Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

hi!
hope all rickobros are allways fine
i want ask some questions:
which material is using by rickenbacker for fretboard finish?
i know that this material is conversion varnish.is it right?
thanks for replies!

We stopped using conversion varnish completely earlier this year. The new coating is a UV curable polyester.

I love the UV! Love the way it dries crystal clear without the "white" hit the grain. It really allows the grain to show through nicely.

Interesting. I did not know that.

Is the new polyester still subject to "finish checking" due to extreme temperature change ? Maybe not as bad?

cheyenne wrote:Interesting. I did not know that.

Is the new polyester still subject to "finish checking" due to extreme temperature change ? Maybe not as bad?

From what I understand Polyester is basically bulletproof. It dosen't "age" at all, but is also much harder to repair if it gets damaged. Epiphone finishes their guitars in it and most people hate it for the aforementioned reasons, but it seems perfectly suited to use on the fretboard.

RIC_FACTORY wrote:We stopped using conversion varnish completely earlier this year. The new coating is a UV curable polyester.

Interesting. Thanks for the info.

Polyester is harder than conversion varnish and is more resistant to checking and scratches. It is a much glossier finish than the varnish as well.

Repairs are actually easier and faster to perform if you can cure the polyester via UV lights. With the conversion varnish, we would have to wait a few days for the refinished area to dry before we could sand it. With a UV coating, you can do your repair, then cure it in a UV cabinet and be done with it in a matter of minutes.

A layperson cannot tell the difference I suspect--I just got a recent 2010 Mapleglo body (warranty replacement on my January 2009 MG*) and I had no idea there was any difference by look or feel. Although the finish doesn't seem as "grabby" on the back of the neck but maybe I'm just used to finished necks. Anyways it sounds friggin' great; if you had never told me it was poly I wouldn't have known any better. Which teaches me (once again) not to judge a book by its cover, I had developed a bias against poly based on what others had said. Really, this looks just like any other Ric I've seen, down to the beautiful fingerboard details--light yellow filler, swirly grain, nice gloss. So if it's a more practical finish that's great because I don't think it affects the customer in any negative way, not even appearing or feeling different let alone sounding different.


*The neck was so thick it kept the truss rods from working. 2010 two-piece neck is very nice.

i am honored to read the reply of the RIC_FACTORY
thanks for responce Sir Hall.
a friend has a fretboardwork so may i learn which frets are using by RIC?