Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hello,

I recently purchased a 1967 Ric 330 in excellent working order ( I love this guitar) with the exception that the original paint job was removed and the guitar left "natural". I was just wondering on the current value of the guitar and whether it would be a good idea to have refinished back to its original colour which I believe was a black jetglo finish. I paid $900 US for the guitar so I am not sure if that was too high or what?

Thanks for any and all feedback.

Cheers, Len

Can you post a pic of it Len, just to get an idea of how it looks, stripped?

This is only opinion, so consider the source:

I would think that if the guitar's complete and in good shape, you won't be wasting your money on a good refin. Assume it costs you $400; you should be able to sell the renovated guitar for $1300. Financially, at least, it's not a stupid thing to do - and if you like the look better, it would seem to be a no brainer.

As to the color, I'd recommend Fireglo or a good Mapleglo, if the bare wood is in good enough condition to be so exposed. There are a couple of reasons for this:
- A black refin on an older guitar just screams "body damage". It is the color of choice when trying to hide flaws. Buyers tend to look askance at black refins - even though, in reality, black does a poor job of hiding anything.
- Fireglo is the prototypical Rick color. You can always sell a Fireglo 330. Jetglo is a little harder to move.
- I like Fireglo better.

However, before you embark on such an adventure, give the guitar a complete once-over. Look at the frets, the fretboard, and (in particular) check for any signs of the neck pulling up. If you need a fret job, fretboard work, and/or (God forbid) a neck reset, I'd think twice about spending any more money on it. If you're going to refinish the guitar, it doesn't make any sense to gild a turd, so to speak. One thing you don't want to get into is "mission creep". You can find yourself upside down on this deal in a hurry.

Adam,

Thanks for the advice. I think you are right I will keep it as is. The good thing is the neck is great and the frets are as well.

Thanks, Len

Len, leave it as it is, it looks superb IMO! & welcome to the forum.

Adam, that is VERY good advice. On another issue, as you have done major work on Rics, you may be the person to ask. Do older Rics suffer from neck 'twisting' at all & if so, is this a truss rod tweak, or is something more drastic required to correct it.
I don't have a problem with this, but I like older gtrs & wondered if this was something to watch out for on future purchases?

Ooooo - I like that!! Nice look'n axe, Len...

It is nice. Thanks for the pic. You got your moneys worth.

Also Len, if it's any consolation I've always heard any guitar sounds better without the finish on it, just down to the wood...I have a friend who gets his guitars custom made and the body (other than the neck) is just the wood and that's it.

Len, you might want to consider oiling it if you have no intention of ever giving it a standard (paint/clearcoat) finish. It'll help it to resist fingerprinting and dirt. Some oils (like Restore-a-Finish) will do a bit of cleaning also as they are applied. Then an occasional brushup with paste wax will keep it sweet without loading it up with layers of paint.

Paul's right. The neck is real important, I can't tell but if the neck is down to the wood I would think you would have to worry about moisture and dirt absorption if it is not protected. I also noticed that the headstock shows the guitar appears to be, orginally, a MG

Len,

If I had a chance to buy that guitar for $900, I would have considered it - and I'm cheap. I don't think you have to wonder if you paid too much.

One thing, though - is there black paint in the sound hole, or is that an effect of the lighting? AFAIK, these guitars always had unfinished wood visible. If it's painted, it is likely evidence of a previous refin that was subsequently stripped off. If you're really curious about the original finish, there are lots of nooks and crannies that don't typically get stripped during the refinishing process:
- Remove the pickguards and look in the control cavity and on the bracing.
- Pull the pickups and look inside the cavities.
- Look under the TRC, then (if you *really* want to know) pull the truss rods and look underneath the bar.

I'd echo Paul and Stan's suggestion that you don't leave it as literally bare wood (if that's what it is now). You will accumulate dirt and grease that works its way into the wood, making the guitar both ugly and a lot harder to refinish. If you like the bare look and don't want to preclude another finish in the future by using oil, a simple satin or matte finish might do the trick.

Tony,

My experience is not comprehensive enough to make a general observation about tendencies. However, I'd certainly look for that as a matter of course in any guitar that I may buy. As to the ability of the dual truss rods to remove the twist, try it yourself: take one of your guitars, loosen one of the rods all the way, and (if you really want to know), tighten the other a bit. This will give you an idea of how much twist (if any) you can expect the truss rods to compensate for. In general, though, I'd pass on a twisted neck unless the guitar was real cheap and I was in the mood to pull the frets and replane the fingerboard.

To take this string a bit further, I've found only one sure way to get finger and other dirt out of a stripped guitar's finish--two part wood bleach (the oxalic acid/sodium hypochlorite stuff) that smells bad and raises the grain somewhat.

Anybody had any success with anything else?

Wow - what great advice from a great bunch - I feel I should pay someone ha! ha! I am pretty new to the Ric phenomenum but I fell hard early so please excuse my ignorance. I'm assuming that MG refers to a maple glo finish? If that is correct Stan thought it might have been an MG originally. This is possible but inside the edge of the cut away there is some residue that appears to be black. Hmmmm therefore it could have been finished as per Stan's suggestion and then painted and then stripped again. I will take it apart and look for other clues. It seems to me that in any event I should put some kind of finish on the body and neck to protect it from frease and grime and dirt. I'm going to clean it using Paul's concoction and then use a light oil to keep it protected. Once I get the job done I'll post some pic's (only if I do a good job)

Thanks again for everyone's helpful comments.

Len

That's a great looking unit, Len. FWIW, I'd leave it natural and protect it. Then I'd hug it and kiss it and play it and...........

Buzfluhart, how does the headstock show the guitar to be an original MG? If you are referring to the laminations, those are the same regardless of color.