A NGDX2!! Part 1

[badpenguin]

Hey all, as you well know, I am a Ibanez head. I happen to love the beasties, thinking that Ibanez builds the best sub 1K guitar on the planet.

I saw this guitar in a pawn shop, and played it a bit. The magic was there, despite being set up and painted by a monkey. I passed on it due to a stupid price of 250. Well, went in there the other day, and it was marked down to 175. Ok.... let's talk. "Blah blah blah, wrong pickups.... body and neck painted with the stuff used on truck beds..... neck needs work... electronics need work.... blah blah blah..." you know the drill. Well, I walked out with it, and a gig bag that had the original trem bar in it btw, for... wait for it..... $58.00! And yes, you read correctly dear readers, the neck and body was painted in "Rhino" truck bed liner. (Before and after pics are coming.) I am planning on a total refinish, more than likely going with a yellow, orange, or raspberry. So off to my new workshop.....

 

Steel wool didn't make a dent in this crap, so the sandpaper came out. Which worked about as well as the steel wool, so the sander came out. After 10 minutes, I could finally start to see wood, so went back to the steel wool, and wouldn't you know it, the monkey stripped the neck finish, along with the serial number and model number... sigh. But in the neck heel, saw "RG 517" ok, so it's an RG 517. Ummm, no, since they didn't have a pickguard on them. Ok.... Not uncommon for Ibanez to grab a neck for one guitar, and put it on another body. But I knew it was Japanese by the truss rod, ther headstock logo being chrome, and the fact that the tuners were Japanese. So best guess is a RG 560 or so, made in Japan in about 96/97.

 

FANTASTIC playing guitar!! The neck, once adjusted, is a joy to hold in your hand. Yes, I know it's designed for shredding, but jazz chords flow effortlessly from this. the trem, a licensed Floyd, stays perfectly in tune, after spraying the heck out of it with WD40 to loosen screws. The electronics had to go however....

 

Which brings me to another pawn shop with my wife the next day. Sitting on a discount rack was this, an RVX220. A... what? Yeah, me too, never heard of it either. And after thinking about it, decided to grab it for the pickups alone. A set of INF3/INF4. Which are NOW in the RG. (Killer sounding pickups btw, and yes, the neck is a little muddy sounding, but fits in a 24 fret neck.) But again, the price was wrong. After the typical whining, got it for...... 50.00!

 

I replaced the pickups with some I had floating my parts drawer, and really dig the overall tone of this. Just can't sit with it comfortably. (My nickname for it is the 'can opener') nice fast neck, a little thicker then what I am used to in an Ibanez. (Indonesian by the way.) And will also be getting a refinish eventually. (thinking more along the lines of a chameleon color changing finish due to the slight curves and body bevels.)

 

So the RG has the INF pickups, and some single I had in the parts drawer, wired with Ibanez's 2 and 4 positions being 2 singles on the chum combined with the middle. Nice stratish tones that way. Overall, 2 great finds in 2 days!

[DeepEnd]

Happy NGD X2. I'm a big fan of Ibanez acoustics and their hollowbodies and basses. You must have some truly mad haggling skills. I've seen some badly mistreated guitars but truck bed liner? Anyway, keep us posted on the refinishing work.

[humbuckerstrat]

Sweet, congrats on the score!

[Preacher]

Awesome score, would love to see more pictures!

 

HNGD!

[knotty]

Yup. Ibby fan here, put me on the list. Nice deal.