Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Ron,

Since the abject failure of the Mark II picks to complete their intended mission in Australia, I have commissioned a study to completely redesign their properties. The new batch of picks will have a non release feature that only I can unlock with a special key plus they will have an imbedded microchip that when scanned will pronounce me as the rightful owner of the instrument that they are attached to. So watch out, I'll be better armed in 2010. Just kidding of course.

Seriously though, I can't wait to see your guitar in person.

Memo to all members of Brian's jamming band while he was out in Australia.

At first sight of Mr Medway in 2010, gang tackle him and confiscate said picks from his being, and destroy!

Ron,

You're no fun anymore. Scratch the Mark III version. However the Mark IV version that is currently in beta testing, teleports the target instrument directly to my home. So now how are you going to put a stop to that one?

Okay I surrender!!

So now how are you going to put a stop to that one?

Don't you remember our discussions about sourcing WW2 battleship anchor chain, Ron???

Holy ****.

steverok wrote:Holy ****.

I know Steve, isn't it a beauty?

sloop_john_b wrote:Good golly!

I love that you went with a 1st fret inlay.

Miss Molly!

Sublime.......cathartic......efficacious! Props to you and your efforts, Harvey.

Play on, pick often, and prosper. Regards....Goofyfoot.

Please disregard my first reply as I read your post quickly and somehow thought you had ordered a FG 330 and this amazing 370-type showed up instead. Thus my urging to run and hide and not admit to anything!!!

This is a wonderful transformation. How many months did he/you work on this? Its a very creative and unique transformation. Nice collaboration. Enjoy.

T

harvey49 wrote:Well, I had no idea that this would generate so much discussion.

Thanks to Howard, Dave, Brian and Darren, for speaking up - they know full well this guitar exists.

Having put out feelers on the forum for an Azure Glo 360 WB last year, which I know was a tall order, I decided that maybe having a 330 customised might be a more realistic approach to reaching my goal, and probably less expensive as well.

The project started in October last year,after discussions with John Koelling about getting a referral to Larry Davis, who is the man responsible for this wonderful guitar. I received the guitar from Larry last Thursday and it's everything I was hoping for. I won't bore you will details but suffice to say there was quite a bit done. But it's all that binding that I think works really well with the colour.

As for pics of me Paul, I don't think the forum could handle my ugly moosh being displayed, bound to cause a melt down, besides it would detract from the guitar. If you'd like to see more pics I'm happy to oblidge, I'll add one of the headstock which had quite a bit done to it besides the binding.

KER_4433.jpg

BTW: Brian, although you assured me that your special picks would work, in being able to acquire some nice guitars when you were over here last year, no one wanted to play the game then - so you've got no hope with this one!!!!!! If, and when you make it back over hear again, you're welcome to play it, but with my picks only! (In joke folks sorry)

Ron, is Larry Davis a forum member? Where is he based?

Another question, a repeat of Paul W's: Is the clearcoat nitro?

There's no question that Larry did a wonderful job on both this and John Koelling's "Wine Country" 350.

Larry is a Forum member. Following Larry's guitar's posting, Larry and I had an email discussion on conversion vs. nitro as a clearcoat. I've always maintained that the guitar's skin is the first defense against the elements, and one of the reasons that RIC has used a catalyzing clearcoat since sometime in 1959, is that is a far superior material to nitrocellulose clear (which, by definition, oxidizes over time at a much faster rate than CV).

I could probably look up the email exchanges for exact wording, but I did, at the end of the discussion, encourage Larry to familiarize himself with the ins and outs of a CV finish. Larry agreed to look into it, and we did not communicate after that. My question was one of curiosity, but there is always a bit of concern in my mind, whenever a luthier uses nitro to finish a contemporary Rickenbacker instrument. If a Rick is going to look its best over the years, conversion varnish is, in my mind, a necessity.

Consider this scenario: If, for instance, RIC would switch suddenly to nitro clearcoats (ignoring the obvious VOC variation), they could increase throughput by a substantial margin, but the hue and cry from consumers would soon put a nail in that coffin. RIC would lose a competitive advantage: most Gibsons, Gretsches, and Fenders are finished in catalyzing clearcoats of varying formulations, exceptions being those touting nitro, to cash in on the relic and nostalgia markets.

To finish a guitar in nitro clearcoat takes about 1/3 as much time as doing it in CV. CV demands, besides a steep learning curve, special materials, tools, and techniques, in the areas of application, personal safety, and disposal. Flatting and buffing are very labor-intensive and demanding. The result is a finish that is superior to any other, in both long and short-term.

paul i am sorry to say this but this rant about cv superiority sounds like superiority complex to me....cv is good finish but that's about it. some people like nitro or some poly and in the end most of us get whatever the manufacturers throws at us even if it was quicksilver laced baboon **** finish. after all don't we get guitars for the sound ? really i don't think that most of us are buying rickenbacker guitar for *that* amazing cv finish.

Er...... yeah...... OK. I'll let others discuss the merits of CV, notro, poly, etc.

Ron came over this afternoon and I got a first had look at (and hold) of this gorgeous guitar. Apart from looking a million bucks it sounds great!

Some pics..... very hard to take without reflections from the autumn sunshine but here goes:

More:
The headstock is superb...........

Still more:
Lovely unfinished ebony fretboard with full width MOP inlays - including the first fret: