Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo

My Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo was built in 2002. It has the familiar features you must know about by now. The blender knob is actually very useful and a unique feature of this guitar. The scratch plate is awesome, i personally try to keep it at an angle. A lot of people complain about the finish being easily smudged, but come on, a guitar is meant to be played. If you want something immaculate buy one and display it with a do not touch sign. I find the quality to be great through and through. I would not change the tuners or any other part of the guitar. The fretboard seems to have a coating that gets funky on the sides however. I could never figure that out.

This guitar is incredible. Friends often borrow it to record because it is incredible both live and in the studio. The neck pickup alone sounds very deep and clean, almost like an acoustic guitar. The Bridge pickup alone has tons of nasal bite, perfect for some raunchy punk style playing. Both together and you get that classic jangle that is gorgeous. Chords sound better on this guitar than any other I have played. It is also much less noisy than a strat. I use it with a Fender Blues Deluxe and usually a Rat pedal if I want something more overdriven. People, you must understand that you can play a blazing solo on a Rick, but the thing is that is not what the guitar does best. If you want to sound like Jimmy Page or Ace Frehley, it is just not going to happen so stop kidding yourself. This guitar has a very specific niche. It is awesome for 60's style playing, garage, punk and alternative music. One area that most people neglect is dream pop and shoegaze. If you want a beautiful sounding chimey guitar for something noisy but pretty this is the way to go. Don't forget bands like Ride and Slowdive use Ricks. The guitar responds awesomely well to effects like delay, tremolo, reverb and also Slide. If you want something with texture and your style is leaning more towards Power Pop and alternative this is the guitar to get in my opinion. If you want to play pentatonic solos get a Strat or a Les Paul.

This guitar was flawless right out of the box. I had to special order it and once it arrived and I opened the box at the music store there was a buzz all over the store about it. Several people at the store asked if they could try it out for fun, even the manager! The action is nice and low, the finish is wicked despite the fact that like almost any black guitar, fingerprints etc... will show. I am still in the process of tweaking this guitar. I would like to get the action a little lower but overall this is a quality instrument.

I would gig with this guitar without a backup, but restringing a Rick (even a 6 string) is a bit of a challenge. After almost 8 years I have never had a problem with it. The neck is rather slim and long though so just like any other guitar I would not recommend dropping it from a height.

I haven't really dealt with the company, but I have heard great things about people who have.

This guitar is the first quality electric guitar I ever bought. I have since bought a Les Paul Standard and I am getting a Gretsch G6120W-1957 soon because I feel that with these three guitars you can pull off most any style. I have been playing for 20+ years and I like a bit of everything, but at the time, I was looking to get away from a hard rock, blues and metal type of style and the Rick is perfect for that. If you are thinking of buying this guitar, here is a list of artists to listen to so you can get an idea of where this guitar shines: early Who, the Jam obviously, The Smiths, REM, Ride, Slowdive, definitely you can achieve Beatles, Radiohead rhythm, I have used it to cover Joy Division with success also Jesus and Mary Chain and The Sonics, The Cure etc. Notice that none of these bands engage in heavy soloing. This is really a songwriter's guitar and every time I bring it in for a session with friends ideas start flowing like crazy.

The Jetglo finish seems real hard to keep clean, I have the same model but Fireglo and it does not seem to need as much polishing as the Jetglo. It???s a thin line semi from 2004 made in USA. I do like the tone from it, it???s very 60's ish. I think Rickenbacker have sold many of their 330's on the back of the classic shape they have as they don???t seem have evolved very well from very good beginnings in my opinion

Like I said the tone is very good, jangly if played clean with loadsa reverb and a very down and dirty sound if played with distortion (the Jam) apart from that not much variety, if you want a working guitar that will handle most things then get a Fender Strat, but for sheer Beatles/R.E.M type sound it cant be beaten. It???s no good for metal!!!!

This particular guitar is set up very well and the finish is great and so is my fireglo. But my friend has around 10 different Rickenbackers and on a few the finish is abysmal with the neck joint on one particular George Harrison 360 re-issue being real bad still being able to see the GLUE!! He had to have it repaired at his own cost of around ??350 (he calls them the Friday afternoon guitars) that sucks!! but overall mine are fine although I do think they could have put a little more effort into developing through the ages they seem set in a time warp of the 60-s, maybe just refining bridge/pick ups etc.

Rickenbacker guitars on the whole are very good live having the look, the sound (if it???s the sound you want) and durability to withstand most abuse(look at some of the Who videos) although I don???t think you could get a tune out of one after Pete Townsend has finished with it . I use mine for gigs all the time it???s very light and a pleasure to gig, I change the strings once a month and clean it after every gig that???s about it really very reliable. I never gig without a back up and most times it???s my other 330 or a Strat. They also hold their value very well when being resold, due to the fact of loadsa Ric fans/buffs out there.

Never had a problem or cause to get in touch, altough my friend went to a luther for repair, maybe that says it all.

I???ve been playing some 30 odd years now and had most guitars during that time some good some bad. At the moment I own two 330???s a 4001 bass 2 Fender Strats, one Fender Tele, a Gibson/Epiphone SG, Westone thunder A and a Telecoustic. I would defiantly buy another one if they were lost or stolen, in fact I???m in the market for 360/12 mapleglo if the price is right, I just love the look of the 330 it optimises the electric guitar for me and nothing comes close. Yes it has its bad points but on the whole you won???t get a copy or a guitar that compares with it for individuality

I own a 2004 Ric 330 Jetglo. You know all the stuff, it's already been written. I looks gorgeous.

I bought a 330 for the sound - that Rickenbacker sound. It suits what I do really wel. I am with an originals band and the Ric, together with my Laney LC30 is shaping my sound.
My Tele is also part of the set up, but most of the set os played on the Ric. ith the amp overdriven it gives a good rocky tone and verilly sings through the clean channel. A sound so sweet you will probably shed a slight tear!!

When people ask me why I spent so much money on a second hand Ric rather than say a brand new Strat or Tele, I just tell them that you can see where the money is spent. No flaws, solid, a great finish as well.

All solid. Totally dependable. I only use the tele for two songs and to cover string breakages.

Never tired them.

If this guitar was nicked, I would hunt the thief down like a dog!!

Bought this beauty September 10th, 2005. Beautiful, flawless mirror-like black finish. While looking at this guitar hanging on the wall at the music store it struck me just how sexy of a guitar this is. My God, but is it ever! Funny, but up until about one month from purchasing it I never gave much thought to Rickenbackers. Yeah, I knew they were there and that they sounded great but for some reason I never thought about trying one out. You know this guitars features by now and for me they are perfect. I also like the fact that there's no binding on the body or neck either. That's just a preferance of mine. Less is best.

Sound. Well, this was the biggest consideration with my purchase. As much as I love the humbucker/Marshall combination (which I have) I can also fully appreciate a great clean sound as well. I also have a Strat and a Telecaster and as much as I like the vibe of each instrument something always felt like it was missing. The playability was'nt the problem but more in their sound. I tried numerous pickup changes as well as changing speakers in my amp but I was never satisfied. These are great guitars and the proof is people like Keith Richards, Eric Johnson and Eric Clapton, just to name a few. But it just was'nt happening for me.
I still don't know why I suddenley became interested in Rics, but I found myself reading up on them at this forum. What struck me was the high ratings that these guitars were given in the reviews. Not just for 330's but for all models. I always liked the way the 330's looked, so off I went to my local music store once I found out they had 3 in stock.
When I try out a guitar for the first time I don't plug it in right away. I prefer to just hold it and play it acoustically for at least half an hour to get a feel for it. (If it does'nt feel right why waste electricity, right?). Well, it sure felt good to play so let's plug her in. Right away I could tell this tone was something special, unique and something that you don't hear everyday. It's hard to describe but Rics definatley got their own thing going. I would'nt exactley call the tone "jangly" (these are the higher output single coils, not the toaster style)but the clarity from the bridge pickup had a very pleasing quality to it. Much more pleasing than the ice-pick quality from some of the Tele pickups I've tried. What's really nice is the blend control which enables you to dial in however much of the neck pickup with the bridge pickup that suits your needs. Very nice feature and I find myself using it a lot. I do find the neck pickup to be a bit dark with not enough clarity for me. But then I find this to be true with every stock neck pickup on every guitar that I've bought. According to the schematic Ric uses a 250K for volume and a 500K for the tone. If this is the case maybe I'll try changing the tone pot to a 500K also. I mean, it's not mud city but I would like to hear the neck pickup with a bit more clarity. This is just my preferance. I play this guitar clean only thru my Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue and I think it's a great match. I mainly play original stuff but I think it would work very well for '60's style music (does Beatles great!), country and jazz. Don't know how it works thru OD or distortion boxes because I really don't want to. I bought this guitar to be used as a clean rhythm/clean lead fill type of instrument and for that it's more than exceeded my expectations. All in all I'd say the tones on this guitar have a great balance to them. Seems to have just the right amount of clarity, mids and bass for my needs.

Set up action and intonation were dead on! The overall workmanship of this guitar is truly top notch and the folks who worked on this guitar have every reason to be proud of themselves. Not one flaw anywhere on this beauty. Great feeling neck from top to bottom. I can see where some folks say the width of the neck feels small to them. Yes, the width is smaller compared to my Les Paul but you can adapt to it. I found that I have to "think ahead" a bit more so to say when playing this guitar more than my others due to the string spacing being a bit smaller. Yes, the back of the neck can get a bit sticky feeling also, but maybe this will wear down in time from playing. But the little bit of extra effort in playing this guitar is well worth it because of it's tone.

I have no doubt that this guitar will outlive me by 200 years. While this is not a cheaply made guitar by any means I feel that it needs a bit more care in it's handeling than other guitars. If my Strat fell of it's stand it would survive just fine. But I would'nt want my 330 taking a fall. It's like Pete Townsend said, "Rics are'nt flimsy, they're delicate". I think he was refering to the 330 models and I would agree to some extent. This is hard to explain and by no means am I knocking the build quality of my 330 because I feel it will stand up to hard gigging and not miss a beat along the way. It also stays in tune great! (Wish I could say the same for some of my other guitars). But again, I feel the need for a bit more care in the overall handeling of this guitar is needed.

Have'nt dealt with them yet so I don't know.

This guitar definatley has that very special "something" to it. I'm a huge Beatles fan and one of the things that crossed my mind when I first saw it was John Lennon playing his black 325. Similar body shape, black....magic, really. This guitar definatley filled the void in my quest for a clean tone to fill my needs and I have no regrets buying it. It looks, sounds and plays great. Everyone who's seen it can't believe what a beautiful guitar it is. Really, you should see their eyes when they first see it! This is a well crafted, well made guitar made in the U.S.A and I'm proud to own it.

I own a made-in-the-USA 2003 Jetglo 330 which I purchased brand-spanking new. You can get all the descriptive details elsewhere in numerous posts. The one thing that surprised me about this guitar is how light it is, especially since it is constructed of some pretty solid pieces of maple, with no laminates at all. With two sets of volume and tone controls and a mixing knob, you really have a lot to play around with. The neck is surprisingly long, and a little thick and chunky but still easy enough to get your hand around it.

I play classic rock, folk and blues music. This guitar is a lot more versatile than you might think. Plug it into a decent amp and you can run it through lots of different effects, both clean and overdrive. The sound can range from very bright and jangly in the clean mode, to down-and-dirty in overdrive. Don't expect a thick Les Paul-type sound on these 2 single-coils, of course.

My preference is to play mostly chords and rhythm parts with this guitar in the bridge or middle pickup positions because the sound cuts through so much more clearly. I never play this guitar solely through the neck pickup.

Absolutely fabulous fit and finish. The folks at the RIC factory in California are really setting the industry standard, folks! My guitar was set up perfectly right out of the case, and I have done nothing to change it in 2 years of heavy playing.

One point worth noting about the high-gloss, glass-like finish on these jetglo's is that they do scratch very easily. Be careful when you are changing strings or swinging the guitar around, because even the slightest nick will show up. As for beltbuckles, you better leave those in the closet! The scratch problem is made worse by the fact that just under the black paint is the original white-colored maple wood...

This guitar is solid. I would take it anywhere. The Schaller hardware is superb, and the body and neck are built like a tank, even though it's a semi-hollow body. I purchased Schaller straplocks for the strap buttons after having the neck slip off my guitar strap and sustain a knock on the headstock.

They pick the phone right up at RIC in California when you call them, and are super helpful. The spare parts they sell are very pricey, but well worth the cash.

I've been playing off and on for 20+ years. I own two US-made Teles, an Epi Les Paul and a few acoustics. Although I drift away for a time in my playing, I always seem to keep coming back to this guitar again and again. It looks awesome, feels very different, and has a very unique sound. My only regret is that I didn't get the 12-string, but maybe I can still hope Santa will bring one soon.

1984 USA! 24 frets! maple boody, 5 ctrls, but they were all bypassed except for one master volume, 2 p/u's semi hollow body, bigsby b5 tremolo bar! locking tuners, thin maple neck, 24 inch scale, got a hardshell case-

nice big and bright sound! nails beatles, rockabilly, psychobilly, western swing, garage, some punk, some new wave, ok for jazz, ok for blues, not metal, but who cares about that! its kinda noisy, but what do u expect form a ric? using it thru an ampeg reverborocket, a vox ac15 and a peavey classic 30. sounds great thru all of em, but gets the best sound out of the ac15 obviously!!! great with a lil slapback delay and a loud, low wattage amplifier! even though it covers all the sounds we mentioned above, it really doesnt get that big variety of sounds. i like everything about this, it does exactly what we want it to do!

it has a bigsby on it, which we put on at our local music shop, who does a superb job setting up the action on it. a set of 11s is not too light but not too heavy on it! pickups are perfectly adjusted, which is usually hard to do on a hollowbody guitar, sicne they always have the neck pickup louder than the bridge, but no such thing happens on my ric! didnt come with any flaws that we can think of.

this ric is great live, and also great in the studio! the hardware seems like itll last, and theres nothing wed change on this that we can think of right now. since we dont really care about the finish, i guess itll last, but if it doesnt, then well just play a beautiful stripped down ric! strap buttons seem like theyll last. very dependable axe

ric is very helpful, of course i never had to deal with them, but i know their employees personally, and theyre very nice!

2004 Made in USA !!!! bla, Bla, bla !! You know all the rest !!

Who says you can't play hard rock with a RIC!!? I play everything from Beatles, to 80s Gary Moore.. and it sounds soooo wonderful !!! Now keep in mind it's NOT a Les Paul.. But it's not supposed to be.

I really hate to say it, but the quality puts my Les Paul to shame !! Absolutly beautiful finish. It takes a bit of getting used to the finish on the fret board, but it's really not bad. Controles and knobs are quiet and tight, all screws were in aqnd tight,and it was set up just perfect right out of the box !!!

It's taken a few bumps, and come out perfect. I have never owned a semi-hollow before, but I was supprised how durable it is !!!!

Hope I never have to deal with them

I have been playing about 27 years, and played almost everything.. I play through a Marshall 2X12, and also play a Gibson Gary Moore Signature Les Paul, Gibson Explorer, Warmoth Telecaster, Warmoth Strat. and i'm very tempted to trade in the Les Paul for a 330/12.. It just sounds soooo cool !!!!

Flawless finish in gorgeous black. Non blacker. You can see your reflection in both sides:) Tuning system is the best I've come across. Lots of different sounds to be had from this axe. The blend knob is very useful for dialling in a range of different tones.

I use this in my cover band, playing 50's to date. Being the only guitarist in a three piece I need a pretty big sound. This Ric delivers, esp with the Ac30 pumping behind. I use a hand full of effects, sd1 responding very well when needing extra grit that the ac30 can't deliver at low volumes. The high output single coils on the Ric are perfect for distortion. I strung it with Pyramid 11's as I was told I would get the classic 60's Beatle sound. I think it's almost there, as I've only had them on a week or so. There's not a lot i don't like about this guitar. Maybe take out anything digital in the your chain because the Ric is so expressive it will expose any digitality(?) in the sound. This I noticed at my last gig. Tube amp essential.

It comes with Rickenbacker strings(10-42) way too light for me. Hence my change to the Pyramid 11-48's. This required a truss rod change - no problem. Action, intonation is now perfect. The guitar is very flexable and responds well to tweeking in this respect. Don't be afraid to change factory settings. Finish, neck and headstock are without fault. Except, me being picky, I did notice the logo plate had the screw holes slightly out of alignment with the holes of the headstock making screwing difficult! Even tiny misakes like this should be eliminated when paying a grand for a guitar.

This is a great live guitar and I bought a new stand esp. for it.The finish being beautiful black does expose a lot of smudges after a show but I give it a good seeing to with the supplied Ric cleaning cloth after each playing. The mirror like quality returns every time! Magic! I'd get a different finish if you can't be arsed doing this. With the new strings I've started using this without a back up as the Pyramids are flat wounds, very durable and last a long time. I feel safe with it. Obviously not as rock solid as my tele but as solid as any other quality semi. As with any guitar at this level, treat it like a new born baby and you'll be happy.

No dealings yet

Been at it for 10 years or so. Gradually trying to wead out the cheapo second rate guitars and amps (Epiphone, solid state) for quality gear. I'm nearly there. USA ash Tele, '79 Ibanez Musician Bass, Vox AC30 Reissue, Taylor 314. Life's too short to play rubbish equipment. The Ric330 fits into the bill very nicley indeed. Best thing about it next to the sound is the vibe. It exposes and expands your playing too. There's lots of new things to discover and places to go on this intrument. Get one and you'll see.

I saw a blue 330 in a guitar shop a few months ago, and as I was getting the "itch" for another guitar, I went back and to my delight it was still there. after playing it in the shop for about 1/2 hour, I bought it. I paid $775 for it and it's awesome. I have a couple takimines and a strat american deluxe, and a deluxe precision. this was a welcome addition. the blue is so cool, and the guitar is very versatile. it just sings. oh, did I mention how the blue looks? very cool, and it just plain feels good in the hands. very nice guitar. now I need a gretsch. life is too short to play cheap guitars. spend the money and get a 330.

unreal sound. switches from clean to nasty without missing a beat. very sweet. my wife now has to sleep in the other room as my ric gets the pillow next to me.

action is like butter. really nice around the nut, and is just as nice up top.

don't know yet, haven't had it long enough.

haven't had to do any repairs yet.

buy one, you'll be happy you did.

Jetglo Rickenbacker 330, made in August, 2000. Maple body/neck, rosewood fretboard, two single coil Rickenbacker pickups, "R" tailpiece, german-made Schaller tuners, came with black hardshell case and cleaning cloth. Has one volume and tone control for each pickup, plus a "blender" knob that lets you mix up the sound a bit.

I used both a Fender M-80 and Vox Cambridge Twin Reverb. I play mostly old stuff (The Beatles, of course) and some country, but you can use this guitar for almost anything except metal. Nothing else sounds like a Rickenbacker, that's for sure. This guitar is as clear as a bell. A very bright cutting sound with the bridge pickup alone, a slightly dark, moody sound with only the neck pickup, but the two pickups together....that is where this guitar shines. Very clear and bright, but without losing any low-end mass. Not a great lead guitar, because the strings are very hard to bend, but if you want a rhythm guitar that really stand out, this one is for you. Fantastic sound!

Even though John Lennon was a big reason I bought this guitar (I know, he played a 325, but this is close enough), I really wish I hadn't bought one in black. The finish is extremely touchy. I think if you breathed on this guitar the wrong way, it would smudge it. Just like anything that's painted black, this guitar shows every little smudge, scratch, or smear you can put on it. I have no idea how the scratches get there, because I am extremely careful with this guitar. The cleaning cloth is an absolute necessity. In fact, I use it after every use, and I mean EVERY use. Even if I play it for 30 seconds, it gets wiped down. I feel guilty if I don't! Although the finish is very high quality, I don't recommend getting this (or any guitar) in black. If I had to do it over again, I'd opt for the mapleglo finish, like I have on my 370/12, or maybe fireglo. Rickenbacker's other finishes would get a 10 from me, but due to the touchy nature of the jetglo, I can only give it a 5.

The guitar, itself, I think is very dependable. I think it will outlive me, for sure. Everything feels fairly solid, but I kind of worry about the "R" tailpiece. It looks like if you bumped it, it would snap off. I don't have very much confidence in the black finish. I think it will wear off (at least on the upper half) within 5 years. I think this guitar would be great for live playing, but for crying out loud, don't let it out of your sight. Considering how many people have strats, teles, les pauls, and any other mass-produced guitar you can think of, a Rickenbacker is a rare sight, and I'm convinced that some prick would try to steal it. If you're playing rhythm, I don't think you'll need a backup, but if you want to play some lead, I'd bring along a Les Paul or Strat. Because of the finish, I'll give this one a 7.

Haven't dealt with the company, yet. I sent in my warranty cards for this and my 370/12, but never got anything back. Most other companies will send you a confirmation letter, but maybe Rickenbacker doesn't, who knows?

This and my 370/12 are my favorite guitars. They have a unique sound and look that you just can't get anywhere else. I own these two, a Gibson Les Paul Special SL, a mexican-made strat and tele, a danelectro baritone, a Yamaha APX4A acoustic-electric, a Martin D-15, and a mexican-made Jazz Bass. The only other guitar that probably has a sound close to this would be a Gretsch hollowbody. That's next on my list. This guitar looks and sounds great. Even though I'm not crazy about the black finish, this guitar is still a solid "10"!

I bought my Rickenbacker in London on march 23rd 1995 after dreaming of them for more than five years! I am a massive fan of the Beatles but not particulary their guitar sound so a 325jl wasn't on my list.It is a standard 330 Jetglo and from the serial numbers stamped on the jack plate it was made in California february 1995.The pick ups are hi-gain and the 24 frets are beautifully finished upon the comfortable neck.This is probably the only Rickenbacker i will ever be able to afford,and John Lennon being my hero, the finish just HAD to be black!!!

Even though a certain amount of lead work is possible, i still stick to the firm belief that Rickenbackers are favoured more by rhythm guitarists.The tone is second to none especially when i crank up the volume on my 96 Fender Twin! It is ideally suited to big open chords which chime and all the other usual jingly jangly words associated with Rickenbackers.I used it for my main guitar for a few years when i used to play in London and apart from the third string tuning problems (what bends up does't always bend down!) it totally comes alive in a live setting, cutting through the mix in any song.If anybody could recommend a decent distortion pedal then this would make the Telecaster almost obsolete! Anyway, i'll give the Rickenbacker 10 for its clean sound alone.

The only problem i had set-up wise was slightly dead sounding 5th and 6th strings where the saddles were not cut wide enough, but a short visit to the guitar shop and a small file later, my Rickenbacker was singing true.It seems real picky but the top screw in the truss rod cover has been screwed in at an angle and therefore hasn't gone completely in.Also where the craftsman has tried to rectify this they have slipped and chipped the nut slightly near the 6th strings machine head...

If you have a tuner near-by then this guitar is great for live work.The third string (g) tends to go flat where it doesn't travel back through the nut groove (i've tried all those 'use graphite powder' tips to no avail)but apart from this minor flaw i've always felt confident on stage when i have a Rickenbacker hanging round my neck.I've had one incident when the neck pick-up died on me and the guitar repair man explained it was a faulty 'Earth' point, and after some puzzled looks at the way it was conected, it was fixed in a matter of seconds.The strap buttons have a tendencey to work themselves loose but never to a point where you think they will fall out, i'd recommend strap locks if you're prone to alot of jumping about!! Would i use it on a gig without a backup? It isn't the easiest guitar to string up, and on a dark stage you have to know what you're doing, but saying that i used mine for over two years without any second guitar and this showed me that it is a very reliable guitar.

Being from England i've never had any dealings directly with the Rickenbacker company but John Hall seems to be as passionate about his guitars as we are about playing them!

I have been playing the guitar for just over ten years now (I'm only 26!) and my Rickenbacker was my ultimate dream guitar and i even used to dream about owning it once-upon-a-time! I got alot of negative press from my rock based friends saying it was the worst guitar they had ever played but the first time i held it in my hands i knew this was for me! I would definately buy a 330 again if (God forbid!) mine were stolen.I have been brutally honest about my Rickenbacker and even though it seems like i've run it down, i still believe it is the best guitar i will ever buy.I have two fender Telecasters which are wonderfull in their own right but they hav'nt got the class or desirability of my Rickenbacker which i think are the most beautifull guitars ever built.The only piece of advice i can pass on about Rickenbackers from my own personal experience is plug it into a Vox AC30 TB and make it come to life atleast once in your life.If they wern't so damn expensive i'd have one today ( and how cool would that look!!!), oh yeah don't rub the truss rod cover too hard when cleaning as you wouldn't want to rub off the most desirable name in guitars would you!!!!!!!!!!!!!