Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi, my name is Bob.

I'm new here and new to Rickenbacker as well. I just purchased a brand new 330/6 from Sam Ash in Philadelphia. I've been looking around on the web and can't seem to find answeres to the questions I have, and the users guide does not specify either.

I want to do a setup and I can't find what the initial settings are for neck relief, string height, and pickup height. I know these settings are a matter of taste, but there has to be some sort of initial settings from the factory.

What is the initial neck relief setting?
Mine had quite a bit of relief, and I adjusted it to about .005.

Also, do the dual truss rods adjust for the base and trebbles side?
I adjusted them both pretty equally, but may have tweeked one side slightly more because it looked like the trebble side had a little more relief than the base side. The way I adjusted it was to put a capo on the first fret and hold all the strings down at the last fret. I then checked the relief at the eigth fret.

What is the initial action setting?
It was about 3/32nd's on the base side and about 1/16th on the trebble side when I got it, and I set it to about 5/64th's on the base side and 3/64th's on the trebble side.

What is the initial pickup height?
I don't remember what these where set at when I first got it, but it seemed like they where cranked down pretty tight. It seemed like I couldn't go down any further, and I did not want to turn the screws too hard.
I adjusted them up the following way...
I set the both sides of the neck pickup to 1/32nd of an inch from the top of the pole peice to the bottom of the string, and I set both sides of the bridge pickup to 2/32nd's from the top of the pole peice to the bottom of the string. I did this while holding the strings down at the last fret. I then adjusted each pole peice to be the same distance to the strings... 1/32nd and 2/32nd's.
Is this the right way to do it?
I don't know what to measure from so I did it the same way I would do on a Strat (top of the pole peice to the bottom of the string).
Also, do I adjust the pickups so the volume is equal with the 5th tone control all the way down, all the way up, or in the middle?

How the heak do you string these things withou have 3 or 4 hands?
I finally got the idea to hold the string tight in the string slot and then throw my capo on to hold the string while I thread and wind it.
Is there a better way?

I know i'm a newbe, but I want to do a good setup on this GREAT guitar, and I need a starting point.

Any advice/pointers would be a BIG help.

Thank you.

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your 330/6!

Some information can be found at the RIC website.

http://www.rickenbacker.com/

Click on Service -> Owners manual

Other members can give you more detailed answers for a correct setup.

Welcome. You can also do a search of Set Up under the Vibrola Topic area using the Advanced Search feature above.

SET UP RESULTS

Welcome, Bob!

My way is to just adjust a bit around in small steps until the settings are to my liking. Sounds rather amateur, but then I am an amateur

Bob, are you in the Philly area? If so, come to MARF this weekend, we'll get you all set up!

Welcome, Bob!

Although I also recommend that you use the search function to find the information that already is contained herein, here are two specific answers for you:

What is the initial neck relief setting?

The neck should be flat with no relief.

Also, do the dual truss rods adjust for the base and trebbles side?

Yes, the dual truss rods can remove a twist in the neck and thus allow both sides to be adjusted separately to provide the recommended 'zero relief' state.

bcalvanese wrote:...What is the initial action setting?
It was about 3/32nd's on the base side and about 1/16th on the trebble side when I got it, and I set it to about 5/64th's on the base side and 3/64th's on the trebble side. ...

I'm not sure what the RIC factory sets the action at (but IIRC that info is in a previous thread), but according to The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer, the action on an electric is typically set at 6/64 ± 1/64 for the bass E string and 4/64 ± 1/64 for the treble E string, so you're there! (When I set the action, I don't use a gauge, I just adjust it until the is no fret buzz anyeher on the fetboard for any string. )

doctorwho wrote:I'm not sure what the RIC factory sets the action at (but IIRC that info is in a previous thread), but according to The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer, the action on an electric is typically set at 6/64 ± 1/64 for the bass E string and 4/64 ± 1/64 for the treble E string, so you're there! (When I set the action, I don't use a gauge, I just adjust it until the is no fret buzz anyeher on the fetboard for any string. )

By our standards that would be a little high: 5/64ths on the bass and 3/64ths on the treble would be more standard, using the owner's manual recommended close-to-zero relief. (I realize that's within Denyer's tolerances but we'd hope to halve his!) But it's a losing game to adjust to the numbers, as opposed to adjusting to what feels just right to you, on your own guitar.

This post also brings up another conundrum- what to do with identical posts that appear here as well as our official company site. My inclination personally is to disregard one or both of them, to allow the respective site-dwellers to put their own spin on things.

John: Thanks for commenting on the practice used by RIC.

Your point about personal adjustments is an excellent one.

At the end of the day, there is a need to be flexible in making adjustments such that that they suit the conditions of the instrument and the playing style of the owner.

doctorwho wrote:... anyeher on the fetboard ...

I really need to stop with the ultra-late-night postings ...

I do adjust the action on my instruments by personal "feel" (as I was trying to say), rather than by specs.