Turning a 330/12 into a 340/12

[kt66]

I have been looking for a 340/12MG since 1985 and I just about give up!

SO how hard would it be to to alter a 330, put the extra pickup in and related wiring?
Is there anyone in the UK who can do this?

thanks

[jdogric12]

Pretty simple! All you need are the pickup, a new upper guard, and someone to drill two little holes and wire it up. All those are even common DIY projects. Good luck!

[iiipopes]

Um, there's the small issue of routing a channel for the magnets on the bottom of the pickups.

The factory stock wiring is to put both the middle and neck pickups to the upper position of the selector switch. I don't like that. To me it sounds insipid and lacks character, especially in the middle position with all three pickups at once.

If you do add a third pickup, I have a wiring mods diagram that makes the neck and middle pickups either/or with a push-pull on the fifth knob, and can simultaneously have the .0047 inline capacitor to the bridge in or out. The advantage to the design is that all controls retain their factory stock functions, and when you pull the 5th knob, it passes the "five-foot" test (you don't notice it from five feet away), and if anybody else plays the instrument, there is no further acclimation necessary.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=412632
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=407622

(As I type this, the Rickenbacker factory forum seems to be down, so the links are to two RR threads that further link to my wiring mods thread on the factory forum.)

[teb]

I did it to my 330/12. Not having a pin router, the whole idea of using my regular router on the top was way too scary for comfort (whether I was doing the work or someone else was). So instead, I used the old method the early Ricks had, with a series of overlapping holes cut with a forstner bit - a much more controlled process when you're cutting into the top of a perfectly good guitar. Then you use a long, skinny bit to connect the trench to the control cavity. Then I made a new set of back-painted guards with polished edges.

As far as the wiring, the standard factory wiring system didn't make much of an improvement on either my converted 360/12 (now 370) or the 330-340. There is no way I would bother to convert one if the intention was just to wire the middle pickup in with one of the others. After playing with various combinations, I finally decided that my best bet was to go dual-mono, where the middle pickup has its own circuit. That way, it can be run to a different channel, different effects box or even a different amp and actually contribute something to the overall sound.

I don't need a tone knob on my middle pickups, they're full-on all the time (which they usually would be anyway). I did add volume pots (a sixth knob) for on-board blending ability. On the 330, I replaced the mono jack with a stereo jack. If I plug a regular guitar cord into it, I get the standard, factory-style, neck/bridge five knob wiring. A Y-cord with a stereo plug adds the middle pickup on its own circuit to the mix. Typically, I'll use a JangleBox on the neck/bridge circuit and blend in either some "unjangled" sound with the middle for a bit more low-end, or run it through a chorus pedal or other effect and blend some of that in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxKik6kpd7M

[admin]

Nice work Todd!

[parker_knoll]

I did it to my 330 as well by the same method, just drilling a series of holes. It's less than an hour's work. Just measure and mark to get your pickup nicely centred between the two existing ones.

[kt66]

thanks, you are a lot braver than me!

can anyone recommended a luthier in SE England?

ta

[jdogric12]

Oh yeah, I forgot that. Dang I'm dumb. lol

[parker_knoll]

thanks, you are a lot braver than me!

can anyone recommended a luthier in SE England?

ta

yes, a few. Feline Guitars in Croydon refretted my 330 and did a beautiful job. Give him a google. is it just for this? He will do a great job on it.

For more serious stuff like neck resets i know someone else as well.

[teb]

Also..... before you do it (or have someone do it) make sure you are comfortable picking in the small space between the bridge and middle pickups. It seems to be pretty natural if you are used to resting the heel of your hand on the bridge or bridge cover, but it will be a change from the current wide-open space between the pickups. Just do a little testing first, to make sure that it works OK for you.