I'm completing this '72 4001 for Paul Boyer. He described to me a color that he saw on a Gibson Les Paul about 30 years ago, called "Mink". It's very dark brown on the edges and lilac in the very center.

I sprayed him a few samples and he agreed that they looked just right. So, I got to work spraying.

Here are some pics of Boyer's bass as it hung in my spray booth yesterday, getting its first clear coats. I've also rebound this instrument in checkerboard/white, as the original binding was aged pretty badly.

The first four coats of clear which I put onto this bass were tinted amber so the binding would look ivory.

NOTE that the pebbly surface finish on the large flat areas is normal. It will be carefully wet-sanded and buffed out to a glasslike smoothness before the bass is reassembled.

I will have this instrument, and a few more that I've restored, at the 75th shindig in August. Paul will take delivery of it there.






I'll post more as the buffing and assembly progress.

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Rickenbackers: I love to play them. I enjoy the challenge of working on them. I love the way they sound.

As I posted at Rickresource:

That is one classy looking finish!! Stunning - it has a very masculine look/feel to it. Can't wait to see it all trimmed out. Great color choice. Really set off by the checkered bindings.

It's the Doris Day Ric! Looks great, Paul.

One word WOW!!!

Whoaaaa! If somewhere in the future my bass go to a refinish, I'd love to have it painted like this! Looks really great!

the forst time i just id;y scrolled over this, but on a second, closer look i got a shiver down my spine. very good looking finish. what kind of pickguard will be put on this? i might be crazy, but i think a tortise-shell would look very nice. it would have to be the right color/shade though.

Simply gorgeous. Splendid work, Paul.

It would look great as the color of the year (hint hint)

Very nice color choice, Paul B...and very nice work, Paul W.

And...yes, Relayer...you ARE crazy! White plastic is the way to go on this one!

: )

That looks REALLY similar to Rose Burst, available on the new Les Paul Goddess:http://www.gibson.com/Products/GibsonElectric/Gibson%20Electric%20Guitars/LesPaul/Les%20Paul%20Goddess/ (Move your mouse over'Rose Burst')

Paul W. suggested a new pickguard, and I decided to go with it. It will be a pearlescent back-painted clear plexi that will complement the slightly ambered binding.

Ted Staberow of Chicago did a lot of the preliminary work. He sanded off the old finish, rebound the neck, dressed the fretboard, added new frets, and added walnut headstock wings.

This originally was a Mapleglo June 72 production with flat-keyed Grovers, toaster, full-width crushed pearl inlays, checker binding, and shadua "skunk" stripe. I had attempted (badly, I might add) to refinish it myself back in 1975, but it is now coming back to its full glory thanks to Ted and Paul (and a bucketful of money). Can't wait to see it in August!

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Author: "The Rickenbacker Electric Bass – 50 Years As Rock's Bottom"