1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish

ARCHIVED • SOLD

1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish

The Rickenbacher Electro Model B was introduced in 1935. It featured a small guitar-shaped body of cast Bakelite and a detachable bolt-on round Bakelite neck with frets that were shaped into the mold. By most vintage guitar historians’ accounts, the Model B Spanish is the first solidbody electric guitar that was playable Spanish style. The pickup is the same 1-1/2” wide horseshoe magnet unit as was used in all of Rickenbacker’s early electric instruments.

The Electro Model B Spanish’s tone is thick and powerful despite the pickup’s low DC resistance of 1.75K. The magnet and its field are huge, which are what gives these instruments their characteristic fat, creamy, hot, and clean tone. The mass of the instrument and the short neck scale of 22.6” does the rest. It’s a uniquely incredible tone, and it’s quite heavenly.

This example is in excellent playable shape and features a few small modifications. There is a second volume added (by the looks of it this was done in the 1930s or ‘40s), and a string ground was added in more recent times. The electronics work well, and we’ve set up the guitar to play with a hybrid Spanish/slide action. Because the neck is a bolt on it’s quite simple to dial in the action to a player’s preference. The frets are somewhat worn but play cleanly enough.

The neck is big and round, with a 1-3/4” width at the nut, and a depth at the 1st fret of .093”. The guitar weighs 8.4lbs.

With original hardshell case
1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish
  • 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish

SHOP VINTAGE & USED

Don't just browse history. Play it.

If you like what you see in our archive, you’ll love what’s currently in the shop. Explore our hand-picked selection of available vintage and used gear.

 Shop Vintage & Used
Folkway Music in Guelph, Ontario Canada

OUR STORY

Three decades of industry experience

We've spent thirty years building relationships with musicians, collectors, and fellow dealers across Canada and the US. Every guitar we sell has been inspected, played, and approved by hands that know the difference.

Learn More