Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I own a fireglo 330 with a March 1984 s/n - I ordered it from my local retailer in May and received it in June '84.

It is probably one of the last 330s to have a narrow headstock, old-style truss rods, and x-bracing, and has the unusual feature of factory-installed Grover Rotomatics. It is also ...

I don't like the Chromes. They are not made from the same material as '60s flats, sound ****** compared to TIs or Pyramids, and feel like bridge cables.

My personal faves are Thomastiks, which last a long time, sound good out of the package, and are the slinkiest flatwound available. I prefer ...

Will do!

...and I LOVE the change!

The bridge pickup on my 1984 330 always sounded a bit anemic to me, whether it was the original HiGain or the scatterwound toaster that's now installed.

The other night I soldered a bypass wire from the lugs that the .0047 cap is connected to, effectively shorting out ...

'80s fireglo is a bit darker than from other periods, especially early '80s fireglo.

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I know that sometime in the 1980s, Rickenbacker revised their truss rod system. I've heard that this happened in 1983, 1984 or 1985, depending on the source.

What's the real answer, and how can one identify which type of TR from looking at a guitar?

"The neck profiles vary over the years. The TP had a slim neck profile, but the early 660 ("non-Pettys") had a fatter neck profile. They seem to have gone back to a slimmer profile in subsequent years."

Does this apply to the 6-string version as well?

I am seriously looking at placing an order ...

The fireglo shade and pattern (darker area is thicker near the tailpiece) suggests a very recent 330, but that DOES look like a pre-1985 headstock. '70s?

I've done the toaster conversion on my '84 330 with VERY happy results, but I've been on the fence about adding the black knobs. I think I may ...

This thread has been around a while, so I can't remember if I posted an update or not.

Following Mark Arnquist's suggestion, I used a power drill to very slightly enlarge the screwholes in the pickups, and voila! problem solved.

My 1984 330 looks very similar to yours, except it has factory-installed modern-type Grovers. I think '84 was the only year Rick used those.

I recently replaced the HiGains with scatterwound toasters, and strung it with Thomastik Infeld flatwounds, and it sounds AMAZING.

You will need conversion bushings too, as the holes for the Schallers are wider than those for vintage Kluson-style tuners.

Stew-Mac sells 'em, but they're a hair too small to press-fit into the headstock. When I replaced the faux Schallers on my Squier '51, I had to add a drop or two of Elmer's ...

All those British guys you mentioned played Rose Morris models, which are not quite 330s (but close).

Circles - You are correct about Sean Tolby of the Chocolate Watch Band with the mapleglo 330/12. (I have the same model - a '66!)

John Hall has often stated that the model 330 is currently the top selling 6-string Rickenbacker by far. Yet, I can't think of a single high profile musician who used one in the '60s!

It seems that the 360, 365 and 360/12 were the Ricks of choice back then. I've never even seen a photo of an ...

"I never did find Brian's height listed online, but did find a couple of remembrances from people who met him and said he is quite tall."

I met Brian twice, and he is at least 6'2".

I also once met MIKE McCartney, and he was also at least 6'1" or 6'2". He was a very nice man, probably because ...