Rickenbacker 360-12 Electric Guitar Formerly Owned by Roger McGuinn

Roger McGuinn (b. 1942) used this 1964 Rickenbacker 360-12 electric guitar to create the distinctive “jingle-jangle” sound that became associated with his Folk-Rock band, The Byrds. 

After seeing The Beatles’ 1964 movie A Hard Day’s Night, Roger McGuinn was so impressed by George Harrison’s prototype 12-string Rickenbacker that he bought this one. To achieve more gain and sustain, McGuinn customized the guitar by adding a third pickup and a modified Vox Treble Booster. This Rickenbacker’s “jingle jangle” defined the folk-rock sound of the Byrds, which can be heard on their hits, “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Turn, Turn, Turn,” and “Eight Miles High.” 

Acoustic 12-string guitars had been around for decades by the time this model was made and were often used in Folk music. But the electric Rickenbacker 360-12 revolutionized the 12-string sound, making it popular in 1960s Rock. The guitar has a number of unique design elements. For example, instead of being built as a traditional acoustic or hollowbody electric guitar, the instrument has a modified solidbody design. The guitar also features “reverse stringing.” A traditional 12-string has six sets of paired strings, and each pair produces the same note. The lower four pairs each have one string in the standard tuning and another string that is tuned an octave higher. The higher octave string is located above the lower string in the pair. Rickenbacker, however, reversed this arrangement, which produced a warm, more bell-like sound.