Rickenbacker 330
| Rickenbacker 330 | |
|---|---|
Jetglo Rickenbacker 330 | |
| Manufacturer | Rickenbacker |
| Period | 1958–present |
| Construction | |
| Body type | Semi-hollow |
| Neck joint | Set |
| Scale | 24.75" |
| Woods | |
| Body | Maple |
| Neck | Three-ply maple/walnut |
| Fretboard | Rosewood with pearloid dot inlays |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Adjustable |
| Pickup | 2 single-coil |
The Rickenbacker 330 is part of Rickenbacker's 300 series of semi-acoustic guitars, also known as the "Capri" series. The 330 entered the Rickenbacker product line in 1958. It was designed by the German luthier Roger Rossmeisl. The guitar is associated by many players with the jangle-rock sounds of bands from the 1960s and 1980s. The instrument incorporates many features standard on Rickenbacker guitars, including a three-ply maple/walnut neck, a shallow headstock angle, and a thick rosewood fretboard finished with clear conversion varnish. The 330 also features a body with Rickenbacker's "crescent moon" double-cutaway shape with sharp, unbound edges, and an R-shaped trapeze tailpiece. One idiosyncrasy of the guitar is its dual truss rods, which allow for the correction of problematic and unwanted twists, as well as curvature, of the guitar's neck. The 330 is equipped with a monaural jack plate, lacking the Rick-O-Sound stereo functionality of other Rickenbacker models such as the Rickenbacker 360.
The Rickenbacker 330, like all Rickenbacker models, is manufactured in the United States, specifically within the Rickenbacker factory located in Santa Ana, California. It is not mass-produced, but rather produced-to-order for dealers and individual customers. It carries a MSRP of $1,999.00. The 330 is the top-selling instrument within Rickenbacker's lineup, as stated by the company's CEO, John Hall.
From 1970 to 1974 Rickenbacker offered the 331, or what became known as the "Light Show" guitar. This version had a built in light organ, with an external power supply. Prior to 2008, this model was also offered as a twelve string version (Model 330/12), and with an additional pickup (Model 340, 340/12 12 string version).
During the period where Rose Morris served as the importer and wholesaler for Rickenbacker in the UK, the 330 was sold as the model 1997, and the 340 was called the 1998. Rather than featuring the standard Rickenbacker slash-shaped sound hole, both guitars featured an f-shaped violin sound hole.