Rickenbacker Electro Spanish Model B, 1935

Molded from Bakelite plastic, this 1935 Rickenbacher Electro Spanish Model B was an early and innovative entry into the early electric guitar market of the 1930s. 

The guitar proved economical to produce, with Bakelite easy to obtain as guitar maker and machinist Adolph Rickenbacher (1887-1976) already used the early synthetic plastic to manufacture toothbrush handles. In addition, the design itself was simple and modular: the guitar neck was detachable, a feature that cut production costs and provided ease of replacement; and the strings were attached through the back, a feature now common on electric guitars.  

The Electro Spanish Model B claimed to be louder than any piano in the 1930s, but it did not sell well compared to the Rickenbacher Electro Hawaiian lap steel guitar, which was produced concurrently. At the time, Hawaiian guitars were much more popular than Spanish guitars, and the Electro Spanish Model B’s heavy weight made it difficult to play Spanish style, in a seated position. 

The European spelling of “Rickenbacher” on this guitar’s peghead would be used on many early models and on Adolph Rickenbacher’s business card into the 1950s. By the 1960s, the company had changed the spelling to “Rickenbacker,” which continues to be in use today.