Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

A question for you original 331 owners out there---

Awhile back, I recall hearing Scott Jennings describe a photo shoot for a 331 model involving plugging in tunes from a stereo (hip hop, I think) to get the lights to flicker on their own. I think i've also seen this used to great effect with Graham's "thunder & lightning" video on YouTube.

Any idea how this is achieved? I assume you need to somehow plug the stereo output into the guitar...but I can't figure out how to achieve this.

I'd like to take better pics of my 331 (type II), but can't strum the strings and take the photo in time.

I am not an original 331 owner, but I would seriously not recommend running the output of your stereo into the output jack of your Lightshow. Given the output voltage of a stereo at typical volume levels it may be possible you will see a light show for a second or two from the pickups on your guitar instead. What Scott may have done is crank his stereo up enough for the strings to vibrate sympathetically from the sound coming out of his stereo's speakers. Be sympathetic to your guitar and do not try the plugging in idea.

jps wrote: Be sympathetic to your guitar and do not try the plugging in idea.

That's why this thread exists!!

I wouldn't think of trying nothing before asking, as I'm pretty stump-stupid when it comes to electronics.

Side note though-I've had the stereo in pretty loud, and they wouldn't get close to vibrating the strings enough to trigger the lights, unless maybe the speakers were as big as these:

Paul seems to be building a new lighshow-something-or-other every week... Just commission a Boombox LS!

We had one of the 331s at RIC HQ rigged up to a mini stereo receiver. I think it was the headphone jack of the receiver to the input of the guitar (1/4" to 1/4"). Then set the radio dial on the receiver, and there it is. Nothing blew up.

I think said rig was used when the guitar was being displayed at the MoMM Exhibit for the RIC 75th festivities.

John Hall may elaborate.

kennyhowes wrote:We had one of the 331s at RIC HQ rigged up to a mini stereo receiver. I think it was the headphone jack of the receiver to the input of the guitar (1/4" to 1/4"). Then set the radio dial on the receiver, and there it is. Nothing blew up.

I think said rig was used when the guitar was being displayed at the MoMM Exhibit for the RIC 75th festivities.

John Hall may elaborate.

Headphone jacks have a far lower output so I could see that working, but certainly not from a speaker out from an amplifier, I would think. Looking forward to hearing John's comment on this.

Indeed. Not at line level.

kennyhowes wrote:We had one of the 331s at RIC HQ rigged up to a mini stereo receiver. I think it was the headphone jack of the receiver to the input of the guitar (1/4" to 1/4"). Then set the radio dial on the receiver, and there it is. Nothing blew up.

I think said rig was used when the guitar was being displayed at the MoMM Exhibit for the RIC 75th festivities.

John Hall may elaborate.

In another thread , Mr Hall did emphatically state that no Rickenbacker guitar ever had an input....

chefothefuture wrote:

kennyhowes wrote:We had one of the 331s at RIC HQ rigged up to a mini stereo receiver. I think it was the headphone jack of the receiver to the input of the guitar (1/4" to 1/4"). Then set the radio dial on the receiver, and there it is. Nothing blew up.

I think said rig was used when the guitar was being displayed at the MoMM Exhibit for the RIC 75th festivities.

John Hall may elaborate.

In another thread , Mr Hall did emphatically state that no Rickenbacker guitar ever had an input....

99.99% of the time, that is correct.

kennyhowes wrote:

chefothefuture wrote:

kennyhowes wrote:We had one of the 331s at RIC HQ rigged up to a mini stereo receiver. I think it was the headphone jack of the receiver to the input of the guitar (1/4" to 1/4"). Then set the radio dial on the receiver, and there it is. Nothing blew up.

I think said rig was used when the guitar was being displayed at the MoMM Exhibit for the RIC 75th festivities.

John Hall may elaborate.

In another thread , Mr Hall did emphatically state that no Rickenbacker guitar ever had an input....

99.99% of the time, that is correct.

Yet, ironically in the case of the 331, they do! Well.....it's power input from the supply box.

Thanks guys, the headphone jack idea makes a lot more sense.

OK, it's pretty simple to figure out how this works. Start with how the LS guitar works normally. Playing the guitar causes the pickup to make electrical signals that come out of the output jack. The LS circuit is also attached at that point and has the circuitry to turn the lights on, etc.

Now, that circuit doesn't really care where the sound came from, all it knows is that there is a signal and does what it's supposed to do with the lights. So, whether the signal comes from the pickups, or some external source using the output jack as an input, it'll work the same.

The trick then is to provide a signal at a similar level to what would normally come from the pickups. Jeff's right, using the speaker outputs from the amp could very easily blow the LS circuit. But and so called "line" level signal, such as what comes out of the tape deck out, or headphone jack on your stereo amp should be fine as long as you don't crank it up too high. Start with the volume all the way down and slowly turn it up until the LS circuit starts working...

Cool, thanks CJ and others -- I'll try it tonight (maybe with a simple iPod..) and see if it works!

@ Collin-

That did occur to me after I posted. It's been a while since I had a 331... Though, if one wanted to use the power input, they'd have to find a 5 pin DIN plug....(Thats what both of my type II's had....)

Good luck with the iPod ....

Uh... I was just talking about the signal that will make the lights flash. You're still going to have to provide the power to run the thing via the power input plug...

cjj wrote:Uh... I was just talking about the signal that will make the lights flash. You're still going to have to provide the power to run the thing via the power input plug...

Yep, that's all we're talking about.


I have my standard DIN-plug power supply, which would be used of course...