Rickenbacker Lap Steel Serial Numbers

I hope this adds to the knowledge and theories surrounding the murky world of pre war serial numbers.

Rickenbacker lap steel serial numbers.

Pickup effective august 10 1937. In the periods before 1998 it was made a lot more difficult. Dating rickenbacker guitars by reference of serial numbers. The following information is courtesy carl dixon as posted on the steel guitar forum.

Additional details for bakelite fans. There is some bakelite repair on the back of the headstock at the 1st tuning gear. Generally with this system the first digits before the letter indicate the model series such as 6 for 600 model guitar. Old adolf rickenbacker was so happy that on that very day all guitars had the patent number clearly.

Serial number as you can see is b 8. I did nothing to disabuse a retailer of the tag s proclamation that this is a 1950s rickenbacker bakelite but we know better don t we. Dating rickenbacker lap steels. Rickenbacker did not keep serial to date records until after the second world war.

With the first instruments it is virtually impossible to find the exact year of construction by using the serial number. Starting in 1954 rickenbacker introduced a series of serial number formats that can reveal the approximate year of production of a specific instrument. As with many other guitar brands the dating method of rickenbacker are much more common nowadays. Rickenbacker serial numbers have been issued in a number of formats.

There are various nicks and marks about the body. 1954 1960 serial numbers. Used 1951 rickenbacker model b 8 string lap steel guitar serial number 2089171.