Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi, everyone. I took possession of my new 380L PZ this evening, and I've been fiddling about with it trying to get the hang of the piezo pick-up and the two Rickbuckers. I'm having some trouble figuring out the volume controls. I assumed that this thing would be wired in a manner similar to my other Rickenbackers, and that there would be a separate volume control for each of the magnetic pick-ups with the "blend" knob acting as a volume control for the piezo. That doesn't seem to be the case. Instead, it seems that when I'm plugged into the "magnetic" jack, the left-most volume control (the one I think of as "bass volume") becomes a "master volume" for the two humbuckers. No matter how high I crank the other volume knob, I get no real change in sound. (The blend knob obviously does nothing in this mode.)

When I plug into the "piezo" jack, the other volume control (i.e. the one I normally associate with "treble volume") kicks in and the other one goes dead. This knob becomes a master volume for the two humbuckers and the piezo, with the blend knob dictating the ratio of piezo to humbucker output.

Have I got this right, or is there something I'm missing?

John, from the Rickenbacker site...

Thanks, Mike. I looked for something like that under the schematics page and couldn't find it. That's a big help. I'll play with it some more later today and see if I can put some thoughts down on how this guitar sounds.

The 380L/PZ has always intrigued me. I still regret the chance to buy that RCA model quasi-380L (with the R tailpiece, ahem, gorgeous).

I'm curious to hear your impressions, John. Cheers, Noel

I played it a little bit again this morning, Noel, armed with Chris's information. I'm playing the guitar through the only amp I have available, a class "A" 18 watt tube amp made by Edward Amplification. That's probably not the best set up for a piezo pick-up, but I'm really enjoying the results. The piezo pick-up sounds *light* as opposed to bright. I hope that's not a meaningless distinction ... it's so hard to describe sounds. By comparison, my 381 sometimes has a bright sound that can be a little too trebly, a little bit brittle, harsh, metallic. The 380 has none of that. It is a wonderful rhythm guitar, especially for slash chords that leave the unwound strings open. It's the first guitar I've owned that truly chimes, although that effect is best heard in chord work. I don't get quite the same effect when playing fingerstyle. You have to mix in a bit of the humbucker to get some more oomph for picking individual notes. I haven't done a ton of experimentation yet, but I've managed to get some very pretty country tones out of the piezo/humbucker combination.

I've used the humbuckers on their own, and while I'm not disappointed with the results, you definitely get more interesting and usable sounds with the piezo activated. You could probably get more out of them if there wasn't a single volume and tone control for both pick-ups, but I personally wouldn't pass up the piezo option just to get that added flexibility. The humbuckers are very alive, almost to the point of sounding like P-90's (at least to my ears), but they can also get muddy if you're not careful. It's very easy (almost too easy) to overdrive my low-wattage amp with the magnetic pick-ups, but despite the high output, they are deathly quiet. I'm not given to screaming guitar solos, but I can see this guitar fitting the bill for those who are, depending on how much control they insisted on having over the tone of each pick-up.

The 380L is definitely the most comfortable instrument I own. The neck is superb, with lots of room between the strings and very quick action up and down the frets. The guitar also seems thinner than other Rickenbackers I've played, even though the 360 dimensions are used. I put this down to the neck and the bridge. The strings are just SO close to the humbuckers. The guitar is also very light, which is a relief having carted around a heavy 381 for quite some time.

I'm still getting used to the look of the guitar. It's definitely different. I'm not a huge fan of gold hardware, but it does go well with the walnut. The wood on my guitar is quite knotty in places, which is fair enough. It's been very well book-matched front and back. I didn't get the flowing lines of walnut I'd hoped for, but it's growing on me. I'm very curious to see how it ages.

John, that sounds like a really cool and versatile guitar.... Congratulations! Do you have any pictures?

Yes, Melissa, I do! But I've got to send them off to Peter before they're posted. I know there are limits to what the server can do and I don't want to jam us up.

John, I, like you, am still 'playing around' with the controls on the 380L PZ I have, so don't feel bad!

Here is the link to the page at Rickenbacker Int. that has the PZ COntrols detailed:

http://www.rickenbacker.com/us/controls.htm

I'll see if I can get a pic or two of mine posted.

Isn't amazing how one little turn of the dial on these things seems to get you a totally different sound, Gary? I've been noodling since I got back from work, and I've gone from raunchy screaming lead tones to dry acoustic tones to Telecaster tones to Velvet Underground rhythm sounds via pretty much everything in between. It's almost too much. It'll probably be a good year or so before I get my head around it all.

Still working on those photos, Melissa.

Congrats John on your choice of the 380L PZ! It is definetly a great guitar! I have had mine for about 9 months now and really enjoy the different sounds this guitar makes. Since a couple here will be posting pics of theirs, allow me to post a pic of mine>
I have been playing mine through a Cybertwin set at Fender blackface twin with tri-chorus/stereo tape echo. This setting makes this guitar really shine with just the hi-gains in use. It's also great mixing a little piezo in.I also play it through a Vox Valvetronix with a simular effects setting with it on the AC15TB amp setting. Just amazing sound using either amp. On another note, don't forget that the Piezo active circuit uses a nine volt battery to run it. It is easily accessible by removing the plate on the back of the body. The battery is attached to the plate. The wires attached to the battery are a standard hook up for a battery of this kind. I've already replace mine and you'll know when it's time to replace it when the Piezo pick up starts sounding overdriven. It kind of took me by surprise as I thought something was wrong with the guitar.

Here is a photo taken by John Pollard of his Model 380L PZ. Thanks John.

Noel wrote:

"The 380L/PZ has always intrigued me. I still regret the chance to buy that RCA model quasi-380L (with the R tailpiece, ahem, gorgeous)."

Does anyone have any information about the RCA 12 string model?

Wasn't that RCA model built for a commercial recording studio? I can't remember what information was posted on Ebay when the item was sold. That was the only write up I've ever seen for that particular guitar. I did a quick search of the database, but only came up with messages relating to the Ebay auction. Why do I think it was sold because the studio was going out of business?

For what it's worth, I prefer the look of the "ordinary" 380L PZ. The modern bridge (with or without the piezo pick-up) is such an appealing feature, I don't know why someone would substitute a traditional Rickenbacker bridge on this very streamlined model. IMHO, the pickguard on the RCA 380 also took away from the guitar's overall appearance.

I have to say, Mike's 380L PZ (the earlier picture) is gorgeous. I love the grain in the wood. It almost looks like marble.

The RCA guitars were essentially the prototypes of the 380L, made as Christmas awards to be given by RCA Nashville to their artists that went platinum during the year.

The RCA guitars were made some years before the Laguna was finalized and the new style bridge hadn't even been conceived of at the time they were produced.

Since these were specially produced for RCA, it certainly was their choice to put their logo on it. Besides, there's a great story about their dog and Glenn Frey too . . .

Here is a link to a photo of the RCA 12 string.

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