| Alongside guitar names like Gibson and | | | | owned four Rickenbacker guitars himself. The |
| Fender, you can't mention the best of the | | | | guitars had become so attached to the Beatles |
| best without adding the name of Rickenbacker. | | | | that one of the models was known as the |
| This company has been around since 1931, but | | | | "Beatlebacker". Never in history had one |
| it wasn't until 1956, on its 25th | | | | guitar been so identified with one particular |
| anniversary, when Rickenbacker began to make | | | | group or person.It wasn't long though until |
| a name for itself in the world of | | | | Rickenbacker made its way to a number of |
| guitars.That year, Rickenbacker introduced | | | | groups. Roger McGuinn of the Byrds bought |
| the Combo 400. Guitar collectors call it the | | | | himself a Rickenbacker after seeing the |
| guitar with the butterfly style body. But | | | | Beatles movie "A Hard Day's Night". The sound |
| Rickenbacker didn't stop there. That same | | | | of the guitar that McGuinn bought actually |
| year they added a solid body electric bass | | | | became the trademark of the Byrds' sound. |
| guitar. The one thing about these guitars | | | | Other groups and artists that latched onto |
| that made them different from any other | | | | the Rickenbacker were Pete Townsend of The |
| guitar was that they had necks that extended | | | | Who, John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater |
| from the head to the bass of the body. Today | | | | Revival and John Kay of Steppenwolf. By the |
| they call this neck through body | | | | late 60s there was a six week waiting period |
| construction. Rickenbacker was the first | | | | just to get one of these guitars. They were |
| company to make guitars like this and soon | | | | beyond popular. They were a true |
| came to be a trademark of the company.During | | | | phenomenon.By the 1970s, Rickenbacker started |
| the 1950s, Rickenbacker had many popular | | | | making guitars with detachable necks. They |
| models. Probably the most popular were the | | | | even matched slanted frets to match the angle |
| hollow body six string Capri models. This | | | | of the player's hand. They also started |
| guitar was first unleashed on the world in | | | | making their famous double neck models that |
| 1958. The guitar itself was designed by | | | | became quite standard. Other groups started |
| Roger Rossmeisl. There were three models of | | | | jumping on the Rickenbacker bandwagon like |
| this guitar and each one had a different body | | | | Tom Petty and R.E.M.Currently, Rickenbacker |
| style.But it wasn't until the 1960s that | | | | is as popular as it ever was. More current |
| Rickenbacker has sealed its name in rock and | | | | groups like Oasis, Pearl Jam, Radiohead and |
| roll history when its guitars got permanently | | | | U2 all use Rickenbacker guitars to get their |
| fastened to the British invasion of the mid | | | | patented sound.If you want to get an idea of |
| 60s. This invasion came in the form of the | | | | just how popular Rickenbacker is, George |
| greatest rock band of all time, the Beatles. | | | | Harrison of The Beatles was once asked what |
| The groups featured several Rickenbacker | | | | guitar he played and he answered, "Of course |
| guitars in its arsenal. Before the Beatles | | | | it's a Rickenbacker".Could there have been |
| called it quits for good, John Lennon had | | | | any other answer? |