A closer look at the 2030

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 7:10 am

I designed that circuit primarily mainly to make the instrument more quiet. Hand wiring simply is not consistent and you can't control the ground planes as precisely as you can with a PCB.

The circuit itself is fairly unique, a boost-cut thing that exchanges pickup power, of which there was plenty, for greater control versatility.

It did make the assembly somewhat more simplified although there wasn't much cost savings in the end due to the higher component cost.

I specified the nylon shafts to try and get controls that moved like silk and the serrated shaft gives the the feel of a very expensive wire-wound pot.

I had to laugh after watching that Great American Inventor show once fairly recently. Some musician was touting how he had just invented the recessed jack and how it would revolutionize guitars.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 8:06 am

Thanks for the info John. That is a cool design. BTW Is it right that only one 490 guitar was built?

I agree with Kevin that we tend to expect ALL Rickenbacker basses to be like the 4001/3. The 2000 series showed that RIC is not afraid to try something different. Unfortunately for the model, the average RIC player was not up for something different. That is a shame. I have to think that wearing another name plate, the 2030 could have become popular. I like the Todd Bradshaw version. He replaced the body with one that looks quite a bit like a 320.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 8:56 am

Ted ... Your 2030 is neck heavy? ... I have owned about 5 of those and they were all body heavy and neck light ...

they should have shaped the body like a 300 series guitar ...

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 9:04 am

That did not come out right. I meant to say that it feels neck heavy because of the way it hangs on the strap. When I use a 2 inch wide suede-backed strap I don't notice it at all.

aceonbass · Post by **aceonbass** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 10:05 am

I reshaped the body on my custom 230. I think with a longer upper cutaway like a 4005, it would have been very cool looking bass and much more RIC like.

aceonbass · Post by **aceonbass** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 10:20 am

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 11:37 am

Now that would do it. If I ever find a trashed 2030 I would try that.

soundmasterg · Post by **soundmasterg** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:55 pm

I'm in the process of refinishing my 1989 230 in Blue Boy. What prompted this was the pickup selector switch failing on the circuit board. Since I had to take the board out to replace the switch, and I never liked the way the controls were arranged or how hard the pots turned, I was considering changing over to a different wiring setup and ditching the circuit board. (Of course I'll keep it in case of eventual sale which is highly unlikely) The original color was red and it had been painted black over the top of the red before I bought it. The finish was checking and cracking, and I figured it would be a good time to refinish it. Now its almost a year later and I'm finally getting the finishing done. Maybe another month and I'll be posting some pics.

With those super hot samarium cobalt magnets and the high wind, these humbuckers from RIC really have an attitude if you want it. The boost-cut arrangment in the controls as John put it make a difference in the tone, and the excellent grounding setup makes this the quietest electric guitar I've ever owned as far as hum rejection. If it hums too badly when I put it back together with discrete parts, then I'll be switching back to the board. I wouldn't mind getting a 2030 sometime too but I've only seen one for sale in person before and couldn't play it at the time.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 5:53 am

Yes, they do have attitude. There is no question about that.

You are right about how they don't turn up for sale very often. I am guessing that RIC did not sell a lot of either series (200 or 2000). I have to wonder if a more appealing (dare I say Rick-like) shape would have helped sales. The instruments from a sound and playabilty standpoint are otherwise excellent. A lot of people are turned off by the shape.

aceonbass · Post by **aceonbass** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 6:16 am

My thoughts exactly Ted.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 5:21 pm

Here is another 2030 fun fact. The TRC is shorter than the standard RIC TRC. The one on top is off of my 2030 the one on the bottom is a standard, albeit abused, TRC.

bassduke49 · Post by **bassduke49** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 5:38 pm

Looks like they just lop off the bottom of the standard molded TRC to make it fit.

teb · Post by **teb** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:20 pm

That's strange. I switched the TRC's from my 2030 and my old 360MG and they both fit just fine. They looked like the lower one in Ted's photo.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:15 am

I have owned several of the 2000 series basses and I never noticed a difference in the TRC ...

I swap a lot of the trcs out on my basses ... for instance I like my Laredos to have a white TRC ...

bassduke49 · Post by **bassduke49** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:40 am

I traded my black/chrome Laredo TRC to Joey for a standard white, and noticed about a 1/16" difference at the base. I would assume that the space at the bottom is there to leave room for fitting particular models where the tip may collide with a tuner bushing, etc.