Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have looked at some many photos of Rickenbacker headstocks in the Register that both the larger and smaller headstocks seem right to me. The same goes for the different knobs and machine winds that were used over the years. Each change points to a different time period.

You know what strikes me... that they changed the headstock back to the smaller, 60s design, but when it comes to ramp widths the company doesn't want to be stereotypical and made it more narrow

A headstock shape sized in between small and large would be lovely, imo!

tnelson wrote:Did the headstocks on the 12s change? my 85 360-12 looks narrow.

PS.I like the small headstock on Mitch Easter's 330 Auzureglo

Ditto.

Wildberry wrote:You know what strikes me... that they changed the headstock back to the smaller, 60s design, but when it comes to ramp widths the company doesn't want to be stereotypical and made it more narrow

A headstock shape sized in between small and large would be lovely, imo!

Rich Ferguson and I both have Ricks with headstocks like that; not vintage-sized, but not Gumby either. Rich's (`79) has Grover tuners, mine (`84) has the large Schallers.

paologregorio wrote:Rich Ferguson and I both have Ricks with headstocks like that; not vintage-sized, but not Gumby either. Rich's (`79) has Grover tuners, mine (`84) has the large Schallers.

Ah, such a size exists? Ha, learned something today

Wildberry wrote:

paologregorio wrote:Rich Ferguson and I both have Ricks with headstocks like that; not vintage-sized, but not Gumby either. Rich's (`79) has Grover tuners, mine (`84) has the large Schallers.

Ah, such a size exists? Ha, learned something today

Yep, here you go:

Here's my JetGlo 370 WB headstock, that Paulie referenced, with the Grover tuners. It is a 1981.

Here's the same WB, front view, in the garden, with it's current pick-up configuration and the oven knobs.

Rich, those ovenknobs look great on a shining OS Jetglo like that - very cool guitar!

I was checking the register for headstock pictures and noticed that in some years like 1970 headstocks for 330 and 360 could differ quite a bit in width!

Oops, sorry for getting the year incorrectly, Rich. Doh! I was even there when you bought the guitar.

Werner, in addition to being shaped by hand-and different pairs of hands, another reason for the difference could have been the fact that some guitars had vintage Kluson, Schaller, or whatever other vintage style tuners Rick used, such as Mitch Easter's AZ Blue 330 with the small, vintage style headstock and vintage tuners, which IIRC is an `82 model, while Rich's, a year earlier, from`81, has the "between" sized headstock with Grovers, just as mine, with the larger modern Schallers does as well. Nuts. Some of the 12 strings built in `83/84 have a small, vintage style 12 string headstock and Klusons. Would be interesting to be a fly on the wall at the factory back then to see the process.

Closer shot of my AZ Blue: The only visible non-original part is the Accent VB, which I added in `05. The original bridge toaster coil negative terminal wire broke at some point due to ham-handedness on my part. Sérgio Silva rewound the p/up for me, which sits in the case, replaced by a higher output 14K overwound toaster; more oomph and volume from the bridge p/up! I've done this with more than satisfactory results to three of my six-string Ricks. Anyway, that's a whole other subject.

My Rickenbackers date from '88-92; those are the best headstocks, obviously!

...wisdom through closed cases

My Azureglo 330 thanks you for thinking of her! That guitar has a small headstock for sure, and Grover tuners of a type I don't think they used for long- the mechanism body is quite long and rectangular, with an almost art deco ridged exterior, if 'm not mistaken. I also have an '06 330 with a bigger, sharper-edged headstock, but that guitar is much pointier all over. The headstock on it reminds me of the Combo 400 I used to have, similar size and a less soft-edged appearance than on the '82. I briefly had a late 80s 330 with a headstock that seemed maybe just plain too big, but I think the one on the '06 looks quite harmonious with the rest if the instrument!

yeah you probably had a late 80s my 87 has a pretty good size headstock but I love the mellowing of the fireglo and feel, Ive gotta get the pups rewound or find someone with a hotter set, I need to get the multimeter out and check um but they seem pretty weak, not bad if you play clean but not loud enough to honk.

I kinda like the larger ones...sorry guys.

Wildberry wrote:Rich, those ovenknobs look great on a shining OS Jetglo like that - very cool guitar!

Thanks Werner --- the Oven Knobs were courtesy of the alert eye of Dan-o picking them up at a vintage guitar show for me.