Rickenbacker 330/6

Made in 1991 you know the features, but no stereo output gets it a nine

I love the tone on this instrument. I play mostly heavey rock, country and experimental music and it fits the bill for any style. However I would'nt recomend it for nu-metal as the output is a little low for that. Otherwise this thing sounds amazing, I run it with a Music Man 65 reverb head and Celestion 4x12, could'nt ask for a better tone, clean or distorted.

It plays different than any other guitar ive owned, the scale was a little wierd to get used to but after a few weeks I didnt even notice it. Action CANNOT be beat. Soooo smooth.

I've used this guitar hard many nights out. If you break it, your dumb. The finish is very resistent to scratching and dents, probablly cos its so thick.

Never needed them.

I also own a Fender Amr. Ash Telecaster witch I love but the tone doesnt even come close to the 330. This guitar was stolen from me, but i located it in a pawn shop. Paid the pawn ticket to get it back so I ended up paying $1100 total for this guitar. WORTH EVERY PENNY!
It's gone up in List Price $200 in 3 years so you cant beat the value. I wish it had the "Rick 'o' Sound" output but i get by without it.

I think we all know the features by this point. If not, read another review to get the details of this strange little instrument. There is nothing this guitar doesn't have, however it may be a little much for some people.

I'd just like to start by saying that this guitar is definitley not for everyone. I've played a ton of different electric guitars and I'd have to say that Rics are probably the most unique electric instruments out there. With that said, it can be a blessing at times, and annoying as $%^& at others. I was looking for a guitar that was a contrast to my Fender Strat, and I must say that this guitar fits the bill. The tone, feel, look..everything is completely unlike a Strat..obviously. However, I find this guitar rather difficult to play at times. I play a lot of melodic lead type stuff (U2, Radiohead, Phish) and this isn't necessarily a great guitar for that. The neck is very hard to get used to...at least for me it was. I still can't decide if I like the glossy fretobard or not. It's beautiful, but creates a lot of problems in playing lead. Also, it gets grimmy and dirty rather easily. My only complaints of this guitar lie in the feel of it. Everything about this guitar seems exaggerated...the thick, yet tight neck and the 24 frets create a strange feel that would probably turn a lot of players away. The scale length of this instrument is so bizarre, I kind of like it though. Overall though, the sound is great..the craftsmanship is wonderful...just not a guitar for someone looking to skip around with genres or play a lot of lead based stuff. I suppose once you get used to it, it could become your favorite instrument rather easily. Nothing out there is like a Ric. I understand why not many kids are picking up Rics today though, because it feels about as vintage as you can get. Not great for a lot of bull $%^& kids are trying to do today.

The guitar was set up pretty strangely from the factory. The strings were waaaay high up, however I got that adjusted. Now they are a little too low, but regardless it's easier to play. I guess the pickups were adjusted well since they sound awesome. The guitar was brand new when I bought it, and it was flawless. Truly a work of art. There is no Fender or Gibson that can match a Ric in quality control, especially at a 1,000 dollar price range. Probably because Rics aren't mass produced like Fenders and Gibsons are. The tone knobs are really cool, and the blender knob is unique and usable.

The guitar is a monster. Nothing on this guitar will break, unless you are a moron and are asking for it. The finish should last if you are willing to take care of it, and treat it with the respect it deserves. You can definetely depend on this guitar when you need it, and I dont see a need for a backup unless you break strings easily.

Im sure its great, but I havent had to call yet.

Overall, I have pretty mixed opinions of this guitar. I love the sound and look, but can't quite get a grasp on the feel. To me, it just feels a little too akward. Between the metal plate at the bridge (making palm-muting somewhat akward and difficult), the weird scale length, the wickedly glossy neck, and of course the crazy size and configuration of the neck, it is just a little hard to play at times. The guitar feels very tight, which isn't necessarily bad, but it isn't the type of guitar you can just sit down and whip out any style with ease. I've grown to appreciate the guitar for its uniqueness though, and it fits my needs of being a truly original instrument. I hate Les Pauls and PRS guitars, but still wanted a Humbucker equipped instrument, and the Ric not only gives a humbucker tone, but a tone that is totally unique to any instrument. I don't see myself learning to love this instrument, but I don't think I could sell it. Be wary of the Rics, they definitely aren't something that any player will appreciate, but for some people it may be the best thing ever.

Same ole' features

I play original rock 'n roll. Indi-type stuff. This guitar sounds really good. Different than a, but really good.
My setup is 330>Boss tuner>Jekell&Hyde Distortion>Boss DD6 Delay>H2O Chorus/Echo>Holy Grail Reverb>Fender Blues JR.

I basically sold my Deluxe American Strat and bought this becase I hate the tone of single coil fenders. The 330 has great sustain because of the hollow body. Watch the highs though, if I turn them up all the way, I get some microphonic feedback.

Everything was good, except you can see some of the glue near the headstock. doesn't affect the playing or sound, but I expected better from a nice guitar.

Seems solid so far. I've had this for 6 months with no problems.

I've been playing for ten years. I've been gigging for six. I also have a Danelectro that I use as a backup. I have a Taylor 414ce, and a Taylor 310ce. I have to fender blues jrs. I sometimes split my signal before distortion, so I can double with a clean sound also. I totally love this guitar. I would buy it again in a heartbeat. Watch out if you play really heavy stuff, but for anything else you can get good crunch out of it all the way to crisp cleans.

I'm sure you can see most of the features in the other reviews. Mine is a 330 Fireglo. I got a killer deal on this guitar it was originally bought buy some guy for his teenage son to learn to play on. The son had no intrest in it so the dad sold it though a guitar shop. The film was even still on the pick guard, the guitar was never even used. I love the two seprate controls for the two pickups, and the feel of the guitar in general. I wasn't planning to buy a Ric, but when a freind saw them put it out at a shop he called me and put it on his credit card right then and there. I paid him back of course!!! haha

I don't play this guitar very much anymore. I used to be in a Christian rock/worship band and I loved the sound. I played it though a Crate Vintage Club tube amp and it sounded great, very 60s rock and roll. The Ric has a very distinct sound and if you like it you like it, if you don't then don't buy one because there is no way you are going to get it to sound like a Les Paul or a Strat, it is just different. To me, that is a good thing.

Very easy to play, I like the thin neck and the lower action. One problem I did have right of the bat was that there was a bur in on of the bridge saddles and I kept breaking strings until I figured it out and filed it down. Also the jack was a little loose, but I think that may have been from someone steping on the cord. The fit and finish was great, no complaints at all.

I used this when I was in the band as my main guitar with out a back up most of the time. Myself and our singer shared a back up guitar, his main guitar was a Gretch and between the two of us we hardly ever used the extra guitar live. This guitar was on the road a fair amount and held up great, the finish is decent and won't wear through too easily, but it did get dull where my sweaty arm rests.

Never dealt with the company at all. Never needed to

I am 26 years old and have been playing half of my life, since I was 13. I am by no means a great guitar player, but I can hold my own. I also own a Larrivee D-03 and a Washburn B-12 banjo. I really don't use the Ric much anymore because I live in a condo, have kids and usually just play my accoustic or my banjo now when I sing to them. So, if it was stolen, I wouldn't be able to justify buying another one, but I will also never sell it. I would like to give it to my son or daughter some day if they choose to play. The only other electric that I have owned was a Mexican Strat, so it is a huge upgrade from that! I definitely love the guitar.

I bought this guitar new in 2000. It is the mapleglow finish, which is a natural maple colour with white pickguard and chrome hardware. It has 24 frets and the standard Rick high output single coil pickups. It has the lovely trademark R bridge.

This guitar sounds fab. The only problem is I bought this guitar because of Paul Weller in The Jam. He used to get such a bright jangly sound out of his Rick 330s and I just couldn't do the same. My 330 was very warm sounding, even with just the bridge pickup selected and the tone set to the brightest. So I'm not sure how Paul Weller managed it but mine wouldn't do it. However, it still sounded excellent.

My 330 was absolutely flawless. Perfect.

I didn't own it for that long but I never had a single problem with it.

Never dealt with Rickenbacker so can't comment.

Fab. I wish I still owned it. :?(

2004 in mapleglow the usual 330 spec!

Ive always liked the sound of the early Who,Beatles,Jam, so a rickenbacker was a must! Bright punchy! nice and clear on the bottom strings.its a very tight sound with not alot of sustain. The idea is not to use too much (preamp)gain on your amp,again as we always know drive that power amp!!! i use a Marshall 100w DSL head thru a peavey classic 4x10 cab,this guitar is very lively IF used with a bit of thought. I dont find lead playing a problem on this as others do,u just need to dig in a bit more! I find the neck pickup setting a bit wholly sounding clean, but driven its nice smooth sounding, but 90% i use the bridge and middle settings. Overall a cool sound!

Out of the case this guitar was setup superb, i dont like very low action, it was a nice medium, ive had it 8months and after several string changes and tempreture changes i havent adjusted anything at all. Finish is absolutely fantastic!!!! put Gibson to shame! and i own a few Gibbos.And it comes with alot of paper work care guide and special polishing cloth etc...

Use this along with Les Paul all the time, live and studio work.The hardware is bomb proof,stays in tune well, plus it comes with Schaller stap lock buttons Fitted,nice touch if you use them on your other guitars! wish more makers would do that! finish looks as it could outlast gibsons and reissue fenders. string changing can be awkward if you leave the bridge cover on,but thats nothing really to worry about.

Never dealt with them.

Try Before you buy!!! but if you are looking for another guitar its well worth the attention, makes a nice break from the normal gear we use gibbos fenders PRS..etc.. build quality is fantastic,sound is unique and so is its look and vibe! cool guitar!!!!!! im off to rip out The kids are allright!!!!!!!!!!

I've got a 91' "snowglo" 330, with the vintage- style, alnico toaster pickups and accent vibrato (i guess that makes it a 335!). "snowglo" is basically white on white, i've only seen one of these one other time. it has a very thin/ fast neck and jangles like a charm. all other hardware is standard 330 fare. i gave it a 10 because it has all you need plus the pickup panning knob, which is brilliant.

it definitely suits my style. i play generally indie stuff. it sounds great through tube amps, that ricky tone shines through nicely. the toaster pickups give it a evenly balanced tone, from highs to lows. it's wonderfully resonant, which i'm sure is due to the neck-through body design and chambered/ hollow body. you can really get the sweetest feedback when coaxed. the vibrato is charming, comfortable to use, and works surprisingly well considering its simplistic design.

the action is low and perfect for my taste. no factory flaws from what i can tell in terms of action or fit. the only issue is that the white finish is fading to a vintage cream. from what i've heard, this is one of the reasons why this color was produced for a very short time. it actually doesn't bother me too much, but i have to rate it fairly.

this one's very reliable. i've never had any issues with it whatsoever. i'm really impressed with how durable it is. rickenbacker quality at it's best

never had to deal with them.

Rickenbacker created one of the last truly original guitar designs. I think the design is visually stunning and absolutely magnetic. i think the ergonomics are definitely where the guitar could be improved, but that might detract from its visual character. it's a little awkward/ angular in its "feel" compared to fender, gibson, gretsch, etc. but i guess that's the price to pay for style, right? women don't wear high heels because they're comfortable. nonetheless i love this guitar, it's a real keeper.

1992 Mapleglo 330/6 with black pickguards & hardware. Semi-hollow, 24-frets, ebony fretboard. Neck thru body. 2 volume, 2 tone, groovy mix knob for optimum balance between powerful single coil pickups.

I've found that people either love or hate these guitars, and those who hate them usually haven't had much experience with them. The fact is, the 330 is certainly capable of the jangly, rock and roll sound, but it's capable of subtle nuances as well. Rolling off the bridge pickup somewhat produces a warm tone ideal for jazzy solos. Crank up the distortion on that neck pickup and it can sound really crunchy and mean. Tone controls span a pretty broad swath of highs. A very expressive instrument.

Incredibly easy to play. For all the "thin Rickenbacker necks" talk that goes on, I think the neck might be best described as "flat". For we guitar players with small but nimble hands, the flatness of the neck combined with the reasonable size of the frets make this guitar a godsend. Be sure not to use any strings greater or less than .10 since anything greater may snap the guitar in half and anything less will cause intonation problems.

Speaking of intonation, it's generally very good, although I've noticed that the neck thru body design combined with posture has an effect. I've been playing this guitar for 13 years, so I feel quite comfortable with it and have learned how to put the best spin on it to get it to do what I need. Driving it from the humid summer temperatures in Memphis to the dry, cooler climate of say, Wisconsin in one day does have an effect. But this guitar is unique in that the more time you spend with it and understand what it wants to do, the better it will sound and respond for you.

The cover over the bridge that people complain about can be taken off. In fact, I think I took it off in 1992 and haven't been able to find it since.

Had to remount the toggle switch about five years ago. Big deal.

This guitar is extremely well made and has stood up to countless hours of road and stage time. Apply the same care you would to any quality instrument. And no fooling around bending the body as the poor man's whammy bar--you'll be sorry. It is a guitar that is delicately balanced. Fans of the Who will find this guitar very easy to smash as chunks of maple fly away effortlessly into the mosh pit upon contact with the stage or another band member. No backup necessary unless you're planning to do this.

I've never had any reason to contact Rickenbacker, which should say something.

This guitar has never failed me. The mapleglo finish is unusual, since most people like the red or black, and that usually turns a few heads at gigs since one doesn't see them too often. I'm a guitarist trained in jazz and classical, although I routinely bash out power pop. It's a great sounding, great playing, aesthetically pleasing, pretty blonde firecracker and she's MINE---ALL MINE!

Couldn't help but notice that these guitars cost a significantly greater amount right off the line these days than they did in 1992, so I consider myself lucky. Many consider the 80s to be a rough time for Ricks, but apparently they got all of the kinks out by the time the nineties rolled around. I love this instrument.

2003 fireglo 330 6 string with modern hi-gain pickups. This is an awesome guitar, what more can be said. I like the separate tone controls for each pickup and the sound is simply amazing, live and recorded. Regarding the "thin neck", I prefer the thin neck which feels very comfortable to me. It's one reason I have a hard time playing other guitars as they feel like logs compared to the Ric.

My band plays a "rickenbacker" sound, which is punk/powerpop influenced by The Jam, who's Paul Weller used the Ric almost exclusively. Driven thru the right amp, this guitar sings with that jangly OD sound you hear on "in the city". I am playing through a TopHat Club Royale 2x12 with the following pedals: MXR 10 band EQ, HAO Rust Booster, DD-3 Delay, and ISP Decimator noisegate. The sound is rich and full, while maintaining that trebly bite I like.

This guitar plays itself, which is good since I can barely do it *haha*. The finish is FLAWLESS fireglo. amazing workmanship. I have it set at a low action which makes playing effortless and there is no fretting out.

I have a Ric 360 for a backup but either guitar needs no worries. Everything on both the 330 and 360 is solid as a rock.

I also own a 1982 Ric 360 that is just as awesome as this one. but personally, i like the aggressive looks of the 330 better. and this one seems to have hotter pickups than my 360, which suits my sound better. I would buy another Ric in a second. I am sure i will be at some point, just to have a bigger collection.

Made in 2004. Coluor is Midnight Blue. Came with a Hard Shell Case.
Has everything what you need.

It's a POP-Guitar! Great for Beatles, Smiths...
The Sound is absolutely fantastic, when you have a good tube amp.
I was testing with a Rickenbacker solid state amp (TR 7), and the sound was really crappy, even with a Fender Blues de Ville it didn't sound really good.
So I bought a Vox AC 30 and: Bang! Perfect. Chimy jingle jangle is easy to get. Of course, it's not a perfect lead guitar.

The guitar is made nearly perfect.
Only the frets aren't polished, so this was a bit disappointing.

It's a professional instrument. It will last forever.
A gig, without a backup - no doubt.

Never dealt with them

Playing for 15 years now. I am owning a 2004 Fender Highway Tele, a Johnson Rickenbacker-copy 330/12 and some Hofner acoustics.
If the 330 was stolen or lost, I would buy another one at once.