24 Fret 320...?

[Custom53]

I saw this on eBay.. It is advertised as a "320" but it has 24 Frets. To me this looks like a "350".. And I own a "350". I have never seen or heard of a "320" with 24 frets.
I contacted the seller and explained this to him but is was adamant that it is a "320"..

Am I wrong here...?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rickenbacker-Mo ... SwnGJWTQ-Y

[sloop_john_b]

That is a 350 "Liverpool".

[Ontario_RIC_fan]

This is why one learns to never take the word of the eBay seller when entering data into the Register.

You will find it in the data base if you look, correctly identified as a 350.

The other one that drives me NUTS is high gloss brownburstglo instruments from late 70s/early 80s that sellers ALWAYS claim are "Autumnglo". Walnut is so under-rated as a finish. No one wants to claim they have one!

[doctorwho]

... No one wants to claim they have one!

Not everyone!

481 Walnut

PB293328B.JPG (9.58 KiB) Viewed 2634 times

[Grey]

The other one that drives me NUTS is high gloss brownburstglo instruments from late 70s/early 80s that sellers ALWAYS claim are "Autumnglo". Walnut is so under-rated as a finish. No one wants to claim they have one!

AutumnGlo was a high-gloss finish in the 50's that was brought back as a matte finish in the late 70's, then offered again in a high-gloss option called Walnut, so you can see why it's confusing. It's still technically AutumnGlo since it is the same two-tone high-gloss burst just brought back under a different name.

[Ontario_RIC_fan]

AutumnGlo was a high-gloss finish in the 50's that was brought back as a matte finish in the late 70's, then offered again in a high-gloss option called Walnut, so you can see why it's confusing. It's still technically AutumnGlo since it is the same two-tone high-gloss burst just brought back under a different name.

Technically no.

Paul Boyer's book on Rickenbacker basses explains it best I think - although admittedly much of the info in it came from this web page.

But it is my understanding that along with the original Fireglo in the 50s was "Two Tone Brown"...

Here are some Capris from 1958 to show how that looked.
http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... 58&month=0

Somewhere along the way in the late 50s early 60s (till about 1964??) more brown got added to the standard Fireglo and to differentiate it from the the regular Fireglo - "Autumnglo" got coined. It meant basically Fireglo with more much more brown in it then red - examples here.

http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... =0&month=0

Then around 1973 Walnut comes along (even though it was never called that by the factory i think of this as "Walnutglo" so as not to confuse it with the current W series of Walnut instruments which have no gloss on them at all. Although rare It lasted till late 1984 (or early 1985) when JH standardized the finishes after buying the company from his father.
http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... 76&month=0

In the 1981 catalog Walnut is the brown burst finish that shows up in the guide - although you also have matted brown which was on the 3000 series basses and the 430 guitar. The Walnut finish was one of two available for the 4002 bass - which implies it was thought of as a custom high end finish.
http://www.rickenbacker.com/catalog_pos ... 75x-14.jpg

It came mainly as a burst but in 1974 (especially November and December) there was a variation that was solid walnut coloured with no burst. Here is one.
http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... 4&month=12

The matte version of "Walnutglo" seems to have gotten dubbed Autumnglo... So the simple rule seems to be - if it is high gloss it is walnut and if it is matte finish (with a burst) it is Autumnglo. They seem most common between 1975 and 1977. Although there are examples as late as 1982.
http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... 76&month=0

Then we get Montezuma Brown as a "Colour of the year" in 2003
http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... =0&month=0

And more recently "Walnut Burst" in 2012 for the UK/German market
http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... =0&month=0
and "Tobaccoglo" (also in 2012)
http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... =0&month=0

These seem to be finishes for overseas distributors only or for one offs - limited runs etc.

So all of these could be called "autumnglo" if you want - and seem to be used interchangeably on eBay by folks wanting to signify their vintage RICS as rare and desirable.

I have even seen Fireglo (with the clearcoat having ambered from age) being described as Autumnglo.. I just shake my head.

If I was extremely wealthy I would be buying all of these "Autumnglo" RICs on eBay and then filing "item not as described" cases against each and every one of them. They are just lucky I am so poor is all I am saying!

[Grey]

You said "technically no" but really only reinforced my point that it's easily confusing for someone who owns one of these guitars. Walnut and Autumnglo have both been used across the board to describe at least four different finishes, and with the exception of non-burst Walnut they all have generally the same look as the original brown "Autumnglo" color. Many people (myself included) simply do not use the term Walnut to describe the guitar since as you pointed out it can easily be misconstrued as implying the guitar is actually made from Walnut.

[Ontario_RIC_fan]

I sympathize Erik. I do.

The real point of this thread was about an eBay seller with a 350, who refuses to accept that - as it has a full length neck - it is not a 320.

One of the great things about this website is that you will learn correct designations for various models and finishes. You will even learn about the changes in production techniques and the little tiny variations in that make a 1967 FG 360 a very different guitar from a 1978 one or one made in 2014. All of them are 360s and all of them are real RICs, But they are not all the same.

Still all we can do is be tolerant and let people learn as they go.

I know John Hall has shared in the past here that he has gotten tired of people posting things that - as he was there when they were decided upon - he knows not to be true. The infamous "my Mom made John Lennon's guitar" story immediately comes to mind. But I digress.

I hope you are not stuck in the blizzard currently hitting the eastern USA.

[doctorwho]

...
Still all we can do is be tolerant and let people learn as they go.

....

Amen to that!

FYI, I bought my 1981 460 BG from a dealer on Guitar Base that had it listed as a 620 Fireglo ...

[Ontario_RIC_fan]

Amen to that!

FYI, I bought my 1981 460 BG from a dealer on Guitar Base that had it listed as a 620 Fireglo ...

Very cool I love Burgundy and an 1980s 460 is very, very rare as I am sure you already know. (mind you there were not a huge pile of 1981 620 guitars either.

Speaking of that check out this "autumnglo" 1980 330 on Reverb. I sure would love to have this one in the collection!

http://reverb.com/item/1513754-rickenba ... -autumnglo