Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

The silver undercoating is the first step in a "candy" finish. The red tint is prayed on top of the silver to get that effect. I sprayed one of my Schwinn bikes that same way with what used to be called "Flambouyant Red".

Those are cool Jaymi, I like those Ruby basses. I had a Ruby 4003 for a while. It had white trim, those are the first I've ever seen with black. The black trim usually came on that other red color.

Yep, I had 2 1981 4001 basses, one with WT and one with BT. These were inspired by the second one which is why I got them. I was looking at the other red color and I don't go for it and I would not have gone for these if they had been that color. The silver undercoat is a great touch. Too bad they did not continue this color. It really is classy in person.

If you scroll down the Collectables page at Mike Parks' site (http://www.the-music-connection.com/riccol.htm), you'll see an April 1989 (D2 date code) 350 Ruby. So the "official" timeline is not quite right.

Similarly, Silver extends beyond the "official" dates (1980-1984, same as Ruby); on the same page cited above, there is a February 1989 (B2 Date code) 320 Silver.

I suspect that there was a trickle effect as they phased out the colors with silver basecoats. Kind of the phase out of the 4000 basses. They were really different at the end...

My Ruby 4003 was an '88.

Too bad you don't have it any more Joey...

...yeah, I'm sorry I sold it...sorry I sold my '81 jetglo 4001 and my '89 fireglo 330.

So, are these metallic or not?

FWIW, I've got a '85 Ruby 360. Well, it *was* Ruby until last Friday.

Yes Dave, these are metallic...it is hard to capture with this camera.

Okay, then I think that makes them Ruby and not Red. Because every Red I've seen is nonmetallic.

You've got it bro!!!! These are ruby... I just put the "RED" up there to get the general idea across.. My bad....they are in fact RUBY