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Repairing/restoring My Guitar (ibanez Rx) Where Do I Start?


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PLEASE SEE NEW POST! :D MY FLOYD ROSE DOESN'T FIT! :D

I picked up an Ibanez RX series from a car boot for £10. It was a bargain - even if just for the hard case it came with. The guitar itself was also in pretty good condition (the odd little dink that is hardly noticable) but when it came to the pick-ups, bridge, & scratch plate, it was pretty awful. There were no actual pick-ups, except for a little strip on the underneath of the bridge. Sorry I don't know the technical term! I think it was actually from an electric-acoustic guitar. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think it was right anyway.

I went to work removing the horrible customised aluminium scratch-plate which was jaggedly cut out of stainless steel and had "Mr P" scribed onto it! It was glued on with some kind of resin. I managed to remove it without making any considerable marks, but when I did this, I realised there was a big chunk of the paint/laquer and even some wood missing near the bridge. This shouldn't be too difficult to cover up with a new scratch-plate. The problem I was having, is:

1) What should I buy in the way of pick-ups? There are 3 pick-up gaps - two double & one single. (The single being in the middle).

2) How do I wire it all up - there is no wiring in there!

3) Can I get a larger bridge/trem part, or some kind of plate to go around it, as I have had to take the old wooden bridge off. This has revealed a lot of damage to the paintwork, and covers a larger area than the area covered by a standard sized trem unit.

I'd much appreciate if anyone could help! I don't know the exact model of the guitar. It is a greeny coloured body, with maple neck, and it just says "Ibanez RX series" on the head.

Edited by kilb
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Got pics?

Sounds like someone tried making an acoustic-style electric out of an old RX. If it's routed for a trem, you could just buy a new trem of your choice, a new pickguard (unless it rear-routed), and some new pickups. Wiring's also pretty easy to do once you get all the parts. You could also refinish the thing if it's looking kind of worn.

Someone from the UK will probably chime in at some point and recommend some places over there where you can pick up some new parts. I know Guitarfetish.com is a pretty good place to start for cheap parts, but you may want to look elsewhere for pickups.

Edited by crafty
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Thanks for you help so far! A few more things are confusing me though!

The main problem is the damage to the paint/laquer & woodwork that emerged when I removed the old bridge. I was wondering if there was any kind of pick-guard that I could buy that goes around the back & side of the bridge/trem as well to hide the damage? Failing that I would need a suitable bridge that covered the same area as an acoustic bridge. Also, if I'm buying a pickguard, does it have to be specifically for an Ibanez RX? Are the screw holes in a pick-guard in standard positions? What did you mean by rear-routed?

I am thinking about getting a Floyd Rose Trem, but I am still stuck on the pick-ups. I don't know what is a sensible amount of money to spend on pick-ups. I was budgeting about £50 - £70 for the three pickups (two double 1 single), but obviously if I have to spend more I will. What sort of pick-ups could I buy for this money? The laquer doesn't need re-finishing.

One last question - how do I tell if it is "set up" for a trem? It's got the hole that the trem would sit in, and two alan key bolts. Should there be any fittings on the inside to connect the springs, or will they come with the trem?

Thankyou so much for your help! And sorry for all the questions!

Mike

P.S. I'll take some pics & post them up when I get chance.

Edited by kilb
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Front-routed for pickguard

Rear-routed for pickup rings

As you can see, the standard Strat front-routing setup uses the pickguard to mount all the controls and pickups. The Soloist rear-routed type guitars mount the controls through a cavity routed in the back of the guitar and the pickups to mounting rings on the front. You would probably have to have a pickguard custom made for your guitar because there are few standard shapes on the market.

If the guitar has the hole for the trem and the cavity in the back for the springs, it should just be a matter of buying a new trem with the springs and claw assembly to complete the setup. 50-70 pounds will probably get you some decent Korean-made pickups for all three.

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OK thanks for your help. I won't be needing a pickguard then, because it is a rear-routed guitar. There is still the problem of the damage around the bridge. Maybe I could get some kind of custom-made plate to go around the back/sides of the trem? I'll have a look for some pick-ups today.

Thanks,

Mike :D

Edited by kilb
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OK.... today I bought a Floyd Rose, but there's a problem. The holes that were drilled for a previous trem are not the same width apart. The new pivot screw need to go about 8mm wider apart. This might mean I'm going to have to plug the holes up with something, because I think they just overlap. What would be the best way to do this? What material/gle, etc would you use to plug up the holes? Also, How do I remove the old sockets? The last question would be, when fitting the new nut at the tuning end of the neck, would I be able to cut ithe neck neatly with a hacksaw and a flat file? I don't have a router, otherwise I would do it like that, but I don't want to start spending money on more tools.

Thanks for your help!

Mike

Edited by kilb
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