This happened to my 360

[richlespaul]

The lacquer was removed from the fretboard and what a joy it is to play now, much more alive and woody sounding.
I loved it before but now I'm in heaven.

[collin]

Hey, horses for courses.

I personally love the finished fretboard on a Rickenbacker and it feels (and sounds) foreign to me without that, but to each their own.

Glad you found a way to make it work for your needs.

[richlespaul]

Can always add a clear coat at if I feel the need, maybe a bit thinner that the original

[collin]

It must be said that the older 50s-70s era guitars had a much thinner clear coat than 1980s onward, including the fretboard.

More clear coat on the fretboard helps keep it looking cleaner (just look at 50s era Telecasters, which had lacquered fretboards!) but if that bothers your playing style I would suggest looking at vintage models with thinner clear on the board.

[teb]

Mark Arnquist stripped and oiled the fingerboard on one of my twelves when he added full width frets and a new nut to gain the absolute maximum playing neck width for my fat bass player fingers. The playability improved drastically and I have always thought that cosmetically it looked a lot cleaner without the varnish. I haven't really ever noticed any difference in the guitar's sound after the transition (other than fewer accidentally damped strings).

[Tommy]

I have to ask, with that newly cut nut for wider string spacing, does the low E or high E have a tendency to slip off the fretboard?

[teb]

I've never had that problem on that guitar. On my 340/12, being an unbound neck, the frets already span the full fingerboard width. I cast a small block of epoxy/graphite and cut myself a new nut blank. Then I used a set of Norman nut files to cut the grooves with similar spacing and tighter pairs (pretty much by eye). I got my low E a hair closer to the edge than is ideal, and it is possible to slide off to the side if you aren't careful. Those nuts only cost me pennies and a little time to make and fit, so one of these days I'll make another one to fix the problem. In the mean time just being aware that it can happen and paying attention to that fact while playing generally keeps it from happening. Here is the 340. It still has the originally varnished fingerboard.

[Tommy]

I've never had that problem on that guitar.....

Thanks. And it is true what you say - the nuts are cheap enough so that one can tinker and tinker with numerous ones until you get it just right.

Me? I will never swap out a nut. I have read too many buzzing string stories all related to an improperly cut nut. I have never cut slots in a nut before. What's the chances of me getting all six strings exactly right? Nah, I'll keep the stock wider spacing and just twist my fret hand a certain way in order to play the chords so they ring out truly.

[scott_s]

Among some people, stripping a Ric fingerboard is a controversial mod. But a 2002 360 isn't particularly rare or unique, so I don't see any reason to fuss.

Glad the guitar is making you happier now!

[collin]

Among some people, stripping a Ric fingerboard is a controversial mod. But a 2002 360 isn't particularly rare or unique, so I don't see any reason to fuss.

Glad the guitar is making you happier now!

It's only controversial when you go to sell the guitar and wonder why you can't get the same price as an unmodified example.

Otherwise, it's your guitar, do what you want!

[scott_s]

Among some people, stripping a Ric fingerboard is a controversial mod. But a 2002 360 isn't particularly rare or unique, so I don't see any reason to fuss.

Glad the guitar is making you happier now!

It's only controversial when you go to sell the guitar and wonder why you can't get the same price as an unmodified example.

Hmm, I'd think it could *add* value for some buyers, not that I would count on it.

[richlespaul]

My Ric will now become a work horse along with my Tele.
No sense in hanging it on the wall going, yeah looks great but!
I'll be using it for our next couple of gigs, then into the studio shortly after to record the next two tracks for the album.

https://www.facebook.com/13401785060054 ... 338162792/

[teb]

It's only controversial when you go to sell the guitar and wonder why you can't get the same price as an unmodified example.

The two shown above are my third and fourth RIC twelves. Over the last ten years or so, I've also modified my 360/6, 430, 250 and 2030. In the mid 1970s, I even modified a Capri. Of those I have eventually sold off, I have always made more than I paid for them, and more than current street prices for un-modified versions because of the mods. They don't sell to those folks who reject anything that isn't just as it left the factory, but there are plenty of other buyers and players out there who appreciate the changes and are quite willing to pay for them. I look at my Rickenbackers as tools, not museum exhibits, and sometimes there are various issues with them which bug me. If there is something I can do to make my tools work better for my purposes, I have no problem changing them as long as they still look great. And I never, ever, lose money selling Rickenbackers.

[richlespaul]

The 360 got some gig time on Saturday night and all is awesome