The Prodigal Rickenbacker returns!

wints · Post by **wints** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:57 am

Great story Brian.

Never let that baby go again!

ken_j · Post by **ken_j** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:37 am

We have another forum member that plays a fire scarred Rick regularly at gigs. Look here and you will find that you are not alone: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=383218&p=457251#p457251

Ontario_RIC_fan · Post by **Ontario_RIC_fan** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:42 pm

ken_j wrote:We have another forum member that plays a fire scarred Rick regularly at gigs. Look here and you will find that you are not alone: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=383218&p=457251#p457251

Ken:

That's a neat story on the other thread... Well the guitar at least is currently playable, and sounds fine; so there was no damage to the electronics...

I put some new strings on it this week... The finish on the guitar is still black, it just isn't high gloss jetglo anymore... (except for the back of the body which must have been the farthest away from the heat source - a reminder of what the finish once looked like).

I am not currently playing much beyond my apartment, so no need for a "perfect" guitar. I am just so friggin' happy to have it back again after all these years... If I can find a late seventies/early eighties "but without the model number" TRC then it almost would be back to normal other then the scorch mark on the finger board. The pickguard I should be able to clean... It is just that residue that you get on everything after a fire.

No rush though I have years to make it back to original... As they say "it is the journey, not the destination"..

Brian

Ontario_RIC_fan · Post by **Ontario_RIC_fan** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 1:32 am

Ok folks I spent the evening working on my old 1977 320 guitar... I took it apart and cleaned as best I could the plastic items (TRC and Pickguard)... I shined up all of the metal, especially around the pickups and tuners, and I did the body with some lemon oil.

I pulled off the melted blob of a dot inlay... It revealed a small drilled hole on the finger board.. The plastic piece I had removed fit right into this hole laying flush to the rosewood... It is however white, while the rest of the dot inlays look more ambered under the now smoky finish/patina.

I put new strings on it, and it is quite playable, with smooth action. It now looks to me 100% better then it was - but obviously any further work needs to be done by a professional.

Still as a player she looks better then I would have thought possible...

Brian

Here's another flood of pics

: Still some discolouration on the Pickguard

: Headstock with a cleaned up TRC

: Front looking down at the whole guitar

: Side view

Ontario_RIC_fan · Post by **Ontario_RIC_fan** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 1:37 am

This is what was inside the body cavity... Definitely a hollowbody even though it had no "F hole"...

Can anyone read the pots for me??

Brian

: Electronics

: Anyone know who FR might have been?

: TRC before clean up

: And TRC after clean up

kiramdear · Post by **kiramdear** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 1:44 am

Good job, Brian! I'm so pleased with your story. I love the fire patina. If it was my guitar I wouldn't change another thing.

Well, maybe I'd get a nice new fireproof case.

Ontario_RIC_fan · Post by **Ontario_RIC_fan** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 1:44 am

Lastly...

Since I never bothered to take a picture of myself with the guitar back in the eighties... Here are a few attempts at self portraiture....

Perhaps one of these may become my new avatar???

Let me know which one that you like...

Brian

: The "artiste" with his Rickenbacker

: Big Head and Small Headstock

: It must be love.. Why do I feel the the way I do... It must be love...

: I'm so happy just to dance with you...

Ontario_RIC_fan · Post by **Ontario_RIC_fan** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 1:52 am

kiramdear wrote:Good job, Brian! I'm so pleased with your story. I love the fire patina. If it was my guitar I wouldn't change another thing. Well, maybe I'd get a nice new fireproof case.

Thanks for the kind words Kira... I would like to see some pictures of your JG 320, so that I can compare the two.

Yes indeed I do need a case for it... A model R320 accroding to my 1975 Rickenbacker Catalog... I suppose RIC must still make a case for the vintage 63's and 58's, that would fit it quite nicely.

Brian

kiramdear · Post by **kiramdear** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 1:59 am

I think the first two snaps would read the best when shrunk down to 100 pixels. The second may read a little better but the first is a better composition.

Here's a link to the best set of pics I have: http://www.rickresource.com/register/vi ... hp?id=5733

In looking at them, however, I feel the need to do a proper shoot with her new accent tailpiece. Sorry these are really low-rez

Here are a few more on my gear page: http://web.me.com/kiramdear/Galerie_Kiramdear/Gear.html

Ontario_RIC_fan · Post by **Ontario_RIC_fan** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 2:11 am

Very nice guitar Kira:

Do you use the vibrato much?

The main differences that I can see are the "Model 320" on the TRC and the Grover Tuners instead of the Klusons on mine.. My April 1982 620 had klusons too, so perhaps the first changeover came by the fall...

That's really neat that you have had it all of those years...

Brian

kiramdear · Post by **kiramdear** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 2:19 am

I love having the vibrato on there. I use it sparingly but regularly. The Bigsby was much more efficient with a more measured sweep, while the Accent gives a less complex but great old-time whammy. I like it on this guitar and I have no tuning problems with it, using it pretty gently as I do. The "R" just never was my favorite option.

jps · Post by **jps** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 9:49 am

Brian, you need more fire in your eyes.

I agree, the first or second photo will work best. I like the second one.

ken_j · Post by **ken_j** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 11:03 am

Although I would be tempted to leave the TRC with its fire patina there is an easy fix since it is a raised letter TRC. If you want it white again just spray it with white laquer and use a Sharpie to blacken the letters.

Ontario_RIC_fan · Post by **Ontario_RIC_fan** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 10:46 am

ken_j wrote:Although I would be tempted to leave the TRC with its fire patina there is an easy fix since it is a raised letter TRC. If you want it white again just spray it with white laquer and use a Sharpie to blacken the letters.

Thanks for the advice Ken. Much appreciated.

I too am torn about changing it... I will likely replace the TRC and Pickguard with modern ones at some point, but will keep the originals with the guitar, so that I can change them back again if I ever decide to.

I have done that with my 610 too. It was BT BH originally before I bought the White TRC and Pickguard. Someday I may want it go back to its original state again.

Brian

romo1950 · Post by **romo1950** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:57 pm

Great story, part of me agrees with Collin , you could call it your Phoenix model , but the restorer in me would want to put it back to her former glory , with a full size picture of it now plus all the charred parts in a glass display. Collin knows where I,m coming from, I just can,t help restoring stuff

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