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Ric O Sound conversion from mono

Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:47 pm
by Ilikewater
I run a stereo rig, and I've heard of a push/pull installation with a stereo jack from Rickenbacker. Can anyone help me with a parts list and instructions on how I can accomplish this? those two parts and some wire? I'm sure some soldering, but really I'm a novice. Any help would be greatly appreciated. thank you.

Re: Ric O Sound conversion from mono

Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:52 pm
by jdogric12
I converted a 330/12 to ROS once, but didn't mess with any push pulls, I just left the mono jack in the cavity dangling... well, taped to the wood, actually, then later drilled a new hole in the pg to accommodate both without the hassle nor nonreversible mod of drilling a new hole in the guitar body. You can get all the parts and schematics you need at the corporate site. Get the 330 sch to see what you have, and the 360 sch to see where you need to end up.

Re: Ric O Sound conversion from mono

Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 5:31 pm
by Grey
You sure you're not confusing the push/pull with the 'vintage' option on newer rics that puts the .0047 cap in and out of the circuit?

Re: Ric O Sound conversion from mono

Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 7:50 pm
by Ilikewater
no, I believe I read at some point that you could use the push/pull to disengage the stereo signal to put in mono, and therefore run ric o sound on one jack. I really don't want to drill into my guitar, and I am actually converting a 660, not the 330.

Re: Ric O Sound conversion from mono

Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:07 pm
by paologregorio
I think Todd Bradshaw "teb" wired up a mod like that.

Re: Ric O Sound conversion from mono

Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:17 pm
by teb
No, mine is different. I took a 330/12 and added a middle pickup on it's own circuit with just a volume pot. I switched the mono output jack to a stereo one. Insert a mono cord and you have a typical 2-pickup, five knob Rick setup. Insert a stereo cord and you have the isolated middle pickup on a second circuit to send to a different amp, channel, effects box, etc. My original reason to do this was to be able to use the JangleBox on the neck/bridge circuit and then filter in a controlled amount of unjangled sound to fill it out (or run a different effect on it). It works quite well, but it's not technically a ROS type of system.

Re: Ric O Sound conversion from mono

Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:11 am
by Ilikewater
so when the mono cord is in does it cause any static in the line? Degrade the sound in any way? You are running the original pickups to the mono channel, and only when the stereo cable is in use do you get the middle...I guess I could just change out the jack to stereo, but could I then use a (not sure on the terminology) I think it is a "y box" to bring it down to mono if I wanted to run it that way?

Re: Ric O Sound conversion from mono

Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:56 am
by iiipopes
Ilikewater wrote:So, when the mono cord is in does it cause any static in the line?
It shouldn't. This sounds like a cheap or bad cord, or at the most rare cause, the fingers in the mono jack which close the Ric-O-Sound to mono when you plug in might need a little dressing (Mr. JH recommends a pencil eraser to keep from grinding away contact material).'
Ilikewater wrote:Degrade the sound in any way? You are running the original pickups to the mono channel, and only when the stereo cable is in use do you get the middle...I guess I could just change out the jack to stereo, but could I then use a (not sure on the terminology) I think it is a "y box" to bring it down to mono if I wanted to run it that way?
Hold the bus! If this is a 2-pickup guitar, the Ric-O-Sound simply takes each pickup and gives it a discrete output on the Ric-O-Sound jack, each with its own volume/tone control circuit, with a common ground.

As far as other famous guitarists who have used Ric-O-Sound, very few of them run a plug to different amps. The most common would be to add a preamp to the inub; commission the groom for one last responbility (the marriage, of course!) pictures, and then whatever.

Re: Ric O Sound conversion from mono

Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 3:11 am
by Ilikewater
see I run 2 different g100s powering a leslie 16 and a modified leslie 8 in left and right. I use one for bassier notes and the other side handles a very clean treble sound. they both are using a space echo in stereo, but I was wanting to put each pickup into its own amp. At least, the stereo pickups are the dream in my head. When I play through it now, it sounds like the whole thing is breathing. The more I can split up the sound, the farther I think I can take it.
As far as other famous guitarists who have used Ric-O-Sound, very few of them run a plug to different amps.
is this true? why have a stereo output if you are not going to play in stereo? The power to control each pickup with the volume knobs has always been an option, to actually split the signals is what I thought having a stereo guitar was all about.

Re: Ric O Sound conversion from mono

Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 1:45 am
by iiipopes
iiipopes wrote:
Ilikewater wrote:So, when the mono cord is in does it cause any static in the line?
It shouldn't. This sounds like a cheap or bad cord, or at the most rare cause, the fingers in the mono jack which close the Ric-O-Sound to mono when you plug in might need a little dressing (Mr. JH recommends a pencil eraser to keep from grinding away contact material).'
Ilikewater wrote:Degrade the sound in any way? You are running the original pickups to the mono channel, and only when the stereo cable is in use do you get the middle...I guess I could just change out the jack to stereo, but could I then use a (not sure on the terminology) I think it is a "y box" to bring it down to mono if I wanted to run it that way?
Hold the bus! If this is a 2-pickup guitar, the Ric-O-Sound simply takes each pickup and gives it a discrete output on the Ric-O-Sound jack, each with its own volume/tone control circuit, with a common ground.

As far as other famous guitarists who have used Ric-O-Sound, very few of them run a plug to different amps. The most common would be to add a preamp to the inub; commission the groom for one last responbility (the marriage, of course!) pictures, and then whatever.
Folks, I don't know where in the hell that last paragraph came from. My original post ended with the end of the second paragraph. This last corrupted paragraph is not mine. It's possible that something happened in the transition, but I don't know how or where from it could have happened. To quote JL -- Strange days, indeed!

Re: Ric O Sound conversion from mono

Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 5:37 am
by Ilikewater
HAHAAHA I was wondering. I thought you just might be feeling particularly eccentric!