Thank You Larry Davis!!!
Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 11:46 pm
Hi all,
I just want to express a HUGE THANK YOU to luthier and forum member Larry Davis for the wonderful work he completed on my 360 WB. The guitar is now a gorgeous "fire engine" red. Larry is amazing; he is a thoroughly professional gentleman, and just plain fantastic to work with. We were in regular communication throughout the refinish process, and Larry sent me email updates with photos throughout the process. I couldn't have been more happy with either the process or results! Thanks a million Larry; I love this guitar!!!!!
Some of you may have seen a couple of posts and advance pictures of the refinish. The guitar in question is a June 1991 360 WB that was originally produced with a Mapleglo finish. I bought the guitar in 2005 while looking for a jetglo finished guitar in the same model. Unable to find one in my chosen finish, and finding the guitar somewhat attractive and at the right price, I bought the guitar.
I was never all that excited about what I considered to be a rather plain finish for my tastes, as most of my guitars are boldly finished in blue, silver sparkle, translucent cherry red, surf green, Gretsch Orange, and Mother of Toilet Seat (MOTO). I hade fleetingly considered refinishing the guitar in the past, in various shades such as silver sparkle, Blue Boy, Sea Green, or Aqua Glo, but only fleetingly. Earlier this year, after purchasing a Turquoise WB from JDog, I briefly considered selling the guitar, as I had two WBs in bold, beautiful finishes, but after comparing the guitar with my two other WBs, I realized that the guitar was of significantly lighter weight, and more resonant than my other Ricks. Fellow forumites Graham and Aitch confirmed this observation. The guitar has also, always sounded great and played beautifully, so I was doubly reluctant to sell it and buy another in a more preferred color, but perhaps not of the seemignly unique tonal and playing character of my guitar. After seeing a fellow forum members 360 V64 in Rick's "Fire Engine Red" finish, available from `85 through `99, as well as seeing Kenny Howes play with a similarly finished Rick 330, I decided to have the guitar refinished in the same color. I'd also seen Larry Davis work on a 330 to WB conversion for fellow forumite and was jaw-droppingly impressed with the results when the pics were posted here on the forum. I contacted Larry Davis about refinishing the guitar. Larry was willing to do the refinish and was familiar with the vintage features I wanted added to the guitar. I shipped the guitar to Larry in late October, and received the gorgeously refinished and improved guitar on January 2nd.
Here are the details of the "Paul Abba Zabba Signature Model 360 WB Version I":
-Light, extra resonant, double bound maple body
-80s/90s era Rickenbacker “Fire Engine Red” Waterborne CV finish
-Overwound 15K bridge and hot 12K neck Sérgio Silva toaster coil pickups
-Dual ROS and Standard jacks
-Accent Vibrato
-25” scale fret board with oversized "medium tall" frets, and bone nut
- Full-width, vintage style fret board inlays,
-Bound, vintage profile headstock
-Vintage style Kluson Safe-T-Post slot headed tuners
-Vintage style RIC TRC, with Larry Davis custom made matching back clear, back painted pick guard/scratch plates
Here are some of the photos, shot by a pro photographer selected by Larry:
I just want to express a HUGE THANK YOU to luthier and forum member Larry Davis for the wonderful work he completed on my 360 WB. The guitar is now a gorgeous "fire engine" red. Larry is amazing; he is a thoroughly professional gentleman, and just plain fantastic to work with. We were in regular communication throughout the refinish process, and Larry sent me email updates with photos throughout the process. I couldn't have been more happy with either the process or results! Thanks a million Larry; I love this guitar!!!!!
Some of you may have seen a couple of posts and advance pictures of the refinish. The guitar in question is a June 1991 360 WB that was originally produced with a Mapleglo finish. I bought the guitar in 2005 while looking for a jetglo finished guitar in the same model. Unable to find one in my chosen finish, and finding the guitar somewhat attractive and at the right price, I bought the guitar.
I was never all that excited about what I considered to be a rather plain finish for my tastes, as most of my guitars are boldly finished in blue, silver sparkle, translucent cherry red, surf green, Gretsch Orange, and Mother of Toilet Seat (MOTO). I hade fleetingly considered refinishing the guitar in the past, in various shades such as silver sparkle, Blue Boy, Sea Green, or Aqua Glo, but only fleetingly. Earlier this year, after purchasing a Turquoise WB from JDog, I briefly considered selling the guitar, as I had two WBs in bold, beautiful finishes, but after comparing the guitar with my two other WBs, I realized that the guitar was of significantly lighter weight, and more resonant than my other Ricks. Fellow forumites Graham and Aitch confirmed this observation. The guitar has also, always sounded great and played beautifully, so I was doubly reluctant to sell it and buy another in a more preferred color, but perhaps not of the seemignly unique tonal and playing character of my guitar. After seeing a fellow forum members 360 V64 in Rick's "Fire Engine Red" finish, available from `85 through `99, as well as seeing Kenny Howes play with a similarly finished Rick 330, I decided to have the guitar refinished in the same color. I'd also seen Larry Davis work on a 330 to WB conversion for fellow forumite and was jaw-droppingly impressed with the results when the pics were posted here on the forum. I contacted Larry Davis about refinishing the guitar. Larry was willing to do the refinish and was familiar with the vintage features I wanted added to the guitar. I shipped the guitar to Larry in late October, and received the gorgeously refinished and improved guitar on January 2nd.
Here are the details of the "Paul Abba Zabba Signature Model 360 WB Version I":
-Light, extra resonant, double bound maple body
-80s/90s era Rickenbacker “Fire Engine Red” Waterborne CV finish
-Overwound 15K bridge and hot 12K neck Sérgio Silva toaster coil pickups
-Dual ROS and Standard jacks
-Accent Vibrato
-25” scale fret board with oversized "medium tall" frets, and bone nut
- Full-width, vintage style fret board inlays,
-Bound, vintage profile headstock
-Vintage style Kluson Safe-T-Post slot headed tuners
-Vintage style RIC TRC, with Larry Davis custom made matching back clear, back painted pick guard/scratch plates
Here are some of the photos, shot by a pro photographer selected by Larry:
