Fireglo or Walnut Ric 4003, and why?

[sc_precision]

Tru oil has a fair bit of amber tone to it, which looks great on Walnut. Clear water based poly just looks kind of "grey" and lifeless on walnut IMO. When Tru Oil starts getting dull or scratched you just add another coat or two. It dries to a natural semi-gloss that can be buffed up to full gloss, or knocked back to satin with a grey scotchbrite. I assume Ric uses something similar, basically oil varnish with some kind of drier added. They probably spray it, I did mine with foam makeup applicators, around 10 coats.

Nice, thanks for the tips. Did you oil the walnut wings on the headstock as well?

 

[Gilmourisgod]

The whole bass is Tru-Oil, but I used Stewmac Fingerboard Oil on the board. It's great stuff, seals and hardens the board a little without leaving a heavy plastic-y film. Ric did a brief run of unfinished boards, now they've gone back to a thick UV cure laquer finish, which looks great, but limits them to flat fret tops that aren't fully crowned, and any eventual re-fret requires the entire board to be refinished. Most older Rics have whitish lines either side of the fret, which is the laquer pulling away from the frets due to differential expansion/contraction between wood board and metal frets.

 

[sc_precision]

The whole bass is Tru-Oil, but I used Stewmac Fingerboard Oil on the board. It's great stuff, seals and hardens the board a little without leaving a heavy plastic-y film. Ric did a brief run of unfinished boards, now they've gone back to a thick UV cure laquer finish, which looks great, but limits them to flat fret tops that aren't fully crowned, and any eventual re-fret requires the entire board to be refinished. Most older Rics have whitish lines either side of the fret, which is the laquer pulling away from the frets due to differential expansion/contraction between wood board and metal frets.

Cool, well the walnut 4003 I am looking at has the maple fingerboard so dunno if I can use that fingerboard oil? Do you think it would be better to invest in a ric with an un-laquered fingerboard then? I can't decide between the unfinished walnut 4003 or a mapleglo 4003 with the lacquer. Does the 4003w have the same issue with crowns? I wish the walnut ric had a rosewood board like the Lemmy bass but alas..can't have everything lol.

By the way.. does the tru-oil darken the walnut too or just make it more of a light brown? I would rather it darken it a bit.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

The oil works equally well on maple or walnut, but it ambers both, so walnut look warmer, maple s little more amber. It definitely darkens walnut and heightens grain difference. I don't know if it's the same heavily laquered board on the 4003w basses, but don't worry about it, it will play fine. The hard binding edge on the stick 4003 bothers some people, if so get the "s" unbound model.

 

[sc_precision]

The oil works equally well on maple or walnut, but it ambers both, so walnut look warmer, maple s little more amber. It definitely darkens walnut and heightens grain difference. I don't know if it's the same heavily laquered board on the 4003w basses, but don't worry about it, it will play fine. The hard binding edge on the stick 4003 bothers some people, if so get the "s" unbound model.

The 4003w has an unfinished maple fretboard so no lacquer. The mapleglo's I've looked at are all sealed. I am just having trouble deciding whether to get a classic ric or a newer walnut ric. Trying to get close to the Lemmy bass in specs. I mean a maple fretboard would be cool since I can see it on stage better. I actually like the binding. It looks better and it's only $200 bucks more on the total price.