Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Is there any qualitative difference between the hardware and the electronics that are installed on a standard 330 and the hardware and electronics that are installed on a standard 360?

Or is the hardware and electronics exactly the same on both models?

Thanks in advance.

They are the same. Primarily the 360 is the deluxe version of the 330.

With the exception, of course, that the electronics for the 360 are wired to accommodate ttwo outputs, either stereo or parallel mono in the case of the 360V64. This is, I suppose, splitting hairs to a degree.

Jps:

From what I can tell then, the deluxe features boil down to
1. rounded edges
2. triangular fretboard markers, and
3. binding

on the 360

What's the price difference between a 330 and a 360?

According to the 01/01/01 RIC pricelist the 330 is $1419.00 and the 360 is $1549.00; these are retail prices.

Oh, I see.
So you'd be paying about $130 more, at the retail price, for these "cosmetic upgrades", because we're really talking about essentially the same guitar in terms of construction, neck profile, weight, hardware and electronic components, right?

As I've said before, I know nothing about these guitars so I'm just trying to expand my knowledge base.
Thanks again.

The deluxe features you listed are correct, but you forgot to include the Rick-o-Sound.

Very similar? Yes? Essentially the same? No. After all, there's a difference in overall body shape. I find the 330 better balanced and more comfortable, especially when sitting.

Dave: Do you find the unsymetrical shape of the 360 changes the feel substantially compared to the 330 or is this a minor diference to which you adjusted after playing the 360 new style for a period?

From what I gather on this board, the Rick-o-Sound feature is of somewhat dubious significance — of interest to the vintagist only.

But the difference in overall body shape?
Apart from the larger lower horn, I can't see that much of a difference in the body shape at all between a 330 and a 360, certainly not significant enough to affect to any large degree the tone it produces.

Now, I have read some posts where people talk of a 330's greater warmth in terms of its sound. But I haven't read anything regarding differences in structural design to account for this perception. I suspect, therefore, that the difference may be more apparent than real.

Now balance and comfort ... well, those are issues to consider. But I would think that they in turn would be related to structural design. And again, from what I've been able to learn so far, there is no obvious difference between a 330 and a 360 in this regard.

Please explain.

The 330 doen't have the nicely rounded, contoured shape that the 360 does.... the 360 feels a lot thinner to play, though I don't think it is any thinner in reality. The edges of the 330 are squared off instead of rounded. As far as comfort, when I play standing up the 360 is the most comfortable guitar I have....so light and thin it feels like a part of me. When I play sitting down, I like the feel of the 330 better--it just seems to sit better on my leg with that larger lower horn. Both types look and sound great.

Peter, there's really no essential difference in playability. Just personal preference. And like Melissa, I don't like that short lower horn of the 360 as well while sitting. The corners of the 330 don't bother me at all, and I like the unbound fretboard.

The frets on the 330 are also wider than those on the 360. The necks are the same width, but on the 360, the frets stop at the binding where on the 330, they extend to the full width of the neck.

And that's exactly why I like the unbound fretboard better!

"The frets on the 330 are also wider than those on the 360. The necks are the same width, but on the 360, the frets stop at the binding where on the 330, they extend to the full width of the neck."

Bruceglaser:

What exactly are you saying here, that they've trimmed back some of the sides of the neck to accomodate the binding?

Yes,

The sides of the fretboard are milled to accept the binding. The frets on the 360 are narrower than the 330 by the thickness of the binding on both sides. Not a significant dimension, but enough to notice on the #1 string especially. It doesn't roll off the bottom of the fretboard as easily as it does on a 360.