Sunday, September 4, 2022

Red revival (3)


Battle worn headstock of the S540. For the older generation Japanese Ibanez guitars, the decal was applied after the lacquer overcoat. This means it's very vulnerable to polish fluids & cloth abrasion. Should this be entirely worn out, I'm ready to re-decal it, thanks to my RG560 experience (CLICK). If you look at the string retainer there, it's crooked. I have no idea how this passed the QC.


There should be a serial / i/d number here, particularly in that blank strip there. As you can see, there's none.


Stress crack, not quite clearly depicted here - apologies. Many of us would freak out seeing this in their instruments but this is a a superficial breakdown; the paint is affected, not the wood. This is common for bolt-on necks if left carelessly unsupported. Examples would be lying it flat on the ground without a neck support or leaning it against the wall. Also attributable to constant removal of the neck for adjustments or rectification. 

These are what I have to deal with after taking ownership of this guitar. It would be unreasonable to expect a mint condition property considering this one was gigged significantly. I don't mind a certain seasoned look but the instrument has to remain functional. My objective in such situations is that of restoration, not repair. 

Episode1: CLICK
Episode 2: CLICK

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