"Rickenbacker Guitars" on Jeopardy

Rickenbacker Guitars had a full category dedicated to them on today's Jeopardy program. It was the first category of the Jeopardy round. Of course, it was the last category selected by the contestants. All of the clues were correctly answered.

Spoiler Alert: If you are a fan of Jeopardy and do not want to know either the clues or the answers, read no further.

The clues were as follows:

$100 - Rickenbacker began a music revolution with the prototype of the first truly electric guitar [Kelly holding guitar], the Frying Pan. It was made of solid wood, so it could be loudly amplified without producing this screeching [screeching noise], also known as the Larson Effect.

$200 - Rickenbacker changed the sound of the 1960s when it gave the second ever Model 360 12-string [Kelly holding guitar] to George Harrison who used it for the opening chord [chord played] of the theme song of this 1964 movie.

$300 - Heartbreaker Mike Campbell uses a Model 620 12-string for that ringing tone fans love as he backs up this fellow Floridian.

$400 - A Model 1998 was the victim when this musician [insert photo], who later got his own limited edition model, did his first onstage guitar smashing in London, in 1964.

$500 - Rickenbacker bass guitars have provided the thunder for generations of rock bands. The bass here [Kelly holding bass] was played by John Paul Jones [insert band photo] on this band's first US tour in 1969.

The answers were:

$100 - What is Feedback?

$200 - What is A Hard Day's Night?

$300 - Who is Tom Petty?

$400 - Who is Pete Townsend?

$500 - Who is Led Zeppelin?
 
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...$300 - Heartbreaker Mike Campbell uses a Model 620 12-string for that ringing tone fans love as he backs up this fellow Floridian.
That would be the 3rd Rickenbacker 12 guitar ever made, and the fist solidbody one.
- Rickenbacker bass guitars have provided the thunder for generations of rock bands. The bass here [Kelly holding bass] was played by John Paul Jones [insert band photo] on this band's first US tour in 1969.
Did they have the bass in hand on the show, or a photo of it? That bass should be the 1967 4001S Experimental bass.
 
Did they have the bass in hand on the show, or a photo of it? That bass should be the 1967 4001S Experimental bass.

She had it in hand. Black with a white pickguard, with a white or clear tug bar on the G string side mounted on/thru the pickguard. Two pickups; neck pickup mounted as close to the neck as possible and bridge pickup mounted as close to the bridge as possible. The pickguard did not extend up under the strings. RW fingerboard. Quite a different looking waist from the current models.
 
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Wow, I never knew John Paul Jones played a Ric ...ever.

Once and once only. A model 4005.

In 1969, in Detroit at the Grande Ballroom.

[EDIT] Here's a pic from that show:

JPJmysteryRick.jpg
 
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This is a pic of the bass she was holding . . .

upload_2017-10-13_14-4-57.jpeg


It (the pic) can be found here . . .



. . . waaaaaaaay down the page, and the caption reads "Prototype Rickenbacker bass - note position of pickups - never put in production. The 'Experimental' prototype bass was used on-stage by John Paul Jones with Led Zeppelin in early ?. Perhaps Jones was field-testing the model for the company." . . .
 
Once and once only. A model 4005.

In 1969, in Detroit at the Grande Ballroom.

[EDIT] Here's a pic from that show:

View attachment 2781988
That's not a 4005, it is the bass I mentioned above. My favorite Rick bass, too; a combination of 4001S and 4005=perfection. :bassist:

My 4004L SPC was inspired by that bass. :hyper:
 
This is a pic of the bass she was holding . . .

View attachment 2781980

It (the pic) can be found here . . .



. . . waaaaaaaay down the page, and the caption reads "Prototype Rickenbacker bass - note position of pickups - never put in production. The 'Experimental' prototype bass was used on-stage by John Paul Jones with Led Zeppelin in early ?. Perhaps Jones was field-testing the model for the company." . . .

I wonder if the top mute adjuster was ever replaced.
 
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This is a pic of the bass she was holding . . .

View attachment 2781980

It (the pic) can be found here . . .

. . . waaaaaaaay down the page, and the caption reads "Prototype Rickenbacker bass - note position of pickups - never put in production. The 'Experimental' prototype bass was used on-stage by John Paul Jones with Led Zeppelin in early ?. Perhaps Jones was field-testing the model for the company." . . .

That pickguard on a crested-wave body shape = pure beauty.
 
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When I first saw the category (while watching the show), I paused the show and turned to my daughter. I said: "Roger McGuinn; Tom Petty; John Lennon; and Chris Squire will be the answers to 4 of the questions." Thought about Geddy, but didn't mention him because I knew my daughter would have no idea who he is.

I was wrong on 3 of the 4 predictions; but the actual questions were a piece of cake for enlightened, sagacious TB'ers like us... :D
 
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She had it in hand. Black with a white pickguard, with a white or clear tug bar on the G string side mounted on/thru the pickguard. Two pickups; neck pickup mounted as close to the neck as possible and bridge pickup mounted as close to the bridge as possible. The pickguard did not extend up under the strings. RW fingerboard. Quite a different looking waist from the current models.
Yeah, that was a great looking bass
 
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