NGD...plus a question...

TheOtherDennis

Very noice.

danban

ICBM said:

The truss rod cover yellowing is totally normal, it's the same on my '89 381.



The pickguards stay white because they're Plexiglass/Perspex (acrylic) and the truss rod cover is (I think) polystyrene, which is subject to UV darkening.

I have since removed the broken upper pickguard - the lower corner next to the switch is missing, if it isn't obvious in the pic - I thought about replacing it, but I actually don't really like the upper guards anyway.

That guitar is a serious beaut!!

Bridgehouse

danban said:

ICBM said:

The truss rod cover yellowing is totally normal, it's the same on my '89 381.



The pickguards stay white because they're Plexiglass/Perspex (acrylic) and the truss rod cover is (I think) polystyrene, which is subject to UV darkening.

I have since removed the broken upper pickguard - the lower corner next to the switch is missing, if it isn't obvious in the pic - I thought about replacing it, but I actually don't really like the upper guards anyway.

That guitar is a serious beaut!!

Don't tell him that! We will never get him to buy a new one

ICBM

Bridgehouse said:

danban said:

That guitar is a serious beaut!!

Don't tell him that! We will never get him to buy a new one

I don't need a new one, this one is just fine .

It's also considerably more battered than it looks in that pic... its clearly had a fairly hard life, and when I got it I spent a bit of time touching up a lot of the finish damage - it was quite unsightly, not subtle natural wear - with black Tamiya model paint . It's also lost its fingerboard finish and been refretted with slightly bigger frets, which I like.

It's actually an odd model - in theory, when it was made the only 381 available was the V69, which has the 'vintage' knobs, vintage plexi truss rod cover and Kluson machineheads with no threaded front collar. OK they could all have been changed, but there's an impression on the headstock from this TRC, and no sign of any mark from the longer sharp point of the plexi one or any evidence the tuner holes were drilled out… so I think it's original like this. It did come with Toaster pickups, but I wasn't convinced they were original and I prefer High-Gains anyway on the 6-string models so I changed them. In fact, the High-Gains were originally developed for the 381 in 1969 so it seems wrong to me that the reissue comes with Toasters!

Anyway, I don't want to hijack this thread too much . DarnWeight's one is really nice too, especially as it also has the full-width fingerboard inlays - I think 2008 might be the year they reverted to these, but I could be wrong.

stickyfiddle

DarnWeight said:

Thanks again, everyone.  Nice to have it confirmed as "normal"

stickyfiddle said:

I'm giving you a wisdom instead of a wow because buying one of those is such an excellent piece of decision making.

Much obliged.  My first ever concert was REM on the Green tour in '89, and it was a life-changing thing for me.  My tastes have changed a lot over the years, but those original Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe-era records have been a constant in my life.  I tried out a few 330s and 360s in a local shop, and I felt the 360 was worth the extra for me...the 330 I tried sounded and played great, but I preferred the comfort of the front contour on the 360, the softer rounded horns, and the bound hole is pure class (the 330 was also finished a little roughly round the edge of the cavity).  Finding one in Jetglo for a good price was a stroke of luck, and finding it at a shop in Athens was a sure sign it was meant to be.

Selling 2 or 3 cheaper guitars as a path to getting something swisher is a bit of a schlepp, but definitely worth it for something you're going to cherish and enjoy for the long haul.

I thought it might be an REM thing

I agree completely on the 330/360 choice. Obviously they sound similar, but I've never played a 330 that was as nice to play as any of the 360s I've tried.

bacchanalian

I would not have considered a Ric but that is gorgeous.
I saw REM on that tour in Dublin. It had a life changing effect on me as well.  I have not used Esso or Exxon since.  Unlike the tour I am not particularly green, but Michael was so earnest that I would feel terribly guilty even now.

Sesh

I bucking like that.

thermionic

ICBM said:

The pickguards stay white because they're Plexiglass/Perspex (acrylic) and the truss rod cover is (I think) polystyrene, which is subject to UV darkening.

Wis'd, because @ICBM answered the question I was going to ask!

Interestingly, the 18-year old TRC on mine is pristine white with no sign of yellowing. It wouldn't surprise me that it's spent most of its life in a case though (no fretwear at all).

BTW I love that 381. I prefer the sharp crescent moon shape of the 330 to the rounded 360, but never understood why they only bound the back and not the front of 360s. 330 shape, front binding, sharkfin inlays, and the Roger Rossmeisl "German Carve" on that 381... lush.

Neil

I'd love a 360, it's all those little extra luxury touches that really make it stand out for me.