'Tis true. Here are the latest. I just sold the brilliant white V63 (refin) to a collector, but these four joined the Forest in the last year or so. First, a Turquoise 4004L Laredo where I swapped out the chrome hardware for gold. Since the body wings were made of the maple/walnut/maple sandwich anyway, this is nearly a thoroughbred 4004Cii now:
An early 4001CS Chris Squire Limited Edition that was refinished by Paul Wilczynski:
Don't know if ya'll know what a "real" Rickenbacker Tuxedo looks like, but they were a special painted all white over a 4003S with a maple fingerboard. Since the white usually yellows badly, they look pretty sickly to my eye. I prefer natural maple, so I had Larry Davis strip this one and apply a satin clear finish. I call it a "Naked Tux":
And last, a basket case 1972 4001 restored with a bright Azureglo finish by Larry Davis. The new bridge/tailpiece assembly is a concession to a full vintage restoration: