NGD...plus a question...

DarnWeight

Finally managed to sell enough stuff to fund this, a guitar I've been quietly promising myself for the last 20 years...a Rickenbacker 360/6 in Jetglo...









It's an '08 model which is, as far as I can tell, essentially NOS.  I spied it on the web on sale in a shop in Athens (Greece, not GA), and after a lot of photos/emails/questions back and forth, I went for it.  The shop owner was adamant it had basically been held in stock from new, and had never been used as a demo/display unit.  There's certainly not a mark on it, zero signs of playing or handling wear, and it came cased with all the usual RIC bits 'n pieces.

Anyway, it turned up yesterday, and I'm over the moon with it.  It plays and sounds amazing.  I got what I think is a great deal on it, particularly as list price on Rickenbackers appears to have gone through the roof over the last 6 months.

I have one issue with it, and wanted any Ric enthusiasts opinions.  The truss rod cover and pickguard are totally different shades, and it looks like the TRC has yellowed/aged/discoloured considerably.  Here's a side-by-side colour comparison in case it's not clear from the photos above...



Given the otherwise pristine state of the guitar, I'm OK with it, just a bit puzzled.  Is this "a thing" with Ric plastics?  I see 3rd party cream pickguards for cheap on Ebay, and being as the binding is closer to the aged-looking TRC, I'm tempted to give one a try.  Also RickySounds claim to offer a TRC colouring service, so that might be an option as well.  Either way, the collar-and-cuffs I can live with, because it's just a cracking guitar, and was worth the wait!

Cheers for reading

Vinylfan

Can't help with your question re the colouring but that is a lovely guitar! Congratulations - you must be well pleased with it.

Bridgehouse

I have a mapleglo 360 from 2008 (bought in 2008!!) and there's a very slight colour difference, but not much. 

I wonder if the headstock has seen sunlight for a period of time whereas the pickguard hasn't?

Either way, very cool and welcome to the club!

dogload

Couldn't comment on the TRC either, as mine are still both bone-white. 

But congrats on the 360. It looks lush!  

SteveRobinson

The TRC and pickguard as made from different types of plastic so will yellow differently. 

I'd keep it original.

DarnWeight

Should add that it's just the very top surface of the TRC that's yellowish.  The edge is still very clearly white. 

Sassafras

Very nice but I can't tell you how upset I get when a Rickenbacker isn't in Fireglo finish.

Funkfingers

<Looks at forty years old 4001> 

I have a similar colour mismatch on my old bass. The single-ply pickguard looks very white. The TRC has a paler version of the green front, white edge effect described in the OP. The fingerboard binding looks uniformly cream. The body edge binding looks cream around the side but less discoloured on the front. Some of this could be due to the varnish.

Bridgehouse

At least you know it's genuine then @DarnWeight

 

guitars4you

SteveRobinson said:

The TRC and pickguard as made from different types of plastic so will yellow differently. 

I'd keep it original.

that would be my suspicion as well

thermionic

I bought a '99 330 recently and a corner of the lower pickguard cracked off in transit. I replaced it with a genuine part and there's a slight difference in shade (understandable due to the 18 year difference). Not enough to bother me, but I could have bought a set of upper and lower if I knew. Interestingly, the older upper guard has more rounded edges and less sharp corners. My truss rod cover is pristine and white. I understood the Rickysounds colouring service referred to filling in black paint that had rubbed off the lettering, but I could be wrong. I think Rickenbacker will sell you a new one but you have to send the old one  to the USA.

Enjoy the Rick, they're very unique guitars, and play and sound great.

DarnWeight

Cheers guys.  A bit more googling suggests that this is "a thing" with some Rickenbackers, so I'm not going to overly concern myself with it.

Bridgehouse said:

At least you know it's genuine then @DarnWeight

 

Dude, I was worrying over this all through the purchase.  Thankfully, the retailer in Athens were very helpful, and more than happy to provide tons of photos, even after I requested extra close-ups of certain areas from certain angles.  Big up to Kagmakis Guitars for the great service, and for getting it to me safely.

Jalapeno

Cor !!!!!!

dogload

Well, colour me stupid, but after reading this I checked mine and noticed my 360 six-string has an off-white TRC as well. D'oh!

Wazmeister

Lots of experience with this, and yes (you'll be happy to know) this is perfectly normal.

The aged look is excellent and really adds to the charm, certainly of your beauty. Enjoy and congrats !!

Wazmeister

By the way, TRC are like gold dust and VERY hard to acquire... ive got the original one (as a spare) after I acquired one to spray gold to match the rest of the 360WB look...

stickyfiddle

I'm giving you a wisdom instead of a wow because buying one of those is such an excellent piece of decision making.

57Deluxe

now retune to Eb and bangs some Smithereens out!

Loobs

Ace! 

ICBM

The truss rod cover yellowing is totally normal, it's the same on my '89 381.



The pickguards stay white because they're Plexiglass/Perspex (acrylic) and the truss rod cover is (I think) polystyrene, which is subject to UV darkening.

I have since removed the broken upper pickguard - the lower corner next to the switch is missing, if it isn't obvious in the pic - I thought about replacing it, but I actually don't really like the upper guards anyway.

DarnWeight

Thanks again, everyone.  Nice to have it confirmed as "normal"

stickyfiddle said:

I'm giving you a wisdom instead of a wow because buying one of those is such an excellent piece of decision making.

Much obliged.  My first ever concert was REM on the Green tour in '89, and it was a life-changing thing for me.  My tastes have changed a lot over the years, but those original Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe-era records have been a constant in my life.  I tried out a few 330s and 360s in a local shop, and I felt the 360 was worth the extra for me...the 330 I tried sounded and played great, but I preferred the comfort of the front contour on the 360, the softer rounded horns, and the bound hole is pure class (the 330 was also finished a little roughly round the edge of the cavity).  Finding one in Jetglo for a good price was a stroke of luck, and finding it at a shop in Athens was a sure sign it was meant to be.

Selling 2 or 3 cheaper guitars as a path to getting something swisher is a bit of a schlepp, but definitely worth it for something you're going to cherish and enjoy for the long haul.