Rickenbacker 360 6 string

Any thoughts on this guitar? I am looking into picking one up, not that it will be easy to do! The price tag is over $1,000 and it appears that they are hard to find - all of the online stores are on back order.

http://www.rickenbacker.com/model.asp?model=360

I love their sound, based on famous players who use them. But, I haven't played one in person. I am a little worried about buying one online before I can play one, but where the heck can I find one to try before I buy? Also, does anyone know of similar sounding models out there?

Any comments will be appreciated!