Rickenbacker’s 381 V69 (initially called V68) was a reissue of a 1969 model, which itself was a reisuue of the original 381 made from 1958-63.

The 381 was part of a proposed series – few of which were ever produced – that featured what was a radical idea for Rickenbacker; a full-depth body. The deep body gave Rickenbacker designer Roger Rossmeisl plenty of room to exercise his “German carve” – the pronounced lip around the top edge that he brought to Rickenbacker from his native Germany.

The first vesion of the 381 attracted few converts, but the second, offered from 1969-73 found its way into the hands of John Kay, leader of the band Steppenwolf (“Magic Carpet Ride”, “Born to Be Wild”).

In 1988, Rickenbacker and Kay created a limited-edition signature model, the 381JK. At the same time, Rickenbacker offered the signature-less version as the 381 V69.

It took ten years for Rickenbacker to sell out the run of 250 Kay models, and when the 381JK was retired, so was the 381 V69.