Finally managed to sell enough stuff to fund this, a guitar I've been quietly promising myself for the last 20 years...a Rickenbacker 360/6 in Jetglo...
It's an '08 model which is, as far as I can tell, essentially NOS. I spied it on the web on sale in a shop in Athens (Greece, not GA), and after a lot of photos/emails/questions back and forth, I went for it. The shop owner was adamant it had basically been held in stock from new, and had never been used as a demo/display unit. There's certainly not a mark on it, zero signs of playing or handling wear, and it came cased with all the usual RIC bits 'n pieces.
Anyway, it turned up yesterday, and I'm over the moon with it. It plays and sounds amazing. I got what I think is a great deal on it, particularly as list price on Rickenbackers appears to have gone through the roof over the last 6 months.
I have one issue with it, and wanted any Ric enthusiasts opinions. The truss rod cover and pickguard are totally different shades, and it looks like the TRC has yellowed/aged/discoloured considerably. Here's a side-by-side colour comparison in case it's not clear from the photos above...
Given the otherwise pristine state of the guitar, I'm OK with it, just a bit puzzled. Is this "a thing" with Ric plastics? I see 3rd party cream pickguards for cheap on Ebay, and being as the binding is closer to the aged-looking TRC, I'm tempted to give one a try. Also RickySounds claim to offer a TRC colouring service, so that might be an option as well. Either way, the collar-and-cuffs I can live with, because it's just a cracking guitar, and was worth the wait!
Cheers for reading
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I wonder if the headstock has seen sunlight for a period of time whereas the pickguard hasn't?
Either way, very cool and welcome to the club!
But congrats on the 360. It looks lush!
I'd keep it original.
I have a similar colour mismatch on my old bass. The single-ply pickguard looks very white. The TRC has a paler version of the green front, white edge effect described in the OP. The fingerboard binding looks uniformly cream. The body edge binding looks cream around the side but less discoloured on the front. Some of this could be due to the varnish.
Enjoy the Rick, they're very unique guitars, and play and sound great.
Dude, I was worrying over this all through the purchase. Thankfully, the retailer in Athens were very helpful, and more than happy to provide tons of photos, even after I requested extra close-ups of certain areas from certain angles. Big up to Kagmakis Guitars for the great service, and for getting it to me safely.
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The aged look is excellent and really adds to the charm, certainly of your beauty. Enjoy and congrats !!
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.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
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.