Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi, I recently acquired an Accent for my '88 330. As you know, it will sit high due to the end pin placement and shallow thickness. I spent enough on the Accent and do not want to spend anymore on the aftermarket conversion plate. I need some thoughts on drilling a hole above the current hole on the plate. Would you do it or leave it as is? Thx

My own experience with installing an Accent is limited to 620 guitars which are much thinner. For those you must drill a new hole for the strap bolt.

I would have thought, with the 330 being thicker, that the accent can be installed on the original strap bolt. If there is any variance it should only be about a quarter inch or so. The Accent will work fine, even if it is not flush to the surface of the guitar. If you must have it flush then drilling a new strapbolt is the way to go. The Accent will hide the extra hole. If you put the R tail back on it you will see the surgery.

Just my two cents. Hope it all goes well. (At least you are not planning to drill the top for a Bigsby!)

Winfield Vintage used to sell an adaptor for the Accent that enabled the vibrato to sit snugly on a standard R-tailpiece Rickenbacker without drilling. I can't find it on their price list but it is here on their site, at the bottom of the page. I have one on my 330 and it works well, though the fold in the adaptor bracket is slightly smaller than the standard bracket, resulting in a larger gap between the string comb and the bracket.

The enhanced travel of the vibrato and the near flush fit of the bracket to the face of the guitar more than compensates for this minor cosmetic issue.

Get the adaptor so you can at least go back and forth as you wish

The 'misalignment' on a 330/360 or a 325/350 isn't as bad as on a 600, but it's still there. I haven't looked closely at whether you could drill a second hole without plugging the first with a dowel - I've always seen references to plugging and redrilling. If there is enough space between the two locations to drill a new hole without plugging, I'd think you could drill a second hole in the bracket with a lot less risk than drilling the guitar.

The adapter bracket was $60. For me, at least, it was a no-brainier to spend the extra money.

Thanks Guys.
I'm not going to drill the guitar but probably will the plate. $60 is a lot for me right now as I'm finally getting my collection in shape and buying miscellaneous parts for several other guitars. Plus I just bought a Custom Shop Gibson. The price of an Accent is a bit absurd in my opinion and to add another $60 doesn't sit well with me.
Anyway, thanks for the feedback, once it's complete, I'll post a pic. Just got gold pickguards from Pickguardian too!
Best

If $60 is a lot of money to you, then there is a decent chance you may have to sell this guitar at some point, and the resale value will drop by much more than $60 with a hole in it, either in the body or in the plate.

jdogric12 wrote:If $60 is a lot of money to you, then there is a decent chance you may have to sell this guitar at some point

Wow, that's shockingly rude.

Personally I wouldn't care about an extra hole in the tailpiece bracket (a part that can easily be replaced) because he never once mentioned drilling out the body.

I agree Erik.

jd; I have over 30 guitars and at least 2 dozen of them would be on the chopping block before this Rick.
The $60 is a lot on top of what I already paid for the Accent, not because I have to pay the mortgage or buy the kids shoes.
I did drill the tailpiece last night and everything is a-okay.

Sorry you guys took my post the wrong way. I was just trying to be helpful, by offering something you may not have considered. I clearly got the wrong impression from your post and I apologize. Congratulations on all your guitars and on drilling the hole!

I understand, no worries. Thanks for replying.

gazzer wrote:I did drill the tailpiece last night and everything is a-okay.

Nice. I wouldn't mind seeing it.

I'll see what I can do. I only have a crummy phone camera though.

antipodean wrote:Winfield Vintage used to sell an adaptor for the Accent that enabled the vibrato to sit snugly on a standard R-tailpiece Rickenbacker without drilling.

This.

iiipopes wrote:

antipodean wrote:Winfield Vintage used to sell an adaptor for the Accent that enabled the vibrato to sit snugly on a standard R-tailpiece Rickenbacker without drilling.

This.

Following.