SEMI-HOLLOW VICTORY

RICKENBACKER HOLDS A unique seat in the pantheon of great American guitar builders. It was the first to introduce the electric guitar concept by taking it to market in 1932 following the development of the horseshoe pickup the year before. By the late 1950s, Rickenbacker’s new owner, F.C. Hall, was keen to break into the thinline semi-acoustic market and would launch a series of guitars that have endured for more than six decades. Known as the Capri, this iconic design was a marvel of guitar craftsmanship when it arrived in January 1958. Furthermore, by a bizarre twist of fate, the very first Capri ever made — serial number V81 — ended up in the hands of John Lennon in 1960, changing the course of popular culture as a result.

It’s a strange tale that bounces back and forth across the pond. Boiled down, it goes like this: A German-born luthier by the name of Roger