Members Cheapstringz Posted February 12, 2018 Members Share Posted February 12, 2018 Got this for a few bucks and want to know anything I can about it. Also if I can get better parts for it that it needs and are missing. Thanks all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted February 12, 2018 Members Share Posted February 12, 2018 My buddy found one of those budget Ibanez guitars someone was throwing out and gave it to me. He knows I build and repair instruments and figured I could use it for spare parts. It was in terrible condition. Must have been owned by some kid. It was loaded with stickers and masking tape to hold the pickups in. I took it apart and stuck it in a box. Haven't been motivated to rebuild it yet. I have a second one where I first bought the body on EBay for $5 and found the matching neck for it for around the same price. I had started to redo that one, even bought a new Bridge for it and had it installed but had to take it back off and use it to refurbish someone else's guitar so its been setting around for a couple of years. The necks on both aren't very good and simply not worth the cost and time to put them in shape. I'd need to make new pickguards from scratch. The frets on both are pretty bad so I'd need to re-fret them to have any hopes of making them good players. If the necks had a good feel to them I would have done them but just gripping them its obvious they suck for feel. I could shave them down but its really cheap maple and they'd likely loose their stability. I'd be better off just spending $50 for a new neck. Then its still got cheap bodies needing an oddball pickguard and all new hardware. You can buy hardware from China on EBay cheap. The instruments really don't justify putting allot of money into them. The tuners on yours can probably be cleaned up but its a matter of how worn they are. If the gears are worn and have allot of play then you'd want new ones. Strings trees too. That bridge may have a standard fender spacing. What you want to do is hold the saddles together and measure the string spacing. I suspect its got a standard spacing and any generic bridge can be had for around $12 new. The tough item is the pickguard. you may find the right one for it but its often easier to simply make your own. I typically use a jigsaw to rough the thing out then I use a Dremil for the rest of it then use a sander to bevel and smooth the edges and cut the pickup holes. I burned out my router, otherwise I'd simply use it to cut the edges. PVC pickguards can be tough to do if you haven't got the right tools to do it well so simply trying to find one that fits is by far the easiert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chordite Posted February 12, 2018 Members Share Posted February 12, 2018 No money in it, just a fun project like the old Encore guitars I am always playing with. Pull the tuners apart and throw the rusty pillars in half a cup of vinegar overnight the rust should turn into a black deposit and come off with a stiff brush. then soak them in a dilution of washing up ldetergent (alkaline) to neutralise. Rinse and reassemble with grease on the gears Give the body a go over with auto finish restorer like T Cut. then auto wax it. Check the neck for reasonable straightness by squinting down it. Slight curve is probably correctable (but twist is game over.) if so also check the truss rod still functions but only move it a 1/4 turn or so and back to where it started. Once that is done you should have a feel for whether it is worth throwing money at for the remaining bits. Last year was the first time I have picked up a 'guitar shaped object' in a job lot that was so god awful I just had to throw it away Have fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted February 12, 2018 Members Share Posted February 12, 2018 Like I said in a previous post; if it says "something BY someone" it's bottom feeder material. As much as I love my Ibanez's, I have 17, I wouldn't bother with these. Crappy frets and a garbage bridge, are the best thing I can say about it. If you have a parts drawer overflowing with odds and ends, go for it ands have fun. If going to spend money on it, go to feebay, and get the cheap stuff from China. At least you'll have a few weeks to decide whether or not you made the right decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr.Grumpy Posted February 13, 2018 Members Share Posted February 13, 2018 YES if you want a project to learn about building/re-building and setting up electric guitars. Plan on spending more money on parts than a new, assembled guitar would cost. But based on the water stains on the neck, I'd probably pass on this one. NO, if you think you can throw on some cheap parts and get a good, playable guitar out of the deal. You'd be better off getting a new or used newer import guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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