Rickenbacker 325

Rickenbacker 325
Rickenbacker 325
	Rickenbacker 325C64 (A reissue of the 1964 model 325 played by John Lennon)
Manufacturer	Rickenbacker
Period	1958–present
Construction
Body type	Semi-hollow
Neck joint	Set-in
Scale	20+3⁄4 inches (530 mm)
Woods
Body	Maple; alder on 50s instruments & reissues.
Neck	Maple; alder on 50s instruments & reissues.
Fretboard	Bubinga (1960s–2000s), Paduak (late 1950s), Chechen (current).
Hardware
Bridge	3-way
Pickup(s)	Three single-coil pickups
Colors available
	Mapleglo (natural), Jetglo (black), Fireglo (red sunburst)

The Rickenbacker 325 is the first of the Capri series of hollow body guitars released in 1958 by Rickenbacker.

Overview[]

It was designed by Roger Rossmeisl, a guitar craftsman from a family of German instrument makers. Production models were 20+3⁄4 inches (530 mm) short scale, dot fretboard inlays, and a small (12+3⁄4-inch-wide [320 mm]) body. The body is unbound, semi-hollow, with 2 o'clock angled sound hole (although re-issues lack a sound hole due to the Lennon connection), and boasts the "crescent moon"-style cutaways. This series is currently available only in "C" reissue form. These instruments gained prominence due to John Lennon's use of a 325 during the early years of The Beatles. John Lennon's 1958 model was among the first batch made and has the pre-production feature of a solid top with no sound hole. All subsequent production short-scale 300-series Rickenbackers (310, 315, 320, 325) had sound holes until the late 1970s.

Notable players[]

John Lennon played 325s and their assorted variants during the 1960s (Including a 12-string made to match his second 325).^[1] A replica of Lennon's 325 is available as a guitar controller for The Beatles: Rock Band.
Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles played the 325 and its full scale variant, the model 350 (Hoffs even received her own signature version of the 350).^[2]
John Fogerty played his modified Fireglo 325 on many Creedence Clearwater Revival songs and live concerts, including their appearance at the 1969 Woodstock festival. ^[3] Fogerty modified his model to include a Gibson humbucker pickup.
Maurice Gibb of Bee Gees used the 325 for all live performances between the late 1980s until 2003.
Multi-instrumentalist Toots Thielemans regularly played the 325 and his usage inspired John Lennon, a fan of Thielemans, to take up the instrument. ^[4]