F/S Gibson J160e 1967 with Original case. £1500

PhilCampbell · September 2013

I am selling a 1967 J160e I bought from Vintage and Rare Classics in Earls Court in 1996 for £1300. The Mimesis modern pickup has been removed (although is available) and the electrics recently have been redone. The case is original. There are the obvious dings seen on the photos of a guitar of this vintage which has been gigged. Selling at a bargain price for any Lennon enthusiasts at £1500 Winchester/Portsmouth. Oh and I will polish it!!!

ICBM · September 2013

Damn, I want that! I've always liked J160Es... and 1967 is my year.

I just can't afford it. Unless you want a Rickenbacker 660 12-string? Which I love but never use...

PhilCampbell · September 2013

Tempted what colour is the 12 string and how old?

ICBM · September 2013

Jetglo, 2003, and with the silver case. Not perfect condition but very close.

PhilCampbell · September 2013

What makes it not perfect? Any photos?

ICBM · September 2013

It has some fine scratches and polishing swirls that don't really show up in photos, but here it is anyway...

[Pic hosting account expired]

It has the upper pickguard and the bridge cover, I just prefer them off.

badlydrawnbanjo · September 2013

Looks a bit of a bargain when compared to the one GuitarGuitar have just got in.

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/acoustic_guitars_detail.asp?stock=com-EH127XF50

PhilCampbell · September 2013

Badlydrawnbanjo. You are right it is a bargain, but I want to get a new bass, so something has to go. I am selling at a sensible price so that it does not hang around too long. But I am seriously tempted to do a trade with the Ricky 12 string ICBM

ICBM · September 2013

After tonight's shambolic band practice (where I play bass) I'm tempted to swap you my 4001 instead

.

Just kidding

. The shambles wasn't me...

PhilCampbell · September 2013

I'm looking to move on my 4001sV63 also so I can get a nice Jazz or a Jazz precision hybrid. Getting a bit bored with the ricky sound and want a thin neck!

SimpleSimon · September 2013

Thats nice! Any more pics? is the pickguard a replacement do you know? How is the action and intonation? what strings are you using with it? Does it have a case?

Any interest in a '92 Reissue Ric 1997 in Fireglo if i cant get all the cash together?

PhilCampbell · September 2013

Hi Simon. Pick guards on J160e are normally oval so this maybe an alteration. The action is good and low and the intonation fine. It has been set up by a friend of mine who builds guitars and wrote the book 'How to build your own guitar' and he also restrung it, but not sure with what but they are light I think. I am predominently a bassist but bought the guitar for a Beatle band I was in. It has hardly been played in the last 12 years and not gigged in that time. A friend was so taken with the slim neck he had an acoustic built, bassed on it. It comes with the original case which has some road wear consistant with it's age.

Unfortunately you don't state what model Ric you have; 6, 12 or Bass?

Lixarto · September 2013

PhilCampbell said: Unfortunately you don't state what model Ric you have; 6, 12 or Bass?

He did - a 1997 - import version of a 330. It should be something like this:

http://cdn1.gbase.com/usercontent/gear/2022893/p1_urnm5pytr_so.jpg

PhilCampbell · September 2013

Ok. I really am looking for the cash. Only tempted by the 12 stribg above.

SimpleSimon · September 2013

Sorry - the 1997 model is a 6 string, its a Rickenbacker Rose Morris Reissue based on the models ordered by the then Ric UK Distributor back in 1964. These carried the distinctive traditional F hole rather than the cat eye slash associated with Rics. Pete Townshend favoured these along with the three pick up model and famously abused them during his guitar smashing period. Mines a '92 reissue, apparantly Ric have stated they wont make anymore. Toaster pups, Accent vibrola, play wear, marks and dinks but all consistant with 12 odd years of playing. Looks like this:

Lixarto · September 2013

Simon, that's fab - have a "wow"

SimpleSimon · September 2013

Lixarto said:

PhilCampbell said: Unfortunately you don't state what model Ric you have; 6, 12 or Bass?

He did - a 1997 - import version of a 330. It should be something like this:

http://cdn1.gbase.com/usercontent/gear/2022893/p1_urnm5pytr_so.jpg

Nice! Is that yours Lixarto?

SimpleSimon · September 2013

The reason i asked about strings was to see if it was strung as an acoustic or electric, alot opt for the electric flatwounds to get the Beatles tone, whereas this gives a great electric tone it gives a poor acoustic sound., though it was designed to be used electric afterall!

Lixarto · September 2013

SimpleSimon said: Nice! Is that yours Lixarto?

I wish! No, just a random web picture. Besides, I prefer yours, as it has the vibrato

SimpleSimon · September 2013

Lixarto said:

SimpleSimon said: Nice! Is that yours Lixarto?

I wish! No, just a random web picture. Besides, I prefer yours, as it has the vibrato

Thats funny cos I've always thought about switching the tailpiece as i dont ever use the vibrola! The grass is always greener...!

ICBM · September 2013

PhilCampbell said:

Pick guards on J160e are normally oval so this maybe an alteration.

No, the shape is correct - like the J45, they changed later in the 60s - but the plate may not be original. The four screws holding it down certainly aren't, but old Gibson pickguards have a nasty habit of curling and pulling off, so this may be why they've been added. (And might tend to indicate it is the original, although the colour isn't quite what I would expect.)

The knobs may also not be original - they do look like Gibson 'witch hat' knobs, but I've never seen those on a J160E, they always had the gold bonnet knobs.

Neither of those things bother me but they (the screws especially) might to some people. Oddly enough the only thing I'd be worried about is if the Mimesis pickup left marks around the soundhole!

Personally, I love the J160E amplified sound - I know full well it's not like an acoustic or even quite like an electric, but it has a lovely woody 'thud' that's somewhere between a flat-top and an electric archtop. The pickup is essentially a P90 with extended polepieces through the top, if it matters!

And the thin neck... hmmm. I recently bought and then had to sell a lovely '77 Les Paul Signature because I couldn't get on with the skinny neck - too shallow front-to-back was the problem. I'm not a fan of Gibson late-60s beanpole necks, but I thought the J160E escaped. Any chance you could measure it? Width and depth at the first fret would probably be the most useful.

SimpleSimon · September 2013

Knobs look right for '67, I had a '67 Casino with the same witch hats...

PhilCampbell · September 2013

The width at the 1st fret is 40mm and the depth here is around 23mm.
Hope this helps. how about the 12 string trade? still interested?

PhilCampbell · September 2013

SimpleSimon said:

The reason i asked about strings was to see if it was strung as an acoustic or electric, alot opt for the electric flatwounds to get the Beatles tone, whereas this gives a great electric tone it gives a poor acoustic sound., though it was designed to be used electric afterall!

It is strung with acoustic strings.

ICBM · September 2013

PhilCampbell said:

The width at the 1st fret is 40mm and the depth here is around 23mm.

Hmmm... that sounds worryingly like a typical late-60s Gibson beanpole. I'll measure my other guitars and see what the range is - I have a couple that are at the lower limit for width and depth.

Oddly enough I have small hands, but very small necks give me cramps. That's why I got the 660 - it's the only Rick 12-string with a wider neck.

ICBM · September 2013

Double damn. That is definitely too small, especially the width. It's about a mm smaller than either my Rickenbacker 6-string or my Aria, both of which are as skinny as I can go without cramp.

Sorry... I'll have to pass. It was useful to find out that J160Es went to the super- small necks in the late 60s though, so thanks for that. I'll need to be careful if I see another one, but it probably puts getting a 'my year' one out of bounds.

PhilCampbell · September 2013

never mind. If you ever want to part with the 12 string let me know how much?

ICBM · September 2013

Probably £1500

. They appear to be about £2,300 list now. I'm not sure I really want to sell it though, it is fantastic on the rare occasions I actually get it out. I would swap it for something I would use more if it's the only way I can get that... hence why I thought of the J160E

.

Having done some more research I think Simon is right about the knobs too - I'd only ever seen the gold bonnets on them, and almost all of the ones in pics do have gold, but there's another '67 which Elderly Instruments have with the witch hats - although the smaller pickguard, and the 'reverse' bridge - and this http://vancouver.canadianlisted.com/music-instruments/1967-gibson-j-160e-2800-vancouver_2189659.html which might even indicate the pickguard screws are original too. (Notwithstanding that the guards do curl, so it's possible two people had the same idea to fix it.)

So it seems there might be quite a lot of variation! I'm just hoping it might apply to neck sizes too...

SimpleSimon · September 2013

Are you interested in any other trades? I have an MIJ Casino/Baja Tele/Gibson Les paul up for trade

PhilCampbell · September 2013

SimpleSimon said:

Are you interested in any other trades? I have an MIJ Casino/Baja Tele/Gibson Les paul up for trade

Sorry only really a bassist but quite fancied a 12 Ricky. Need to move the J160e to enable me to get a new bass, otherwise have to sell my 4001sv1963

SimpleSimon · September 2013

PhilCampbell said:

SimpleSimon said:

Are you interested in any other trades? I have an MIJ Casino/Baja Tele/Gibson Les paul up for trade

Sorry only really a bassist but quite fancied a 12 Ricky. Need to move the J160e to enable me to get a new bass, otherwise have to sell my 4001sv1963

Ok fella, no worries

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F/S Gibson J160e 1967 with Original case. £1500

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