Rickenbacker top wood choices

[wim]

With the way Rickenbacker builds their guitars, it would be a mortal sin to use the highest quality quilted or flamed wood all the time.
They rout more away than remains
These types of wood are excellent for veneers or thin bookmatched tops.
Yet, sometimes I see 381's with beautiful flame, selected probably, and other 381's with a very plain grain.
If I was to order a 381, and wait two years for it, I'd be VERY dissapointed when it turns out to have very plain wood.
If it had the most beautiful quilted wood, I'd count myself lucky, but then, should I count on being lucky when I buy a high class top $$ guitar?
I don't think so.
I've said this before, this subject is the reason why I'd never buy a Rickenbacker without seeing it.
(and playing it too, before someone makes this remark)

[cjj]

And every once in a while, at least way back when, RIC would make an instrument with solid flamed maple. I don't think my '84 4003 is book matched, but it's flamed through and through none the less:

[jps]

That needs no book matching.

Just a bit of Jetglo paint.

[cjj]

[johnhall]

As fo the availability of figured maple in guitar friendly sizes, I does seem to be available to many companies & luthiers. Some of it finds it's way into some quite inexpensive guitars.

If you see it on a low cost guitar, it was a lucky chance. A set of book-matched flamey blanks of the size we'd need to do a solid wood instrument would exceed the selling price of most of those inexpensive guitars.

Thank you, Mr. Hall, for replying to my initial question yourself. For your censorship, not so much. I think an answer, even one mentioning my semi-redundance, would have benefitted both of us more. I tend to learn from my mistakes...on the good days!

Then learn that on the official site we'll delete any copy-and-paste-to-both-board comment or question, especially from a first time poster.

[rickenbrother]

That needs no book matching.

Just a bit of Jetglo paint.

[electrofaro]

BBBBBut it's not black??????

Hey, I never said I only loved JETGLO!
FIREGLO rocks too!

Heresy!

Technically it would be possible to have a killer top, just build it similar to a Gibson Johnny A. For a 330 that would mean a different internal routing though. I doubt it's worth it as the best colour's Jetglo anyway

[cassius987]

I just want to jump in and say how much I prefer the more natural look many RIC-made instruments have than the nasty bookmatched stuff I see becoming more and more en vogue. Even when a RIC is flame-y or otherwise special as far as the wood it still looks fairly natural, with enough wabi-sabi to keep me happy. Going along with the natural variation in the wood is something I really appreciate. It makes Rics stand out from the monkey-see monkey-do guitar makers trying to make a quick buck off a popular trend.

Besides, I have heard many times straight grain maple is the most structurally sound in a neck (as far as various types of maple, not comparing to other woods), so that's what I'd like my basses to be made of.

[sleepingtiger]

Thanks for all your replies & insightful thoughts & opinions. I'm encouraged & pleased that most of you realised that I meant no disrespect to you, or your favorite instruments. I'm also grateful that the validity of a question is not determined by the number of posts or the exclusivity of the question, as evidenced my the quote below:

Then learn that on the official site we'll delete any copy-and-paste-to-both-board comment or question, especially from a first time poster.

I'm just grateful I didn't ask why Rickenbacker laquers their rosewood fingerboards, while others don't! I can only imagine the controversy I would have created by being the first to mention THAT pink elephant in the room! Yes, I can be very sarcastic...but I am also honest enough to admit that when I ask a question, it is because I don't know the answer & that I also admit that others might know more than me. I also don't go where I'm not welcome & I can take a hint. Thanks to all who have made me welcome here from the get-go. Thanks again!

I did want to address this quote from Mr. Hall also...not to stir up trouble, but simply to state my opinion.

Another reason is the availability of Maple lumber in the thickness required to do this; you'd have to use something like 12/4 boards on many of the models. Not only would the selection of quality boards go down exponentially, the cost would go up similarly. In addition, there's quite a bit of additional labor involved to saw, plane, and fine surface a book match set.

We certainly could do it but at a fairly significant cost that would be directly reflected in the selling price of the instrument. How much more would you be willing to pay for that strictly aesthetic feature?

While I don't think anyone wants to see prices rise, I think many would pay a premium to have figured wood bodys on their Rickenbackers. Many would not, or would not admit it until they aquired a particularly fine figured one that they simply HAD to share a picture of & brag about. The fact that the company chooses not to do so is of no major concern to me, but if posed to me as a bet that no one would be willing to pay the premium, provided it was reasonable & in line with that charged by other companies...I'd take that bet. There are always those willing to pay for a particularly beautiful piece, as there are those who value the more utilitarian.
Thanks to the folks at Rickenbacker for making wonderful guitars & to you folks here, for giving me a place to feel comfortable talking about them!

Peace,
Tony