Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi everyone! This is my first post here on the forum, and I'm hoping someone could offer some advice.

A couple of years ago I bought a 1998 jetglo 330, having loved the Rick sound on all those classic '60s records. For some reason the sound of guitars hit a peak at that time to my ears.

Anyway, I've never really been happy with my 330. I find the sound of the hi-gain pickups to lack character. They may be more flexible than the dirty DeArmond pickups on my two mid-sixties Harmony guitars, but they sound neither here nor there to me. I've been considering selling the guitar for a little while, but have only recently discovered that there are modifications I can perform to get it sounding closer to the Rick sound that I love.

So, I've preordered some vintage toaster pickups to replace the hi-gains, and I'm excited to hear the results. I'd love to hear people's opinions on anything else I could do to my 330 to get it sounding a little more like a vintage Rick.

I've read that the strings play a big part, so I've looked into that. However, the cost of some of the boutique nickel flats is a little prohibitive, seeing as though I'm in Australia. I don't care about getting it to sound exactly like the '60s Ricks - I'd just like to get it closer to that sound.

I've read of some people recommending the chrome flatwounds from D'Addario, and I'm thinking of trying these. What do people think? They seem to be a good affordable compromise. I'd be touring with the guitar and so would like to set it up with strings that are easy to replace and not too expensive. If I try these, what gauge would people recommend for a 330? Specifically, what gauge flats would have been common on these guitars in the '60s? I bought my 330 second-hand and so don't even know what gauge it came from the factory with.

Any other suggestions on changing the sound of these guitar would be appreciated too. I'm looking forward to finally falling in love with my Rick!

Mark, welcome to the Forum from another Aussie.

There is a growing number of Australian forum members and I reckon, per capita, we have more Rickenbackers than the rest of 'em put together. Which city are you located in?

You've already made the first major step towards getting more of the typical sixties sound with the toasters you have ordered. I'm sure you will notice the difference.

I'll defer to my colleagues with respect to the use of flat wounds. Personally, they are not my cup of tea, aside from the additional expense. You might want to consider RIC strings. I'm sure these can be ordered via Pick of the Ricks in NJ.

Anyway, glad to have you on board, Mark.

Thanks Darren for such a warm welcome! I'm in Adelaide. Whereabouts are you?

Cheers for the two cents regarding the flatwounds. I'll check out the RIC strings. Would the guitar have come from the factory with these, and would you happen to know what gauge my 330 came loaded with?

Anyway, thanks again for such a kind response. I'm happy to be here!

Mark, Adelaide is my home town, although I'm now based in Melbourne. To the best of my knowledge you're the first Adelaide forum member.

Your guitar would have originally been strung with RIC strings at the factory. Check out the Rickenbacker website for the specifications...I'm sure it details what gauges are used.

Let us know in advance if you're coming to Melbourne at some point.

Hey Darren.

Absolutely, will do! We're currently taking a break but our band plays in Melbourne quite a bit.

I'll go check out the Rickenbacker site for some string gauge facts. Thanks for the info!

Sixties Ricks would have been strung with flatwounds. The D'Addario Chromes are great strings. As you point out, they're relatively inexpensive and readily available. This is good if you just want to try them out to see if you like the sound and feel of them. I would go with the 10 gauge on a 330, unless you're used to playing a heavier gauge. In that case, choose the gauge you're used to.

Thanks Kris! I've got a heavier gauge on them at the moment but I've been thinking of switching to the 10s when I get the toaster pickups installed.

In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of using flatwounds? Darren, you mentioned that they're not your cup of tea. Is this mainly a playability issue or are you just not into the sound they make?

Cheers for being so helpful! While I'm here, I may as well ask ... I seem to remember that John Lennon installed a Bigsby on his 325, and I wouldn't mind a vibrato on my 330. Is there a specific type of Bigsby that would fit best for this guitar (if Bigsbys and 330s do go together at all!)?

The flatwounds will give you a less bright, more mellow tone. That can be a pro or con depending what you're looking for. A big pro is decreased string noise.

Also, I should ask ... if a Bigsby does work with the 330, does anything destructive need to happen to the guitar to install it or is it a relatively painless process?

Thanks.

Cheers, Kris! I think I'm going to give the flatwounds a go.

The nice thing about it is that the Chromes are not expensive. So if you decide that they're not for you, you're not out much money.

Mark, I'm not partial to the feel or sound of flat wounds.

My preference is D'Addario 10 to 46 on everything.

Don't be surprised if flatwounds (including the big-buck brands like Pyramids, TI's etc.) sound really dead right from the start and stay that way. Much of your "tone" is going to be what your amp can do with them and some amps do it better than others. Round-wounds ring and twang a lot more, so it may depend upon what kind of tone you're trying to generate. Back in the sixties and seventies, most music stores carried very few roundwound strings for rock and roll use. You generally had a choice of all kinds of flats, but were lucky if you could find a set of rounds for an electric guitar. These days, it's just about the opposite.

Welcome, Mark! I have used both flatwounds and roundwounds and have no problem with either.

Mark said:

... if a Bigsby does work with the 330, does anything destructive need to happen to the guitar to install it or is it a relatively painless process? ...

There is nothing destructive per se, but definitely irreversible (i.e., new holes in the top of the body). As to "painless", IIRC you will need to be very precise in positioning it. This question would be better posted in The Vibrola section where our resident luthiers can chime in (no pun intended)... or use the Search feature to see what's previously been posted.

I've just done a recording and my solo, originally done on a Casino, sounded a bit "surf" according to my bandmate. But the Casino had a natural distortion to it. So I re-did it using my 1997 (basically a 330 with toasters), flat string-strung. Both pickups, blend knob just so and presto! Nailed that surf tone.

BTW, with the toasters I get everything from clean and shiney tones to gnarly overdriven.
Definitely give toasters a try.

I'm using the Rickenbacker flats.