Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Check out the post of my Blue 360 at
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It's Midnight Blue.

What does an aged midnight blue look like?

I don't know about "aged" Midnight Blue, but I do know that the color of Midnight Blue has changed over the years. I have a Midnight Blue 330 from 1989 that is so dark it looks black in low lighting, and has an almost purplish tone to it--the color is really hard to capture with a camera. I also have a Midnight Blue 220 from 1993, and that color is a much brighter shade of blue--John Hall had mentioned once that during the period of time when that guitar was made, the Midnight Blues were sprayed with a silver metallic coat before they were sprayed blue.... I believe the current shade of Midnight Blue is yet a different shade.

Here's a pic of my 220 and 330 side by side.



Here's one that better captures how dark the 330 really appears:



Oops--sorry it's sized so small--I'm just figuring out how to re-size images and I shrunk that one a little too much, LOL! But you get the idea....

1 AM Blue

I prefer the original Midnight Blue. It seems to get this purple hue in low lighting that really lives up to its name.

Melissa, that 220 looks more like Mid Day North Sky Blue!

I really do like black hardware on midnight blue. Kinda makes it live up to it's name. And that is a really nice 610 there Ken.

So then, any aged MIDs out there? Or does it actually age like the others?

Hmmm... I wonder if the lighter shade appeared in 1993? I have a 220 in Midnight Blue, like Melissa's, that is decidedly darker; but mine is a 1992.

Guys, I don't think my 220 is really that light in person; the color is a bit washed-out in the picture. It's actually really bright compared to my 330, with a more reflective metallic shine.

I tried to take that into account, Melissa...I walked mine outside and looked at it with the sun shining on it. FWIW, mine seems to be somewhere in-between your 330 and 220.

I'm not finding fault with any of the shades of Midnight Blue... in fact, I think the variety is a good thing.

I was just wondering if there are "approximate" model years we could point to, to identify the various shades. That's all...

The 610 pictured above is an '87.

I used to own a 610 that is identical to that one, but mine was a '91. I bought it new old stock back in 2001 from a local Rickenbacker dealer who couldn't seem to find a buyer for it, so I got it cheap. I kept it for about a year and a half and I sold it on E-Bay. It was flawless except for a small area on the headstock where the finish was damaged from the guitar hanging for so long. It was a sweet guitar otherwise. I wonder if anyone on this forum has it?