Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hello, has anyone discovered a way to "speed up" the yellowing process that happens over time to Rickenbacker finishes, especially noticeable on Mapleglo?
My '05 360/12 would benefit greatly from a gentle aged look, IMO. Thanks for your input. Mike

Place it under fluorescent lights at a cigar bar.

I don't know if the modern finishes CAN yellow...you might have to spray a yellow clearcoat like they used on amber fireglo.

This is something I've done for a few customers. As Dan says, it involves spraying an amber-tinted clearcoat over a well-scuffed guitar surface, then sanding and buffing the new clearcoat back to a perfect gloss once again.

Paul - Do you have any pictures of the finished product? I'd like to see how it looks.

Sure. Mine are a bit more subtle than the factory's AFGs. Here are a few:

WOW, excellent! I love that 370F with the black lower PG. You spray the binding and inlays amber too, right?

Yes, I spray the whole guitar. BUT--I mask off the inlays after only one or two coats of amber--otherwise they look like Old Man Teeth. Then I put a couple of more coats on the rest. I pop off the masking and everything looks in balance.

Thanks for the info, Paul! I'm not a fan of the deluxe inlays on AFG instruments...definitely old man shade...

emjayw wrote:Hello, has anyone discovered a way to "speed up" the yellowing process that happens over time to Rickenbacker finishes, especially noticeable on Mapleglo?
My '05 360/12 would benefit greatly from a gentle aged look, IMO. Thanks for your input. Mike

Our dog has done a great job of yellowing the finish on our door post - would that work for you?

blueflamerick wrote:Place it under fluorescent lights at a cigar bar.

I love it.

dpowell wrote:I don't know if the modern finishes CAN yellow...

According to John Hall over at the corporate website forum, RIC could use a non-yellowing clearcoat now. They have opted not to, as the new formula would make the clearcoat more susceptible to cracks and checking.

In this case, JH is remarking on the CV that RIC uses, which is a furniture/woodwork formulation with a specific VOC.

The non-yellowing CV that I use is an automotive urethane, low VOC. I don't know how its VOC compares to RIC's varnish, but I do know that it is extremely tough and flexible, and actually made for exterior use on surfaces that can heat to 180°F repeatedly. Checking is not an issue.

The downside to the automotive stuff is expense ($200.00 a gallon; it takes about $20.00 worth to do one guitar or bass) and toughness, from a sanding/buffing standpoint. It takes several hours to wet sand and buff each instrument by hand and machine. Of course, the durability to the end-user is the main benefit.

emjayw wrote:Hello, has anyone discovered a way to "speed up" the yellowing process that happens over time to Rickenbacker finishes, especially noticeable on Mapleglo?
My '05 360/12 would benefit greatly from a gentle aged look, IMO. Thanks for your input. Mike

My '00 Mapleglo 4003 has been gently aging and yellowing slowly and is now looking fairly good from that standpoint. Should only get better with age (hopefully). It happens slowly enough that you may not notice it until you compare it to your first photos taken of the instrument, after a few years have passed. My Mapleglo '00 was always my favorite of my 4 Rick basses for recording (did both band CDs with it), and now I'm appreciating its look more than I used to.

I've spent some months where I play that bass every day, and some stretches of months where it sits in its case. Is there any difference in the aging process between being in the case vs. exposed to light, etc.?

I always thought light was a big factor, until I took uff some guards on aged MG guitars and in a couple of cases, it was actually darker under the guards! So, you've got a lot of factors, and although I think UV will yellow the finish slightly, I also thing it might bleach it a bit, too. The pH of the wood plays a part, atmosphere, nicotine, barf, etc.