I think this is a worthwhile demonstration of how the individual finisher/painter affects the overall result on a Rick. These two 360s are both MID, but as you can see they are vastly different in shade and brightness. I'm sure lighting for the photographs does not account for all of the difference.
I way prefer the second MID to the first. It's much closer to what I consider "midnight" blue. To my eyes the top one is more cobalt-ish.
It seems to me to have a lot of pewter/nickel coloration and little or no green hue. I think Paul W. has good eyeballs for this kind of stuff, not to mention a formidable prowess with a spray gun. I'd like to get his opinion/explanation for the differences.
The formula and OEM supplier for MID have changed several times. The current one has lots of pearl in it.
“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
I like that second version the most too. Looks metallic almost.
But yeah, I'm sure the lighting has a lot to do with it too. Check out the differences in the chrome, even in the chrome highlights on that second pic.
The second Mid looks to me like the first batch of paint from our new supplier. It was pretty dark. However, the latest batches are slightly lighter, but still darker than the one on top here.
Indeed, the photos, especially the bottom one, leave something to be desired. Not only the chrome, compare the white in the pickguard and imagine how proper exposure would brighten up the finish.
Given that the two photos are nothing alike in brightness/contrast it is impossible to fairly compare the colors. Send me the two guitars in question and I will make good photographs of them and then we can talk about the differences if there are any.
I wouldn't say it's "impossible" to compare the two. Yes, the second photo definitely isn't so good. The point was really that besides the obvious disparity in how the pictures were processed, there's no doubt that the finishes are very, very different. I don't recall ever having seen fireglo "reds" that vary that much in the same model year (or even really across all model years). I just thought it was worth noting. It's very cool that MID actually looks a lot more like midnight blue than ever. I'd never considered buying a blue guitar, but that one....hmm....GAS pains. Do I really need another 360?