Head issues (3)

Here's the RG560 headstock all taped up & ready for re-lacquering. The lacquer acts as a final overcoat to protect the new decal from being scraped / wiped off. 

This is the Watco brand lacquer used in this process. It's available at the local hardware stores here for about $20. I intended to purchase a guitar-specific lacquer product from Stewmac but decided against spending more money & waiting longer for it to arrive. FYI, it contains nitrocellulose, the same ingredient used in guitar finishing that will age nicely over time. I have no expectations for that to happen, really. Just glad that it's suitable for such guitar-related adventures.

My makeshift spray booth; just a flattened out box. This was done at the common corridor when the neighbours were all away at work / school. Remember to don at least an N95 face mask to prevent those invisible particles from entering your respiratory system. Also, a non-windy day is crucial for any spraying activity to take place. Seven coats of lacquer were applied with ample drying time in between. Thirty minutes of drying is recommended but I only did twenty because I blasted the table fan at it. There were cloudy build-ups along the way but this was successfully polished away using just normal guitar polishing fluid before the subsequent coat was applied. 

The protective tape was removed & you can see the original colour of the headstock there - Ibanez calls it jewel blue. I did not re-finish the headstock in black. The decal & blue overcoat came off on that fateful day when I cleaned the headstock with a simple intention of re-stringing this guitar. Someone I talked to mentioned the possibility of the blue turning black over time due to repeated exposure to light & chemicals. I have no idea if this would indeed happen to solid finishes over time but this RG560 will be 30 years old come December & the time element here might attest this understanding.

Okie dokie, it's all strung up (D'Addario 9s) & ready to rumble. I gave the final coat of lacquer an overnight drying before fixing the hardware. FYI, the pickups here are DiMarzio PAF (b), Fast Track 1 (m) & Half Track (n). This guitar had been through quite a rough ride but it's still good as ever. I will share what happened throughout its 30 years of existence in time to come. 

Wishing you a good week ahead, please stay COVID-free & stop believing the KTV outlets are equal to an F&B establishment despite the authorities licensing them as such. Idiots, yes?

Previously (click):

• Head issues
• Head issues (2)

560 trio

An interesting find in the after-market, a trio of Ibanez RG560, respective prices as indicated (correct as at time of posting). 

Blackie, according to the seller has very good fret life, electronics were recently looked into by a reputable store here but it's missing the back plate cover & whammy bar. Pickups are Seymour Duncan/DiMarzio combos, no details were disclosed. Purple retains its default pickups but the hardware had all been swapped out with dings & nicks in the body. White's seller is currently using an older pic for this sale. The pickups indicated differ from those depicted. He's including a bag in the sale but there were no other details stated.

Perhaps you are interested in one of these, so which one would you choose?

One of the sellers here touted his guitar as a rare item. Granted the RG560 was one of the best in this tier during its heyday & had been long discontinued but the fact that three are currently offered in the after market makes this claim a little weak. Hardcore collectors would want original appointments in their instruments so modified, replaced & 'upgraded' features wouldn't score as well. Missing parts would compound the situation further. Providing minimum details for one's item implies disinterest & would invite apprehension from buyers. From the details disclosed in the ads, I wouldn't put my money firmly on any one of the instruments. The Ibanez RG560 is a late 80s release, expecting a flawless versions floating in the after-market is a ridiculous expectation. Unlike the Ibanez pickups of today, the ones manufactured back then manifested appealing tone so having those in the guitar to start with is a sensible consideration. Personally, I wouldn't place stringent scrutiny on the guitar body, the neck condition is more paramount in this case. Be informed that the RG560 sports a very thin Wizard neck & the owner who keeps this neck in check is likely to be a reputable seller. Last but not least, price considerations is the sticky bit- never agree to the price until you see the instrument in person. This isn't a current production model by any means so seeing is believing. 😐

FYI, I currently own the RG560 which was quasi-destroyed by a junkie relative. Forgiven but not forgotten.

PS: This post was never intended to disrepute any individuals concerned. The objective was to observe trending claims by sellers with regards to their respective re-sale items. Details were quoted with a bona fide intention to manifest accuracy as at time of posting. 

DiMarzio trio

My Ibanez RG560 now sports a trio of DiMarzio pickups:

• Neck: Half Track
• Mid: Fast Track 2
• Bridge: PAF

I've decided to keep it all DiMarzio here despite my personal preference for Seymour Duncans. The Half Track is a wonderful acquisition with the right amount of output for distortion clarity; it's one of those little darlings which doesn't mud out when I sweep. Ironically, the bridge humbucker is the least powerful member in terms of output but it's most suitable pickup in the collaboration. Whatever low output, vintage voicing wonder the manufacturer had marketed it to be, it performs very well given an extreme distortion setting; I certainly didn't buy it to sweet-creamed my RG; that's not what this guitar is good for.

PS: Thanks BEEZ for the superb workmanship once again.

Hey, dad! (Part 21)

Hey, dad! Thanks for letting me stand between the new washing machine & your Ibanez Rg560 which is very much older than me. He, he...

Oldest & newest

 

The oldest item in my house is my Ibanez RG560, it's 19 years old this year. The newest item is my Samsung washing machine, just 4 days old.

Remembering my ex...

My ex-girlfriend? Nah... my ex-amp, more like it. If you have to feel good about owning affordable practice amps, you should consider Marshall's mini stack (the MG15MSII depicted above). The stack nature of this baby is a definitely visual attraction per se but when it comes to amps, tone is priority for me- this stack has plenty of attractive tones to work with.

Thanks largely to the closed back cabs, the amps sound full with lots of good bottom end to spare, please keep in mind that cabs equipped with smaller drivers (less than 12") sound very shrieky when lots of overdrive/ distortion come into play. The MG15MSII managed to avoid this repulsion, the reason I bought it.

If you have kids at home, especially the curious ones who would go very near your amp & handle it while you're not looking, be mindful that this stacked unit topples over very easily. When it was in my possession, I placed it very near the wall so the chances of it tumbling over when pushed by any Godzilla Jr would be eliminated. If you have other means to secure it, please do so...

Others in pic:

• my 18yr old RG560
• Ibanez TS9