DEEP FIREGLO/BLUE ICE 730/12 ACOUSTIC

Originally slated for black binding and a Mapleglo finish, this vintage Rickenbacker dreadnought acoustic was finally finished in a completely unique, one-of-a-kind color scheme. The customer asked if it would be possible to execute the finish in a deep Fireglo, but instead of fading into a deep Maroon at the edges, as most of our Deep Fireglo finishes do, could we fade it into a cool blue?

We knew from the start that this would be quite a challenge. Since the Deep Fireglo is an entirely transparent finish, showing the woodgrain beneath in every square inch of its many-toned burst, to add a transparent blue over the colors would lead to a muddied deep green/black hue: unacceptable. To spray the deep blue in an opaque color would destroy the depth of the transparent finish around the edges, and fail to capture the luminosity of the transparent burst. Neither of these options were desirable.

We imagined what it would take to fade from warm to cool, while keeping up both luminosity and depth of finish. The solution to this was to use a transparent Phthalo Blue, with a small amount of Blue Pearl added. The result is striking—the finish moves through a Deep Fireglo sunset palette, and at the edges it captures the vibrance of a deep blue sky, without any muddying or loss of impact or depth.

Additionally, the headstock was bound in “checkerboard” purfling, the “Flash” at the guitar’s bottom was executed in Gaboon Ebony, full-width crushed MOP inlays were fitted, and a custom-designed pickguard was fitted. An LRBaggs dual-element pickup system is also featured. Standard Schaller mini tuners in gold plate are used. The neck is equipped with a carbon fiber spline that runs the full length and width of the fretboard, and a single, double-acting truss rod was used for maximum adjustability.