430 question

Transition years of Rickenbacker Guitars from 1973-1983 inclusive

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parker_knoll
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430 question

Post by parker_knoll »

Hi

does a 430 have a wide fingerboard a la 650/660/380L or a narrow one a la 330/360/610/620?

Thanks

Toby
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jdawe
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Re: 430 question

Post by jdawe »

The 430's fingerboard is unique: it is narrow but dead flat, whereas the 300-series and the 610/620 fingerboards have a radius. I can't tell you offhand whether it is exactly the same width, but it is similar, and narrower than on a 650/660/380L. (I can give you the exact width later today after I get home).
parker_knoll
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Re: 430 question

Post by parker_knoll »

yeah, i think 10" radius on my 330.

would be great to get dimensions, thanks. how does it play?
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jdawe
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Re: 430 question

Post by jdawe »

It's a great player, although people who aren't used to the narrow neck and flat fretboard sometimes find it a bit disconcerting. I bought mine from a friend when I was in high school back in 1983 and for much of the time since then it was my only guitar, so I've had lots of time to grow accustomed to it. I have relatively small hands and tend to prefer narrow necks in any case.

Although the flat fretboard makes for a bit different feel as compared with my 620, it still plays like you'd expect of a Rickenbacker, with a straight neck and nice and low action. When I got my 620 a year ago I set up the 430 for slide and raised the action very high, but just yesterday I lowered the action back to normal and got reacquainted with how well it plays when set up that way.

The sound is also definitely that a Rickenbacker -- while somewhat different from my 620, the two of them are closer to one another than to any of the other guitars in my household (a Tele HH and a Strat).

If my house was burning down and I could only take one guitar with me it would be one of my 620s, but that's no knock on the 430, which is a very nice guitar in its own right. However, in an ideal world it would be good if you could try one out before buying one, since the flat fretboard may not be your cup of tea. Of course, if you did buy one and decided you don't like I expect a lot of people here would happily take it off your hands.

I'll post the exact dimensions neck width -- send me a pm or bump this thread if I forget.
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jdawe
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Re: 430 question

Post by jdawe »

Toby - the 430 neck measurements are about 40.5 mm at the nut and 48.0 mm at the 12th fret, which is a shade narrower than a 330 or 620 (41.4 mm and 49.05 mm, according to the factory specs), and quite a bit narrower than a 650 (44.45 mm and 53.52 mm).

Hope this helps.

Jon
parker_knoll
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Re: 430 question

Post by parker_knoll »

wow, even narrower! i wonder what the thinking was there, interesting. thanks for the info.

I like the way they look, somehow incredibly 70s, and I've seen a couple of cheap ones for sale at the moment.

I guess with a bolt on neck you can always get someone to make you another one and bolt it on :)
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jdawe
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Re: 430 question

Post by jdawe »

If you can get one for cheap, go for it! They're fun guitars. I rarely see them for sale in my area, and the last time I did the asking price was very high.

You could replace the neck,but I don't think I'd want to - the neck, odd fingerboard and all, is really the best feature of the guitar, which is basically a relatively crude wood slab body with a very well-made neck. I'd be much more tempted to put the neck on a different body, as Todd Bradshaw did recently:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=402233
parker_knoll
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Re: 430 question

Post by parker_knoll »

oh that's interesting.

Bizarrely i like the shape of the 430 body, maybe my favourite Ric shape, but then i have a 330 and like big pointy ears
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jdawe
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Re: 430 question

Post by jdawe »

I like it too -- it reminds me of a Telecaster, except for the top horn, and I think the Tele is an all-time classic design. But I guess I like the 330/360/620 bodies even more. The finish on the higher-end models is a lot fancier -- my 430 is just a slab of wood with a rather nondescript black paint job (more matte than JetGlo).

The only real design beef I have with the 430 is the placement of the jack -- it goes through the hole where the fifth knob would ordinarily be, and is simply screwed onto the plastic pickguard without any other support. That means that if you accidentally step on your cord it can put a lot of torque on the plug and jack, which can cause the pickguard to break. That has happened to me twice, and after the second time I got fed up and drilled a hole through the side for a barrel jack, which I think is an improvement.

Of course, the lack of fancy finish on the 430 makes it a great guitar to mod (I'd never dream of taking a drill to my 620s). Unfortunately I lack the skill of Todd or Paul W. (see this thread for Paul's refinish of his 430: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=403493), but one of these days I plan to do something a bit less ambitious with mine and try out either a trapeze tailpiece or a Bigsby (or something similar).
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