Does anyone have any info on the Rick guitar that The Stiv Bators Band is playing in this photo: http://www.bomp.com/Images/Stiv/Stiv35.jpg

I'ts pretty hard to see from the photo, but I have the album cover at home and it clearly shows a large vox amp style surrounded by 6 jaguar/jazzmaster style switches with no other knobs whatsoever. I'm curious if this is something Rick did or if he had it custom made etc.. Also the tuner heads look White and the body itself seems quite a bit larger than normal.

Here's another photo:
http://www.2and2.net/Uploads/Images/Stiv29.jpg

welcome to the forum. It's just a guess, but it looks like it's a 360WB which has been modded.

That switch setup looks a lot like the arrangement on the Epiphone Al Caiola signature models ('63 to '70). The Caiola used five slide switches, two volume controls and a standard P/U selector switch on an elongated pickguard mated to a standard 335-type body with no F-holes. The switches were fanned out in fashion similar to the switches on Stiv's Rick. -Dr.Phil

Heres a letter I just got from the blue Ash member who used to play in the bators band

Hi Shane,

That was Greg Shaw's guitar that I borrowed a few times. I believe it was a 1964 model that he had customized by some Rickenbacker guys out in LA. The little switches were similiar to the one on Vox guitars and had some interesting tones like the Vox tone-x on a Super-Beatle amp. Right before Greg died he asked me if I still had that Rickenbacker?He thought he had given it to me. but he never did. At least it never got to me! lol I think Pete James who was originally in the Romantics was the last person who owned it. My Rickenbacker is the one Eddy Best is holding on "It's Cold Outside" btw there were a lot of different Rickenbackers made in small quantities in California in the early 1960's. They didn't become popular until the Beatles came in 1964 then went through the roof in sales in summer of 1965 when the Byrds were hitting big. So there are some strange Ricks floating around out there.

Take care,

Frank