DCM finish

[wmthor]

I shot this pic at the factory during the 75th Anniversary Celebration tour. You can see both sparkles and dust.

[bottom4]

I You can see both sparkles and dust.

...and walnut wings!

[jingle_jangle]

Yeah, thats-a my prototipo. Note (besides the translucent finish showing the walnut wings) the single-color TRC. When I saw it at the factory, I was about to return to SF and begin the run of guards and plates for the entire 75th run.

I thought the TRC looked a bit less than special, so I told JH that I would do the production ones in two-tone, with a platinum script. He agreed.

Interesting anecdote about the DCM color. Most of you have heard that the color was an accident, having come about through the mixing of two (or more?) other paint colors. The first Rick painted this color was a 650 played by Earl Slick with the Jefferson Starship, and was played in one show in mid-2006...you guys know the details; I'm a bit fuzzy today thanks to my flu meds. This bass was the second.

After the Starship show, JH was talking to Paul Kantner and Kantner mentioned that the fumes coming off the guitar were pretty intense. Factory personnel verified this--this particular paint mix, for some reason, was taking a very long time (much longer than the usual RIC ten day paint process) to degas. There was (IMO) a reaction occurring between the CV and the DCM color itself. I offered to match the DCM in a different brand and give Eric the formula so that RIC could get it mixed locally. By the time I got a match, however, they had solved the problem in-house with the help of their paint supplier. So there were a few DCMs done with the old "stinky" match, but most were done with a more agreeable blend. I've often wondered if it was the "stinky" paint only that was so translucent, and if perhaps the supplier, upon reformulating the paint, made it more opaque, either on their own, or at RICs behest.

[8mileshigh]

I can't wait until there's an "old stinky" on Ebay then!

[jingle_jangle]

Buy its smell shall ye know it...

(Nice geetar in yer avatar, GG.)

[8mileshigh]

(Nice geetar in yer avatar, GG.)

I thought you'd like it. I'm having a 12 string version made with 2 pickups.

[captsandwich]

(Nice geetar in yer avatar, GG.)

I thought you'd like it. I'm having a 12 string version made with 2 pickups.

And a Floyd Rose.

Paul? Are you OK?

[jingle_jangle]

A 12 string jazz guitar with two pickups...how...erm...unique!

Greg, I'm all right...just had either a cold/flu relapse or a new bug bit me. Arrrgggghhh! Home yesterday and today, in bed, working from my laptop. Ain't wi-fi the nutz!

[ajish4]

I recall seeing Jdog's 360 and thought for a moment it was Jetglo. It was SO DARK.

I was pleasantly surprised when my 4003 DCM arrived. It was one of the last few to ship and it was a MUCH LIGHTER shade to my delight.

Paul, do you know if during the re-formulation the tint was a little lighter, or have I taken too many pain medications again?!?!

I vaguely remember this being discussed but I'm fuzzy on the facts myself....

[jingle_jangle]

I'm not sure if the new formulation was lighter, but it was more opaque.

The lightness of a paint finish containing pearl, mica, or aluminum flakes can be altered by the mix. Ideally, it should be agitated constantly while painting; guns with cups use bled-off air pressure from the gun supply to introduce air into the mixture to keep the particles in suspension. With bulk-feed guns, this is less of a problem; air is injected into the drum or pail from which the guns draw their supply. With cup-on-top HVLP guns, it's common to put a piece of metal into the cup (I use large hexnuts) and shake the gun occasionally so the particles don't settle out.

Spray technique, degree of reduction with solvent, and air pressure, also play a part in how light a metallic or pearl finish looks once dried.