Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

What did it look like when new? Was it a colorfast dye, or did it fade like pre 1960 Gibsons? I've seen so many variations on it, claiming to be "vintage correct" that I cannot seem to tell.

The red was darker and this held up over time. They used powders that were mixed with alcohol and this was added to the CV finish.

A two part Fullerplast clear conversion varnish (CV is not actually a varnish), made by Fuller-Obrien was used for the colours and for clearing used over the top. Applied in very thin coats in the 60's and 70's it gets yellowed over time by UV. They never added any yellow, the yellow came with time.

I like the 64 shades you see on RM models, this era seems to be the deepest red. They mixed red and brown tints to get the darker shade and it wasn't super accurately done, so you see variations and how much exposure to uv also plays its part.

Mixing transtint dyes can duplicate the look. Dale Fortune is the man for a vintage finish in the US.

Si..

Rickenbacker Fireglo faded considerably from what many people think of today.

In addition to the red being typically darker, the center wasn’t ambered so they looked quite pink in the fade from red to maple, originally. The fade isn’t as dramatic as pre-1960 Gibson aniline dye but it’s definitely subject to fading.

And as much as certain shades of Fireglo are identifiable by their color or spray pattern, it really comes down to what life they’ve lead.

Case in point - here are a couple Rose Morris 1993 models I had. The one on the left is a ‘65 that is largely unfaded since it lived in a studio it’s whole life. The other one on the right is a ‘64 model with a really honey faded top, with a rich yellow center. This sat in a store window for some time, with its back facing in because the backside of this guitar is really dark.
Also, that faded ‘64 1993 has some serious tan lines, under the guard and even an “R tailpiece” fade line!

Not to get too technical, but keep in mind that the color is what is reflected by the object, with the other wavelengths of visible light (ROY G BIV = Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet, from high to low wavelength) being absorbed (and thus not reflected). So a red object is reflecting red light and absorbing yellow and blue light. Fading is often causes by too much sun and/or exposure to atmospheric oxygen, both of which break down the dye molecules and shift their absorption characteristics.

For a good view of many Fireglos in their current appearance, here are a couple of pictures from my "Take The Fireglos, Man" thread:


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doctorwho wrote:

P1235078A.jpg

P1235086A.jpg

Those photos are pretty darn nifty...and they reveal what time of day you took them. If you live north of the equator, those photos were taken, give or take a minute, at 12 noon.

(No thread derail. Just testing out an old boy scout or survivalist's skill.)

Tommy wrote:... Those photos are pretty darn nifty...and they reveal what time of day you took them. If you live north of the equator, those photos were taken, give or take a minute, at 12 noon.

(No thread derail. Just testing out an old boy scout or survivalist's skill.)

Actually 12:31 p.m. Not too far off, assuming that I had the clock on my camera set correctly!