The company made Spanish and Hawaiian style tri-cone guitars as well as four-string tenor guitars, mandolins, and ukuleles. Adolph Rickenbacher was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1887 and emigrated to the United States to live with relatives after the death of his parents.
Sometime after moving to Los Angeles in 1918, he changed his surname to "Rickenbacker".
During the early 1940s, Rickenbacker amps were sometimes repaired by Leo Fender, whose repair shop evolved into the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company. === Early history === George Beauchamp was a vaudeville performer, violinist, and steel guitarist who, like many acoustic guitarists in the pre-electric-guitar 1920s, was looking for some way to make his instrument cut through an orchestra.
In 1925, Rickenbacker and two partners formed the Rickenbacker Manufacturing Company and incorporated it in 1927.
George Beauchamp had experimented with electric amplification as early as 1925, but his early efforts, which used microphones, did not produce the effect he desired.
After further refinements, Dopyera applied for a patent on the so-called tri-cone guitar on April 9, 1927.
In 1925, Rickenbacker and two partners formed the Rickenbacker Manufacturing Company and incorporated it in 1927.
On January 26, 1928, the National String Instrument Corporation opened, with a new factory located near a metal-stamping shop owned by Adolph Rickenbacher and staffed by experienced and competent craftsmen.
Dissatisfaction with what John Dopyera felt was mismanagement led him to resign from National in January 1929.
Patent infringement disagreements between National and Dobro led to a lawsuit in 1929, with Dobro suing National for $2 million in damages.
Both models had been experimental, produced as early as 1931, and officially released in 1935.
The company is credited as the first known maker of electric guitars – a steel guitar in 1932 – and today produces a range of electric guitars and basses. Rickenbacker twelve string guitars were favoured by The Beatles, Roger McGuinn of The Byrds, Pete Townshend of The Who, and Tom Petty.
In the summer of 1932, Ro-Pat-In began to manufacture cast aluminum production versions of the Fry-Pan as well as a lesser number of standard Spanish Electrics also known as "Electro-Spanish" models, built from wooden bodies similar to those made in Chicago for the National Company.
In 1933 the Ro-Pat-In company's name was changed to Electro String Instrument Corporation and its instruments labeled simply as "Electro".
In 1934 the name of "Rickenbacker" was added in honor of the company's principal partner, Adolph Rickenbacker. During the early production of the A-22 Fry-Pan, Beauchamp and Rickenbacker would experiment with wooden-bodied Spanish guitars and solid body prototypes; ultimately giving birth to the Electro-Spanish Model B and the Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts.
Both models had been experimental, produced as early as 1931, and officially released in 1935.
It also marks Rickenbacker's first link to the unit's originator, Clayton Doc Kauffman, who would become a design collaborator for the company a couple of years later. ===Model B Electric=== In 1935, the company introduced several new models including the Model "B" Electric Spanish guitar, which is the first known solid body electric guitar.
By the time they ceased producing the "frying pan" model in 1939, they had made several thousand units. Electro String also sold amplifiers to go with their guitars.
Shortly thereafter, design engineer Ralph Robertson further developed the amplifiers, and by the 1940s at least four different Rickenbacker models were available.
During the early 1940s, Rickenbacker amps were sometimes repaired by Leo Fender, whose repair shop evolved into the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company. === Early history === George Beauchamp was a vaudeville performer, violinist, and steel guitarist who, like many acoustic guitarists in the pre-electric-guitar 1920s, was looking for some way to make his instrument cut through an orchestra.
Because the original aluminum Fry-Pans were susceptible to tuning problems from expansion of the metal under hot performing lights, they made many of the new models from cast Bakelite, an early synthetic plastic used in bowling balls. Rickenbacker continued to specialize in steel guitars well into the 1950s, but with the advent of rock and roll, F.C.
(Radio-Tel), purchased the Electro String Company from Adolph Rickenbacker in 1953.
In 1956, Rickenbacker introduced two instruments with the "neck through body" construction that became a standard feature of many of the company's products, including the Combo 400 guitar, the model 4000 bass, and, later, the 600 series.
Neck Thru consists of a single wooden piece from the neck through the central body section. In 1958, Hall introduced prototype called "capris" (the same name of Hall family's cat from the pronunciation of the French noun for whim). In 1963, Rickenbacker developed an electric twelve-string guitar with an innovative [design that fit all twelve
Neck Thru consists of a single wooden piece from the neck through the central body section. In 1958, Hall introduced prototype called "capris" (the same name of Hall family's cat from the pronunciation of the French noun for whim). In 1963, Rickenbacker developed an electric twelve-string guitar with an innovative [design that fit all twelve
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