Any significant differences between 1990 and 1999?

milo · Post by **milo** » Wed Nov 08, 2000 5:56 am

I am considering swapping my 1990 Jetglo 330 for a 1999 Fireglo 330 (it is the best looking fireglo I've ever seen IMHO) but am wondering if I am gaining or losing anything construction or electrically wise. I know the new catalogs claim an easily replaceable truss rod system. When did this start and is it better than the old? The 1999 is like new and my 1990 is in very good condition, although it will probably need a fret job in a few years. It will cost me about $200 to swap to the newer model. Ultimately it will come down to whether or not the new one plays as good as mine (the store is going to restring it with the kind of strings I like and let me set the action before I decide), so I am just looking for quality or reliablity opinions.
Thanks.

markthemd · Post by **markthemd** » Wed Nov 08, 2000 10:51 am

I'd say do it ,do they both have 24 frets?
What pickups?

$200.00 is less than the fret work would cost you.

If it looks that good,go for it

milo · Post by **milo** » Wed Nov 08, 2000 1:57 pm

Both have hi-gains and 24 frets, it was just a striking fireglo with added in gold pickguards. I saw another post about adding a cap or diode into the r-o-s jack but couldn't find it again. Where was it and will it work on a non-stereo guitar?

markthemd · Post by **markthemd** » Wed Nov 08, 2000 3:28 pm

I take the 5th knob on this model and make that into a variable "Rick-O-Tone" .

The cap is a .0047mfd and the circuit is very simple.The reasoning behind the 5th knob ....well I don't get it !

You are only rerouting 2 wires and adding a capacitor.

milo · Post by **milo** » Wed Nov 08, 2000 6:05 pm

Thanks for the help. Where in the circuit do I splice in the cap, or will it be obvious? I've never had the pickguards off of my Ricks to see how the fifth knob is wired in. If I like the results I'll prbably do it to my 360/12 as well.

Thanks again.

Oh yeah, I think I'm going to keep the old one, we just couldn't get the newer 330 to feel quite as good. I don't know what it was but the action wouldn't go as low, and the low "e" just felt dead, even with new strings. Plus I'm sure I can put the $ I save into a trapeze tailpiece (any idea how much they cost?) and use the rest for the new frets a couple of years down the road. Right now it only gets driven to church on Sundays.

Thanks.

markthemd · Post by **markthemd** » Wed Nov 08, 2000 6:46 pm

I'm playing in our church band right now and I have to take 4 guitars for me and my bass every sunday and wednesday night too.

no idea on the vintage trapeze....

[email protected]

that will get you to Henry McGuinn and he will give you the info.

The 5th knob mod is this .
Disconnect the wires at the switch that go to that pot.
Take a .0047 cap and solder one end to the back of the can/pot and the other end to the lug on the right.
The two bottom lugs on the switch can be hooked together and then run to the middle lug on the 5th pot.
Connect the middle lug on the 5th pot to the jack hot.
You can disconnect the jack wire from where it was.And remove the wire that connects the 2 volume pots between the lugs.

Thata it.

markthemd · Post by **markthemd** » Wed Nov 08, 2000 6:48 pm

make that

[email protected]

this is Henry at his desk

rick12dr · Post by **rick12dr** » Wed Nov 08, 2000 10:39 pm

Last I had to get one, the vintage Trapeze assembly was $50 for both pieces and screws.

milo · Post by **milo** » Wed Nov 29, 2000 2:15 pm

Mark, I'm going to do the 5th knob mod before the weekend and have a couple easy (for you) questions. Is the lug on the right of the pod the one that's on the right when looking from the backside with the lugs on the bottom? Also, this is just effectively adding a "tone" pot correct? I will be able to get the stock sound on one end, the jangle sound on the other, and anything in between? Thanks.

markthemd · Post by **markthemd** » Thu Nov 30, 2000 1:02 pm

Correct

all the way 100% .

you will have a variable 'Rick-O-Tone'

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Mon Dec 04, 2000 12:45 pm

The various [email protected] addresses will only be guaranteed to get you to the sales department, not necessarily a particular person. Similarly, the [email protected] ones will only get you the service department. However, if you reply to one of these, it's supposed to go back to the originator.

Perhaps more than you cared to know but perhaps it will save some gal asking Henry for a date some embarrasment!

milo · Post by **milo** » Sun Dec 10, 2000 2:19 pm

Hi Mark, I hate to bother you on this one again but when I opened up my 330 to do the fifth knob mod I got a little confused. I understand soldering the cap to the pot and right lug, but you say to "disconnect the wires at the switch that go to that pot". The schematic shows this to be one wire (a blue one in mine) going to the middle lug of knob #5. Later you say "the two bottom lugs on the switch can be hooked together and then run to the middle lug on the 5th pot."
This appears to be redoing what we undid. Also, all the other pots have one lug soldered back to the can. Will this need to be done on the 5th knob? Could you please go through these instructions one more time and if I still don't get it I promise I won't ask any more questions. I've replaced pickups switches and pots on guitars before, but I don't completely understand how to make a pot a tone or volume control by using the different lugs in different ways without having it spelled out to me. By the way could you recommend a book that might explain this stuff in easy to understand terms. Thanks.

milo · Post by **milo** » Wed Dec 13, 2000 8:48 pm

Mark, after looking at this some more, do I actually need to disconnect the wire that goes from the right tab of the fifth pot (to the middle of the bass volume) over to the bottom of the switch, and connect the bottom of the switch tabs together? Then disconnect the black wires (that go to the output jack) from the left lugs of the bass and treble volume pots and connect this to the left tab of the fifth pot?