1966 Rickenbacker 345 Rose Morris Model 1998 fireglo

Good condition, 6/10, Made in USA, including original silver hardcase, original tremolo and tremolo arm are in the case.

According to the serial number this guitar was made in February 1966 (FB470), missing the silver top on the volume knob and 4 small screws in the pickup surrounds, open stress crack through the treble side tuner holes (can probably be filled but since it doesn´t affect any functions we prefer to leave it as it is), original double line Kluson tuners, belt buckle wear on the back, worn frets, more info:

This is the same model used and abused by Pete Townshend of the Who. The 1998 model is the full-scale equivalent of the 325 or 1996 short-scale model used by John Lennon and John Fogerty, Body and neck are made of maple with a finished rosewood fretboard. The neck has a central dark walnut strip laminated with contrasting maple sides for optimal strength. The headstock also has additional walnut sides to create a 5-piece design with an upmarket appeal. It mounts original Kluson double brand tuners.

The 3 pickups are nicknamed, easy guess, toaster top, they were originally used from 1957 to 1970. With this 3-pickup circuit, the neck and middle pickups are permanently wired together. When the 3-way switch is in up position, you get the neck and middle pickups in parallel; the switch in middle position gives a bigger sound with all 3 pickups in parallel and the switch down gives the bridge pickup alone. The small "Blend" or Compensator knob, is an additional volume control for neck and middle pickups. Counter-intuitively, it goes from full volume when rolled all the way back to about half volume when fully open.

The original Rose-Morris export models were never supplied in large quantities they are cherished as icons and are particularly sought after. Even the Reissue models are quite rare. This 1998 is a defining model of Rickenbackers glory years; it's the valuable testimony of pivotal moments in rock history such as the "Beatlemania" or "British Invasion" phenomena, Rose, Morris & Co. Ltd was a leading UK distributor, still operating in London. On the 30th of December 1963, Rose-Morris signed an exclusive agreement to distribute Rickenbacker instruments throughout the UK. This distribution agreement lasted until 1969. Rose-Morris requested for their line of models, some exclusive specifications. In particular this model sports a traditional F-hole, the main distinctive feature that sets apart the Rose-Morris Rickenbacker export line from the regular US-distributed full-scale Capri models, which have the standard cats eye or slash sound-hole design.

These rare export instruments were considered Special orders, so they were identified by an S added to the model number. In addition, Rose-Morris named the 5 models with their own reference catalogue codes; they used numbers from 1995 to 1999, not to be confused with years of manufacture.