Do 80's Guitars Sound Different? Is is the wiring?

gingerly · Post by **gingerly** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 12:53 pm

Hello all,

I recently acquired a 1980 360/12 OS in Burgundyglo and have been a/b'ing it with my '92 330/12. I notice that the '80 guitar has a rolled off treble on the neck pick-up and seems less sparkly and seems to have more midrange on the bridge pick-up. Is this common? Is the wiring different from my 90's guitar, or is it something else?

BobKat · Post by **BobKat** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:16 am

These pickups are of a different construction than the later ones, and that can have an effect. In my experience, however, I usually find the '80s-era pickups to be extremely bright and sparkly.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:23 am

The Hi-Gains on my 2 '80s Ricks have outrageous quantities of smack. Melibee's 330 was the same. These are all '81-'82 guitars. Something there...anyone tested the resistance of these '80s HGs?

BobKat · Post by **BobKat** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:37 am

"smack"? Define smack, Paul. The ones I have had could break glass. Every time I played my '82 360/12 through my Fender Bassman 100, I thought i heard the phone ringing. It was killer.

gingerly · Post by **gingerly** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 6:33 am

So you reckon these guitars are MORE trebly than the 90's ones? Interesting. Could it be down to the ohms? Anyone experience rolled off treble on the neck pick-up compared to later guitars?

beatcomber · Post by **beatcomber** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 9:44 am

My March '84 330 isn't all that trebley at all. I would describe it as growly. I can easily nail Paul Weller's tone from his Jam days.

doctorwho · Post by **doctorwho** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:26 am

The bridge pickup on my 1981 460 (currently my main six-string) has so much treble that I was asked once, "Could you turn the treble down on that?". I haven't measured the resistance.

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 11:37 am

I find my '81 4080 has very hot pickups. The guitar bridge pup is very bright, yet the neck has very little treble, but loads of bass.
The bass pickups are really punchy.
I also find that the treble is cleaner sounding than other guitars I've played through my amp. I use a lot more high end now than I could stand before.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 12:12 pm

My li'l 325 (ex-'81 320, HGs) has so much punch and tonal variation that I'm always blown away by its presence. A real landmark guitar to my experience. Nothing compares; nothing.

gingerly · Post by **gingerly** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 12:30 pm

I think the issue, having done some research, is the .0047 cap that my '80 guitar has and my '92 doesn't. I'm going to attempt to bypass it with a little piece of wire next chance I get and see if that makes them more alike...

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:43 pm

All you have to do is twist the wire tightly around both ends of the cap. No soldering required. It worked beautifully on the 4080, & made a HUGE difference!

beatcomber · Post by **beatcomber** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 6:40 am

I'm curious to see what affect this bypass has...

gingerly · Post by **gingerly** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 7:04 am

This is also cross-posted at the BGC, where I asked a similar question... just so no-one feels slighted.

Alright... so here's the story:

Got home and popped the control panel after dinner. Constructed a short piece of wire to short the .0047 cap and see if I could hear the difference. I couldn't get the connection steady enough, but in between crackles could hear there was something worth investigating for sure. Pulled out the soldering iron and with VERY little solder connected my wire to the lug parts of the connections so they'd be easily removable and put the panel back in.

This guitar has been transformed. Seemingly a *little* more bass from the bridge pick-up (maybe a little more sparkle too) and definitely more bass AND more treble from the neck. Together... wow. I spent 20 min. with my VERY patient wife swapping my '92 330/12 and my '80 360/12 OS (which it definitely is according to the handwriting in the cavity) in all positions and combos, and with and without distortion, and, while my 330/12 is the louder guitar and used to have more sparkle, the 360/12 OS has a magic sparkle to the bridge and combined pick-up combos - an extra 3D chime - that I don't think I could live without. In short, my 330/12 has it's marching orders, sadly. But... DAMN, this 360/12 OS sounds SO AMAZING now. I can only imagine just how hard it's original owner would be kicking himself if he knew what this simple mod would have given him.

I fully appreciate the excitement of having a near dead-on Beatles-style guitar... but I would urge any of you to try this before you judge it.

BobKat · Post by **BobKat** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 6:10 am

Gingerly, please give me a shout on that '92 330/12, OK?

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 6:35 am

I used needle nosed pliers to twist the wire around both ends of the cap's leads & it worked fine. Fully reversible if you wish with no stray solder to tell the tale afterwards.