A Very Fine Fireglo 1966 Rickenbacker 360/12 - Once owned by Frank Zappa

1966 Rickenbacker 360-12 (two pickups) 

This 15-inch-wide thin-body (Just under 1 1/2 inches deep) semi-acoustic, full-size twelve string guitar weighs just 7.80 lbs. Hollow maple body with a single-bound "cat's-eye" or slash soundhole. The back of the body with 'checkerboard' binding. Three-piece glued-in maple/walnut/maple neck with a nut width of 1 5/8 inches, a scale length of 24 3/4 inches and a very comfortable medium-to-thick profile rising gently from 0.87 inch behind the third fret to 0.89 inch behind the 15th fret. Rosewood fretboard with 21 original medium-jumbo frets and triangular sparkle crushed pearl markers. Five-piece (maple/walnut) slotted headstock with white opaque plastic logo plate with black lettering. Twelve individual 'two-line' Kluson Deluxe tuners with oval metal buttons (all stamped "D-169400 / Patent No." on the underside). Two Rickenbacker chrome bar "toaster" pickups with chrome covers and outputs of 10.68k and 9.88k. Two-piece split-level white plastic pickguard with four screws. Five controls (two volume, two tone, and one blend control) plus three-way pickup selector switch, all on lower level of pickguard. Seven-sided black plastic knobs with metal tops with black lettering. The potentiometers are stamped "137 6608" (CTS February 1966). Rickenbacker bridge and Rickenbacker "R" tailpiece. The serial number "FE 1674" (May 1966) is stamped onto the jack plate which has two inputs, one "Standard" and the other [stereo] "Rick-O-Sound". This spectacular example is in near mint (9.25++) condition, the fireglo color being beautifully deep and unfaded. Complete with the original bridge cover. Housed in its original Rickenbacker rectangular silver hardshell case with black leather ends and blue plush lining (9.00).

Provenance: 
This guitar was formerly owned by Frank Zappa and retained in the Zappa family storage locker until its sale in 2005. An accompanying 2005 email from the seller states: “I bought this guitar from Dweezil Zappa shortly after Frank passed… When I went to pick it up at the Zappa storage unit out in the Valley, you could tell it hadn’t been played in years… this one was left original and kept in the Zappa locker.”

In October 2025, Dweezil Zappa confirmed the family’s ownership in direct correspondence with David Brass, writing: “I remember seeing it around when I was a kid, but I don’t recall my dad ever playing it… As far as I remember that guitar was completely stock — no additional circuitry or on-board EQ.”
A copy of this correspondence accompanies the instrument as part of its provenance file.

Related Zappa Estate Reference:
A second 1966 Rickenbacker 360 12-string in Fireglo finish, serial FD 1433, was sold by Julien’s Auctions in the sale “Property from the Estate of Frank & Gail Zappa” (Los Angeles Friday November 4th, 2016 lot 480), realizing $16,000.00.
That example, described in the official auction catalogue as “A 1966 Rickenbacker 360 12-string guitar, serial number FD 1433, in Fireglow finish. Comes with an orange road case stenciled ‘G1’ with tape marked ‘FZ 12 string’,” demonstrates that Frank Zappa owned and used at least two nearly identical Rickenbacker 360-12 Fireglo instruments during the mid-1960s.

The present guitar, serial FE 1674, is thus one of a known pair associated with the Zappa family collection.

Frank Vincent Zappa (1940-1993) was an American composer, guitarist, singer, producer, and bandleader who revolutionized rock and roll. Known for his unique and often strange style, Zappa's music blended jazz, classical, funk, soul, R&B, and more. He led the 1960s group The Mothers of Invention, and collaborated with other musicians, including blues singer Captain Beefheart. Zappa was a prolific worker, releasing over 60 albums in his 30-year career. 

"Probably no one single guitar typifies mid 1960s rock music better than the Rickenbacker electric twelve string. During that period, major groups like the Beatles, Beach Boys, Jefferson Airplane, and Byrds used Rickenbackers on countless recordings. The twelve string's brilliant tone was the basis for folk rock. The resurgence of a sixties style sound in the late 1970s and the popularity of artists such as Tom Petty brought it back. Far from being obsolete, the Rick twelve string was a potent tool for the 1980s musician...The idea for electric twelve strings was not new when Rickenbacker put the 360/12 on the drawing board in early 1963. A small company from Springfield, Missouri had made electric twelve strings called Stratosperes in the 1950s. The Stratospheres usually came setup for alternative tunings -- the player had to learn new scales and cord fingerings. The new tunings were an innovative idea, but not accepted. Gibson had made electric twelve strings with the regular tuning before Rickenbacker, but these Gibons were not popular...The first Rickenbacker twelve string had a conventional setup. By the end of 1963, Mr. Hall devised a novel way to make his new guitar easier to play and to make it sound more distinctive: he intentionally reversed the traditional twelve string stringing. On the new stringing, the twelfth string was the low E instead of the octave above the low E. The eleventh string was the octave string, etc. Strumming down, the lower pitch string was hit before its octave counterpart. George Harrison's double-bound 360/12 was the first Rick strung in this manner. (This is why Mr. Hall always calls George's the first RIckenbacker twelve string.) The Beatles gave the twelve string great exposure on records and in the movie A Hard Day's Night. Because of the increased demand created by the Beatles for the instruments, they became regular production items in 1964" (Richard R. Smith, The History of Rickenbacker Guitars, p. 190).