Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I recently purchased a new 360/12 in MapleGlo, and was wondering:

In viewing some of the older model MG's on the 'bay, it seems that the color definitely gets darker with age, to a honey-gold color, which is fantastic. Is this something that just happens naturally while the guitar is in the case, or will exposure to air and possibly sunlight hasten the process? Also, will the recent painting and finishing improvements at the RIC factory help to stabilize the MG color tone, perhaps delaying the transition to the darker MG?

I'm hoping that my guitar will darken in time - the golden MapleGlo is really beautiful.

Thanks for your help and comments!

Bob

It is actually ambering which occurs to the clearcoat CV finish. The new finishing processes at RIC are supposed to minimize the ambering. Only time will tell.

The light is bad on this photo, but I guess this is what you're talking about. My old, and gone, '93 360/12.

I have 2 4001V63 MG and they have ambered beautifully. Ambered Mapleglo should be the next color of the year! Oh no! Did I say that outloud? Here we go!

Modern finishes just do not warm up with age like older finishes. The darkening is called photo reactivity. Same problem with folks in the hardwood flooring finish business. Refinished maple floors with the new formulations will never warm up to what the original flooring looked like.

coolhandjjl wrote:Modern finishes just do not warm up with age like older finishes. The darkening is called photo reactivity. Same problem with folks in the hardwood flooring finish business. Refinished maple floors with the new formulations will never warm up to what the original flooring looked like.

and why is it? Volatility of the stuff used?

Why is ambering a "problem"?

simer4001 wrote:Why is ambering a "problem"?

The new no-pink-in-the-middle FG says it ain't!

I read somewhere, either here or on the RIC forum that it's mostly the CV yellowing, but there's some change in the actual color of the wood too. From what I've heard about the new UV cured finishes, they are much more resistant to yellowing, so we may never see new Mapleglo aging to that beautiful golden color...

Yeah, golden Mapleglo does indeed look nice:

Surely how the finish ages and changes gradually is part of the charm of guitars in general.
Why otherwise would much of the guitar building world hold (the largely unsuitable medium of) nitro-cellulose in such high regard?

nice quilted maple on that bass, cjj !

That's one of the prettiest mapleglo 4003 basses I've ever seen, CJ!

Yeah, me too!

I even like the back:

cjj wrote:Yeah, me too!

I even like the back:

4003_body_back.jpg

Oh just keep it up, CJ!

Sigh.... I had my chance.

I would consider an amber refinish to my 360MG. It just looks right!