Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

superheavydeathmetal wrote:I noticed on the Autumnglo that it's hard to see where the two "wings" (for lack of a better term) of the headstock join the middle, unlike the Fireglo, where the lines are clearly visible. Does anyone know why this is? Is it because the base color of the Autumnglo is applied much thicker than the base coat of the Fireglo?

The Autumnglo has maple headstock wings on it, whereas the FG has walnut wings.

The wings are rather well matched; there is no attempt made to add contrast. The neck is two piece, and the wings added are very similar in tone.

Ahh, now, which one to string with flats, and which with rounds? That's a problem I wish I could afford to have!

The Autumnglo will eventually get flats, but I don't have any at the moment (thought I had a set of Pyramids, but can't find them). Right now I've installed a set of D'Addario EXP Reds. A nice side benefit is that the copper strings look great against the Autumnglo.

Autumnglo (as I am sure Paul Boyer will tell you) is a matte finish - and is fairly rare.

Walnut (or Walnutglo as I call it to differentiate it from the new "Walnut" RICS), is a high gloss finish just like Fireglo but with brown instead of red. Montezuma Brown from the COY run in 2005 is similar but is based on a very particular shade of Brown (demonstrating that John Hall has a very unique sense of humour! lol)

Most "Autumnglo" are not - only you will be able to tell having the instrument in your hands. Sept 83 is "Wi" by the way.

Congrats on the "new to you" bass. I think it looks great with the Black trim.

farace wrote:D'Addario EXP Reds.

I used to use them back in the early '80s, on my old 4005WB.

Actually, the story of "Autumnglo" is a bit more complicated and muddy. In the late '70s and early '80s, Autumnglo had a clear satin coat applied to it, while those called "Walnut" had a gloss coat. Apparently, the same shade of brown was used. The clear satin coat would weather with play and the worn areas would be polished smooth, looking like a gloss coat. There was also some variance in the brown used. It appears the later ones were more reddish, the earlier more greenish.

The finish on this bass is glossy all over.

farace wrote:The finish on this bass is glossy all over.

Then it would be a Walnut-Glo (WAL). Matte finish is Autumn-Glo (ATG).

Congrats, it looks stunning!

jps wrote:

farace wrote:D'Addario EXP Reds.

I used to use them back in the early '80s, on my old 4005WB.

The copper strings that D'Addario put out in the '80s were XL Reds; I used to use them on my 4001 around 1982 (and I found an NOS set a few years ago that is now on my P Bass). They were discontinued quite a number of years ago. One of the complaints about them was that the copper reacted with many players' skin, leaving them with greenish black marks on their fingers. A few years ago, D'Addario reintroduced them, but this time as a coated string to try to avoid the skin reaction, and these were the EXP Reds. Sadly, they seem to have again discontinued them again.

I don't recall having reactions or issues with the original Reds. IIRC they were a bit "dry" feeling, for lack of a better description, not to mention how long ago it was that I used them.

bassduke49 wrote:Actually, the story of "Autumnglo" is a bit more complicated and muddy. In the late '70s and early '80s, Autumnglo had a clear satin coat applied to it, while those called "Walnut" had a gloss coat. Apparently, the same shade of brown was used. The clear satin coat would weather with play and the worn areas would be polished smooth, looking like a gloss coat. There was also some variance in the brown used. It appears the later ones were more reddish, the earlier more greenish.

Sorry to dredge this up again, but with "complicated and muddy" in mind and as another datapoint, take a look at this '77 481 on eBay and see if you think it's truly glossy as it appears to me, or if it's a shined-up satin. It is clearly marked "Autumn" in the routing.

(I'd have copied and loaded a couple of the photos, but it wouldn't let me on this device.)

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... ID=EBAY-US

Well, I desire it pretty heavily. Does that count?

take a look at this '77 481 on eBay and see if you think it's truly glossy as it appears to me, or if it's a shined-up satin. It is clearly marked "Autumn" in the routing.

Bob, I think a lot of ebay posters don't know the difference between autumn and walnut, especially if they are not the original owner. You might remember my '76 4001 it's walnut. It cost an extra $10 for the 'special' color!
Congrats on your new bass - it's a beauty!