2014 Color of the Year is...

[leftybass]

A black finish, but with metal-flake in it...

BMW color code 475, Sapphire Black Metallic.

Seriously, it looks really good.

[krick]

If there is a "Color of the Year" I don't think it will be Greenburst.

Here is a quote from a message I received from Ben when I asked him about the limited run of 330S models last year:

"In actuality, Tobacco was not my original color choice, as evidenced by that greenglo guitar on our FB page. After we painted that green guitar I was not totally sold on the color. To this day I'm not sure I like it. So basically, I got cold feet and decided to "play it safe" with a color I always loved (since we did that 4001 one-off a few years ago) and I felt everybody would like."

Thanks to Ben for allowing me to post this.

[libratune]

I got cold feet and decided to "play it safe" with a color I always loved (since we did that 4001 one-off a few years ago) and I felt everybody would like."

Kevin, is the "color I always loved" the Tobaccoglo on the 4001 (1999) one-off? That seems to be what Ben is saying about choosing Tobaccoglo over Greenburst for the fhole 330S "Petty run" guitars.

[cjj]

Anybody see RIC is teasing on their FB page. Tape in the PUP cavity reads "4003 Color of the Year 2014 Test...."

I'll start.

Greenburst!

Agreed.

Greenburst would be nice...

[krick]

I got cold feet and decided to "play it safe" with a color I always loved (since we did that 4001 one-off a few years ago) and I felt everybody would like."

Kevin, is the "color I always loved" the Tobaccoglo on the 4001 (1999) one-off? That seems to be what Ben is saying about choosing Tobaccoglo over Greenburst for the fhole 330S "Petty run" guitars.

I believe so Ron.

[woodyng]

What was that one-off bass they did a while back? Were they calling it whiskeyglo,or something like that? It was particularly stunning.....

FWIW, here's the thread on the "Whiskeyglo" bass: viewtopic.php?f=86&t=407073

Whiskeyglo 4003.jpg

I stand corrected. It was the tobaccoglo model i liked. To me, this one is just ....brown.

[Lefty4001]

Anybody see RIC is teasing on their FB page. Tape in the PUP cavity reads "4003 Color of the Year 2014 Test...."

I'll start.

Greenburst!

Agreed.

Greenburst would be nice...

The attachment Greenburst12.jpg is no longer available

That's the idea. BT would enhance it. If I ever come across a lefty project bass (i'll wait while you finishing laughing), I'd shoot for that look.

I started the thread just to keep it in the Basses discussion. There are some good suggestions. White/BT seems a good bet, but I like the blue/black idea. My car has a similar paint and it looks great as the light moves across it.

Guess we'll see in a couple of weeks?

Here's the picture.

[DriftSpace]

Silverburst?

I love a good Gibson-style silverburst, though mostly on SGs. I'd love to see how it looked on various RICs...

I got cold feet and decided to "play it safe" with a color I always loved (since we did that 4001 one-off a few years ago) and I felt everybody would like."

Anyone who has read threads from Ben about doing the color white (the last which I recall reading was in regards to the U.K. Pearl guitars) knows that it's definitely one of his least favorite colors to do in the factory.

This is from 2010:

White is a nightmare to do. It would only be done in very limited quantities.

That was in-response to the 2010 white 4003 factory one-off, and someone had asked about white being the color of the year for 2011. I'm guessing white is pretty close to the bottom of Ben's list. Also, from Mr. Boyer's book: White never came with a warranty on the finish, and was considered a "custom" color while offered. All signs point to the RIC factory not liking the application of white, and that they try to avoid doing a lot of it if they have to do it at all.

Then again: that 2010 one-off was ... white, so maybe that's the one to which he is referring from "a few years ago."
download/file.php?id=28278&mode=view

A black finish, but with metal-flake in it...

BMW color code 475, Sapphire Black Metallic.

Seriously, it looks really good.

That would be FANTASTIC! Would that RIC had some good metallic colors in their catalog...

I have always liked Cisneros' green 4003:

[coolingitdown]

I'd like to see greenglo, white BHBT, or that tobaccoglo (though I certainly understand concerns about it being too similar to other finishes).

Time will tell...

[coolingitdown]

That was in-response to the 2010 white 4003 factory one-off, and someone had asked about white being the color of the year for 2011. I'm guessing white is pretty close to the bottom of Ben's list. Also, from Mr. Boyer's book: White never came with a warranty on the finish, and was considered a "custom" color while offered. All signs point to the RIC factory not liking the application of white, and that they try to avoid doing a lot of it if they have to do it at all.

Yes, but that was also before the new UV-cured finishing process which, IIRC, is supposed to be pretty resistant to fading and yellowing. That doesn't mean it's not still a "nightmare" to do finishes in that color, but the warranty concerns should no longer apply.

[DriftSpace]

Yes, but that was also before the new UV-cured finishing process which, IIRC, is supposed to be pretty resistant to fading and yellowing. That doesn't mean it's not still a "nightmare" to do finishes in that color, but the warranty concerns should no longer apply.

Yeah, the more I think about it: I'll bet it's white. Just because it's a "nightmare to do" doesn't mean it's not one of his favorite colors after it's on the instrument.

[DJJazzV]

"Fishglo" - the body and headstock surfaces will have imbrication to provide that "hey look, he's playing a fish" effect on audiences ..

Or a nice "HamGlo".
I would actually like to see Walnut make a return with black trim.

[wim]

So, they got us going again?

[rickendelic]

There was a really nice blue and jetgo burst I remember seeing a while back. I'm not sure if it was a factory one off or one of Paul's or something, but I remember thinking it was pretty remarkable. I think it was on a bass.

[rictified]

Yes, but that was also before the new UV-cured finishing process which, IIRC, is supposed to be pretty resistant to fading and yellowing. That doesn't mean it's not still a "nightmare" to do finishes in that color, but the warranty concerns should no longer apply.

Yeah, the more I think about it: I'll bet it's white. Just because it's a "nightmare to do" doesn't mean it's not one of his favorite colors after it's on the instrument.

White on white is the classiest Ric color in my opinion, ask Andy Winter, he knows. I would love to get one and would spring for a new one with with white trim in a second.
Incidentally I don't know how many of you were here in 2003 when I first joined but I was living in Lima, Peru for a while and spent hours on this forum, well I'm back again for a while and just had to post again from here in an internet café. I brought my 79 mapleglo 4001 although I haven't logged much playing time with any bands yet, but I got a new loro named Carmelita, Humberto flew away, haha!