Another salvaged S...

This was done last week. It's an unwanted S421 with a semi-mouldy fretboard & a terrible dust accumulation in the pickups cavity. Being an S-Series fan, I obliged to take this on board & gave it a new lease of life. This included, among other things, refinishing the body into that copper tint you see there which was a semi-botched job. Only the top was re-finished, the rest of the original colour remained in tact. Semi-botched because:

• Two different spray & lacquer brands were used which were incompatible. Initially, when the lacquer overcoat was done, it looked fantastic but upon drying, it actually dissolved the colour underneath. I tried this thrice before realizing it's not gonna work & left the final iteration be.
• Due to several layers of coating, the paint & lacquer actually seeped through the tape that protected the sides & the rest of the body so upon removal, there wasn't a clear separation, the colour bled through. Good thing though, this is only visible upon closer inspection

To be continued...

Aria: 615 Frontier (3)

All done.

Roller string tree replaced the default vintage type which I don't fancy (even in Fenders).

Since the guitar features a single bridge pickup only (, I had a single volume control while the rest of the components were removed. Many of us find this objectionable- leaving blank what should be residing in their rightful places but I'm keeping things simple. The pickup in there is a Giovanni GCT-73, an Alnico V pickup with a midrange spike, my kind of tone preference.

A look at the Aria from the back.

Time flies. This marks the end of June & we are beyond half of 2014. I'm taking it slow for the later half of the year as I plan to have a custom guitar done. That is if nothing enticing crops up at Summer NAMM :-)

Project subtraction (6). Reprise...

One of my major consideration was the headstock- to keep or not to keep the finish? I stuck with the original colour to prove a point. If the headstock was black, I know I'd get less mention about it not matching the body. It seems that black is a universally acceptable colour despite it being increasingly mundane. 

In fact I chose a white pickup to imply a colour coordination with the headstock. The body colour is a strange colour, it's not really blue, it's not really grey either. It's actually inspired by Tosin Abasi's signature model but I guess I'd never acquire that exact hue unless I really get the colour codes from Ibanez.

Project subtraction (5): Mission accomplished

Here it is, if it's ever in real production, it'll be called the S510. Thank you Master Beez for the final touches today. Some appraisal to come, stay tuned :-)

The copper kind (2)

This is perhaps my fav Ibanez GIO model. Em, actually, it's the only GIO model left in my possession, the limited release GRGR010LTD. Nothing special, this one, less the fact that it's a single humbucker guitar which Ibanez doesn't do much.

Here it is after the make-over. As mentioned before, the finish is a copper-ish hue which isn't quite apparent in pics. I gave up the pickguard as well, it's a pointless inclusion from the start since the pickup is ring mounted. The guy who did the paint job helped me cover up the screw holes & it was a superb touch-up. Also, since the humbucker is white (Duncan CC), a simple cover helped blend the looks. Ha! :-)

What's the point of spending money on a cheapo? I like my guitars to appeal to me so any money spent on making them look the way I want them to be isn't a wasted effort. All this make-over... it's becoming addictive :-o

The copper kind

Collected my re-finished body this morning. It's my Ibanez GRGR010LTD, finally decided that very juvenile graphic should go. It now sports a metallic copper finish, not as striking as an up close & personal encounter. More updates after Beez applies his master touches :-)

The un-blackening (3)

After much spares-hunting & waiting, my re-finished Ibanez S470 is ready for revival today. Will be heading down to Beez's after lunch for the electronics to be done & it's good to go.