Dad's bass

Was at my Dad's this morning to check out his bass. He had been complaining to me about the tuners which were dysfunctional. My step-mum told me the situation had caused unnecessary anxiety. By the way, this is an Ibanez PCB54E.

It turned out that two of the tuners were dysfunctional. One was dead & quite impossible to turn. The other was the opposite; it was too loose & had a little play that failed to retain tuning. I bought a fresh set of tuners & replaced all four. Done.

Also, my Dad bought a standard scale replacement string set which were unsuitable for this instrument (too long). A little reading up revealed that the medium scale version was required. Easy fix - purchased from Swee Lee. 

My Dad used to play in a wedding band. He would ply his trade at the community centers here & was more active during his younger days. He gave up the solid body bass & opted for something much lighter in view of his senior years (he's in his 70s). He's currently undergoing UTI treatment & spends his days at home so this bass keeps him happy. I totally understand this need to be pre-occupied & not think of one's ailment so this is the least I could do for him. 

Purple S

Did another quick re-finish since the weather was good with eventual downpours in the evening. Nothing fancy, just my Ibanez S521. I will continue to hunt for used fixed bridge S-Series because I prefer it to the RG, really. I wouldn't pass the chance to acquire the older 22-fretted version if a good one comes my way but understand the fact that these are usually equipped with a whammy bridge.

As usual, Beez handled the electronics with ease. I tend to replace the default 5-way selector to a 3-way because these days, I do not fancy the split coil option.

That's right, I'm still pre-occupied with the metallic flake finish. Also, those pickups are passive humbuckers given the cover treatment. This guitar was strung with a set of DR 10s & tuned a half step down. It's designated for heavy tunes as the pickups on board are (Seymour Duncan) the Nazgul / Sentient pairing.

The return of pink

I just found out that Ibanez is returning the pink AZ2402 (together with the pastel blue version) to its catalog. Have no idea if pink is trending now or if there was a recent lobby for this colour to be re-introduced to prevent international unrest. I don't know.

I bought the pink AZ back in 2019. Didn't think too much about the colour, it's just something I don't own. I prefer a pink guitar without the picture of a Japanese mouthless cat character to hype it up. IYKYK.

Rock Lady

OK... didn't know this was actually a collaboration of sorts between PRS & Japanese Anime. Whatever the chemistry between the two parties, this one looks appealing due to its simplicity. That pink finish might not be everybody's thing but that didn't stop people from acquiring a certain Squier guitar with a Japanese mouthless cat character. Hoping this one wouldn't list for too much because it looks very objective & attractive. I'm even mentally prepared to forgive those two mini flick switches.

Pic: PRS

GS270 (6)

Done & good to go. Reminder - this is an Ibanez GS270, a GIO Series guitar made not to look like one. This is my third GIO given this kind of treatment.

Was at Beez's yesterday to get the electronics done.

Nothing fancy, a pair of Artec rail-type high output humbuckers. The middle single coil is the default pickup which was given a black metal cover.

Not too pleased with the replacement truss rod cover as it sports cloudy build ups but glad it was available.

A fresh set of Olympia strings. 

Was this re-finish necessary? No. It was a fun engagement for sick people like me to pass the time. I enjoyed seeing my efforts come to fruition & was not bound by any standards. I'm not a pro guitar tech who makes a living out of this. I also don't believe in sending my guitar for a pro paint job because it's costly. Thanks for reading / following. 

GS270 (5)

I'm particular with the drying of paint / lacquer. I discovered that putting it out in the sun gets the job done very well. If paint / lacquer does not cure properly, it will turn sticky & react with the guitar bag's / case's interior & it would mean re-finishing the body once more. Grateful that the weather had been scorching hot days ago & the drying turned out well.

To be concluded...