1966 Rickenbacker 345 Rose Morris Model 1998 fireglo

Good condition, 6/10, Made in USA, including original silver hardcase.

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.