NGD - Rickenbacker 330/6

Twang Banger

Twang Banger

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This is crazy ... about 6-8 weeks ago I started listening to Tom Petty incessantly in the car. My kids were getting schooled on yet another classic artist ... then he died. Ugh, kick in the gut ... very sad thing.

I have too many Strats, amps and other guitars so I started selling a few things off l.. then it hit me, why not pick up a RIC and start playing some Petty tunes for fun? So I pulled the trigger on a nice used RIC. It is a very different feel and sound ... but I am really starting to love it and appreciate what artists like Petty got out of them. It’s going to be a great alternate guitar on country gigs for sure.

Anybody else have opinions, same or different, about RICs?

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Re: NGD - Rickenbacker 330/6

I would love a ric. When I was younger, I tried one and found the feel very strange. But now I think I would like the difference, might push my playing in a different direction. And they are the world's coolest looking guitars.

Congrats! And don't forget the other great Ric music: early Who, Beatles, the Jam, and on and on.
 
Re: NGD - Rickenbacker 330/6

Rics are neat guitars, but not great instruments. However they make a sound you can't really get any other way.
 
Re: NGD - Rickenbacker 330/6

Go get a “Janglebox” pedal (fancy compressor) It’ll take your Ric to the next level. Gorgeous guitar, happy NGD!
 
Re: NGD - Rickenbacker 330/6

I am so, so happy for you and would love to have one someday. Great way to remember Petty. He is missed.

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Re: NGD - Rickenbacker 330/6

Wow, very nice! My favorite Ric 12 string tune is 'Awaken' by Yes. Steve Howe tears that up.

 
Re: NGD - Rickenbacker 330/6

daan said:
Go get a “Janglebox” pedal (fancy compressor) It’ll take your Ric to the next level. Gorgeous guitar, happy NGD!
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Exactly! Have two Ric 620's, one 6 string and the other 12, run thru the first version of a Janglebox, then add a little reverb, and straight into the mixing console (for the 12 string), my 620 6 string goes into a Janglebox, then into my Vox AC30, absolutely phenomenal sound!
 
Re: NGD - Rickenbacker 330/6

beaubrummels said:
Rics are neat guitars, but not great instruments. However they make a sound you can't really get any other way.
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What's not so "great" about them. I've had 3. My 1971 mapleglo bass (4001?) was the best I've ever played. I had a 1967 330 jetglo which was also an amazing guitar. I currently have a 2010 fireglo 620 which plays and sounds good, but has some electrical issues I've got to get in there and fix (sound like a cold solder joint).

I really like the feel of Rics and the bass was not only the best playing and sounding bass I've ever laid hands on, but in my opinion it was the nicest looking as well.
 
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Re: NGD - Rickenbacker 330/6

Yes 4001 is one of best basses of all time...fast cutting, articulate...Chris squire, geddy Lee (yes jbasses are up there as well;)

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Re: NGD - Rickenbacker 330/6

I've also got am amazingly lovely Jazz bass with flamed maple top in tobacco burst. I absolutely love the sound and playability of that bass.

The Jazz and Ric are the greatest!
 
Re: NGD - Rickenbacker 330/6

GuitarDoc said:
What's not so "great" about them. I've had 3. My 1971 mapleglo bass (4001?) was the best I've ever played. I had a 1967 330 jetglo which was also an amazing guitar. I currently have a 2010 fireglo 620 which plays and sounds good, but has some electrical issues I've got to get in there and fix (sound like a cold solder joint).

I really like the feel of Rics and the bass was not only the best playing and sounding bass I've ever laid hands on, but in my opinion it was the nicest looking as well.
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For the record, I own and use 4 Rics, a 325, 620-12, 330-12 and 4001C64. The 4001 is the best sounding and most flexible sounding bass I've ever owned. But all my Rics are boxy feeling and uncomfortable, not outstanding woods or any craftsmanship meriting 2000-3000 dollars, finishes are inconsistent, and the pickups have a very cheap AM radio quality, neck pickups can't be adjusted so they remain thick muddy and dark, out of balance with the bridge - but those quirks and characteristics are what make "that sound", through the right amp, microphone and signal path. Don't misunderstand me - Rics are great and I love playing them and don't regret owning any of them , but to be realistic they are guitars rather than an instrument to me.
 
NGD - Rickenbacker 330/6

beaubrummels said:
For the record, I own and use 4 Rics, a 325, 620-12, 330-12 and 4001C64. The 4001 is the best sounding and most flexible sounding bass I've ever owned. But all my Rics are boxy feeling and uncomfortable, not outstanding woods or any craftsmanship meriting 2000-3000 dollars, finishes are inconsistent, and the pickups have a very cheap AM radio quality, neck pickups can't be adjusted so they remain thick muddy and dark, out of balance with the bridge - but those quirks and characteristics are what make "that sound", through the right amp, microphone and signal path. Don't misunderstand me - Rics are great and I love playing them and don't regret owning any of them , but to be realistic they are guitars rather than an instrument to me.
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I have a 360 6 string (jet glo) and it is definitely idiosyncratic - from the Bridge design, through “mystery knob” control and on...

The one thing that I couldn’t accept as “well, that’s what you get with a Rickenbacker” was the electronics. I too found the neck pickup boomy -even with the 5th knob wound back. And the difference between that and the bridge was just too much for the amp EQ to handle.

Where I ended up was with replacement JBE pickups (double blade - whisper silent) that are FANTASTIC, stewmac treble bleeds on each volume control, and a bypass cap on the 5th knob so that it acts more like the Bass contour on my Reverends.

The electronic drive train is just what I want now.

The only remaining issue is the action, thanks to the Bridge design - endless setups and I can’t ever get sufficient clearance on every string. Bear in mind that I string my guitars with 11-49s, so there should be more than enough tension to pull the neck forward, but even if I loosen both truss rods completely, I get minimal/nil relief. The Bridge screws could do with being about 1/8th” longer - particularly on the treble side.

All that said, I’ve got it as good as it’s ever been right now, and is more than playable, so I’m enjoying the hell out of it.


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