Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Unless I'm wrong, it looks like Montezuna Brown. It's certainly not AutumnGlo, unless they had a different paint formula at one time. One of my 330-12s is AutumnGlo, and it looks nothing like yours.

drumbob wrote:Unless I'm wrong, it looks like Montezuna Brown. It's certainly not AutumnGlo, unless they had a different paint formula at one time. One of my 330-12s is AutumnGlo, and it looks nothing like yours.

It is Autumnglo.

sloop_john_b wrote:

drumbob wrote:Unless I'm wrong, it looks like Montezuna Brown. It's certainly not AutumnGlo, unless they had a different paint formula at one time. One of my 330-12s is AutumnGlo, and it looks nothing like yours.

It is Autumnglo.

Then, Rickenbacker has had a couple of different versions of that finish, as the 330-12 I'm playing in my avatar is AutumnGlo and it looks nothing like the OP's guitar. The guy I bought it from on this forum told me it was AutumnGlo when we did the deal. He may have been wrong, but he seemed like a knowledgeable collector.

drumbob wrote: Then, Rickenbacker has had a couple of different versions of that finish, as the 330-12 I'm playing in my avatar is AutumnGlo and it looks nothing like the OP's guitar. The guy I bought it from on this forum told me it was AutumnGlo when we did the deal. He may have been wrong, but he seemed like a knowledgeable collector.

Correct, they have.

Autumnglo is a brown sunburst with a matte finish, versus Walnut, which is a brown sunburst with a high-gloss finish. The guitar in question here is textbook Autumnglo (which, supposedly, was specifically intended for the Canadian market, though John Hall has denied that; unsure how that started but it has propagated here for over fifteen years).

sloop_john_b wrote:

drumbob wrote: Then, Rickenbacker has had a couple of different versions of that finish, as the 330-12 I'm playing in my avatar is AutumnGlo and it looks nothing like the OP's guitar. The guy I bought it from on this forum told me it was AutumnGlo when we did the deal. He may have been wrong, but he seemed like a knowledgeable collector.

Correct, they have.

Autumnglo is a brown sunburst with a matte finish, versus Walnut, which is a brown sunburst with a high-gloss finish. The guitar in question here is textbook Autumnglo (which, supposedly, was specifically intended for the Canadian market, though John Hall has denied that; unsure how that started but it has propagated here for over fifteen years).

OK, then I'm confused as to what the finish is on my Rick 330-12, the one in my avatar. Was there a limited finish called AmberGlo?

drumbob wrote:

sloop_john_b wrote:

drumbob wrote: Then, Rickenbacker has had a couple of different versions of that finish, as the 330-12 I'm playing in my avatar is AutumnGlo and it looks nothing like the OP's guitar. The guy I bought it from on this forum told me it was AutumnGlo when we did the deal. He may have been wrong, but he seemed like a knowledgeable collector.

Correct, they have.

Autumnglo is a brown sunburst with a matte finish, versus Walnut, which is a brown sunburst with a high-gloss finish. The guitar in question here is textbook Autumnglo (which, supposedly, was specifically intended for the Canadian market, though John Hall has denied that; unsure how that started but it has propagated here for over fifteen years).

OK, then I'm confused as to what the finish is on my Rick 330-12, the one in my avatar. Was there a limited finish called AmberGlo?

There was a "Color of the Year" finish called Amber Fireglo, available for order in 2006 (and I believe 2007 as well).

Your avatar photo is quite small - can you post a larger photo here along with the serial number?

How's this? The serial number is B5 9348. These are both my 330-12s.

That's the lovely deep fireglo from the late 80s - early 90s. I used to own a 1990 340/6 VP with the same coloration. Beautiful guitar, Bob...it's from Feb 1992.

chronictown wrote:That's the lovely deep fireglo from the late 80s - early 90s. I used to own a 1990 340/6 VP with the same coloration. Beautiful guitar, Bob...it's from Feb 1992.

Thank you for clarifying that. I could have sworn the seller told me it was AutumnGlo. I see a lot of differing shades of FireGlo out there. Some of them look like Clownburst; bright red and yellow, which I don't like. I've even see examples that look almost pink in the middle, which blew my mind a bit, as Rickenbacker has never made a pink guitar to my knowledge. Personally, I think a pink Rick would look ridiculous! I like Shell Pink on a Strat, but not a Rickenbacker.

BTW, the MapleGlo 330-12 now has Toasters installed.

Nice guitar Bob!

Several finishes were discontinued in 1983/84, including Autumnglo.

chronictown wrote:That's the lovely deep fireglo from the late 80s - early 90s.

I never heard of that before. So the FireGlo from those years was different?

I have a 1992 FireGlo -- to me it just looked like FireGlo.

All hand-sprayed translucent finishes like fireglo vary from day to day. Tendencies can be seen era to era... e.g. the late 90's and early 00's you see a lot of Harrison clownglo's on all kinds of 360's, getting ready to spray C63 models. 1968 IIRC is a very light color, almost an orange-glo. And I've seen some fireglos that barely have any natural in the center. Some mid00's are called steakglo for the pink center, the list goes on and on. Anything pre-UV (c.2007?) usually yellows, hence natural ambering effect. The 92 posted above definitely didn't look that yellow in 1992!

jdogric12 wrote:All hand-sprayed translucent finishes like fireglo vary from day to day. Tendencies can be seen era to era... e.g. the late 90's and early 00's you see a lot of Harrison clownglo's on all kinds of 360's, getting ready to spray C63 models. 1968 IIRC is a very light color, almost an orange-glo. And I've seen some fireglos that barely have any natural in the center. Some mid00's are called steakglo for the pink center, the list goes on and on. Anything pre-UV (c.2007?) usually yellows, hence natural ambering effect. The 92 posted above definitely didn't look that yellow in 1992!

Thanks for that info.

I wonder if it was a directive from above or simply just the individual folks working in the factory at those times who had their own style of spraying the finish

jdogric12 wrote:All hand-sprayed translucent finishes like fireglo vary from day to day. Tendencies can be seen era to era... e.g. the late 90's and early 00's you see a lot of Harrison clownglo's on all kinds of 360's, getting ready to spray C63 models. 1968 IIRC is a very light color, almost an orange-glo. And I've seen some fireglos that barely have any natural in the center. Some mid00's are called steakglo for the pink center, the list goes on and on. Anything pre-UV (c.2007?) usually yellows, hence natural ambering effect. The 92 posted above definitely didn't look that yellow in 1992!

What Jason said. Fireglo ain't just fireglo! For a "standard" finish it's been remarkably varied over the years. Examples from the late 80s - early 90s tend to have a deeper red than most other eras, and of course with the patina of ~30 years they now look quite sharp IMO.

Tom, that's a fantastic 360/12 you have there...between that and Bob's 330/12 I'm really starting to miss my old 340. I feel a purchase coming on. Must resist .

chronictown wrote: Tom, that's a fantastic 360/12 you have there..

Thank you.

That guitar is a '92, nearly thirty years old, and yet the shine on it is still remarkably blinding. I use Zymol car wax (and sometimes the Ric recommended 50/50 Turtle Wax/water) on it, but clearly there is more to the guitar than just a good waxing that gives it such a lasting shine. Whatever Ric used back then sure was the right thing.