Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

As a product of the 80's college music, I like hi gains over toasters. I had a 90's 330 that I mistakenly sold-- loved the pickups. I recently came into a 2020 330 and the pickups seem way hotter without a lot of headroom before overdriving. Have hi gains got hotter over the years? I'd like to switch these out.

If anything, I'd say they are more consistent now. Depends when in the 90's you're talking about.

It depends. Late '70's and '80's button top high gains were underwound at @ 6 to 6.5 kohms for the bridge to get maximum top end at the expense of volume, and neck high gains at the same time were wound 12 to 15 kohms to get maximum thickness, tempered in output by the 5th knob. As above, I have seen more consistency in the screw top high gains over the past few years.

iiipopes wrote:It depends. Late '70's and '80's button top high gains were underwound at @ 6 to 6.5 kohms for the bridge to get maximum top end at the expense of volume, and neck high gains at the same time were wound 12 to 15 kohms to get maximum thickness, tempered in output by the 5th knob.

This describes my old '81 360 BG to a tee.

iiipopes wrote:It depends. Late '70's and '80's button top high gains were underwound at @ 6 to 6.5 kohms for the bridge to get maximum top end at the expense of volume, and neck high gains at the same time were wound 12 to 15 kohms to get maximum thickness, tempered in output by the 5th knob. As above, I have seen more consistency in the screw top high gains over the past few years.

I can follow the thought process, but I wouldn't enjoy that at all! A screw-top high gain in the bridge and 7.4k scatterwound toaster in the neck seem much better matched to me.

That said, a lot of my favorite music has been made on the pickups you describe...