MikeS
Bengalsologist
With the SG project in the clear coat stages, I’m beginning to look for another project. Money is tight these days and as much as I’d love to do something through Warmoth or USACG, I’m not sure I can afford one. What I could do, however, is work with something I’ve already got.
My first thought is to tear into the Ibanez RG170. This guitar is pushing 10 years old and has been through a couple reconstructions already. The first was a fill-in of the middle single coil position and a refin over the original paint. The second was sanded down to bare wood, veneered, and refinished again with all new hardware, including routing a bit to accept a Wilkinson 2 point. I’m not much of a fan of the way it looks now, especially considering the body is actually made with 8 pieces of agathis (like a butcher block guitar), but I am used to the neck and the body is fairly light, and overall it plays easily. Tonally it’s nothing to write home about, but considering the construction, it does actually ring better than my cutting board. It definitely could have a better natural tone, though.
What I’ve thought about doing is stripping the finish once again, getting the veneer off, and filling in the neck humbucker rout as well as switch rout and tone pot hole. I also would need to remove a section of wood around the bridge to fix a big mistake with a half-assed repair made when routing for the new bridge a couple years ago. I’d then like to retop the guitar with a reddish wood like paduak (or a red-dyed mahogany), try my hand at binding the top with cream binding (it even has the arm contour) and finally rout for a single coil in the neck position. The back and sides, in their exposed 8-piece glory, would be hidden with a solid color paint, color TBD. The controls would be laid out a la George Lynch with a single p/p volume control that also switches between pickups.
It's worth noting that I've never routed for pickups and I've never tried binding. That may weigh in on the decision. Filling in routs, refinishing, etc, everything else I'm comfortable with.
On one hand I’m thinking this guitar is perfect for tinkering and experimentation. It holds no $$ value and very little sentimental value, so what have I got to lose? A major mistake and I’m out no more than I put into it. On the other hand I’m thinking the guitar is not worth the time and effort I’d be putting into it. What I’ve envisioned is hardly a weekend project.
Anyway, here’s the guitar 6 years ago, how it looks today, and a shot of the backside.
My first thought is to tear into the Ibanez RG170. This guitar is pushing 10 years old and has been through a couple reconstructions already. The first was a fill-in of the middle single coil position and a refin over the original paint. The second was sanded down to bare wood, veneered, and refinished again with all new hardware, including routing a bit to accept a Wilkinson 2 point. I’m not much of a fan of the way it looks now, especially considering the body is actually made with 8 pieces of agathis (like a butcher block guitar), but I am used to the neck and the body is fairly light, and overall it plays easily. Tonally it’s nothing to write home about, but considering the construction, it does actually ring better than my cutting board. It definitely could have a better natural tone, though.
What I’ve thought about doing is stripping the finish once again, getting the veneer off, and filling in the neck humbucker rout as well as switch rout and tone pot hole. I also would need to remove a section of wood around the bridge to fix a big mistake with a half-assed repair made when routing for the new bridge a couple years ago. I’d then like to retop the guitar with a reddish wood like paduak (or a red-dyed mahogany), try my hand at binding the top with cream binding (it even has the arm contour) and finally rout for a single coil in the neck position. The back and sides, in their exposed 8-piece glory, would be hidden with a solid color paint, color TBD. The controls would be laid out a la George Lynch with a single p/p volume control that also switches between pickups.
It's worth noting that I've never routed for pickups and I've never tried binding. That may weigh in on the decision. Filling in routs, refinishing, etc, everything else I'm comfortable with.
On one hand I’m thinking this guitar is perfect for tinkering and experimentation. It holds no $$ value and very little sentimental value, so what have I got to lose? A major mistake and I’m out no more than I put into it. On the other hand I’m thinking the guitar is not worth the time and effort I’d be putting into it. What I’ve envisioned is hardly a weekend project.
Anyway, here’s the guitar 6 years ago, how it looks today, and a shot of the backside.
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