Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I need to survey forum members on a question. I have a white 75 3000. The neck and headstock are almost perfect, but half of the white color on the body has turned an unattractive yellow. Reminds me of a cigarette stain. My usual rule is don't mess with it, keep it vintage. I can get past it and forget about it, but it would look a whole lot better refinished. I am kinda torn about this and your comments will help. I am almost done refitting my maple 3000 with the stock pickup, I did use a tortise shell pickguard instead of the black cause it was too cool. Thanks, partime.

I'd refinish it. It's not a particularly rare expensive bass. It's no dog either, but I don't think you would be excommunicated for refinning it.

do-what-you-want... nothing historic about it. You aren't renting it. Refin away if it makes you feel better. Some pictures might be nice... I always like Ric-porn.

You probably already know this, but refinishing it would most likely drop the value of it (to other collectors) considerable (~40-50% usually). That being said, if you're planing on never selling it, you can do whatever you want to it. Some people actually like the mojo of yellowing of white finishes.

steversaurus wrote:You probably already know this, but refinishing it would most likely drop the value of it (to other collectors) considerable (~40-50% usually). That being said, if you're planing on never selling it, you can do whatever you want to it. Some people actually like the mojo of yellowing of white finishes.

Please don't parrot the "conventional wisdom" promoted by vintage guitar dealers to make their appraisal job easier and protect their inventories. No question that this view is generally accepted for guitars such as vintage Fenders, Gibsons, and some others.
This nonsense only sometimes applies to Rickenbackers, due to the fact that most collectible Ricks are traded among a largely-closed group of avid collectors/players, who understand the Rick market better than ANY vintage guitar dealer who is not a Rick specialist. And, Rick specialists know the score about how to get top dollar.

It's possible to refinish a Rick and not affect value, or restore a vintage Rick and increase its value to a collector. The caveat is that the finish should be done to factory specs and quality.

A properly-done refinish in nearly any color, given this 3000 bass, will not affect its value to a knowledgeable Rick fan. And, knowledgeable Rick fans typically pay better prices for nicer old Ricks than dealers and non-Rick people.

I've said it before, so I'll restate it: Celebrity-owned Ricks should be left alone, except by the celebrity or his luthier at his instructions. Vintage Ricks with attractive patina should be allowed to age gracefully. Others are up for grabs.

That's an easy "go for it" from me. I LOVE white Rics, but I hate when they turn yellow. Especially against the black plastic. It's just unattractive. On the other hand, my 4003S is in the shop right now getting a re-fret, and I'm having them refinish the fingerboard (obviously) and JUST the back of the neck. The Jetglo body is down to the wood in many places, but I dig the mojo. I thought about getting a new mirror pickguard made since the current one has some cracks and stuff. But even my 8 year old daughter was like "think of the memories..." Wow! Kids are cool. Most of the time.

If the urethane varnish used as clearcoat is formulated with UV inhibitors, the white won't yellow, as it's generally the clearcoat, not the white, that ages.

Clear nitro is more likely to yellow than UV-protected urethane.

I use an automotive (exterior) urethane instead of a furniture (interior) one. It's pricier and much tougher, thus harder to sand flat. BUT it will not yellow under sunlight and bad air. Tobacco yellowing polishes off, too.

It's...anti-mojo!!!

Man I love this Forum! Out of the mouthes of babes – "think of the memories..." and Paul’s ‘anti-mojo’… a clever concept – think about it.

Anyhow my ’74 MG has the old yellowed binding… looks good! I love it – we have both kinda yellowed over the years together… But I do remember how snappy crisp the white looked when new. If the yellowing bugs you then go for the refin… but as Paul points out (and I assumed) a quality refin to the specs would be called for. Pictures?

partime wrote:The neck and headstock are almost perfect, but half of the white color on the body has turned an unattractive yellow.

Dit you try cleaning it first? Try searching on scratchx and zymol over here for the previous best way to do this. Yellowing can also have sigarette smoke and other rubish as reason and this can (sometimes) be polished off.

I have a 4001S that a previous owner stripped done and repainted black. It looks like it was done with a roller or paint brush. Close up examination of the finish shows a horrible job. The re-fin paint is worn off on the side of the body where my arm goes. However, overall most people say it looks very cool and anyone that plays it, always says it's the nicest playing bass guitar they've ever tried. It sounds great too. Some day when I know I won't be gigging with it anymore, I'd like it to have one of Paul W's amazing finishes. No matter what the finish is on that 4001S, I can't place a value on it. It's priceless to me.

jingle_jangle wrote:

steversaurus wrote:You probably already know this, but refinishing it would most likely drop the value of it (to other collectors) considerable (~40-50% usually). That being said, if you're planing on never selling it, you can do whatever you want to it. Some people actually like the mojo of yellowing of white finishes.

Please don't parrot the "conventional wisdom" promoted by vintage guitar dealers to make their appraisal job easier and protect their inventories. No question that this view is generally accepted for guitars such as vintage Fenders, Gibsons, and some others.
This nonsense only sometimes applies to Rickenbackers, due to the fact that most collectible Ricks are traded among a largely-closed group of avid collectors/players, who understand the Rick market better than ANY vintage guitar dealer who is not a Rick specialist. And, Rick specialists know the score about how to get top dollar.

It's possible to refinish a Rick and not affect value, or restore a vintage Rick and increase its value to a collector. The caveat is that the finish should be done to factory specs and quality.

A properly-done refinish in nearly any color, given this 3000 bass, will not affect its value to a knowledgeable Rick fan. And, knowledgeable Rick fans typically pay better prices for nicer old Ricks than dealers and non-Rick people.

I've said it before, so I'll restate it: Celebrity-owned Ricks should be left alone, except by the celebrity or his luthier at his instructions. Vintage Ricks with attractive patina should be allowed to age gracefully. Others are up for grabs.

I'm probably biased, but I'm absolutely sure the value of my Azure '73 PW refin/resto (now owned by Bert ) went up following the work. Couldn't agree more with Paul.

Thanks to everyone, I enjoyed the response, lots of great information. I will post pictures.

henry5 wrote:I'm probably biased, but I'm absolutely sure the value of my Azure '73 PW refin/resto (now owned by Bert ) went up following the work. Couldn't agree more with Paul.

I'm not sure of this. Certainly not now. It is a lousy time to sell things. I dont think I will get what I paid for it when I sell it now. But I will if I hang onto it, that is for sure.

I must be the only person on the forum who likes antiqued white finishes....

Eden.

berth wrote:

henry5 wrote:I'm probably biased, but I'm absolutely sure the value of my Azure '73 PW refin/resto (now owned by Bert ) went up following the work. Couldn't agree more with Paul.

I'm not sure of this. Certainly not now. It is a lousy time to sell things. I dont think I will get what I paid for it when I sell it now. But I will if I hang onto it, that is for sure.

Bert, what I meant was the value will have gone up compared to how it was before the restoration. Of course when refinishing you have to factor in the cost of the restoration, which is another thing entirely.

FWIW, you wouldnt lose on it if you sold it now, trust me.