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...

GS270 (4)

Decal arrived today. I've stopped using the water-slide version. It's messy & fragile, certainly not for a novice like me. This here is the rub-on transfer version. Material is thicker than the water-slide version & dried up a lot faster.

The set of tuners there is the ARM brand. Virtually unknown & very affordable. I've realized that if you go for the cheaper set, more often than not, they would turn out dodgy. However, if you opt for something cheap but branded, regardless of the brand's obscurity, they would turn out better. I didn't know the ARM brand existed before this episode.

To be continued...

GS270 (3)

Body is ready for a re-finish. I did not remove the existing finish entirely. The idea here is to scratch the surface so that the new coat of paint would stick. That's it. That existing coat there prevents me from having to pore-fill the bare wood before a re-finish would take place. Of course, it's very unprofessional but very befitting for a novice like me. My objective had always been as long as it works. 

These are the trem post holes. I had stuffed them with foam, yes that one that came with the pickup packaging, very spongey. This prevents paint from entering the holes & mess up the screw threads. Also, the cavities in this body had been lined with paper. It's been scorching hot lately so it's a good time to be spray-painting .

To be continued...

GS270 (2)

I really hate dealing with stuck screws. I needed to remove the truss rod cover to re-finish the headstock to match the body. Knowing this guitar had been set aside, unplayed, untouched, I was expecting this to happen. I avoided drilling them out. I removed the truss rod cover instead, sacrificing it along the way. The dead screws were left exposed & it could be easily removed using a pair of pliers. I was fortunate  the screws did not turn malleable & snap.

To be continued...

GS270

Someone I knew just graduated from the local polytechnic here. This guitar used to keep him occupied during his student days. He would be going back to his homeland & did not wish to bring this with him. In fact he had stayed away from music altogether prior to his graduation, busied himself with food delivery instead for the extra cash. So this guitar went home with me. Nothing fancy, just an Ibanez GS270. 

When I brought it out the first time, this guitar felt sticky all over. The finish (or the lack thereof) might have reacted to the inner lining of the bag. It looked unplayed less the rusty strings. The tone pot was stuck, no rotation possible & the B/E strings were literally embedded into the nut slots. 

To be continued...