Rickenbacker 330: Difference between revisions

{{RefimproveMore citations needed|date=March 2009}}

The '''Rickenbacker 330''' is part of [[Rickenbacker]]'s [[Rickenbacker 300 Series|300 series]] of guitars, the series for which Rickenbacker is perhaps best known. The 330 entered the Rickenbacker product line in 1958, though at the time the 300 series of guitars was known as the "Capri" series.<ref name="ref4">[https://books.google.com/books?id=NlscjoFVcs0C&pg=PA161&lpg=PA161&dq=rickenbacker+used+to+be+capri+300+series&sourcepg=bl&ots=uXhHtFp02a&sig=WqDGshe97DQ0G35uSTYdmNzme_4&hl=en&ei=swgwSumLC4_wMoyP7PcJ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1PA161], The History of Rickenbacker Guitars</ref> It was designed by the German [[luthier]] [[Roger Rossmeisl]].<ref name="ref5">[http://www.rickenbacker.com/history_modern.asp], Rickenbacker History</ref> The guitar is associated by many players with the jangle-rock sounds of bands from the 1960s and 1980s. The instrument incorporates many features standard on Rickenbacker guitars, including a three-ply maple/walnut neck, a shallow [[headstock]] angle, and a thick rosewood [[fretboard]] finished with clear conversion varnish. The 330 also features a body with Rickenbacker's "crescent moon" double-cutaway shape with sharp, unbound edges, and an "R"-shaped trapeze tailpiece. One idiosyncrasy of the guitar is its dual [[truss rod]]s, which allow for the correction of problematic and unwanted twists, as well as curvature, of the guitar's neck. The 330 is equipped with a monaural jack plate, lacking the [[Rick-O-Sound]] stereo functionality of other Rickenbacker models such as the [[Rickenbacker 360]].

{{quoteblockquote|The 330 is the biggest seller, followed quite closely by the 360, and 4003. Those three alone make up about 70% of our sales.|[[John Hall (guitar maker)|John Hall]]<ref name="ref1">[http://www.rickresource.com/rrp/JHguitars.html], John Hall Q&A</ref>

Modern 330s are equipped with Rickenbacker's Hi-Gain [[single-coil]] [[Pickup (music technology)|pickups]]. Formerly, the model came equipped with Rickenbacker's Toaster pickups. The Hi-Gains have noticeably higher output than the Toasters, though this has resulted in the character of the sound in current models being slightly different from that of the older, pre-1970s models. The sound of the old Toaster pickups has been associated with such musical acts as [[the Byrds]] and [[the Beatles]], while the newer Hi-Gain pickups are more representative of the sound of groups such as [[the Smiths]] and, [[R.E.M.]], and [[Fugazi]].

For each of the 330's two pickups there are two knobs that control tone and volume. However in 1961,<ref name="ref6">[http://www.rickresource.com/rrp/ricelectronics.html], Electronic History of Rickenbacker Guitars</ref> a fifth "blend" knob was added to the guitar to expand the possible adjustment of the guitar's tone. This knob has several different functions, such as acting as a tone blender between pickups and as a general [[Equalization (audio)|EQ]] between the bass and treble tones of the guitar. Its primary function, however, is to serve as a bass pickup volume [[Equalization (audio)|equalizer]], allowing for the generally quieterlouder bridgeneck pickup to be brought upreduced to comparable levels of volume with the neckbridge pickup. Furthermore,The whenknob neckis pickupa ispotentiometer wired in use,as thea fifthvariable knobresistor doesbetween notthe doneck muchpickup except droppingand the neck pickup''overalls volume'' knob.<ref>http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdfs/19511.pdf In{{Bare fact,URL thePDF|date=March volume2022}}</ref> atSince bassit is only wired into the neck pickup isside muchand loudernot thanin the soundcircuit of the bridge pickup, regardlessit only affects the volume of fifththe neck pickup in both the neck and middle switch positions and has no effect in the bridge position. Turning the knob settingsup (clockwise) increases the resistance — more resistance is more volume reduction prior to the signal reaching the volume knob. The potentiometer value on older models was 500k offering variable resistance from 0 - 500kΩ. More recent productions have a 330k potentiometer which offers a variable resistance from 0 - 330kΩ.

* [[Guy Picciotto]] of [[Fugazi]] seen pics but need source

* [[George Harrison]] of [[the Beatles]] (Harrison played a Ric 425 and 12 string 360s, not a 330) -->