Grey wrote:AutumnGlo was a high-gloss finish in the 50's that was brought back as a matte finish in the late 70's, then offered again in a high-gloss option called Walnut, so you can see why it's confusing. It's still technically AutumnGlo since it is the same two-tone high-gloss burst just brought back under a different name.
Technically no.
Paul Boyer's book on Rickenbacker basses explains it best I think - although admittedly much of the info in it came from this web page.
But it is my understanding that along with the original Fireglo in the 50s was "Two Tone Brown"...
Here are some Capris from 1958 to show how that looked.
http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... 58&month=0
Somewhere along the way in the late 50s early 60s (till about 1964??) more brown got added to the standard Fireglo and to differentiate it from the the regular Fireglo - "Autumnglo" got coined. It meant basically Fireglo with more much more brown in it then red - examples here.
http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... =0&month=0
Then around 1973 Walnut comes along (even though it was never called that by the factory i think of this as "Walnutglo" so as not to confuse it with the current W series of Walnut instruments which have no gloss on them at all. Although rare It lasted till late 1984 (or early 1985) when JH standardized the finishes after buying the company from his father.
http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... 76&month=0
In the 1981 catalog Walnut is the brown burst finish that shows up in the guide - although you also have matted brown which was on the 3000 series basses and the 430 guitar. The Walnut finish was one of two available for the 4002 bass - which implies it was thought of as a custom high end finish.
http://www.rickenbacker.com/catalog_pos ... 75x-14.jpg
It came mainly as a burst but in 1974 (especially November and December) there was a variation that was solid walnut coloured with no burst. Here is one.
http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... 4&month=12
The matte version of "Walnutglo" seems to have gotten dubbed Autumnglo... So the simple rule seems to be - if it is high gloss it is walnut and if it is matte finish (with a burst) it is Autumnglo. They seem most common between 1975 and 1977. Although there are examples as late as 1982.
http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... 76&month=0
Then we get Montezuma Brown as a "Colour of the year" in 2003
http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... =0&month=0
And more recently "Walnut Burst" in 2012 for the UK/German market
http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... =0&month=0
and "Tobaccoglo" (also in 2012)
http://www.rickresource.com/register/ga ... =0&month=0
These seem to be finishes for overseas distributors only or for one offs - limited runs etc.
So all of these could be called "autumnglo" if you want - and seem to be used interchangeably on eBay by folks wanting to signify their vintage RICS as rare and desirable.
I have even seen Fireglo (with the clearcoat having ambered from age) being described as Autumnglo.. I just shake my head.
If I was extremely wealthy I would be buying all of these "Autumnglo" RICs on eBay and then filing "item not as described" cases against each and every one of them. They are just lucky I am so poor is all I am saying!
