Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I opened my Rickenbacker 360/12CW case after about a month of non-use and found the first 7 or eight frets were bronzed! They were a yellow-golden color and wiping them, playing them, and rubbing my nail against it would not change their color. Only on the top part of the neck. They were NOT like that the last time I played! I contacted my local guitar store, The House Of Guitars, and they said to bring it in on Tuesday. Thought I would get a heads up from you guys, though. No other part has turned color, and it is always rubbed down with the RIC cloth after each use, so I am at my wits end at figuring out what it is. HOW did they change color?
Any ideas would be appreciated. Sorry, I can't post pictures, but picture a beautiful guitar that has bronze/gold and silver frets and you then have my guitar.

There are several ways to take care of this .

This is NOT anything to be alarmed about ...."No reason to get excited..." (thanks B Zimmerman )

You could use a metal polish , but you may have a chemical reaction and it could alter that appearance of the clear coats .

You could try some thing like 'Turtle Wax' but this is a compound and has grit in it ... I do not know of any auto painters that actually use T Wax .It might work , but I use stuff that I know car guys use . You will be polishing the clear at the same time . I would use some thing that will do both .

This is not that uncommon . ALL frets from all makers do this to a certain degree .

Frets are a brass alloy ... they are called "nickel-silver" , but there is NO silver in them at all .

The brass content and the clear are having a chemical reaction . Plus oxidation of the fretwire .

I would suggest this , get some automotive polish . I use 3MFinesse-it #05928

It is a white creme like polish and comes in gallon and quart containers .

This is what many repair shops use to polish finishes with and edges of plexiglass pickguards . With a finished fretboard or any gloss finished fretboard (Fender,Yamaha Ibanez etc ) this will shine the frets on those brands as well . If you want a satin finish feel/look to the fretboard .... 'Scotch Brite' or 4/0 steel wool will do that and polish the frets at the same time . Protect the pickups as Steel wool is STEEL and as it is a ferrous material , the shavings will be stuck to the pickups . This will NOT harm the pickups , nor the steel wool .... however , it does make for a hairy guitar pickup .

I was under the distinct impression (due to an old Rickenbacker catalog info) that the Ric frets had a small percentage of GOLD in the mix. Can you confirm that, Mark? Thanks, AL A.

NO WAY !!!!!!!

There is NO gold in any guitar or bass fret wire .

NEWS FLASH !!!!!!!!!!!!

Straight from JH to my computer !!!

I am wrong , in the process of making the fretwire ....."there is a minute amount of gold , it is about .003% This is not enough to affect the hardness of the wire , but it is there to improve the resistance to corrosion ."

Mark.....now that IS interesting. That could be why my 58' 360's frets have not corroded even though they have not been cleaned or even wiped off in MANY years...shame on me!
Dave

Mark...how about using DuPont Clearcoat Polishing Compound on frets and finish? This stuff is a extremely fine rubbing compound used on automotive clear coat finishes. I've used it on PPG Concept color and clear coats and it works very well without grinding off the finish.
Wax afterwards of course.
Dave

Compound usually means that there is a grit to it and that it will leave scratches . Polishes are used to remove these scratches .

Meguiars is a good line of product , so is the 3M stuff . Liquid Ebony is another .

Going to an automotive PARTS store is Not where I go to buy polish .....I go to where the autobody repair shops go . The guys there deal in lots of types of finishes and know what works , the parts suppliers , sell parts ...the compound and polish is something they sell because it fits into the mold of needs ....but it is not their area of 'expertise' .

At Rick we used this stuff that came in a gallon can .. I don't recall what it was , compound of some kind . Then we used a white polish ... it was the 'waxing' area .. was it really wax .. I do not remember , but it was white and it came in a gallon can . It flew everywhere if you put too much on ....that could be fun if you wanted to gob someone after lunch ... but some times you got yourself . SHIELDS UP !!!!

Thanks guys. I opened up my case today to see if any change had happened (I left it open all alst week but closed it for the weekend and the frets changed color again! They are mostly silver now with just a tinge of bronze/gold. I never wiped it, brushed it, or anything. This is really weird. Thanks for your advice, I will use it if the problem continues. A color changing Rick...might be vaulable someday!

Scoobster28: What type of case is the guitar in and what else do you have in the case? Some other material may be gasing off causing a reaction. You might say that this is one case that should not be closed until we get to the bottom of it. It is certainly not an open and shut case.

It is a vintage style case with the silver exterior and the blue poodle lining. I also have the RIC polishing cloth in the case, but that is under the neck at the neck support cross-brace, just for protection. It isn't on the fretboard but under it.