Lightshow 331 Type 1 vs. Type 2 - Help?

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sun May 08, 2005 10:03 pm

Archer is an RS brand. The mounting screws look too long, too. Should be an easy replacement, but don't count on a genuine Rick transformer! You don't want to fry the circuit boards, so go carefully here.

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Sun May 08, 2005 11:21 pm

Hopefully a member with one of these will chime in and offer some advice. I agree with Paul - IMO this is very thin ice here!

scoobster28 · Post by **scoobster28** » Mon May 09, 2005 1:56 am

Oh no. We gotta get that Lightshow working. Best of luck to you John. And if you cannot get it to work and just want to "unload" it, I got a nice crisp $100 bill here!

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Mon May 09, 2005 10:58 am

Vulture!!

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Mon May 09, 2005 2:28 pm

John, can you post a pic of a bulb and it's base?

The bulbs look like the size of a auto bulb, industry number 1816. If I can see the whole bulb, I might be able to verify this..

jsm610 · Post by **jsm610** » Mon May 09, 2005 6:39 pm

Here are some bulb pictures John:

jsm610 · Post by **jsm610** » Mon May 09, 2005 6:48 pm

Some more questions/requests:
- Does anyone have a schematic for the guitar or the transformer? How do the pin-outs map to power?
- Is the power-cable a 'standard' MIDI plug?
- Would someone take a picture of their transformer and post it here?
- Now I get 'bright' lights for about 5 minutes, then 'dim' lights and the transformer box hums. The hum only sounds when the lights should be on (in sync with your playing). Does anyone know if this is a sign of a transformer issue? It seems like if I cut power to the transformer for a couple of minutes and then turn it on again I get bright lights again...
- I seem to no longer get the blue lights to illuminate at all, but they worked yesterday...
- I looked at Radio Shack for a surface mount transformer, but they didn't have the right specs - anyone know a good place with a good selection of transformers?

Where's the 331-doctor when you need him most...

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Mon May 09, 2005 7:05 pm

On the golf course, of course!!

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Tue May 10, 2005 2:39 am

Those are car bulbs.

There are a number of online sources for transformers. Let your fingers do the googling.

8mileshigh · Post by **8mileshigh** » Tue May 10, 2005 3:01 am

Craig Brody has transformers.............Reproductions of transformer boxes for Rickenbacker 331 "Lightshow" guitars are available by special order. Please e-mail or call for more details...$650. I think JH mentioned in the past, that these were a bit expensive for what they are?

jsm610 · Post by **jsm610** » Tue May 10, 2005 3:39 am

I saw that Craig sells them. I'm thinking a new transformer is around $30... So $650 sounds steep. Plus I'm not even sure that the transformer is the problem.

The guitar worked fine last nite for about 40 minutes... It was getting hot so I stopped playing... More troubleshooting to come.

There must be someone who has worked on these or has had someone work on one?

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue May 10, 2005 3:47 am

John: Are the lights always on while playing? As you are making a bit of a modification to the electrics of this guitar, why not put in a switch (push/pull) that will turn the light circuit on or off. This guitar is cool looking, lights or not.

jsm610 · Post by **jsm610** » Tue May 10, 2005 3:58 am

Peter: The lights can be on or off. The 'extra knob', when turned all the way 'off' cuts the lights. I haven't figured out if it also cuts the heat... More playing needed! I had thought the heat was from the bulbs, but it comes from a metal 'thing' that is under the pickups, you can feel it through the back... This would be a good guitar for a winter show.

My new theory is that the guitar works fine if the transformer 'warms up' for say 10-15 minutes. Does this make any sense? Do transformers 'warm up'?

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Tue May 10, 2005 6:57 am

Transformers do indeed warm up, but this should not affect performance in any noticeable way, either positively or negatively. There is not a lot to go wrong with a transformer unless it is subjected to overloads. Overheating will destroy the lacquer or epoxy coating on the winding wire and cause a short, which can be intermittent but not too often is.

We don't know if this Archer transformer is even the correct replacement. I'd start there.

BTW, I heated up pretty well when I saw that $650.00 price tag. This is not rocket science. Seems to be a case of "what the traffic will bear". Perhaps Craig can comment on this if he reads this.

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue May 10, 2005 7:00 am

Well you know what they say Paul, "Transformers, more than meets the eye."