In 1961, the Capri underwent several significant design changes—the body thickness decreased from 2 to 1 1/2 inches, the upper horns were widened, the body waist was moved slightly towards the center, and a fifth but smaller Blend knob was added—enabling a wider range of tones to be coaxed from the existing two-pickup system. In 1961 Rickenbacker also adopted a date-code system with “A” designating the year 1961 and the second letter indicating the month. This example (serial #AE) is rare in that it may be one of the first guitars made in the “New Capri” body style and certainly one of the first in the standard 330 model. Further, it may be one of the first Ricks to sport the fifth Blend knob and have a factory-bound neck, not standard on the 330 model.