Black S (2)

Once upon a time (CLICK to know when exactly this was), I promised to do a follow up on this guitar but somehow failed to keep to the promise. The primary frustration was getting those upper frets to not buzz. After countless attempts, I gave up. Today, I decided to re-look at things from a fresh perspective. It seems that the neck didn't sit level against the pocket surface. Was wondering how the previous owner dealt / endured this. Have a feeling he didn't venture up the upper frets. A quick levelling of the neck pocket (sand paper) & shimming did the trick. Folks, whatever the issue, sometimes it's important to leave things unresolved & return with a renewed vigour to solve things, not just guitar-related issues.

A quick re-string, of course.

 

If you are atrracted to & intend to purchase these Chinese rail-type humbuckers - don't. 1) There are no specific neck / bridge models so the neck & bridge tones are the same (no kidding) 2) Excessive bass. In fact, I had to put my amp's bass level to ZERO for it to sound normal / acceptable but it could have been lesser. 3) Note separation is absolutely rubbish 4) The clean tones manifest fuzzy farts & this would give you a clue to the kind of output on offer. These pickups are dirt cheap (less than $10 each) but I regret not spending on strings instead. Oh, well.

Wishing everyone a good week ahead.

Call of Cthulhu (5)

 A much delayed conclusion to this episode but just wanna share the sticker experience.

The body was covered front & back. About 80+ pieces of stickers were used.

All in all, it's not something I would encourage others to do in view of the time spent on this. However, if you are game to try, be sure to select the sticker type that is water resistant & has good adhesive. Do not be upset if you end up using more stickers for a particular spot than others. The sticker method allowed me to cover up the middle pickup cavity rather easily. That was filled up with sponge first then covered up by stickers. Waterproof, strong adhesive stickers - plenty sold online (eg. Shopee). 

Black S

This is an Ibanez S470. Yes, that Korean S-model featuring a Lo-TRS bridge. It's looking kinda funky now because it's been brought back to life recently. It was previously left for dead. I managed to buy this one after selling off two Seymour Duncan pickups.

Here's a list of what's wrong with this guitar:

• Dusty. Very dusty indeed, from top to bottom.
• Fretboard was fungal infected on most areas.
• Tarnished, dead frets. Unplayable from about the 13th fret upwards.
• Dead bridge parts. One string locking bolt was rounded, there was no way to unlock it.
• Tarnished bridge, dry green slime seen at some parts.
• Rusty pickups
• Neck separation at joint near the headstock.
• Rusty strap buttons
• Body was dirty. The bag's inner lining left an impression on some parts of the body

The idea here is to re-store this guitar strictly on a DIY basis regardless of the issues I'm dealing with. Sending this to a repair guy is not a consideration at all but I will definitely send it to Beez for an electronics make-over. 

I started with the neck separation issue as I deem this severe. A penknife blade was used to clean the exposed area, dirt & dust was virtually dug out from between the gap. Wood glue was used together with a mini C-clamp I have lying around in the house. Left it to bond for two days & the result is depicted above. Whatever dry glue residue that seeped out was sanded off using the finest grade paper which I happen to have. The surface was oiled & polished. In fact, the entire neck length was given this treatment. 

To be continued...

Re-string midweek

Re-string midweek: Ibanez S470. Not mine, belongs to an ex-classmate. I really like 22-fretted S-Series, there's just something about it that makes me feel totally at home playing one. D'Addario NYXL 9s for this one. 

Mojo

I believe this is one of my better playing, better sounding guitar. This S470 used to be black but it's now this green-ish gold. I'm still on the lookout for 22-fretted S-Series & I know these can't be had new today. There are a few in the after-market but I'm not agreeable with the fret life of those despite going for good asking prices.

Just a minor revision this time - the bridge pickup is now a DiMarzio Mo' Joe (together with the Area '61 (m) & PAF 36th (n) - these make an unlikely attractive combo for me). Why bother? 1) The DiMarzio was clearing for a good price at SV Guitar 2) The Air Norton that used to be in there is more impressive in clean settings compared to an overdriven application.

I'm totally aware that the Mo' Joe was designed for Joe Satriani but I'm more attracted to what it has to offer EQ-wise. As seen above, it has a strong midrange response which is my staple; blame the extreme metal streak in me & my need to hear very harsh, intense midrange for that intent. Verdict - the Mo' Joe sounds crunchy at high distortion settings, extremely suitable for players in search of that doom-esque grizzle. However, as correctly implied by the EQ settings above, the spike in midrange isn't excessive. If you wish for that bass note chugging to see you through, it got you covered but do not expect a thick, PAF type palm muted motes.Bonus - it has an awesome split tone, very Strat-ish in a modern way. 

Gold?

There was that time when someone asked me if I have ever bought a used guitar. At that point in time, every guitar I own was new. I was averse to buying pre-loved instruments namely because of how people have no TLC for their instruments. Once these deteriorate beyond their liking, they would offload it to someone else who doesn't mind inhering dirt, grime & rust. However, this particular Ibanez S470 was in pristine condition. The owner gave up trying to cope with a dual action whammy bridge namely dealing with tuning frustrations. Folks, make it a point to mentally shift into adversity acceptance if you wish to embrace such bridge units. This is especially so if you have been the hard tail/ tune-o-matic  lover prior to this migration. Back to the story - tone major downside to this guitar was that the whammy arm tightening bushing was missing. So this was perhaps my first ever guitar bought used. It was indeed hardly used & was originally black.

There was also a cosmetic issue seen here - discolouration due to a possible reaction to rubber parts/ adhesive. This was no major setback for me as it does nothing to playability. I ended the deal with a winning feeling, especially so when I paid peanuts for it. 

S-Gold

It's been a while since I played an Ibanez in the house. I've been trying to move away from my comfort zone. It gets too easy when one is equipped with one's preferences. Gave this S470 a re-string & put up with the DiMarzios in there. I usually stay in the humbucking position in an HSH guitar but there was a significant amount of time spent with the Area 61 single coil. The lower output & less magnetic pull made the tone very enjoyable. 

This is one of the very few guitars I bought used. The condition was still very good when I bought it (unbelievable for less than $200) less the nut lock (which was corroded) & the whammy bar (was stuck in the hole for some time. It's also one of the better made models from Cort's Korean factory.

The un-blackening (5)

My Ibanez S470 isn't a new guitar, it's used. In fact, I am its 3rd owner. I'm particular when it comes to guitar purchase I do not believe in buying used items because, chances are, the instruments would fall short of my standards & forking out money for them would mean eternal unhappiness. 

However, I am not an elitist in this light & would therefore consider owning a good instrument even if it means buying a used product; I view the guitar in its entirety & wouldn't let the issue of subsequent ownership cloud my judgment.

This S470 in question belongs to a friend who had been playing a Fender Strat all the while. There was this sudden itch to own a guitar of a different pedigree for the sake of variety. This is s 50-50 plunge because things may not work out as intended for a simple reason- we are humans & we have this quirky embrace for the familiar. Anyway, the friend would want another 22-fret guitar which moves away from the Strat profile & the S470 here would be a perfect addition. However, due to personal preferences, the S470 became an outcome of a hasty, compulsive purchase & it was chucked aside virtually days after its purchase. It was in quite a sorry condition, some parts were corroded & the whammy bar was stuck in its shaft. This was compounded by the fact that one of the action adjustment bolt had its tip broken so access to this was impossible.

I agreed to purchase this guitar only because I see a potential in bringing it back to life (plus it was offered for less than $200...), if the chances were remote, I wouldn't have bothered so here it is now, after countless parts replacements & a total body re-finish, an instrument which could match something fresh out of the box. I'm happy with it. 

Moral of the story- just because it's another 22-fret guitar, it doesn't equal a Strat replacement.

The un-blackening (4)

The final few touches for my Ibanez S470 happened yesterday. The ZPS system was restored as depicted above. When I bought the guitar, the previous owner had one of those screws (1) missing, the surviving one was terribly corroded. The whammy bar was also stuck in the bridge shaft. I had to work the mechanism from the rear, broke some very fragile, plastic parts along the way (2) but managed to get the bar out. I placed orders at Eillek Oet & it took a while to come. The entire back plate was oxidized & threatened to decay but that was taken care of by some chrome polish which worked wonders.

Before heading over to Beez's, it was re-strung with a set of Pyramid strings (.009).

Moving over to the headstock, the entire nut locking assembly was replaced; one of the locking studs was missing, one was rusty & the final one was rounded. The chassis was removed as well, I'm very happy with the Gotoh replacement unit- fits to a tee. The string retainer bar was also replaced & I had a hard time finding a direct replacement. The ones in the shops now are conforming to Fender/ Floyd Rose measurements so they are a little narrow. The one here was another Eillek Oet order. Chrome screws- a little out of place, I know. They will be replaced in time to come.

Finally, a new set of tuners as the previous set was half-dead with corrosion threatening to take over. They were on sale at Eillek Oet anyway so it was a good catch.

Electronics makeover done by the Beez master himself. Can you see the orange cap in there?

All done.Glorious restoration, I'm terribly satisfied. Played with it till late last night while watching Batman.

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.

The un-blackening (2)

Pickups are in: all DiMarzio affair (because I ran out of Duncans to try...)

Neck: PAF
Middle: Area '61
Bridge: Air Norton

Ibanez: S470

Here's another available-but-not-here model; Ibanez S470 in mahogany oil finish. Is the S-series coming back in more stained finishes rather than solid colours? Regardless, I am definitely interested.