Guitars w/ 3 Pick-Ups

jcreasy · Post by **jcreasy** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 5:05 pm

I've got a 24 fret 360. Someone mentioned John Hall had comments (implied to be less than enthusiastic) about 3 Pick-Up guitars. I've looked for the post and cannot find it.

What's the rumpus on this topic? Good? Bad? Just different?

Thanks,

JKC

collin · Post by **collin** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 5:35 pm

I can't recall his exact comments, but it had something to do with the different wiring combinations.

Some people just can't get along with three pickups due to their strumming style, with the hand landing near the third pickup. I have no issues with them, and love the different tones on my '64 1998 model.

Rickissippi · Post by **Rickissippi** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 6:59 pm

The only 3-pickup guitar I think I'll ever own is a Strat. Still love my Strat, but don't want three pickups on any other guitar.

I believe JH's comment was something like this: Since the front two pickups (neck and middle) on a 334/370 are both on at the same time when the p'up selector is up, you can never isolate either one of those pickups w/o re-wiring it. I may be mistaken, but I believe, unlike on a Strat, your only three options on a standard 340/370 are 1) bridge only, 2) neck and middle, and 3) all three pickups. I believe this is the case and was the reasoning JH was not a huge fan - in his view, the extra pickup was duplicitous and unnecessary. And that makes plenty of sense to me.

JakeK · Post by **JakeK** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 7:45 pm

Rickissippi wrote:The only 3-pickup guitar I think I'll ever own is a Strat. Still love my Strat, but don't want three pickups on any other guitar.

I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. I owned a 1997SPC aka 1998 and found it frustrating to play hard with that middle pickup in the way. Same went with the 325 I owned before the 1998, short scale was hard enough to adjust to, but three pickups just rubbed it in.

Rickissippi wrote:I believe JH's comment was something like this: Since the front two pickups (neck and middle) on a 334/370 are both on at the same time when the p'up selector is up, you can never isolate either one of those pickups w/o re-wiring it. I may be mistaken, but I believe, unlike on a Strat, your only three options on a standard 340/370 are 1) bridge only, 2) neck and middle, and 3) all three pickups. I believe this is the case and was the reasoning JH was not a huge fan - in his view, the extra pickup was duplicitous and unnecessary. And that makes plenty of sense to me.

I wholeheartedly with this, too.

collin wrote:Some people just can't get along with three pickups due to their strumming style, with the hand landing near the third pickup. I have no issues with them, and love the different tones on my '64 1998 model.

You WILL cave, you WILL cave...two pickups is king, TWO is king!!

collin · Post by **collin** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 7:48 pm

JakeK wrote:
collin wrote:Some people just can't get along with three pickups due to their strumming style, with the hand landing near the third pickup. I have no issues with them, and love the different tones on my '64 1998 model.
You WILL cave, you WILL cave...two pickups is king, TWO is king!!

Jake, More is....more.

Like Nigel Tufnel's amp went to eleven, my Rickenbacker is "yours +1"

Dom · Post by **Dom** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 8:30 pm

I prefer 3 pickups on most of my guitars just for the tonal variety. Never had a problem with the mid pickup getting in the way myself...the neck pickup gets in the way more with how I play. I did not like the stock wiring but if you do a solo volume mod for the mid pickup you get more tones than with a strat. I used the mid pickup alone for leads for a few years, nice and balanced sound. Even with just a push pull for the mid and 5 tones 3 pickup RIcs sound great.

8mileshigher · Post by **8mileshigher** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 8:49 pm

Three Pickup Rics just look cool ---- especially if they are Double Bound !!

Dom · Post by **Dom** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 9:21 pm

^ + 1 million, but yeah if the tone isn't there it is useless. Had a 3 HB flying V, Les Paul mongrel & the first guitar I built had 3 HB's on a body that I made as a cross between an SG & Jazzmaster...they all had taps but those never sounded as good as the 370WB. Got rid of the others, even the one I built ended up as a full time waste of space in the closet.

jcreasy · Post by **jcreasy** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:42 am

Are the only complaints/gripes are the stock wiring (with no 5 way selector or other way to isolate the middle pick-up), and, the physical issue of it "... getting in the way" of your personal style of playing?

If so, thanks for the feedback.

Any more comments out there from folks who have changed the stock circuit to allow the "2" and "4" position on a Stratocaster style (with the 5 way switch), or, who have used a volume pot or some other way to isolate the middle pick-up on a Rick?

Thanks, again,

JKC

PS Reason I am asking is that I am seriously considering replicating a Chandler 555 circuit on my 360... Using Seymour Duncan mini-humbuckers cased in Rick Hi-Gain covers. I just didn't know if people were complaining that the spacing on 24 fret guitars was off (as compared to 21 fret models) or the tone of the Rick pick-ups don't work in that configuration or what.

deaconblues · Post by **deaconblues** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 11:44 am

I had a 1996 with the blend pot rewired to the middle pickup. I never had any problems with hitting the middle pickup.

It was nice to blend the middle pickup in with the bridge pickup sometimes to take the edge off a bit. However, with the .0047 cap on the bridge pickup, the bridge would always get overloaded by the other two.

Check this video out for some of the possibilities with this wiring without the cap. He gets a cool Stratty mid/bridge tone at one point:

As for the standard 24-fret models, I would never get a three pickup version. Super fugly, IMO.

Medicus1963 · Post by **Medicus1963** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 3:11 pm

I have a 325c58 with Glens loom with this you can isolate all of the three pickups, an it sounds great!
No problems with the middle pickup!

Peter

Dom · Post by **Dom** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 4:14 pm

I have HB-1's and get the strat neck mid tone very well but with a warm Ric edge to it. I actually never play my 16 tone strat anymore. I very much like the bridge & mid too. I personally want to see how a push pull for bridge series that also adds the tone cap would keep the ballance and add brilliance. I'm doing a complete rewire on my 370WB fairly soon & then nothing will work as stock.

electrofaro · Post by **electrofaro** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 4:51 pm

Medicus1963 wrote:No problems with the middle pickup!

I don't have tone problems with the middle PU being used together with the neck PU, but the problem is the thing is in my way of playing... not limited to this guitar, I just can't get used to that middle PU being there!

With three HB-1s and push pulls one's bound to be able to multiply the soundscape of any Ric, though!

Rubsoul · Post by **Rubsoul** » Sun Feb 17, 2013 9:04 pm

No problem playing my 1990 340... play's just like the 330. Has a differant tone due to scatterwounds on the 340 and Toasters on the 2003 330 and of course the wiring.

Zurdo · Post by **Zurdo** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 5:53 pm

hi,
I simplified my life when playing live with my 1966 370 by cutting a new pickguard, (the bottom section), installing 3 mini on-off switches on the new pickguard, (one for each pickup), and one Master Vol. and Tone control.

works fine, no issues, and I have all the possible pickup combinations available. I saved the original pickguard with controls assembly intact.

All my guitars are 3 pickups and I don't care for Stratocasters.

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