Rickenbacker Finishing Process
Moderator: jingle_jangle
Rickenbacker Finishing Process
Mark: Sometime ago I asked John Hall how long it took to produce a Rickenbacker, on average. In general terms, his response was that it took about a day for the wood and the remainder of the time (approximately two weeks) was devoted to the finish. While it may be that the process has changed since your involvement with the Company, I am wondering if you could take us through the steps required in creating a "Rickenbacker finish" as you know them.
Life, as with music, often requires one to let go of the melody and listen to the rhythm
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Well, I'm not Mark; but here's a selected quote or two for you, anyway, Peter.
Quote:THE RICKENBACKER FACTORY TOUR JANGLE FEVER Guitar World visits the Santa Ana, California, factory from which the guitars made famous by John Lennon, Roger McGuinn, and John Fogerty are still produced. BY ALAN di PERNA
Even more nations are clamoring for Ricks, according to Hall, but the factory is already working at full-tilt to satisfy its present customer base. And since Hall refuses to automate or short-cut his manufacturing process, things are likely to stay this way for quite a while. It takes about six weeks to make a Rickenbacker.
ANATOMY OF A PAINT JOB After all woodworking is completed on the body and neck, and the two pieces are bonded together, the guitar goes off to the paint area. Here again is a glaring absence of painting robots and other automated sci-fi blandishments. Paint is sprayed by hand; guitars typically get 10 coats. Each coat is sanded back to near invisibility before the next layer is applied. From here, the guitars go on to 45 minutes of hand buffing--an hour-and-a-half for the deluxe 380 series, Hall boasts, as opposed to the 15 minutes of machine buffing that takes place in other guitar plants.
Guitar World's 1991-92 Guitar Buyer's Guide; pages 153, 155 & 158 I'll let Dr. Arnquist, M.D. take it from here.
Quote:THE RICKENBACKER FACTORY TOUR JANGLE FEVER Guitar World visits the Santa Ana, California, factory from which the guitars made famous by John Lennon, Roger McGuinn, and John Fogerty are still produced. BY ALAN di PERNA
Even more nations are clamoring for Ricks, according to Hall, but the factory is already working at full-tilt to satisfy its present customer base. And since Hall refuses to automate or short-cut his manufacturing process, things are likely to stay this way for quite a while. It takes about six weeks to make a Rickenbacker.
ANATOMY OF A PAINT JOB After all woodworking is completed on the body and neck, and the two pieces are bonded together, the guitar goes off to the paint area. Here again is a glaring absence of painting robots and other automated sci-fi blandishments. Paint is sprayed by hand; guitars typically get 10 coats. Each coat is sanded back to near invisibility before the next layer is applied. From here, the guitars go on to 45 minutes of hand buffing--an hour-and-a-half for the deluxe 380 series, Hall boasts, as opposed to the 15 minutes of machine buffing that takes place in other guitar plants.
Guitar World's 1991-92 Guitar Buyer's Guide; pages 153, 155 & 158 I'll let Dr. Arnquist, M.D. take it from here.
If you take any instrument that has been prep sanded ,and does not have a porous wood (like Mahogany,limba or Ash) then a finish can be appied quickly.
With catylized paints this also speeds up.There is a curing process that factors into the equasion though.This is rarely discussed.
I have had to battle customers since I left the factory on this whole issue.
Guitar finishes take about 10 days to do the whole shooting and sanding .On closed pore guitars at least.
On mahogany,ash and limba is has a different length...that is where the curing process comes in and what is the grain sealed with and what do you fill the pores of the wood with ?
An ash body at Fender gets filled with some kind of paste wood filler ,then it sits overnight before the polyester base coats are applied.
That gwets sanded back to level the following day after the resin has kicked off(hardened)
Then the catylized Urethane finish goes on ...this takes maybe 5 to 10 days then it goes to the rafters to cure.At which point it is final wetsanded and buffed.
Gibson and CF Martin are grandfathered into the lacquer business(Martin is playing around with other materials though and I suspect so is Gibson.)this lacquer takes a lot of time to cure and it is due to the solvents in the spraying.
Both companies use a 'hot pot' to spray their lacquer (this helps to cure it faster) and the lacquer is sprayed at about 125 degrees.
The first coat is a sealer coat.
The second is the color coat.
If asunburst is done the yellow is applied to the bare wood first.Then the sealer.
then the colored tints are applied to achieve the sunburst.
NEITHER A BRUSH NOR A ROLLER CAN BE USED TO ACHIEVE THIS LOOK!!!
then the coats of clear are applied.
Usually 3 hot coatings per day and this ends up at about 20 to 25.
Gibson ...has an interesting final process.
After the last coat of clear is applied,it is wet sanded and left to hang in the hot room for a week.
Then it is removed and a coat of one part lacquer to 5 partsd thinner ia applied to tha instrument.
This then is sent the following day to the buffers and then assembled.
Ward Arbanas ,who pasted away in the early 1990's told me all kinds of inside info that really helped me to restore Gibsons.
He was in charge of the parts Dept. from 1946 to the day before he died.He has been sorely missed.
Rickenbacker uses a Conversion Varnish ...an acid based product that requires Stainless Steel spray equipment.For a small shop this is not cost effective and I won't use the stuff.
If you want more info let me know ...I know how to replicate almost every companies finish in their original materials .
With catylized paints this also speeds up.There is a curing process that factors into the equasion though.This is rarely discussed.
I have had to battle customers since I left the factory on this whole issue.
Guitar finishes take about 10 days to do the whole shooting and sanding .On closed pore guitars at least.
On mahogany,ash and limba is has a different length...that is where the curing process comes in and what is the grain sealed with and what do you fill the pores of the wood with ?
An ash body at Fender gets filled with some kind of paste wood filler ,then it sits overnight before the polyester base coats are applied.
That gwets sanded back to level the following day after the resin has kicked off(hardened)
Then the catylized Urethane finish goes on ...this takes maybe 5 to 10 days then it goes to the rafters to cure.At which point it is final wetsanded and buffed.
Gibson and CF Martin are grandfathered into the lacquer business(Martin is playing around with other materials though and I suspect so is Gibson.)this lacquer takes a lot of time to cure and it is due to the solvents in the spraying.
Both companies use a 'hot pot' to spray their lacquer (this helps to cure it faster) and the lacquer is sprayed at about 125 degrees.
The first coat is a sealer coat.
The second is the color coat.
If asunburst is done the yellow is applied to the bare wood first.Then the sealer.
then the colored tints are applied to achieve the sunburst.
NEITHER A BRUSH NOR A ROLLER CAN BE USED TO ACHIEVE THIS LOOK!!!
then the coats of clear are applied.
Usually 3 hot coatings per day and this ends up at about 20 to 25.
Gibson ...has an interesting final process.
After the last coat of clear is applied,it is wet sanded and left to hang in the hot room for a week.
Then it is removed and a coat of one part lacquer to 5 partsd thinner ia applied to tha instrument.
This then is sent the following day to the buffers and then assembled.
Ward Arbanas ,who pasted away in the early 1990's told me all kinds of inside info that really helped me to restore Gibsons.
He was in charge of the parts Dept. from 1946 to the day before he died.He has been sorely missed.
Rickenbacker uses a Conversion Varnish ...an acid based product that requires Stainless Steel spray equipment.For a small shop this is not cost effective and I won't use the stuff.
If you want more info let me know ...I know how to replicate almost every companies finish in their original materials .
So you too want yours "ALAPWOB"?!?!
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Amos
Are automotive acrylic lacquers and clears ok to use on Ric.'s for refinishing. Its getting harder eveyday to even find the lacquers, something about the lead. I used SHER/LAC on a 4001 franknbacker and It turned out nice. Just wanted to know~ am I leaving myself open for trouble down the road,and if not ok what brands should I have used? Oh yeah can you tell me where you get your lacquers if sher/lac is not acceptable
Amos
Amos