Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

That one's really cool too Graham!

First one I've seen in THAT color (I need to get out more).

Different vibe though with the solid color.

I don't think the ambered look would work on that guitar but I like it on the AFG's.

In reference to the Road Worn connection, I disagree, no one took sandpaper or files (or whatever they do) to make it look like someone played it a lot. There's no fake player wear at all. It's just a color.

yeah, i understand. I just think they're kinda comparable (as far as intent to show aging)....player ware.....aged binding/inlay

whatever

Just remembered, I snagged this pic of a 381 AFG on eBay with gold guards a while back:

That 381 at the beginning of this thread is definitely a thing of beauty. I also haven't been crazy about the pickguard shape of the 381 (I don't like the point near the lower cutaway) but the rest of the guitar is breathtaking.

dpowell wrote:Just remembered, I snagged this pic of a 381 AFG on eBay with gold guards a while back:

6e23_1.JPG

I think using oven knobs with a vintage-style 5th knob is an insult to such a lovely instrument. It's like taking a Ferrari and...well, you get what I mean.

I don't much care for the 381s guard shape, either. Redoing mine, back in '05, was my very first Rick mod, along with the specially-turned brown 5th knob made to harmonize with the oven knobs:

I don't mind the PG shape that much, I just wonder why the knobs are always offset.

Still waiting on a brown 5th knob, Paul. I don't know if you have a batch of them or make them up specifically but I'd love to have a few for future projects (nothing with oven knobs here at the moment).

I'll make some up next week. Come and get 'em. Drop me a PM, so I know how many to make. These are painted brown to match the oven knobs, and have a set screw to lock them onto the pot shaft.

Paul your guitar demonstrates what the 381 would look like with a 360 style guard. It's a thing of beauty to me because it compliments the classic lines of the instrument. Thanks for posting that pic.

dpowell wrote:I don't mind the PG shape that much, I just wonder why the knobs are always offset.

Dan, by "offset" do you refer to the fact that the treble V/T knobs are slightly closer together than the bass V/T knobs? If so, I think it is that way because the upper guard on the 381 is longer (the pickups on the 381 are farther apart) which causes all the knobs to be a bit lower toward the pointed end of the lower guard on the 381 than they would be on a 360, and that puts the squeeze on the two treble pots. Plus, the 381 guard is actually narrower (less wide) at the point where the 2 treble pots are mounted than is the 360 guard due to the matchup of the 381's lower guard to its body-top carve (I have spare 381 and 360 guards and I measured).

Here's a visual to illustrate. You can see the 381 "pushdown" effect by observing the distance between the blend knob and the screw at the bottom point of the guard on each model -- it's closer on the 381. The "offset" difference as to the treble pots, though noticeable, is very slight. If you could move the treble volume pot 1/8" down and 1/8" to your left, the pots on the 381 would be evenly spaced like the 360 layout (spacing from center point of all pot posts is 1.75" all around).

Hmm...thanks for the comparison shots. I wonder how it would look to move the bass tone knob slightly inward. Maybe they'd be too crowded then.

jingle_jangle wrote:

dpowell wrote:Just remembered, I snagged this pic of a 381 AFG on eBay with gold guards a while back:

6e23_1.JPG

I think using oven knobs with a vintage-style 5th knob is an insult to such a lovely instrument. It's like taking a Ferrari and...well, you get what I mean.

I don't much care for the 381s guard shape, either. Redoing mine, back in '05, was my very first Rick mod, along with the specially-turned brown 5th knob made to harmonize with the oven knobs:

Now THAT is what a guard on a 381 should look like! Very nicely done.

Ron, what color are those two guitars of yours?

I like the guard shape on the 381 models. I believe it accents the "carve" nicely and is one of the features that make a 381 stand out from the standard models.

jps wrote:Ron, what color are those two guitars of yours?

Jeff, they are both Blue Boy in color. The 360 is a true blue 2002 model; the 381/12V69 was made in 2006 and has a slight mint green cast to it. As discussed before, I have difficulty achieving true color of blue instruments in my indoor photos. Now that warmer weather promises to be here (soon?), I plan on re-photographing the Blue Boys in natural light. As I am not adept enough at Photoshop to color-correct via software, that seems to be the solution for me.

Any alternate suggestions will be appreciated.