Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I now have a stunning "NOS" 330 BBR that I'm going to have toasters put into. I am wondering if I should have the luthier rout it for conversion to a 340. Is the difference in sound going to be worth the hassle and cost? Is it very risky to have the middle pup hole cut?
thanks

It won't be a "hole", per se, but one single rout about 3/8" to 1/2" wide and about 2 1/8" wide, to clear the magnet poles. This can be done with a router using the proper jig, or with a Forstner bit as a series of connected holes into the top, about 3/8" deep. Done neatly, it won;t matter, but don't let anyone butcher the top.

A center pickup can give you terrific tonal flexibilit,. if the pickup is wired separately, rather than siamesing it with the neck pickup as the factory does.

There's also a wiring scheme called the "iiipopes mod". For more info you can check the thread in the Rickenbacker Corporation factory forum at www.rickenbacker.com/forum.

There is drastically less disassembly and reassembly required if you do it the old Ric-factory-style, using a series of overlapping forstner bit holes, rather than letting someone loose with a router on top of your guitar (and possibly scratching the top). As to sonic value, I haven't found a big difference using the stock wiring. Mine are wired stereo and there are times when that can be handy, but most of the time, I just run them in the standard, two-pickup mode. Picking is also somewhat more difficult without that big space in the middle to work in. If you have a plan - something you really want to try, like the stereo wiring, then I think it can be worth it. On the other hand, if you're just curious about what difference it would make, I don't think I'd bother. It's a great guitar straight out of the box and worthwhile improvements don't come easy.

I'd highly suggest thinking about this conversion before you do it-----it is irreversible and BBR is a rare/collectible finish.

collin wrote:I'd highly suggest thinking about this conversion before you do it-----it is irreversible and BBR is a rare/collectible finish.

+1.

The sound difference a 3rd pickup makes is great, but I wouldn't mod a COY, at least get a decent standard color to do it with. Unless you love the color personally, and plan to keep it AND use it for a very long time. Only in that case would I say do it.