RockWall Guitars in Münster has set itself the task of selling exquisite, high-quality guitars and basses.

Specializing in guitars and basses of the Rickenbacker brand (authorized Rickenbacker dealer), we also always have instruments of other premium brands on offer. Our motto here is "quality instead of quantity".

We are based in beautiful Münster in Westphalia. You are welcome to come by to test your dream guitar by appointment. Personal contact and good advice are very important to us.

Yours
Andreas/ RockWall Guitars

 

 

---

Interview with Andreas from RockWall Guitars:

How did RockWall Guitars actually come about?
I made music and played the guitar from an early age. But in addition to making music, I was always more fascinated by the instrument as such. I wanted to find out more about how guitars differ and, above all, how they sound. Yes, and I became more and more of a collector. I often had unpleasant experiences when buying guitars. So I thought I could do better. I wanted to offer guitars exactly as I would like to buy them. Not only in the presentation of the guitar, but also in the handling and everything around it. To meet this requirement, I now run RockWall Guitars.

 

Why the focus on Rickenbacker?
I bought my first Rickenbacker in the mid/late 90s. It was always a dream of mine at the time because Per Gessle from Roxette played one. At the time, the dollar exchange rate had fallen significantly and I had taken a vacation job, so I bought it. That was actually my first really good guitar. It was the Rickenbacker 360 model in the color Jetglo (black). After that I never really got away from these instruments and started buying more and more Rickenbacker instruments.
In 2016, the German Rickenbacker distributor was here and was impressed by the abundance of Rickenbacker instruments. Today, RockWall Guitars is one of the few Rickenbacker dealers in Germany.

 

Now you don't just make Rickenbacker with RockWall Guitars, do you?
You're right. It all started with Rickenbacker in Kern back then, but there are so many other great guitar brands, be it Gibson, Fender, Gretsch or Duesenberg, to name just the best known.

One of my principles is to only offer high-quality guitars that I personally like. To do this, however, I have to have a certain passion for the guitar in question, otherwise the guitar won't even come into my store.
I don't buy guitars just to earn money, the things have to be fun and I have to be fully behind it when I offer an instrument.

 

Do you also buy used guitars and basses?
Yes, of course. The great things have to come from somewhere. I also take guitars on commission. Commission means I sell guitars and basses on behalf of customers and when they are sold you get your money minus the agreed commission for RockWall Guitars. [further information on purchase and commission]

 

As a collector, how difficult is it for you to part with guitars?
It's not easy, but at least some of the time I have them (laughs).
Seriously, I'm not rich and my uncle isn't called Uncle Ben or anything like that, and I have to earn some money to live on. And secondly, I simply can't and don't want to keep every guitar I like, if only for reasons of space. After all, you can't play them all at the same time anyway. I have to say with humility that I am happy to be able to do such a great job that gives me a lot of pleasure.

 

Why the name RockWall Guitars?
I really racked my brains over the name for a long time. Now there was this stone wall wallpaper in my living room with some guitars hanging in front of it. So I started taking photos of the guitars in front of this stone wall wallpaper and came up with the idea of linking the company name to this stone wall wallpaper. BrickWall, Wall Brick, Another Brick in the Wall... RockWall. That seemed to be the magic word which is also reflected in the guitar photographs.
Since I liked the name so much, my lawyer registered the brand name for me at the trademark and patent office and we were able to take off with the name "RockWall Guitars".

 

Do guitars and investments also play a role for your customers?
Yes, the topic of guitars as an investment has grown immensely in importance since the 2008 financial crisis at the latest, and the steady rise in the value of premium instruments in recent years speaks for itself. The virus crisis since spring 2020 has further fueled this performance in the market like I have never experienced before. The trend is simply that more and more people want to convert their money into tangible assets, such as precious metals, vintage cars, but also high-quality guitars. A high-quality guitar will certainly always have a certain value and, last but not least, it is also fun to play.

 

What's the craziest story you've experienced with RockWall Guitars so far?
I can think of quite a few, but one is particularly beautiful:
A few years ago, a manager from Gibson in the Netherlands, Werner, came to me to sell one of his Rickenbacker instruments. We got talking and he asked me what my absolute dream guitar was that I would like to own. For me at that time it was clearly a Rickenbacker 360 in white with gold pickguards, just like Per Gessle from Roxette used in the Joyride video, but only built once for Per Gessle.

Now Werner knew the son of the Rickenbacker president at the time, Ben Hall, who also worked at Rickenbacker. Werner asked how the white 360 with gold pickguards was made, but unfortunately nobody at the factory remembered the guitar.
About a year after these events, I received a picture from Werner of 25 360 models built in my dream finish. Rickenbacker had actually built this guitar for the first time after Per Gessle's model. Originally they were supposed to be delivered to Germany, but unfortunately for me, they ended up going to Japan. The crux of the matter in Japan is that the Rickenbacker dealers there are not allowed to deliver to Europe. After endless inquiries, I found a possibility and almost 2 months later it arrived: The Rickenbacker 360 in the color Snowglo with golden pickguard.

A few years later I was able to buy another Rickenbacker 360 Snowglo and decided to sell this first one, "coincidentally" to a female Roxette fan. We got on extremely well right away, and so we went to Sweden together to see the "Per Gessle Unplugged" concerts. After the concert, another dream came true: we actually met Per Gessle as he came out of the stage door.
Incidentally, I am happily married to this woman today.

Years later, I got in touch with Björn from Stockholm, who runs a music shop there. He had arranged the Rickenbacker deal for Roxette at the end of the 80s. A total of 4 different OneOffs were built for Roxette. Björn is also responsible for this great Roxette poster which hangs in my office today and which I have been looking for for 30 years.

Incidentally, one of the 25 Rickenbacker 360 Snowglo guitars was later signed by Per Gessle. [There are photographs here]
I'm still in contact with Werner today, and I think it's great that we've never lost sight of each other since then.

 

Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?
A big thank you goes to my family, who have always supported me when it came to RockWall Guitars, but especially to Per Gessle, without whom this guitar store would certainly not exist.

~ As of November 2024