The Rickenbacker 325 is the first of the Capri series of hollow body guitars released in 1958 by Rickenbacker.
Rickenbacker 325 | |
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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 325 was designed by Roger Rossmeisl, a guitar craftsman from a family of German instrument makers. Production models had a 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 an angled sound hole, and boasts "crescent moon"-style cutaways. These instruments gained prominence due to John Lennon's use of a 325 during the early years of The Beatles. 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. This series is currently available only in "C" reissue form, although the reissues lack a sound hole to mimic Lennon's instrument.