Solid body from semi-hollow

[Matt Clark]

OK, this may seem like a crazy idea, but...

does anyone have any ideas on how or what you could fill a 330 body with, like a resin of some sort perhaps, that would not warp or crack the wood from the fact it is liquid, expansion, or chemically overheating as a result of being poured or injected it into the empty spaces? I don't want to use expanding foam insulation as it would not be dense enough and would defeat the purpose of filling it.

Also, where I can find some sort of schematic for the body that would show where the empty spaces are located, even if it is a rough and does not include measurements?

I want to turn my 330 into a solid body guitar without building a new one from scratch.

[larsongs]

I'm curious, why? Is it to achieve a certain sound? Why not fill it with something that is completely removable? Like some kind of Foam Rubber cut into little pieces & stuff Guitar til full? What happens if you fill it with something solid & you don't like the weight or the sound? The Guitar is pretty much worthless isn't it?

Glenn

[jdawe]

Wow, that does seem to me like a crazy idea. Even if you don't actually destroy your 330 in the process, you're almost certainly going to destroy its resale value. Wouldn't it make more sense to sell the 330 and buy a solidbody Rick like a 620 or a 650? Both are great guitars and that way you'd still have a valuable instrument. (Better yet, if you've got the dough, keep the 330 as is and buy a 600-series to go along with it).

[scotty]

Didnt Pete Townshend sometimes fill the cavity with some kind of foam to minimize feedback? Im sure ive read that somewhere..

[jdogric12]

I think it's a neat idea! You could theoretically cut down on feedback and possibly beef up the sustain.

If you decide to use ball bearings, I did my senior thesis for my bachelor's in mathematics on sphere packing with some surprising results and proofs with regard to determining the most space-efficient packing of golf balls for shipment. It turns out crystal lattice and the other one (been a while, can't remember the name) are the same. Asleep yet?

[jingle_jangle]

What's the purpose of filling the guitar?

Foam will deaden the hollowness and contribute nothing to sustain. Resins heat up and expand or contract, besides being irreversible and quite heavy. You'd be looking at a 20 pound boat anchor.

Buy a solidbody Rick.

[Matt Clark]

What's the purpose of filling the guitar?
Buy a solidbody Rick

they don't make an 009 style solid body or I would!

I own a 620 that I love dearly, but would like the 009 body style as a solid body.

You've just got to be tough enough to sling a heavy guitar! 20+ pounds wouldn't bother me a bit.

[jingle_jangle]

009?

[Matt Clark]

009?

Don't you build them?

330/360 wb is style009
360 is style011
320 is style007
600 series is style008
362 is style014

so on and so on...

http://www.rickenbacker.com/identification.asp

[Matt Clark]

Foam will deaden the hollowness and contribute nothing to sustain.

And I quote (myself) from above...

I don't want to use expanding foam insulation as it would not be dense enough and would defeat the purpose of filling it.

It would be an expensive oops and that is why I am asking first. I'm not really an idiot. But, not wholly a purist either. If RIC doesn't make what you want and won't make it for you, you've got to look for solutions.

A one-off ghost RIC costs more than double what a "real" one does so if I ruin one I'm not out as much as buying the one-off.

[jingle_jangle]

You'll have to pardon me, Matt...I'm a newcomer. I've only been really "into" Rickenbackers since 2005. Still, I've never heard a reference to Style 009 or style 014, in this Forum, in my correspondence, or in my restoration work. We generally use model numbers. Try entering "Rickenbacker Style 009" into Google and see what you get.

However, I try to learn something new every day, and I'm gobsmacked. Now I have to learn a whole new foreign language.

AAAaaarrgghhh!

My comment on foam was not to you, Matt, but to the RRFer who suggested it, one Scotty the Troublesome.

Anyway, what you want is a WB 360, with a solid body?. That chunk of maple would weigh around 12-14 pounds in hard maple. Add the neck, tuners, and hardware, and it's hard on the back. So, maybe that's why "they" don't make a Style 009 in a solid body.

Anybody who would build you a one-off ghost Rickenbacker for twice what a new one costs, is taking your hard-earned cash and you'd both be breaking the law besides your back.

[wim]

Didn't I read somewhere that Tom Petty had a solidbody 360 O.S. built by RIC, and he found it to be too heavy?

[Matt Clark]

What happens if you fill it with something solid & you don't like the weight or the sound? The Guitar is pretty much worthless isn't it?

That's kinda why I'm asking, right?

Actually, I have a 320, a 360/12 a 620 and this 330, and as it stands [and I know what I am about to say is sacrilege] it's already about worthless, but I love how it looks and would love to turn it into something I can use.

[iiipopes]

If you really must do that, how about an aerosol can of spray insulation foam? After all, we're talking about extreme methods to get rid of feedback. It won't add appreciable weight, and with the long tube nozzle you can spray it up to the very tip of the routing. And you probably only need one small squirt, the way the stuff expands.

That reminds me: I have some furnace vents I need to remove and spray between them and the subflooring....

[jingle_jangle]

Actually, I have a 320, a 360/12 a 620 and this 330, and as it stands [and I know what I am about to say is sacrilege] it's already about worthless, but I love how it looks and would love to turn it into something I can use.

You mean, you have a Style 007, a style 008, a style 009, and a style 011, correct?