Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Good price for a S model in a rare color.

Nice!

Question. There seems to be a desireable distinction between Azureglo and Midnight blue. They are both opaque and maybe the MB has a metallic, but what is the difference really? AG looks just like gloss blue paint to me in pictures. Is it just the rarity of this early finish?

I think that is it, it's a discontinued color. Midnight has gone through some changes over the years, but it is a metallic medium/dark blue. The metallic bits change the color to the viewer depending on the light. Azureglo is a solid non-metallic medium blue.

Hi Wes! Azureglo and Midnight Blue do sometimes look alike in pictures but they are quite different. Azureglo is a simple opaque blue (white with blue pigments added) where Midnight blue has a metallic component. Someone here said that both Ruby and Midnight were applied over a silver layer. That could be but I have not seen evidence of that on my 4003S/5 MID. MID also varies greatly from year to year. Some MIDS are really dark (like mine) and others, particularly the newer ones, are much lighter.

See that's what I thought. I'd rather have MB than AZG. Especially old AZG, just looks like a blue paint, nothing special. Seems like AZG would be good for collectors due to the rarety. Just my opinion I guess.

Azureglo doesn't bleed into the binding

ha ha!

There's nothing special about blue paint????? But blue is my favourite colour...

"Azureglo doesn't bleed into the binding"

LOL - still trying to save up the $200 to ship my MB back from Canada for refinishing. I must admit though, I wouldn't consider any other finish (assuming I can only have one Ric!) The AG seems kinda like plain ol' blue to me, but admittedly I've yet to see one in person. Pictures definitely don't do MB justice -- reminds me of a candy-apple car finish. I get as many rave comments on the colour as I do on the tone.

Ted - I believe early versions of MID were a two coat process. MID has changed many times. I talked to Eric about the new MID they are shooting and its darker that what was shot in the past. AZ is just blue paint. It's just rarer than some of the other RIC colors. It's still a nice color.

The first Ric I ever saw in person was an Azureglo 4001, I was a kid then and thought this was the best looking bass on the planet (before that I was drooling over the black Fender P that old Mr Filiberto was holding in his book), so that is part of the reason this color is more special to me.

Mike: You are probably right. I have seen chipped MID (and Ruby) that was silver silver underneath. Mine has chips that expose just wood.

While we're on the subject of azureglo, which happens to be one of my favorite finishes for 4001's, check out this picture of Bill Yantz's AZG refin that was done by Paul W. I'm totally stoked that I've got an appointment to have a 73 checker refinned to this color.