Rickenbacker 360

The Rickenbacker 360 is a semi-acoustic guitar made by Rickenbacker, and part of the Rickenbacker 300 Series. The instrument incorporates many features standard on Rickenbacker guitars, including a three-ply maple/walnut neck, shallow headstock angle, a thick rosewood fretboard finished with clear conversion varnish, and double truss rods. The 360 also features stereo or mono output, a body with Rickenbacker's "crescent moon" cutaway shape and rounded top edge and bound back, and an R-shaped trapeze tailpiece. A twelve-string version of the 360 (Rickenbacker 360/12) is available. A three-pickup version of this model is also available, the 370.

Rickenbacker 360
Manufacturer	Rickenbacker
Period	1958–present
Construction
Body type	Semi-Hollow
Neck joint	Set
Woods
Body	Maple Carved, with white plastic binding along the back
Neck	Three-ply Maple/dyed maple/maple (not walnut)
Fretboard	Rosewood with pearloid triangle inlays and white plastic binding
Hardware
Bridge	Adjustable
Pickup	Two Single-coil pickups
Colors available
Mapleglo (natural), Fireglo (sunburst), Jetglo (black), Midnight Blue, Ruby

George Harrison of The Beatles had been extensively using an earlier style 360/12 (closer resembling the 330/12 model), but retired it immediately from stage performances upon receiving the new style 360/12 (having rounded cutaways and top edge) in August 1965. The first recording by The Beatles of this new model 360/12 can be heard on the song "If I Needed Someone". Roger McGuinn, of The Byrds, played a 12-string Rickenbacker 370. The six-string Rickenbacker 360 model is favoured by artists including R.E.M.'s Peter Buck^[1] and Against Me!'s Laura Jane Grace.^[2] The 360 was once produced with slanted frets for "a natural finger angle," but negative response led Rickenbacker to switch back to perpendicular frets.