Craig's List Beauty!

[ilan]

Quote from John Hall, 8 years ago:

"The earliest version of Autumnglo was simply shaded brown. The middle clear areas on most of these old guitars have yellowed, but wasn't originally apparent. The next version was just Fireglo laid on rather heavily. The last version was back to that original brown, but in a satin finish, while the gloss version of that color was designated Walnut. So when someone says Autumnglo, you always have to ask 'WHICH Autumnglo?'"

[Dave W]

Makes perfect sense to me. 

[bobyoung]

Quote from John Hall, 8 years ago:

"The earliest version of Autumnglo was simply shaded brown. The middle clear areas on most of these old guitars have yellowed, but wasn't originally apparent. The next version was just Fireglo laid on rather heavily. The last version was back to that original brown, but in a satin finish, while the gloss version of that color was designated Walnut. So when someone says Autumnglo, you always have to ask 'WHICH Autumnglo?'"

Yeah I thought there were two different names, but couldn't remember the Walnut name though so I didn't mention it.
So I assume hieronymous's bass is Walnut? it is brown and glossy.

[hieronymous]

Yeah I thought there were two different names, but couldn't remember the Walnut name though so I didn't mention it.
So I assume hieronymous's bass is Walnut? it is brown and glossy.

I've always considered it autumnglo, in person the finish isn't that glossy but I'm not sure I really know what "satin finish" really means. When I've posted pics of it at the RickResource Forum, no one questioned that it was or wasn't autumnglo, but when I took it to my local Ric expert in San Francisco the first thing he said was "walnut"! So I could be wrong but I consider it to be autumnglo.

[ramone57]

well it's a beautiful brown bass no matter what they call it.

[hieronymous]

Thank you! This is the one bass that I would never sell - I bought it when I got back into playing after a 7 year hiatus. I always wanted a Rickenbacker since high school and saw it hanging in the window:



Only about $800 in 2002 - right before prices on Rics began to take off!

[the mojo hobo]

The 4001 in my avatar is a 76 Autumnglo. It had the satin finish. I sold it in 2002 for a bit over $1000. At that time I had 3 Ricks and decided I didn't need them all so I sold all but one. I think I should have waited.

[Bert]

At that time I had 3 Ricks and decided I didn't need them all so I sold all but one. I think I should have waited.

I also wait with selling my Rick's......

[Chris P.]

You wait till you pass away, I guess, Bert?

[ilan]

Here's a beat up Walnut on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/RICKENBACKER-80-4003-Autumnglo-1980-Walnut-VINTAGE-RIC_W0QQitemZ220307898429QQihZ012QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I think that Walnuts amber with age, and Autumnglo's don't. This one is nicely ambered. Every Walnut 4002 (they were either Walnut or Mapleglo) had an ambered center. Maybe it's the glossy clearcoat that's yellowing.

EDITED to add: This was posted by John Hall on the RRF:

"They both yellow the same but the matte diffuses light differently so you don't notice it as much."

[godofthunder]

 The way the finish has crazed/heaved makes me this that bass was someplace damp.

[ilan]

Here's a very light Walnut - fantastic looking IMHO:

[Dave W]

Now that's what a Walnut Rick ought to be, even though not all of them were.