible for Fender, and between the two companies, electric and bass guitars took off, making rock and roll wildly popular.
But Rickenbacker is also very well known for its bass electric guitars. They are the origin of the slogan, “Nothing rocks like a Rick.” Paul McCartney, among others, were among early adopters of Rickenbacker’s bass electric guitars. Look especially at the 4000 series, if you want to buy one for yourself. The 4001, 4003, and 4004 are all popular vintage models.
