Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey all, I have three Ric's : 330MG, 360JG, and 360-12VP FG. I am doing massive recording of them all, as of late. I am getting some great sounds out of the 330 and 360-12VP, but I am pretty sure, and sad, that the 360JG does not have the tone and fullness of the 330MG. The 360JG was my dream guitar, I originally had a different 360JG, which had a fuller sound, but several glaring flaws in the body cosmetics. I will say that the 360JG sounds good when I run it through my Fender tube amp, with a small amount of distortion, that really wakes it up, and the notes perk up quite a bit, but the 330MG sounds fuller and richer, overall.

Some say that the 330 body style has a fuller sound, since it has more volume, and McGuinn says that the MapleGlo has the best tone, since the wood is chosen for the best grain and appearance, so, if I put these two claims together, the 330MG is the best sounding Ric there is.

I want to beef up the sound of my 360, or punt, and give it toasters, for more of a jangly sound, or, sadly, sell it. It has Ric 10's on there, I have a set of these GHS boomer 12 gauge strings I may try. Will that help ? Any similar experiences?

Funny Steve, because I had a FG & a JG 360 at the same time & the JG always sounded dull in comparison to the FG. I am sure that this is coincedence & nothing to do with the colour. I also had a 330 at the same time as the two 360's & it sounded more jangly than either, but the FG 360 had a little more 'depth'.

I went over to 330 shape gtrs entirely, but recently have pined after a 360 again, so on wednesday, I am collecting a '97 360FG & a '03 370FG. It will be interesting to hear the difference between them & my 330's.

I don't think I will buy another guitar without trying it first. You're bound to be a bit disappointed. I am having the same problem, a bit of a dull sound. My 360-12 VP is far from dull-sounding. I may try toasters to see if that wakes it up. You never know ...

My main guitar at the moment is a 360JG with hi gains. I've just finished recording with it and I can honestly say it the best guitar sound I've ever had (been recording for 20+ years). I'm using Rickenbacker 10s on it. I find that Rics can be a bit inconsistent and every now and again you get a dud. I'm lucky I've got a keeper. Also I don't think toasters will beef up the sound.

Have you tried running your 360 through a Janglebox compressor ? I've got one of these magic little boxes and they really do add something special to the sound. Other than that I just run my Ric through an 18 watt Marshall 1974 combo on full pelt. I've also got a maple 350v63 which obviously is a bit more chimmey but that's down to the toasters. I still prefer my stock 360 with hi-gains though.

Thanks John, I will try to put the 12s on it, and see if that makes any difference. It took me awhile to figure this out, my first impression was right. I can get it to sound good with the right amp and pick-up settings, but it is much more picky than my 330.

This 330 vs 360 & 360 vs 360 debate will take on new significance for me soon. The new Carnivores album will be started in Dec/Jan & I will be in the studio for three months with it, so I will be starting my recording 'tests' soon, to see which gtrs will do which job. It will once again be a 100% Rickenbacker album, so I will be doing pretty severe comparison tests on all of my gtrs. Should be interesting!

I'm very interested in this. While I love to look at all of these pictures, in the end, it's all about the sound.

My 360FG is duller than my 360MG... but its not a "real" MG, its a refinished Tuxedo, but the idea is the same: maybe the heavier paint/finish dampens the sound more than a simple stain? ... Calling Mr Hall... Calling Mr Hall...

I put the GHS 12's, "boomers", on my 360JG, it's definitely fuller. What I noticed before is, if I select the middle pick-up position, and turn the bridge pick-up volume all the way, I would get a rather thin sound, especially when I twinkle my little E string, that is no longer the case. I think I am much happier now, but I need time to digest it. These strings are rather fat, and squeaky, I may end up using Ric strings on there, but replacing the little E with a 12. I do like that it sounds so much different than my 330, it's a bit more mellow sounding, perhaps. Will keep at it, it's a lifetime commitment, must be in a good Ric state at all times.

John, about the JangleBox, every clip I have heard sounds like some sort of acoustic, Byrds type of sound. I am interested in a guitar compressor, but all I am looking for is a nice, full, rich, smooth and creamy sort of sound for rhythm guitar. I have still not heard any clips of the JangleBox with a Rickenbacker.

I'm sure there were a few clips with Rickenbackers on the Janglebox web-site - maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, you should be able to get the full, rich, creamy sound with just your Ric and a good valve amp. I use the compressor for my clean sound. Because the 18 watt Marshall doesn't really do clean I use the volume control on my guitar to clean things up. Adding the compressor adds something here. For normal, "full-on" playing I don't use any effects except a fulltone fatboost for solos.

I know how frustrating tone can be. The singer in our band also has a 360 but a fireglo one. When I plug his guitar into my amp it sounds completely different - not as full and lush. However, many things contribute to the overall sound - strings, pickup position etc.

I'll gladly send you an MP3 of my 360 cranked through my 18watt Marshall if you like.

Yes, my 360 sounds good through my Fender tube amp, but not so great on my Line 6 Flextone III, whereas the 330 seems to sound good on either.

John...what's all this 18 watt lark. That's not loud enough to get through an open newspaper! If you're going to do Marshall...then just do it....

Confirmed sighting of yet another Ric addict!!!

Nice Tony.

The amps are nice too. Although it took me a while to remember that they were the gist of your comment. LOL

Me...a Ric addict?...no! A fireglo fetish?...certainly not!



BTW, Matilda...another love of my life!