Dumb question? 5th knob?

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amcrory
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Dumb question? 5th knob?

Post by amcrory »

Well, my 360vp arrived today -- absolutely pristine. Not even a scratch on the pickguard. It's gorgeous.

I goofed around in Garageband for a few minutes after tuning it up: http://www.andymcrory.com/8days.mp3

Anyway, I can't for the life of my figure out what the hell the 5th knob does! Help!

-a
No matter how bad it gets, there are always songs.
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rickinroma
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Post by rickinroma »

it's a kind of mix control between the neck pickup and the bridge pickup.... look in the rickenbacker website, Andrew...they explain how to use it
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longhouse
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Post by longhouse »

Andrew, turn your 4 main knobs all the way on (clockwise) - now try turning the 5th knob. Nice wide tonal sweep should be evident. The Ric equivalent of a selectomatic switch.

Seems I also used to monkey with it by turning the bass tone as low as it went too...

=noel=
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steve_hershberger
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Post by steve_hershberger »

Andy - Good to see another FDP'er here too! ;-)

As another recent 360/12 owner/newbie (but mine's a '92 v64), I too had to play around with the 5th knob to find out what it'd do. I did get a manual with my guitar (which might be the same as what's on the Rick website), but it's not written that well.

Francesco and Noel are right - it's a mix control. AFAIK, it only works when the pickup switch is centered, but it might also have some effect in the neck or bridge positions too. don't remember if I tried it that way or not.

Anyway, let's say you've got both pickups on and each tone knob set where you like them. Want a little more emphasis on the neck pickup? Turn the 5th knob counterclockwise a bit. Or turn it clockwise to emphasize the bridge pickup more.

Just experiment because it really is a cool feature. Frankly, so far I'm leaving my vol. & tone knobs all the way up because any reduction of the tone knob(s) results in instant mud. So I'm using the 5th knob as an overall tone control.

That said, I'm still learning the intricacies of the beast. ;-)
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ken_j
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Post by ken_j »

If you look at the schematic at the RIC website you will see that it is a pot wired as a variable resister connected to the neck pickup on dual mono (V64 & CW). The single mono and stereo show that the third leg is grounded (although my former 610 was not). This pot's output is wired to the neck pickup's volume pot wiper arm. I never felt it was anymore than a redundant volume control for the neck pickup. It will effect the neck pick up when it is selected solo or with the bridge pickup. Others here find it useful.
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varmint
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Post by varmint »

It's the "Mojo" knob ;^)
Congrats on your new Rickenbacker, Andy!
They're habit forming - like 'tater chips or Fenders.
amcrory
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Post by amcrory »

It's a ton of fun so far. The build quality is as impressive as my 4001v63.

http://www.fenderforum.com/userphotos/index.html?recid=22438

Thx for all the help so far!

-a
No matter how bad it gets, there are always songs.
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brammy
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Post by brammy »

I usually keep the MojoKnob mostly toward the neck pickup. When I want extra extra treble I let the MojoKnob out a bit. Of course, this will vary with desired, stomp boxes, and especially the amp that you are going through.

Once I got used to it, I found the MojoKnob to be a useful feature.
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jps
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Post by jps »

Welcome Andy to the family!

The mixer control is just another volume control in series with the neck pickup's volume control, only wired in reverse! Turning it clockwise turns down the pickup. I rewired the one on my 660/12 to work the "proper" direction. I might disconnect it to see what it does tonally to the neck toaster on my 12 string. As it adds series resistance I have a feeling the neck toaster may get brighter in tone, which should be a good thing.
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