Winners - Rickenbacker 330 Mapleglo

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The Rickenbacker 330 Mapleglo embodies one of the classic sounds in the history of electric guitar, with its distinct open chime and bright tonality. We're super pleased to be raffling off this rarity as part of Northwest Guitars' latest competition. It's brand new, coming with a matching hardcase that makes the value of this guitar north of two and a half thousand pounds.

Why are Rickenbacker's so rare?

These days if you're able to get your hands on a Rickenbacker you're one lucky son of a... The reason for their rarity is that all of these guitars are completely handmade from scratch. No assembly line of robots and CNC machines here, just pure love and attention in the good old US of A! This means that the demand for these famous guitars is particularly high whilst manufacturing capacity limited, thus the rarity of finding a Rickenbacker in the wild.

Why are Rickenbacker's so expensive?

Thanks to being made in the USA, these guitars have higher manufacturing costs and thus a higher retail price. However, this also means the standards of quality are much higher too. Rickenbacker never let a guitar go out of their factory that isn't up to their own fastidious standards. These guitars are made by only the most experienced craftsmen and women, who pay complete and utter attention to detail when putting together these amazing guitars.

Maple Construction

The Rickenbacker 330 Mapleglo is composed of a semi-hollow maple body, with a flat maple back glued to a top and sides pre-routed from a two-piece spread of maple. Unusually its tenon joint extends into the body, almost all the way to the bridge. The acoustic-like cavities created by this construction method are part of what gives the Rickenbacker it's signature sound, creating it's own distinctive tonal character.

Maple Neck & Rosewood Fretboard

A thick slab of Caribbean Rosewood adorns the front of the set-in neck, with 24 frets giving you two full octaves to play with. On the reverse a solid maple construction with skunk stripe provides a hefty platform with a medium 'C' profile that feels nice and chunky in your hand. Interstingly it features dual truss rods, accessible from behind the shark fin cover on the headstock, which are also removable.

Hi Gain Pickups

With two Rickenbacker Hi Gain single coil pickups, the 330 Mapleglo has allen-key adjustable pole pieces in chrome surrounds that deliver the singular Rickenbacker tone. The string separation present in this guitar's tone is exceptional and the response of the pickups immediate. Less rock-orintentated than a Strat or a Tele, they're still plenty comfortable in a variety of play styles and genre's.

Custom CTS Pots

We all love CTS Pots here at NWG and they appear on many high end guitars, but Rickenbacker have gone one step further, having their own CTS Pots custom made. The only component on these guitars not manufactured in the USA, these specific pots are used to help retain that singular sound so loved by professional guitarists the world over.

Hardware

The Rickenbacker 330 Mapleglo has a fully adjustable 6 saddle bridge with guard plate and the distinctive 'R' tailpiece. Despite its vintage aesthetic this is very much a modern setup, easily adjustable for intonation and action. The guard plate helps protect the moving parts of the bridge from becoming corroded due to sweat, whilst also providing a stable platform for your picking hand. The tuners are Schaller, offering excellent stability during hard strumming and big blues-style bends.

Unique Sound

What is the Rickenbacker sound? It's the sound of The Beatles, The Who, The Byrds, Steppenwolf, Tom Petty, REM, The Jam, Motörhead, The Eagles, Yes, Genesis, Rush, The Smiths, and many, many more. Now you have the chance to own your piece of this iconic sound, all for less than a pack of strings with Northwest Guitars Competitions!