Rickenbacker’s are class guitars.
I used to have an authentic Fender USA Strat. Then I swapped it for a Gretsch 6120, Like Cochran/Setzer. Trouble was, I found it quite hard to play, as the neck was chunky, and my hand is a bit like Beadle’s. Plus, for someone playing pubs and clubs, taking such a guitar to many venues is risky as anything. A lot of people on the scene play, ahem, ‘replica’ guitars, so as to not incurre the risk.
Now, I just play an Adam Black Electro-Acoustic, and have a strat copy at home, that cost me a couple of ton. It serves my purpose, just dickin about with it. Plus, if I want to lay down any multi tracks, a mate of mine has a big guitar collection.