Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Paul,

I have a new 360 FG and a used 620 JG that have the same blem under the clear coat. You can only see it if you look at it at just the right angle and lighting. In the pictures the blem is bracketed by the lighting.

What do you think the cause could be? It does not polish out.

Looks like the virgin Mary.

Somebody set his or her soda can on it too long ...

Does the blemish always appear under bright lights, or is it "activated" by a specific angle of view? Does it change shape when you view it by moving the light source or the guitar?

I would get a dental mirror and VERY carefully insert it into the instrument and see if there's anything going on from the underside of the top? (I'm assuming, since I know next to nothing about Rickenbacker guitars, that it's a hollow body beneath the blem?)

Bighouse wrote:Does the blemish always appear under bright lights, or is it "activated" by a specific angle of view? Does it change shape when you view it by moving the light source or the guitar?

You can see both only using indoor light and when looking at the top of the guitar from about a 45 degree angle from the bridge with the light source right on the area.

The light hit it just right the first time I opened the case on the new 360 FG. I could not believe that the same thing was on that guitar in the same place as my 620 JG. I was sure that it was a one time blip with the 620.

I Zymol/Scratch X polished the 620 JG for the first time and now it looks like I polished it out to a larger area but with it all shinny it is harder to see, so maybe it is something with the clear coat?

After following the Zymol directions and using a small sprits of water to level out the wax she sure did shine but the blem is still there.

BTW, that last water step with the Zymol makes all the difference in the world in using that polish.

I haven't the slightest idea, but looking at the light reflection in the finish, is it possible you're seeing some sort of "aura" effect from those overhead lights?

wj350 wrote:I haven't the slightest idea, but looking at the light reflection in the finish, is it possible you're seeing some sort of "aura" effect from those overhead lights?

That's the sort of thing I'm wondering about...a weird refraction/reflection from a combination of the lighting, the woodgrain, the clearcoats, the polishing swirls. That's why I asked about it moving or changing shape at all. Might not be anything there at all, but when the stars are all in the right alignment...halo.

It looks like a blister was sanded off one of the intermediate coats and then finished over. If it was the lighting it would move around on the top and not always be in the same place.

Looks like a UFO.

It does look like an aura from the four lights. Does it move to a different spot if the guitar is tilted slightly?

Reminds me of the look when you buff or sand through the top layer of a varished or resin-coated surface. The layer below it will buff up, but the edge of the hole in the top layer sometimes shows.

I doubt it's a UFO, but it could be something akin to a crop circle left by a UFO...


Seriously though, I'm with Todd on this, it looks a layer may have been sanded/buffed through. If this guitar is still within the finish warranty period, I'd definitely take it up with RIC...

rikk wrote:Looks like a UFO.

UFO - Unidentified Finish Obscuration.

cjj wrote:I doubt it's a UFO, but it could be something akin to a crop circle left by a UFO...


Seriously though, I'm with Todd on this, it looks a layer may have been sanded/buffed through. If this guitar is still within the finish warranty period, I'd definitely take it up with RIC...

Definitely agree with CJ and Todd.

beatlefreak wrote:It does look like an aura

Kiss my aura...dora...