UPS delivered my 620 today!Wow!

melibreits · Post by **melibreits** » Fri Aug 26, 2005 7:34 am

My very first Ric was a 330 from 1981 or '82 (I forget which year), and it has an extremely warm, rich, and mellow tone. I thought this was simply due to the age of the guitar, but perhaps it is the hi-gain pickups from that era as well.... I also have a 330 from the late '80s, and it sounds quite a bit crunchier and meaner than the first one....the pickups from the later '80s are evidently much hotter.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Fri Aug 26, 2005 8:12 am

I have a 1980 330 Paul with a totaly different type of hi-gain. The pole pieces have little buttons on the top, unlike the 'caps' of todays pickups. Compared to my other 300 series gtrs with hi-gains ('88 on) they are weaker & have a really 'single coil' type sound. I had a 1975 450-12 with hi-gains & they were different again (maybe due to age?). Very warm, not at all what you would expect from a solid. MY '90's gtrs are IMO 'typical' Ric sound & my favourites.

It is my experience that the brand new hi-gains are wonderful pickups & sound great, but (& I am probably in error if you look at a spec sheet...Paul?) I find that slghtly older pickups (basicaly anything from the '90's) give me the sound that I like. I know there are incredible variants, but that is how, as a rule of thumb, I personaly feel.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Fri Aug 26, 2005 4:06 pm

Those early '80s pole pieces are mushroom-shaped steel, painted black to match the coil form top.

So at least in physical appearance the older hi-gains differ from more modern offerings.

Does anyone have a closeup of the later "cap" style high-gain and an older one side-by-side so we all can see the difference?

xcoyle · Post by **xcoyle** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 5:03 am

Mitch, the model number on the TRC, seemed to come and go from about 1969 to about 1983. Two years stand out to me though, 1977 bass/guitars generally have them and 1982 instrumrnts seem to have them.

octagon · Post by **octagon** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 7:34 am

Thanks for the info David.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 1:19 pm

My '80 330 has it!

octagon · Post by **octagon** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 7:38 am

Thats cool,I'd like to see a picture.By the way I tried to take photos of my 83 Hi-Gains and My 04 Hi-gain but they are blurry.I will post them anyway sothat you can see the faceplate is flat on the 83 and raised over and below the pole pieces on the 04:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/fuzztone65/highgain010.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/fuzztone65/highgain019.jpg

octagon · Post by **octagon** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 8:41 am

By the way,the neck on my 620 is narrower and thinner than the neck on my 330.On the Rickenbacker website the neck dimensions of both guitars are the same and I read some reviews of newer model 620s(Harmony Central)in which the owners described their 620's as having a "chunky" neck.Is the neck on early 80's 620s like mine different than newer models?

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 9:12 am

Harmony Central has some owners who I would describe as "chunky", too.

I'd bet there's some variance in necks over several decades. The big ol' NC machine came into use after your 620 was made, so there's a good bet that there was more variance then than now.

octagon · Post by **octagon** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 9:18 am

What is the NC machine?

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:24 am

"Not Chunky"!!

To me the 330 neck seems to have a more rounded profile that the 360 and 620 as well as a little bit of extra depth. Hence (IMO) the 'chunkier' feel. I'm comparing 2004 build guitars here, BTW.

Scastles · Post by **Scastles** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:47 am

Numerical control? I think...Paul?

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:54 am

Yeah. Also "New Coke (Machine)"

Scastles · Post by **Scastles** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:55 am

So, a CNC machine would be 'Cold New Coke'...I got it.