Rickenbacker 480XC

One Slick Rick

Wildwoodians, we're proud to present the Rickenbacker 480XC, a limited edition guitar released for Rickenbacker's 90th Anniversary that has some of the most mouthwatering flavors of Rick tone ever to waft from the Wildwood Tone Kitchen. It's also a tribute to one of the criminally underrated guitars from Rickenbacker's back catalog, as they only made the original 480s from 1973 to 1984. Taking its design cues from the classic 4000 bass, the 480 cuts a sharp profile sure to turn heads before you even plug in!

When you do amplify, that's when the real magic happens. Turn up loud enough, and guitar players from neighboring houses and businesses will start wandering over like moths to a neon sign! That's because the Rickenbacker 480XC doesn't really sound like anything else out there. Let's dive deeper and see why the 480XC is so special.

Hot and Toasty

Although neck-through construction gives the 480XC immense sustain and resonance, the overwound hot toaster pickups are the secret to the 480XC's sauce. The classic sound of toaster pickups was the backbone of the British Invasion of the 1960s, and their snarling bite and iconic crystalline jangling tone are part of the fabric of modern music. By overwinding them, the tone wizards at Rickenbacker have achieved something far greater than more output. Hot toasters just have more of everything: more midrange growl and bite, more overtones, more sizzle, more low-end, and more sparkle. With the added heat, it's enough to put even a seasoned guitar copywriter into a rock and roll frenzy (sorry, coworkers!). Sure, you might sacrifice a little bit of dynamic range with the hotter pickups, but the consistent response more than makes up for it. Let's break it down further!

Toast of the Town

When you flip to the bridge position and hit a chord hard, it sounds like a pane of glass shattering in the best, most musical possible way. The lows are tight but present, the midrange packs a focused bite, and the trebles clang and jangle as all kinds of lush overtones pop out of the amp cone. We can't think of a single genre where this tone wouldn't work beautifully for rhythm work or cutting lead lines except maybe for jazz, but that's what neck pickups are for.

Speaking of which, the neck position is also a joy. It has about 3/4ths of the bridge's jangle, so it still has plenty of brightness and clarity, but it has a broader, more vocal midrange response and deeper lows. Its subtler personality makes it an excellent counterpoint to the bridge pickup, and it works wonderfully for fat leads and thick rhythms in just about any musical context. The middle position gives you the best of both worlds--plenty of brightness and sparkle, but with Goldilocks-approved midrange and low-end to go with it.

Ricken-back in the High Life Again

As you can see, the Rickenbacker 480XC has captured the hearts, minds, and brains of the Wildwood Staff, so much so that we let the above pun slide (sorry about that). It has a fresh, exciting voice that presents a new, inspiring flavor of Rickenbacker tone, and we can't wait to see what you cook up with it!