Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi, I'm looking for some help on this one. I recently picked up my first Rickenbacker a 340 from 2000. I've been trying to find some info on the model but to date all I've really found is info saying that its been discontinued. Could any give me any more info on the model? Many Thanks

The 340 is essentially a model 330 with an additional pickup between the neck and bridge pickups. I believe the factory setup would have the middle and neck pickups wired in parallel. IMO there is very little sonic difference between a 330 and 340 when the pickups are wired this way.

Do you know when production ceased?

chard wrote:Do you know when production ceased?

12/13/07:

http://www.rickenbacker.com/news_item.a ... ews=recent

Of course, that's the date Rickenbacker stopped accepting orders, not the last date that a 340 would have been produced.

deaconblues wrote:

chard wrote:Do you know when production ceased?

12/13/07:

http://www.rickenbacker.com/news_item.a ... ews=recent

Of course, that's the date Rickenbacker stopped accepting orders, not the last date that a 340 would have been produced.

A friend of mine just got (a couple weeks ago) a MG 370/12. Brand new, recently arrived at Wildwood Guitars. I didn't realize it was that long ago that these were discontinued. Wildwood told him they had ordered it "a while ago" and it just came in!

jps wrote: A friend of mine just got (a couple weeks ago) a MG 370/12. Brand new, recently arrived at Wildwood Guitars. I didn't realize it was that long ago that these were discontinued. Wildwood told him they had ordered it "a while ago" and it just came in!

370/12 was never discontinued, presumably due to the McGuinn connection. 340, 340/12, and 370 were, however.

+1 The 370-12 is on current pricelist: http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdfs/pricelist.pdf

libratune wrote:The 340 is essentially a model 330 with an additional pickup between the neck and bridge pickups. I believe the factory setup would have the middle and neck pickups wired in parallel. IMO there is very little sonic difference between a 330 and 340 when the pickups are wired this way.

Having a 330 and 340 with similar high gains, I would actually say (IMO) that the bass (up) and 'both' (middle) switch positions are a little muddier on a 340 with factory wiring.

I much prefer modification with push pull pots to kill individual pickups. Then you can get any combination of the three pickups and get, in particular, middle only and middle+bridge - my personal favorites.

There's also a popular mod to repurpose the 'blender' pot as a middle pickup volume.

Thanks guys, I thought it was all 3 pickup models, I didn't think to look at the current price list.