Hi,

I bought a split stereo cable to use the Rick-o-Sound feature with my new Rickenbacker 4003 since I have two power heads. But, when it arrived it wasn't quite what I thought I was ordering.

The cable says its actually used for mixing boards when you can send a signal out and then input it back into the board from the same jack. But is the cable actually any different than a normal cable or are they just advertising it like that? Is it fine to use with my Rickenbacker?

The product listing URL is here and a wiring diagram is here.

Thanks a bunch. My common sense tells me that if the Rickenbacker is sending a signal through what they call the "return channel" and the amp is only receiving on that channel, it will just work as a normal cable but I want to double check before I blow up the electronics or something.

Yeah, it's just a splitter and will be fine. No real need to repeat what was on the other forum. I'll just link it in case anyone else is wondering:
http://www.rickresource.com/forum/viewt ... 2&t=409713

i tried this but i still can't seem to get it to work. i got a stereo splitter cable, plug it into the stereo RoS jack, plug my instrument cables out to two separate rigs -- but i'm still getting only the one treble signal through both of the 2 split cables. not sure why -- thoughts???

Are you sure it's what's also called an "insert cable" instead of just a "Y" cable?

The plug end will be a stereo connector, whereas the other two ends will be mono, each carrying only one side of the stereo output.

The "Y" cable would be intended, for instance, to take a single stereo out and supply it to two stereo outs- no what you want.

Greg90. I'm sure you don't have the correct cable, it must have one Stereo plug (Male) and two mono female plugs the other end. The Stereo Plug goes into the Rick -o -Sound.


On another note I've never understood why they simply just don't configure these cable with all female jacks. In that case it is configured much the same as the old Rick -o -Sound box!
If you had a cable with all female plugs it makes it so easy.

You only have then to buy a 10 metre Stereo lead which you plug into the Rick o Sound jack.
this then plugs into the female stereo plug, and only 2 mono short cables go into the 2 amps.

Yep I've never understood why they make these cable with a Male stereo plug rather than a Female plug. Who wants to walk around with two leads dragging behind!!

here's the type of connector i have:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Live-Wire-T ... 1170947.gc

stereo to two monos. i'll look around more specifically for the "insert cable" you mentioned, john. thanks.

tonym. That cable looks correct. It has a TRS Male stereo plug and two mono out, it should work. Did you have your pickup selector in the middle position when you tried?.

How did you connect those two short leads to amps? Double check all cables just in case.

Now I had another look at the Op's cable it look right too and has a stereo plug, i'm not sure what you guys are doing wrong.

The only difference I can see between greg90's cable and tonym's is that tonym's has 2 female mono plugs, greg90's has two males. Both have a TRS (stereo) single male plug.
Both cables will work, The one with 2 female mono's would make it much easy to connect to amps that are well spaced apart. Space is what you need to appreciate full stereo sound.

Make sure you plug the stereo plug into the ROS jack, and you're in the middle with the pickup selector. Everything should work, both amps working at once.

Still the far best configuration for these insert stereo cables would simply to have all female plug ends ( 1 stereo female input) + ( 2 mono female inputs).

With this configuration you then have only a run a single lead to your guitar (stereo) and two single guitar cables going to the 2 amps. A guitar tech can make a cable with this configuration with leads or make a box, like the old ROS box.

I really think the old ROS box was the easiest to use. I got one made and purchased a 3 metre long stereo cable. After you use the ROS and two spaced amps (without ground hum) switching back to one amp sounds kind of lonely and empty.

Amps spaced apart will sound much better, one with no effect and the other with a slight delay will always sound good. Remember though if you're using 2 amps, both are grounded, you will definitely hear a ground loop hum, it's a deep background hum. If you use the ROS feature and 2 amps you don't want to hear that hum all the time.

The easiest way to eliminate ground hum and be safe is to use a Lehle passive splitter. You simply put 1 of the leads going to the amp via the splitter, then straight to the amp.
This will isolate one of the amp grounds, the hum will not be present and your sound will be clear and blemish free. Hissing amps or humming or lots of pedal noise is not my cup of tea.
Silence from the amps is what you want, only the sound of the instrument needs to be heard.

jbudweiser -- thanks for the detailed reply. Here's where I'm at:

As i said earlier -- splitter is a stereo male/2 mono female – plugged into RoS/stereo jack.
Standard instrument cables out of splitter into two separate amps.

Here are the scenarios i've tried and the resultant outputs:

1) Selector switch in upper position = no sound produced

2) Selector switch in middle position + bass volume knob turned up + treble volume knob turned off = no sound produced

3) Selector switch in middle position + bass volume knob turned off + treble volume knob turned up = sound provided through splitter to both amps

4) Selector switch in lower position = sound provided through splitter to both amps, modified by treble knobs only

Is this what’s to be expected? Is this what is meant by the description of the RoS jack splitting the signals from the two pickups? I took that description to mean that I’d be able to use BOTH the bass and treble volume/tone knobs to modify the outputs. Is this incorrect?

Check the position of the small blender knob. It has to be in the middle. Same as the selector knob for 2 pickups and 2 amps

The treble pick-up goes to one amp the bass pickup goes to the other amp.
You should be able to use both pickups, both amps and both tone and both volumes in the middle position. When you put the selector in the down position you will have one pick-up come out one amp, and if you go to the up position you should have the other pickup sounding in the other amp. You should be able to use both tone knobs the same.