Probably not many, as you say, but a heck of a lot more than two.

Here is DC 336.

http://www.rickresource.com/register/vi ... 6order%3D5

So there were at least two in March 1964!

If that doesn't demonstrate the inaccuracy of the Smith book, I don't know what will!

Still not convinced? Here are 8 more 1964 1998's we have collected...

http://www.rickresource.com/register/in ... 64&order=6

_________________
Brian Morton
A Rickenbacker Fan in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
===============================
67 FG 625
74 JG 4000
76 JG 430
77 JG 620
77 JG 320
79 JG 4001
80 FG 620/12
81 BG 480
91 JG 610
02 BG 620

Amps -
78 TR7
83 TR25

I just happened to have the RoMo invoices on my desk and note that the top few invoices show 25 units of the 345S were shipped on January 2, 1964, 50 units on February 25, another 25 on May 12, 1964, and 25 more on June 11th.

Oops.

Oddly enough, none of these shipments include an instrument with serial number DC330. Perhaps there's an April shipment I don't see or this was shipped domestically.

Just happened to be in the archive area this morning and looked at the old serial records: this guitars was originally sold in the US.

Interesting info, thanks John!!

I think many of us who are fans of the Rose Morris instruments are very curious about production numbers of the Rose Morris models (not just of the 1998, but all of the Rickenbacker variations).

These days, with guitars moving around the world frequently, we're often left to small details (like knobs, case, tailpiece etc) to determine if an instrument was Rose Morris or a domestic model.

For instance, I own what appears to be Rose Morris 1998 # DE598 which I assume was one of the 25 shipped in May ?

On another note, I own EG337, which is identical to the Rose Morris 1997, but might be a domestic 335S model? Curiously that guitar was shipped without a strap button on the upper horn at all...not even a hole for one. (photo below, tailpiece changed from Ac'cent vibrato, missing upper pickguard)

Obviously making any of this info available is entirely up to your discretion, but it would be interesting information to know, and would make the often misquoted Smith figures redundant...which I think we're all tired of seeing!

June shipment actually.



Apparently, since it doesn't appear in the ROMO file.

All of this info will be published someday, I'm sure, but I don't know in what format. Let's just say that I need to hold back some of the goodies for the right author to make it worth their while.

Excellent, thanks John!

I certainly understand - the right author needs to take their time and process the full archive of information. Smith's book has been useful in some ways, but obviously he skipped on including a lot of info (maybe he underestimated what it would mean to people 20+ years later).

Ah okay this is interesting. Yes I'm having problems loading pics up for some reason but I will try again tomorrow. I'm in England. If I can load pics up ill try sorting a link out...many thanks...

Yeah just checked link and its def the same as the 1998 model.

Okay, hopefully three pics added...