Tone Uncovered

steverok · Post by **steverok** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 5:24 am

Hey all, I have three Ric's : 330MG, 360JG, and 360-12VP FG. I am doing massive recording of them all, as of late. I am getting some great sounds out of the 330 and 360-12VP, but I am pretty sure, and sad, that the 360JG does not have the tone and fullness of the 330MG. The 360JG was my dream guitar, I originally had a different 360JG, which had a fuller sound, but several glaring flaws in the body cosmetics. I will say that the 360JG sounds good when I run it through my Fender tube amp, with a small amount of distortion, that really wakes it up, and the notes perk up quite a bit, but the 330MG sounds fuller and richer, overall.

Some say that the 330 body style has a fuller sound, since it has more volume, and McGuinn says that the MapleGlo has the best tone, since the wood is chosen for the best grain and appearance, so, if I put these two claims together, the 330MG is the best sounding Ric there is.

I want to beef up the sound of my 360, or punt, and give it toasters, for more of a jangly sound, or, sadly, sell it. It has Ric 10's on there, I have a set of these GHS boomer 12 gauge strings I may try. Will that help ? Any similar experiences?

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 5:32 am

Funny Steve, because I had a FG & a JG 360 at the same time & the JG always sounded dull in comparison to the FG. I am sure that this is coincedence & nothing to do with the colour. I also had a 330 at the same time as the two 360's & it sounded more jangly than either, but the FG 360 had a little more 'depth'.

I went over to 330 shape gtrs entirely, but recently have pined after a 360 again, so on wednesday, I am collecting a '97 360FG & a '03 370FG. It will be interesting to hear the difference between them & my 330's.

steverok · Post by **steverok** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 5:51 am

I don't think I will buy another guitar without trying it first. You're bound to be a bit disappointed. I am having the same problem, a bit of a dull sound. My 360-12 VP is far from dull-sounding. I may try toasters to see if that wakes it up. You never know ...

wrattej · Post by **wrattej** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 9:40 am

My main guitar at the moment is a 360JG with hi gains. I've just finished recording with it and I can honestly say it the best guitar sound I've ever had (been recording for 20+ years). I'm using Rickenbacker 10s on it. I find that Rics can be a bit inconsistent and every now and again you get a dud. I'm lucky I've got a keeper. Also I don't think toasters will beef up the sound.

Have you tried running your 360 through a Janglebox compressor ? I've got one of these magic little boxes and they really do add something special to the sound. Other than that I just run my Ric through an 18 watt Marshall 1974 combo on full pelt. I've also got a maple 350v63 which obviously is a bit more chimmey but that's down to the toasters. I still prefer my stock 360 with hi-gains though.

steverok · Post by **steverok** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 10:25 am

Thanks John, I will try to put the 12s on it, and see if that makes any difference. It took me awhile to figure this out, my first impression was right. I can get it to sound good with the right amp and pick-up settings, but it is much more picky than my 330.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 12:09 pm

This 330 vs 360 & 360 vs 360 debate will take on new significance for me soon. The new Carnivores album will be started in Dec/Jan & I will be in the studio for three months with it, so I will be starting my recording 'tests' soon, to see which gtrs will do which job. It will once again be a 100% Rickenbacker album, so I will be doing pretty severe comparison tests on all of my gtrs. Should be interesting!

steverok · Post by **steverok** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 2:12 pm

I'm very interested in this. While I love to look at all of these pictures, in the end, it's all about the sound.

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 2:49 pm

My 360FG is duller than my 360MG... but its not a "real" MG, its a refinished Tuxedo, but the idea is the same: maybe the heavier paint/finish dampens the sound more than a simple stain? ... Calling Mr Hall... Calling Mr Hall...

steverok · Post by **steverok** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 5:52 pm

I put the GHS 12's, "boomers", on my 360JG, it's definitely fuller. What I noticed before is, if I select the middle pick-up position, and turn the bridge pick-up volume all the way, I would get a rather thin sound, especially when I twinkle my little E string, that is no longer the case. I think I am much happier now, but I need time to digest it. These strings are rather fat, and squeaky, I may end up using Ric strings on there, but replacing the little E with a 12. I do like that it sounds so much different than my 330, it's a bit more mellow sounding, perhaps. Will keep at it, it's a lifetime commitment, must be in a good Ric state at all times.

steverok · Post by **steverok** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 5:58 pm

John, about the JangleBox, every clip I have heard sounds like some sort of acoustic, Byrds type of sound. I am interested in a guitar compressor, but all I am looking for is a nice, full, rich, smooth and creamy sort of sound for rhythm guitar. I have still not heard any clips of the JangleBox with a Rickenbacker.

wrattej · Post by **wrattej** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 8:59 am

I'm sure there were a few clips with Rickenbackers on the Janglebox web-site - maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, you should be able to get the full, rich, creamy sound with just your Ric and a good valve amp. I use the compressor for my clean sound. Because the 18 watt Marshall doesn't really do clean I use the volume control on my guitar to clean things up. Adding the compressor adds something here. For normal, "full-on" playing I don't use any effects except a fulltone fatboost for solos.

I know how frustrating tone can be. The singer in our band also has a 360 but a fireglo one. When I plug his guitar into my amp it sounds completely different - not as full and lush. However, many things contribute to the overall sound - strings, pickup position etc.

I'll gladly send you an MP3 of my 360 cranked through my 18watt Marshall if you like.

steverok · Post by **steverok** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 9:21 am

Yes, my 360 sounds good through my Fender tube amp, but not so great on my Line 6 Flextone III, whereas the 330 seems to sound good on either.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 10:11 am

John...what's all this 18 watt lark. That's not loud enough to get through an open newspaper! If you're going to do Marshall...then just do it....

winston · Post by **winston** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 10:29 am

Confirmed sighting of yet another Ric addict!!!

Nice Tony.

The amps are nice too. Although it took me a while to remember that they were the gist of your comment. LOL

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 10:37 am

Me...a Ric addict?...no! A fireglo fetish?...certainly not!

BTW, Matilda...another love of my life!