Deep Dive: Beatles Inspired Models
Rickenbacker Beatles reissue guitars. Man, there have been so many of them over the years it’s hard to keep them all straight! Well, we’re gonna dive in today and try to do exactly that. Now if you have detailed questions, Bob Belloff runs a great “Gear of the Beatles” group on Facebook that can answer any specific or ultra-specific questions (and man, do Beatles fans get ultra-specific!). But this should be a pretty good high level overview. Ready? Let’s go!
So let’s begin by listing the “actual” Beatle-owned-and-played guitars that were the inspiration for the reissues before we talk about all the different reissues themselves. As I count it, there are eight guitars we have to deal with. In order of acquisition, they are as follows:
1958 325 Capri, serial number V81. Purchased by John in Hamburg, Germany, fall 1960.
1962 425, serial number BH439. Purchased by George in Mt. Vernon, IL, September, 1963.
1963 360/12OS, serial number CM107. Presented to George by F.C. Hall in New York, NY, February, 1964.
1964 325, serial number DB122. Delivered directly from the factory to John at The Beatles’ hotel Miami, FL, February, 1964.
1964 325/12, serial number DB151. Delivered from the factory to Brian Epstein for John’s use, May, 1964)
1964 1996 serial number DE519. Donated to John by Rose Morris while his 1964 325 was undergoing repairs, December, 1964.
1965 360/12, serial number unknown. Gift to George from B-Sharp Music/WDGY radio, Minneapolis, MN, August 1965.
1964 4001S, serial number DA23. Presented to Paul by F.C. & John Hall, Beverly Hills, CA, August 1965.
Since the early 1980s, each one of these instruments has had at least one official or unofficial “reissue” or “inspired by” or “whatever you want to call it” guitar built by Rickenbacker. What we’re gonna do is discuss the original specs of each of these, the specs of each of the reissues of that guitar, and where they got it right or wrong. Simple enough? Let’s go!
John Lennon’s 1958 325 Capri
So we’ll start with arguably the most famous of the bunch: John’s 1958 325 Capri. A TON has been written about this guitar and all the things he did to it, but as it originally left the factory for the trade show circuit in 1958—the very first short scale Capri built—it featured a 2” thick semi-hollow alder body with a Natural finish, 3 toaster pickups, Grover exposed gear “Sta-Tite” tuners, a Kauffman Vib-rola with roller bridge, a “long” output jack plate, and only 2 chrome control knobs (as used on lap steels) on a one level gold pickguard.
The guitar returned to the factory and the controls were upgraded to a four knob layout with Rogan knobs. This is how it was when Lennon purchased the guitar in Hamburg in 1960.
Over the years Lennon tinkered with it multiple times, and by the time it was retired from touring in 1964 it had been refinished black, the knobs had been changed to chrome Burns knobs, the bridge had been replaced with a Sorkin “bowtie” bridge, and the Kauffman had been replaced by a Bigsby B5. The black finish was later stripped back to natural. This is the OG Beatle Rickenbacker.
Rickenbacker’s first attempt at Beatle “reissue” models were the B-Series 320, 360/12WB, and 4001, produced from roughly 1982-84. The three guitars in this series were designed to “evoke” the Beatle guitars without trying in any way to accurately recreate them—and they were famously hated and swiftly killed by John Hall after he took over the ownership of the company from his father!
So which of Lennon’s four 325s was the 320B model actually trying to evoke? Um…the “idea” of them? But given the gold plastics—the first Rickenbacker to feature gold plastics since the early 1960s!—it’s most clearly trying to harken back to the 1958 325 Capri.
So here’s what differentiates the 320B from a “normal production” 320 of the same period: three hot/12K “chrome bar” (toaster) pickups instead of stock Higains (and it is notable that the B-Series guitars reintroduced toasters, as none had been available since 1974!), gold plastics instead of white—including the first plexi truss rod cover since 1976, and…that’s it. It’s just a normal early 80’s Jetglo 320 with different pickups and plastics. As a reproduction/reissue of Lennon’s original 1958 325 Capri…“not great” is kind. Now you see why John Hall hated it! The next attempt would be somewhat better.
The first serious attempt to recreate the 1958 325 was the 325V59, produced from 1985-2000. It’s a LOT better than the 320B, but when you look at it closely a number of problems emerge. Available in Jetglo and Mapleglo, it featured a 1 7/8” thick semi-hollow maple body , but the dimensions were just a little “off” (look especially at pictures from the back!).
The guitar also featured three period “hot/12k” toaster pickups, Kluson Deluxe style closed back tuners, a period Rickenbacker bridge, Bigsby B-5 vibrato, “short” output plate, and four Rogan knobs on a two-level gold pickguard.
Another detail bears discussing: the headstock shape. The original 1958 guitar had a period headstock that is a little bit wider than the 1960’s/modern shape. The 325V59 had a headstock that was wider than the original, but not quite as wide as the period “paddle” headstock. The truss rod cover is still wrong too.
The two colors make it a bit of a weird mishmash of features—Lennon’s was painted black before it gained the Bigsby, and had lost the Rogan knobs by the time it was painted. Even more incongruously, as the model was being discontinued in 2000 it could be ordered in factory colors other than Jetglo and Mapleglo Fireglo/Teal/Midnight Blue etc examples exist. All that said, it was a huge improvement over the 320B. But there would be better still.
John Hall was determined to get the next one “right”, and the 325C58 introduced in 2002 strove to get as close as possible to the original as it was when acquired by Lennon in 1960. And they got very close indeed.
Available in Mapleglo (to match the original) and Jetglo (as it was best known), it featured a 2” alder body, 3 specially produced 3.5K toaster pickups (with molded “dimple” marks in the slots to match the originals), Grover open gear “Sta-Tite” tuners, a Kauffman Vib-Rola with vintage roller bridge, a long jackplate, and four Rogan knobs on a one level gold pickguard. Even the headstock shape was much closer to right. Production ran through 2010, and finding a “stock” example today (especially in Jetglo) can be very difficult as many have been “Lennonized” to some extent (some combination of knobs/bridge/tailpiece replaced to match later appearances). No reproduction of this original 1958 325 has been available since.
George Harrison’s 1962 425
The next “original” Beatle Rickenbacker was the 1962 425 purchased by George in 1963 during a trip to the US to visit his sister. Originally Fireglo, George had it repainted Black before he took delivery to match John’s 325. George further modified it to add a second pickup and switch, small silver amp knobs, and at some point the original Kluson white-button tuners were replaced with Grover “Sta-Tites”. This guitar was used extensively onstage in 1963, but saw limited usage after that.
While not “officially” labelled as such, the 1999 425V63 limited run was pretty clearly intended to evoke this guitar. It was offered in Jetglo and Burgundy (almost all known original 62’s are Fireglo, by the way), alongside similar two pickup 450V63 models. These guitars were among the first to feature the modern scatterwound reproduction toasters instead of the previous “hot/12k” toasters. They got most things right—down to the white plastic tuner buttons on the 425 and nickel on the 450—but a couple details were wrong. 1962-64 425s and 450s featured a “short” bridgeplate, and a correspondingly smaller bridge cutout in the pickguard. The reissue models had the longer bridgeplate and larger pickguard cutout. And the 1962 truss rod cover had no “MADE IN THE USA” language, whereas the reissue did. Still, not bad.
George Harrison’s 1963 360/12OS
The next Beatle guitar on the list is George Harrison’s 1963 360/12OS, the second (behind the “Suzy Arden” 360/12OS) 12-string guitar ever made by Rickenbacker and the first strung with the octave strings “backwards” in what is now standard Rickenbacker fashion.
The guitar was brought (along with a 4001S) from California by F.C. Hall in February 1964 to show/present to The Beatles while they were in New York appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show during their first trip to the US. George was not feeling well and did not come to the meeting, but John was so impressed by the guitar he took it and Hall across the street to George’s hotel room for George to play it. The rest is history.
You can probably draw this guitar with your eyes closed, but it was a Fireglo “Old Style” flat top double bound 360 body with a trapeze tailpiece. Built before crushed pearl inlays became standard on Deluxe guitars, it featured poured resin triangle inlays and red side dots. It’s not an understatement to say that this guitar in those hands added a whole new palette to the popular music landscape.
Just like John’s 325, the first “evocation” of George’s 360/12 was the B-Series 360/12WBB of 1982-84. Essentially a production Fireglo 360/12WB with some special features, what made it different from a stock guitar of the same era was the new “hot/12k” toasters and a backpainted plexi truss rod cover. That’s literally it.
The list of anachronistic/inauthentic features is long, but most obvious are the bound soundhole, 24 fret neck with poured inset inlays, and “R’ tailpiece. Again, it was just a tarted up contemporary 360/12WB. As a 1970s-1980s era Rickenbacker? Cool! As a Beatles guitar? Bad! Luckily for purists the model was short-lived, with production only running between 1982 and 1984.
The first proper attempt to replicate Harrison’s 360/12OS was the 360/12V64, introduced in 1986. Again, you know the basics: Fireglo double bound body, square heel, full-width poured resin triangle inlays, toaster (albeit still the “hot/12k” iteration) pickups, trapeze tailpiece, white plastics, black vintage/KK knobs. When you squint, not bad. But here’s what it got wrong. The body shape is off—you can best see it where the upper bouts meet the lower…it’s too smooth and rounded on the V64, it’s more pinched on the original. The headstock shape is different from the original, as is the truss rod cover—which also had “MADE IN U.S.A.” printed on it where the original did not. The original had x-bracing, this one had carved channel bracing and a thicker top. This one had black instead of red side dots. The bridge is the modern spring tensioned version as opposed to the vintage locking washer style. And the wiring is not vintage correct. That’s not even covering picky things like screws!
Over the life of the model, 6 string versions were offered, Mapleglo and Jetglo examples, as well as other colors near the end of its run. Production ended in 2001.
But just as with Lennon’s first 325, the company was dedicated to getting it RIGHT on the next try. And the 360/12C63, launched in 2005, addressed every single point listed above. The body shape is right. The headstock shape is right, as is the truss rod cover shape and lettering. The bracing and top thickness is right. The side dots are red. The bridge is the correct style. The wiring has the “vintage tone circuit” on the bridge pickup. Even the picky stuff like the screws is right. And of course, the hot toasters are replaced by modern scatterwounds. A handful have been made in Jetglo, but 95%+ are Fireglo just like George’s. And they’re still pumping them out today.
John Lennon’s 1964 325
The next Beatle guitar on the list is the second Lennon 325, the 1964 model delivered to him just in time for The Beatles’ second appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show from Miami. F.C. Hall had noticed that Lennon’s 1958 325 as played during the first Ed Sullivan appearance was in pretty bad shape—there were a lot of miles under the hood of that guitar by then—and rushed a replacement through the factory. The original guitar was Jetglo with 3 toaster pickups, and featured an Accent vibrato with a roller bridge, Kluson tuners, and white plastics with black “KK/vintage” knobs. This became Lennon’s primary stage guitar until he purchased his Epiphone Casino in 1966.
The first “reissue” of Lennon’s second 325 was the 325V63 launched in 1986. It was a LOT better than the 325V59. Cosmetically, it was very close: Jetglo finish, 3 toasters (albeit period “hot/12k”), Accent vibrato, white plastics…it looked the part. Where it was “lacking” versus the original was mostly in the small details—just like the 360/12V64. Like a standard modern bridge instead of a roller bridge. Like a flatter fretboard radius. Like different internal bracing. Like a truss rod cover shape that was just a little off. Like a headstock and body shape that wasn’t “quite right”—it’s hard to describe what’s wrong about it, but trace an original 64 and then trace this one on top of it…there’s a noticeable difference. Overall it was close, but not quite perfect.
Fireglo and Mapleglo finishes were also sporadically offered throughout the model’s run, which ended in 2001.
As part of the Signature Limited Edition series, Rickenbacker introduced three John Lennon signature models in 1990: The 325JL, the 355JL, and the 355/12JL. So what were they? Simple: a Jetglo 325V63 with a doodle on the pickguard, a Jetglo 350V63 with a doodle on the pickguard (a model we should point out, that didn’t exist in period and was never played by John Lennon but kinda looks like something he played), and a new 12 string version of the 350V63 (see previous notes about the 355V63) with a doodle on the pickguard. The end.
Should they be included on this list of Beatle guitars? The first one, maybe. The 350 variants? Absolutely not. But somebody would have said “well actually…” if I left them out, so here they are. The 12-string version actually got brought back in 1997 without the doodle as the 350/12V63, but it never really caught on and was discontinued in 2009. Produced from 1990 to 1993.
Now back to proper Beatle guitars. Just like the 325C58 was intended to get Lennon’s original 1958 325 “just right” and the 360/12C63 was intended to get Harrison’s 360/12 “just right”, the 325C64 launched in 2004 was intended to get the 1964 version “just right”, and it largely succeeded. Everything “wrong” I mention above? Fixed. Scatterwound toasters. Roller bridge. 7.4” radius fretboard. Period correct internal bracing. Correct truss rod cover shape. Correct headstock and body shape. They just got it right. And, like the 360/12C63, they’re still cranking them out today.
John Lennon’s 1964 325/12
The next John Lennon guitar on the list is the 325/12. A one-off produced in 1964 for John, it answered the question “how do you keep a short scale 12 string guitar in tune and intonated?” And that answer was “you do not”. Used only sparingly, what set Lennon’s 325/12 apart from its 6-string brother was the headstock (obviously) which featured a “stubby” truss rod cover (also seen on the first Rose Morris 1993 12-string guitars), and a trapeze tailpiece and standard bridge in place of the Accent/roller bridge found on the 6 string version.
The first reproduction of this guitar was a very limited run of 25 320/12’s (and yes, I said “320” and not “325”—which is technically correct!) built in 1986. It used the current 325V59 body with a custom neck (as there was no production short scale neck 12 string guitars) with a square heel, and featured three toaster (albeit “hot/12k”) pickups and a trapeze tailpiece with modern bridge.
The one surprising detail they got right was the “stubby” plexi truss rod cover!
The next reproduction of this guitar was a run of 136 325/12’s built in 1999, and it was a little bit better, but still not perfect. It used the current 325V63 body with a custom neck (as, again, there was no production short scale neck 12 string guitars) with a square heel, and featured three scatterwound toaster pickups and a trapeze tailpiece with a vintage bridge.
Despite the steps forward with the pickups and the bridge, they took a step backwards by using a standard 12-string plexi pickguard instead of the “stubby” version John’s original did. There have been no subsequent attempts to recreate this guitar.
John Lennon’s 1964 1996
The last of the John Lennon 325-style guitars was a 1964 Rose Morris 1996 acquired in late December 1964. The ‘58 had been retired earlier in the year, and during a show at the Hammersmith Odeon in London he dropped the ‘64 325 off the stage and cracked the headstock. Rose Morris stepped in with a substitute Fireglo 1996 with a 2 o’clock f-hole, and John played it for a few shows until the 64 325 was repaired. Rose Morris took full advantage of the situation, advertising the 1996 as the “Beatle Backer” with John’s photo alongside a picture of the model. The guitar was given to Ringo who would later auction it off.
Although John’s connection to this guitar was fleeting, there have been three runs of 1996 reproductions. The first was in 2006. A 325C64 donor received an Amber Fireglo finish and a 2 o’clock f-hole. An unknown number were produced. A second, identical run of about 30 was produced in 2008.
A third run, in 2014, we probably shouldn’t count as it featured an “incorrect” (as compared to Lennon’s) one o’clock f-hole. And technically, we probably shouldn’t count ANY of them as the Lennon connection wasn’t specifically called out when they were produced, but c’mon. The 1996 was kind of a flop. Would they be making a reissue at all without that tenuous Lennon connection? I think you know the answer to that.
George Harrison’s 1965 360/12
George was presented with a second 12 string Rickenbacker by a local music store and radio station at a press conference before The Beatles’ August 1965 concert in Minneapolis, MN. A 1965 “New Style” 360 in Fireglo, the guitar got used on the stage in the UK later that year, in the studio during the Rubber Soul sessions, and during the final 1966 tour. It was stolen around September, 1966 and has not resurfaced.
In 2014 US retailer Guitar Center commissioned a run of 50 guitars meant to “evoke” this guitar. The 360/12GH used the 370/12RM’s template with its 21 fret neck (at a time when standard 360s were 24), a plexi truss rod cover, and scatterwound pickups. It did not feature other period correct details like checkered binding or a vintage style bridge. About 15 similar guitars were built for the Japanese market at the same time.
Paul McCartney’s 1964 4001S
The final original Beatle guitar was the 1964 4001S presented to Paul McCartney by F.C. & John Hall in 1965. Remember, he had been shown and turned down the exact same guitar during the 1964 meeting where George got his 360/12. For some reason it “took” this time. It would go on to be used heavily in the studio over the rest of the Beatles’ career and and extensively in the studio and on stage with Wings where it was arguably much more visible. As presented to Paul, it was Fireglo with period-correct toaster neck/horseshoe bridge pickups. One feature that appears odd today was the headstock: there was no “left handed” headstock at the time, so the guitar sports a “backwards” right handed headstock.
The guitar was modified heavily over its life, beginning with the psychedelic paint job it acquired for the “All You Need Is Love” telecast. The guitar was then sanded down to bare wood, and was sanded down again later too aggressively—losing the “points” of the cresting waves on the upper bouts. The original horseshoe pickup was also replaced with a modern Higain pickup along the way, and a zero fret was added. It hasn’t been seen on stage for years, but remains in Paul’s collection.
Just like John’s 325 and George’s 360/12, Paul’s 4001 got a “B-Series” pastiche. And it was just as bad. An otherwise stock Mapleglo 4003S (not a 4001, although 1981 prototypes were based on a set-neck 4001S) got a toaster in the neck position and a plexi TRC and they called it good. Production ran from 1982-1984. That’s enough said about that one.
Like John and George, Paul’s guitar got a more serious attempt at being correct with the launch of the 4001V63 in late 1984. Offered in Fireglo, Jetglo, and Mapleglo at launch, with other factory colors added later, here’s what it got right: a toaster neck pickup (again, “hot/12k”) in the correct ½” neck position. A “long” pickguard. A “long” (-er than current production) headstock with walnut wings—a feature that hadn’t been seen since 1972. A plexi TRC. A “gap-tooth” bridge. And then we come to the bridge pickup.
So the 4001V63 got the first reproduction horseshoe pickup. Oh but it’s not really a true horseshoe. Oh but some of the first ones actually did get real horseshoes. Let’s unpack all of that!
The “repro” horseshoe you buy today and that first appeared on this guitar is a fake. The “horseshoes” aren’t magnetized—they’re for cosmetic purposes only. They can be removed. They look good, the surround looks good, but they’re fake. But here’s a fun fact: some of the very first 4001V63s produced—and I cannot find details anywhere on how many that might be—had actual leftover horseshoe pickups used. Remember, those were phased out in 1968!
So that’s a lot right. What’s wrong? Well, some things are easy to point out. The Schaller tuners have larger bushings than the original. The wiring does not include the .0047mfd cap. And specs changed over the life of the guitar. Some for the good—the hot toaster switched over to a scatterwound when those appeared around 1999, and some for the bad—like the neck, which got chunkier over its lifespan. And then let’s talk about the headstock.
Whaddya mean? I already said it was long and had walnut wings and that that was good. True. But here’s a super niche-y detail. Paul’s original guitar was built in a time before a left handed headstock existed, so it had a “backwards” right handed headstock. But when THIS guitar was made, there WAS a left handed headstock (and truss rod cover), so that’s what the guitar came with stock—making it “wrong”. BUT…you COULD order the PMC option on the lefty to flip the headstock “upside down” to match the original—and indeed a whole batch of these left handed PMC guitars was produced for Japan in 1999. You follow?
Anyway, production of the “pretty good” 4001V63 ended in early 2002. But you can probably guess what came next.
A “better still” reproduction, the 4001C64, launched in late 2002. Only there were actually TWO of them: the 4001C64 and the 4001C64S. So what’s the deal with these?
Well, there’s not as big of a difference between these guitars and what came before as there was with the Lennon and Harrison “V” to “C” series changes. Mostly they fixed the picky little things like the tuners and the wiring. But there was one major change: they made the PMC option standard…even on right handed guitars. So now left handed guitars got the original’s correct “upside down” right handed headstock, and right handed guitars got…an “upside down” left handed headstock. Hooray?
Now you’ll notice I said there were two of them: The 4001C64 and 4001C64S. What’s the difference? Well, the C64—offered in Fireglo and Mapleglo—was designed to replicate the bass as it was new. The C64S was the later “Wings” era guitar with the overly sanded, cresting wave-less horns, the white nut/zero fret, a different bridge pickup surround, and a bridge without the vintage “gap tooth”. It was offered stock in a Satin Mapleglo finish, but other colors would be made available on both guitars over their lives in small/custom runs. Production would run through 2010 on both versions. While “Lennon” and “Harrison” models live on to this day, there has been no “McCartney” Rickenbacker available since then.
And that, I think, is the rundown of Beatle guitars. Let me know what I missed/got wrong and I will endeavor to correct! Want to learn more about…everything else? Check out our handy site map to see what we’ve already covered. Got something you’d like to see covered? Drop it in the comments and we’ll add it to the queue.
Great article Andy, interesting and informative. I’d love to see a breakdown of where those original serial numbers are now, if known!