To Sell Or Not To Sell Ibanez Rg570?

[iskim86]

I bought an RG570 from eBay a while ago for $400. it's a 99 model, and came with two EMG 81 actives and the stock passive single coil in the middle. the body is in pretty good condition, no chips, just scratches and tiny dings in the bottom corner. came with a fender hardshell case.

now here's what's making me consider selling it...... the trem stud is crooked and therefore the edge trem is crooked by very little. it's almost impossible to remove the slanting stud because the top chipped. the the slanting stud is in too deep into the body, so whenever I pull up, the knifeedges lift up from the stud and go out of tune. besides, the EMG pickups aren't wired well. it doesn't even use EMG pots (uses stock ibanez pots) and the pickup plugs were cut off and has been soldered onto the pickup selector switch. the bridge EMG 81 doesn't even work in humbucker mode (simple wiring problem).

here is a picture of the chipped stud tip:

http://server1.ripplehost.com/~rh2557/pics/IMG_0091.JPG

misaligned/crooked trem:

http://server1.ripplehost.com/~rh2557/pics/IMG_0092.JPG

(it not just crooked from the top, but since one stud is deeper than the other, it's also slanted by another axis... and I can't fix the stud height because the stud is chipped!)

I paid $400 for this. I can either fix it up, or I can just sell it and forget about it. But I don't want to lose any money. so here are my questions:

A) should I sell this guitar or fix it up and use it?

if I should sell, should I part it out or sell it as a whole package?

thanks

[borge]

throw it away

(or you could grow a brain and fix it for a couple bucks then do what you what (or whatever a stranger on the net tells you to do))

[GregP]

Speaking of growing a brain...

borge, what was the point of that?

As for the question-- I say fix it up, but that's just me. I've never had enough guitars to conceive of selling any of them off. <grin> Especially if it does a different 'job' than any of your other guitars.

Greg

[borge]

borge, what was the point of that?  

←

i was just getting sick of all the should i buy this? should i sell this? should i get my nails done? do i look fat in this? is my hairline receeding?

people asking questions only they should really know the answer to eg

"should i sell the guitar or fix it up and use it?"

i mean`make up your mind

if i were u of course i would fix it, those faults will bring the resale and playability WAY down and they only take a few mins/dollars to fix

on whether you should keep it

do u like the guitar enough to want to keep it? yes/no?

sorry for being a barstard but sometimes........

Edited April 18, 2005 by borge

[GregP]

The title of the thread told you what the content would be. If you don't like those kinds of threads, it's exceedingly simple to not read them. And if you read it and smack your head and go, "crap! another one of those threads!" you don't HAVE to reply, especially if it's just negativity.

Don't get me wrong, I'm the first person to join a conversation, but I just wasn't sure what the insult ("Grow a brain") was accomplishing.

Furthermore, some people like to hear perspectives from all points of view, not always to make up their mind FOR them, but to help confirm that their decision was the right one for them.

If he's decided, "What a headache, I don't know if I want to bother," but a bunch of people say, "Hey, what a great project! Fix 'er up!" he might change his mind. That doesn't mean he's an automaton blindly following a stranger's advice, it just means that he has more opinions to weigh his decision against.

We all do it in our lives, daily. What a heck of a world we'd live in if all our decisions were made only with ourselves and our own perspectives in mind.

Greg

[RGGR]

You paid $400 with guitar being in this condition??? Or this all happened after guitar was in your hands. As guitar has Edge trem, I asume it's one of those older RG570 guitars. It doesn't have an AANJ, right??

First of all......$400 for second hand RG570 (older type) is bit on the steep side.

Lot's of pitting and rust of your trem. On evil*bay they normally go for about $200-300. With newer type (AANJ) going between $300-400.

The sheared trem stud is minor issue.......take-off the strings....and take off the trem.

With pair of pliers grab trem stud and twist the stud out.

Ask Rich (www.ibanezrules.com) to send you new trem stud. Install new trem stud and new strings. Whole ordeal shouldn't cost you more as $10-20. While trem is removed, I would take trem apart clean up the rust.......respray trem with black paint......yadiyadiyadiyadi.......

Go here to find detailed information trem removal and set-up.

http://www.ibanezrules.com/tech/setup/index.htm

Wiring (or rewire-ing) EMG pups is more of a tech job. (specially if you already have trouble fixing trem issue....) I would say bring guitar to local repair guy and have 'm rewire and check your EMG pups.

In case of sale of guitar.....in current state.....it wouldn't fetch more than $175-200.

Edited April 18, 2005 by RGGR

[borge]

i wasnt out to hurt your feelings greg

but wot fun is the internet if you cant have some harmless fun at someone elses expense?

i think rggr pretty much covered it

[GregP]

My feelings aren't the ones I was concerned about. The internet has the power to create a community of people sharing information. Or, it can create a glorified schoolyard full of bullies.

I know which one *I* would prefer.

[iskim86]

You paid $400 with guitar being in this condition??? Or this all happened after guitar was in your hands. As guitar has Edge trem, I asume it's one of those older RG570 guitars. It doesn't have an AANJ, right??

First of all......$400 for second hand RG570 (older type) is bit on the steep side.

Lot's of pitting and rust of your trem. On evil*bay they normally go for about $200-300. With newer type (AANJ) going between $300-400.

The sheared trem stud is minor issue.......take-off the strings....and take off the trem.

With pair of pliers grab trem stud and twist the stud out.

Ask Rich (www.ibanezrules.com) to send you new trem stud. Install new trem stud and new strings. Whole ordeal shouldn't cost you more as $10-20. While trem is removed, I would take trem apart clean up the rust.......respray trem with black paint......yadiyadiyadiyadi.......

Go here to find detailed information trem removal and set-up.

http://www.ibanezrules.com/tech/setup/index.htm

Wiring (or rewire-ing) EMG pups is more of a tech job. (specially if you already have trouble fixing trem issue....) I would say bring guitar to local repair guy and have 'm rewire and check your EMG pups.

In case of sale of guitar.....in current state.....it wouldn't fetch more than $175-200.

←

actually, it DOES have the AANJ. people at other forums also think it doesn't, and maybe because of the year? i don't know. AANJ, edge trem, maybe the body was replaced or something.

[sepultura999]

just keep it, fix it up, and then sell it. if you sell it back on the ebay i think you'll lose out. i made a huge mistake myself on ebay buying things. Thank God i found this forum to learn about guitars. my mistake if any one wants to know is that i bought a plywood body for 100 bucks, gah. maybe ill take it to a pawn shop and they'll let me trade it in for something useful lol.

-Jamie

[frank falbo]

If the bridge pulls away from the stud groove when you pull up there's other things going on. The trem is either too low in the cavity (but then you should be fretting out on bends) or the stud's anchor has raised so you're really hitting the anchor with the base of the trem. The guitar does need a complete overhaul, but I'd say do it. Because in it's current state, it would only be worth $200-$275 to someone like me, and I do that stuff all the time. Heck NOS 1570's sell for $5xx.00 so you don't have a $400 guitar right now. You have to lose money on the resale unless you misrepresent it.

But...you could sell the EMG's for $125 or so, and perhaps the Edge for $125 and the neck for $140 if you left the tuners on it. Then you'd still have the case and the body. Then you could even sell the body as a "project body" being honest about its condition for $40. If you really don't want to fix it up that's a great alternative.

Heck there's even a guy who sells off the neck screws/ferrules for like $30 BIN on ebay. If you spent the time disassembling it and had good descriptions you could get your money back and then some by parting it out. But then you're getting more specific, and your timing is more important. Use reserves in case you happen to auction the parts during a week when no one happens to be interested.

As for getting a brain, etc. I get what you're saying borge but after I thought about it for awhile, there was more to his post than just "Oh dear, what do you think I should do?" etc. And in a community like this, we can help out sometimes when someone says "what do I do" because we can see from different angles. So if someone says "Is it worth it to upgrade pickups in my Chinese strat?" Some might say no, it will always be a crappy guitar, while others might remind him that if he does, he'll always have those pups, and can transfer them to a better guitar when he upgrades. Two different takes on the same situation.

[iskim86]

If the bridge pulls away from the stud groove when you pull up there's other things going on. The trem is either too low in the cavity (but then you should be fretting out on bends) or the stud's anchor has raised so you're really hitting the anchor with the base of the trem. The guitar does need a complete overhaul, but I'd say do it. Because in it's current state, it would only be worth $200-$275 to someone like me, and I do that stuff all the time. Heck NOS 1570's sell for $5xx.00 so you don't have a $400 guitar right now. You have to lose money on the resale unless you misrepresent it.

But...you could sell the EMG's for $125 or so, and perhaps the Edge for $125 and the neck for $140 if you left the tuners on it. Then you'd still have the case and the body. Then you could even sell the body as a "project body" being honest about its condition for $40. If you really don't want to fix it up that's a great alternative.

Heck there's even a guy who sells off the neck screws/ferrules for like $30 BIN on ebay. If you spent the time disassembling it and had good descriptions you could get your money back and then some by parting it out. But then you're getting more specific, and your timing is more important. Use reserves in case you happen to auction the parts during a week when no one happens to be interested.

As for getting a brain, etc. I get what you're saying borge but after I thought about it for awhile, there was more to his post than just "Oh dear, what do you think I should do?" etc. And in a community like this, we can help out sometimes when someone says "what do I do" because we can see from different angles. So if someone says "Is it worth it to upgrade pickups in my Chinese strat?" Some might say no, it will always be a crappy guitar, while others might remind him that if he does, he'll always have those pups, and can transfer them to a better guitar when he upgrades. Two different takes on the same situation.

←

yeah i'm thinking about parting it out too, because I've seen those Ibanez bodies and necks go for big money on eBay.......

[crafty]

Aren't the studs supposed to be a little offset for intonation? I can see your point about one being deeper in the body than the other, but most correctly installed Floyd-copies I've seen have a bit of an angle--almost like a TOM bridge, to allow for proper intonation?

[frank falbo]

Crafty you're insane. There's no offset on any tremolo I've ever seen in my whole life

The intonation is adjusted on each individual saddle.

[Sindlei]

borge, what was the point of that?  

←

i was just getting sick of all the should i buy this? should i sell this? should i get my nails done? do i look fat in this? is my hairline receeding?

people asking questions only they should really know the answer to eg

"should i sell the guitar or fix it up and use it?"

i mean`make up your mind

if i were u of course i would fix it, those faults will bring the resale and playability WAY down and they only take a few mins/dollars to fix

on whether you should keep it

do u like the guitar enough to want to keep it? yes/no?

sorry for being a barstard but sometimes........

←

i agree

[iskim86]

yeah well I'm using the forums to make up my mind because i was thinking that you guys would know more than me about fixing up guitars and shiznit and would know better if I should keep it or not. so I was basically wasking what YOU would do.

[RGGR]

Yeah, i'm thinking about parting it out too, because I've seen those Ibanez bodies and necks go for big money on eBay.......

I think you need a reality check. It's older Ibanez with some miles on the clock.....parts will have same background.......their not pure gold. You don't have Edge Pro trem, no mint Prestige neck......etc.

This is what you could fetch.......

Ibanez body (AANJ) - $50-100

Ibanez type neck (depending on state) - $100-150

Neck screws - $10-20

EMG Pups - $75-100

Tuners - $10-15

Edge Trem (depending on state) - $50-75

Electronics internals - $20

Backplates - $10-15

Still think it's a disgrace gutting perfectly good guitar that needs $15-20 worth of repairs to have great guitar again. Give it a good clean, a new set of strings, a new trem stud, rewire the pups......

[crafty]

Crafty you're insane. There's no offset on any tremolo I've ever seen in my whole life.

The intonation is adjusted on each individual saddle.

Then maybe you've never seen a properly installed Floyd Rose.

Example

[marksound]

I thought the pickup was just cocked a bit the way Ed likes it.

[RGGR]

Yep, it;s the pup....not the trem.

[crafty]

Nope, it's not the pickup, either. That's one thing they got wrong. Look how the strings pass over the polepieces. The studs are offset just a little bit so you have enough range to intonate the low-E.

I thought this was pretty common knowledge? It's only a 2 or 3 degree tilt, I think.

[RGGR]

It's hard to tell how trem is fitted with that camera angle......if you go to FR website they give exact instructions how to install the OFR. No angle there.

Of course you could add small angle.....but why would you want to. Enough play and adjustment room in regular set-up.

[iskim86]

Yeah, i'm thinking about parting it out too, because I've seen those Ibanez bodies and necks go for big money on eBay.......

I think you need a reality check. It's older Ibanez with some miles on the clock.....parts will have same background.......their not pure gold. You don't have Edge Pro trem, no mint Prestige neck......etc.

This is what you could fetch.......

Ibanez body (AANJ) - $50-100

Ibanez type neck (depending on state) - $100-150

Neck screws - $10-20

EMG Pups - $75-100

Tuners - $10-15

Edge Trem (depending on state) - $50-75

Electronics internals - $20

Backplates - $10-15

Still think it's a disgrace gutting perfectly good guitar that needs $15-20 worth of repairs to have great guitar again. Give it a good clean, a new set of strings, a new trem stud, rewire the pups......

←

i'm just too busy these days with school, that's all. maybe i'll fix it up during the summer or something.

[frank falbo]

"Common knowledge?" Please tell me where you heard this common knowledge, because I must have been hanging around with all the wrong people, reading all the wrong books, and looking at all the wrong guitars for my entire life as a luthier. Where is this subculture that would take a pivoting device and place it on a slight angle when there is more than enough room in the saddles to intonate any situation?

I don't even know where to begin on that Kramer import photo. For one, the bridge closeup is at an angle, so if the treble side is a little higher than the bass side, it's going to appear closer to the pickup cavity from the angle the photo was taken. Second, if that trem is offset, it is a testimony to the lack of quality control at the asian factory where that guitar is built. You can also see that the pickup isn't centered in its own cavity-that's not on purpose either.

So yes, you are still insane

[crafty]

"Common knowledge?" Please tell me where you heard this common knowledge, because I must have been hanging around with all the wrong people, reading all the wrong books, and looking at all the wrong guitars for my entire life as a luthier.

I guess so. Sucks to be YOU!!

Just kidding. But here are a few things I noticed on the Trem Route Comparison Chart thread. I don't remember where or when I heard about the offset stud angle thing, but these pix sort of just reinforced that when I read them.

Soapbar's Diagram

KrazyDerek's Diagram

Edited April 20, 2005 by crafty