Ibanez RG Project

[trevorus]

Well, I've had this thing sitting around for quite a while, and I am wondering what I should do with it. I'd love to get it to be a great guitar again... It was originally found in a dumpster, with a cracked neck. I did a not-so-expert repair when I was a teenager, and I'd like to get that fixed as well. It's a Japanese RG565, as far as I can tell. So, what do you think, guys?

[Jocelyn]

I am sure it would be great. The finish is in a bad state. You also need a switch and the locking nut on it. I say go ahead..

[super rad stuff]

maaannn, bashed up finishes are the best

[trevorus]

Well, I was looking for suggestions on pickup choice to suit the guitar, fixing that neck crack, filling in the switch hole to go back to a blade type, etc...

I will almost assuredly be going with a tremol-no to keep that Floyd still. I don't like floating bridges.

[Jocelyn]

Someone's really messed around with Switch I guess. I really don't know what will work good on Basswood bodies (I guess it is basswood). Dimarzios? Forgive my ignorances but what exactly does a tremolo-no do?

[super rad stuff]

Well, I was looking for suggestions on pickup choice to suit the guitar, fixing that neck crack, filling in the switch hole to go back to a blade type, etc...

I will almost assuredly be going with a tremol-no to keep that Floyd still. I don't like floating bridges.

what kinda sound you lookin' for specifically?

[trevorus]

http://www.tremol-no.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiZnipHc1ec

[trevorus]

what kinda sound you lookin' for specifically?

Well, hard to say, I've got an SG with a 59 set in it, a Reverend Jetstream with their just-a-smidge-hotter-than-a-PAF, and a strat or two. Maybe I ought to go to the higher side of all of it? I still want to retain a bit of clarity while doing it though.

[super rad stuff]

you may want to go hybrid with the pickups then. iirc jimijames has got a couple jazz/'59 necks for sale currently, and a custom/'59 bridge would be a good match for it.

[DMR]

Strip off the rest of that paint and give it a nice natural finish and some new pups and hardware. I have an old Charvel Fusion Deluxe that I have taken apart and am in the process of removing the hideous neon orange finish (it's from the late 80's) and will give it a Tung Oil finish. and then reassemble.

[trevorus]

Strip off the rest of that paint and give it a nice natural finish and some new pups and hardware. I have an old Charvel Fusion Deluxe that I have taken apart and am in the process of removing the hideous neon orange finish (it's from the late 80's) and will give it a Tung Oil finish. and then reassemble.

I don't think a natural finish will do all that well on this thing. Basswood is a very plain wood, and I don't think it'd look all that great. I do agree about the pickups, though. At least a good neck p/u.

[super rad stuff]

whoops! forgot you've got a single slot in the neck... why not go for a lil screamin' demon in the neck, and something along the lines of a hot paf for the bridge? custom series maybe, or custom hybrid.

[jimijames]

you may want to go hybrid with the pickups then. iirc jimijames has got a couple jazz/'59 necks for sale currently, and a custom/'59 bridge would be a good match for it.

Actually I have two bridge pickups for sale, they were made from a custom wind I had done by a guy in canada (unpotted, 9.15k, heavy scatter), and a SD custom 5 I ordered from a fellow forumite. If you're looking for clarity and openness, they'll work great. If you're looking for high output and compression, though, they don't do that. They sound kind of like a VHPAF with some p-90 thrown in.

edit: do a holofoil finish! There's a tutorial somewhere online, you put down the holofoil, paint over it, then use a Q-tip or something with paint stripper in it to remove the bits that you want to look like holofoil.

found the site with all the tutorials:
http://www.projectguitar.com/

In particular, I like these two:

Swirled:
http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/swirled.htm

Material (i.e. fabric)
http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/mat.htm

There's some really cool stuff you can do with it, and it's pretty resaonably priced here:
http://www.universaljems.com/cart/graphic.htm

[trevorus]

I'm thinking of a finish to match the blue inlays. Something not so ordinary. Mini-bucker in the neck probably.

[Virtual Kevorkian]

Steve's Special/Air Norton S!

I would kill for one of those old, cheesy Ibanez's... preferably in pink or yellow!

[dave67]

The JB or Super Distortion work well in Ibanez.
For the switch fix, I would use a dowel and fill the hole and then recut the slot.
You can get the nut parts here: http://www.ibanezrules.com/parts.htm Floyd parts don't work well.
The neck might be a harder fix. Did someone screw the neck together?

[J Moose]

The only RG I ever really wanted was a 565 and I could never find one back in the day... I had a really killer 570 with a flame maple top that was a '91 or something. Great shred stick, just can't get used to those necks. Way too thin.

Only thing I can think of that would work for the switch would be to cut a plug... not a dowel, but a PLUG and stick it in there. Depends on if the hole is clean & what else is around that. What happened to the body? Are those cracks on the the back of it?

And whats up with the headstock? Can't tell anything from the pictures besides having two extra screws holding it together...

I wouldn't route it for a mini-bucker... leave it as-is with the hum & single. With the mini-hum you'll have more holes to fill...

[trevorus]

The finish is the only thing cracked on the back. The neck has a crack in it, but it needs opened up and glued better, and then I can clamp the heck out of it with strap clamps. Then I can fill in the holes where the screws are. I'll probably buy a horse syringe and use that to inject the glue.

[pinto79]

I have an RG750, which is similar to that, but HSH with a pickguard.

I have a DiMarzio Mega Drive in the bridge and it is SWEET... it's the perfect balance for the basswood body, cut and power.

For the neck, Air Norton S. You will not regret it.

It's a shame about the neck and the switch hole disfiguring, but the flame on the neck is gorgeous.

Can't wait to see it finished!

[pinto79]

What is the bridge pickup? It's not stock...