Supercool and pretty rare alert! It’s the Rickenbacker 381V69, from 2014, in great condition.

Discontinued and rarely seen, the 381 is one of the most elaborate guitars in the Rickenbacker range, combining the company’s familiar semi-acoustic construction with a hand-shaped body, extensive binding and vintage-style electronics. The design traces its roots back to the late 1950s, while the V69 version was introduced as a recreation of the late-1960s Model 381.

This 2014 example is finished in Fireglo and has the characteristic highly figured maple body with pronounced carved contours to both the front and back. The characteristic and very cool checkerboard binding runs around the body, with additional binding around the crescent-shaped soundhole and fingerboard. The combination of the carved maple body, extreme double cutaways and full-width triangle fingerboard inlays makes the 381 immediately distinct from the more common 330 and 360 models.

Electronics are based around a pair of Rickenbacker Vintage Toaster Top single-coil pickups. The traditional Rickenbacker control layout provides separate volume and tone controls for each pickup, a three-way pickup selector and the smaller fifth blend control. Both standard mono and Rick-O-Sound stereo outputs are fitted. The guitar also uses Rickenbacker’s six-saddle bridge, distinctive “R” tailpiece and vintage-style machine heads.

It’s in really excellent condition. There is a minor ding at the top of the headstock, but otherwise the guitar shows only very minor playwear. The frets are effectively like new. Overall it has seen very little use and still has the feel and even the characteristic smell of a new instrument. Weight is 3800g. Original Rickenbacker case included.

All the jangle with maximum spangle. It doesn’t get much better than this.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Model: Rickenbacker 381V69
• Year: 2014
• Country of manufacture: USA
• Finish: Fireglo
• Body type: Semi-acoustic / semi-hollow
• Body shape: Double cutaway
• Body wood: Figured / charactered maple
• Body construction: Chambered maple with centre section
• Top: Figured maple
• Back: Figured maple
• Body contouring: Hand-carved front and back
• Body binding: Full checkerboard binding
• Soundhole: Crescent-shaped, bound
• Overall body width: Approx. 38.7 cm / 15 1/4″
• Body depth: Approx. 63.5 mm / 2 1/2″
• Overall length: Approx. 99.1 cm / 39″
• Neck wood: Maple
• Neck construction: Set-in
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Fingerboard binding: Yes
• Fingerboard radius: 10″
• Scale length: 24 3/4″ / approx. 629 mm
• Nut width: 41.4 mm / 1.63″
• Neck width at 12th fret: Approx. 49.05 mm / 1.93″
• Frets: 21
• Fingerboard inlays: Full-width triangular inlays
• Headstock: Matching Fireglo finish
• Truss rod cover: White Rickenbacker nameplate
• Neck pickup: Rickenbacker Vintage Toaster Top single coil
• Bridge pickup: Rickenbacker Vintage Toaster Top single coil
• Pickup configuration: SS
• Pickup selector: Three-way toggle
• Controls: Neck volume, neck tone, bridge volume, bridge tone, fifth blend control
• Outputs: Standard mono and Rick-O-Sound stereo
• Electronics: Passive
• Bridge: Rickenbacker six-saddle adjustable bridge
• Tailpiece: Rickenbacker “R” tailpiece
• Tuners: Rickenbacker vintage-style / Deluxe type
• Hardware finish: Chrome
• Pickguard: Two-piece white
• Control knobs: Black Rickenbacker knobs with silver inserts