Ibanez Refinish

[trashman]

ok so i have this ibanez (lower end model) came stock black w/ black pickgaurd, 2 humbuckers and a standard strat style trem. what i want to do is strip the paint, add a curly maple veneer, stain it black and add a floyd. my question is this, i dont want to use the pickgaurd when its finished-i.e no pickgaurd. is a thin maple veneer strong enough to hold the electronic componets (vol. tone switch, p.u. selector) or do i need to fill in this front routed body and rerout from the back? is this possible or does anyone have any better ideas? also the body is made of alder, if i fill in the control cavity, would a block of mohagany in there be enough to add just a small amount of lower end? any help would be awesome.

[brewu22]

Normally a regular veneer is very thin, like 1/32", and that would not support the controls. I am told that doing a veneer job is not for the beginner, the job sounds simple, but it is not. My opinion is to make a new body, it would be much easier than patching holes and putting a veneer on a pre-shaped body. Just my .02

[Muzz]

I agree with brewu22, veneer can look fantastic if applied by an expert and really scheisenhaus if not , a new body is the way to go, and then you can do a paint refinish on the old body to build up a 2nd project.

[axxion]

take it from a guy who did EXACTLY what your thinking. I had an RG200B that i wanted to add a veneer on as my first project.

I made so many mistakes I cant even tell you. Now the thing is nothing but nice looking fire wood. (not gonna burn it though)

If you are thinking of sanding down the original body, take these precautions.

1. If there is primer, DON'T SHORTCUT IT. The ONLY way to get good results in my opinion is to SAND IT DOWN. Start at a low grit like 50 and end at 600 or so.

2. CUT THE VENEER WITH AN EXACTO. I'm assured that your smarter than this, but just to make it clear, don't use a kitchen knife.

3. MEASURE REPEATEDLY.

4. Don't go fast on staining. I'd say the biggest lesson is patience.

I found a page on google about a guy that professionally refinished an ibanez himself complete with veneer and all. I'm sure someone could provide a link...

But anyways, I agree with everyone else here. Make a new body. It sounds like more work, but in the end, it is far worth it. Imagine if you botched up the original body like I did.

Edited December 9, 2007 by axxion

[thunder54]

Hey I have aIbanez MTM2 black the fininsh on is this veneer? have broken headstock.Glued it back And trying to replace missing veneer???? If veneer is It just painted black & clear-coat???? Thanks

[killemall8]

take it from a guy who did EXACTLY what your thinking. I had an RG200B that i wanted to add a veneer on as my first project.

I made so many mistakes I cant even tell you. Now the thing is nothing but nice looking fire wood. (not gonna burn it though)

If you are thinking of sanding down the original body, take these precautions.

1. If there is primer, DON'T SHORTCUT IT. The ONLY way to get good results in my opinion is to SAND IT DOWN. Start at a low grit like 50 and end at 600 or so.

2. CUT THE VENEER WITH AN EXACTO. I'm assured that your smarter than this, but just to make it clear, don't use a kitchen knife.

3. MEASURE REPEATEDLY.

4. Don't go fast on staining. I'd say the biggest lesson is patience.

I found a page on google about a guy that professionally refinished an ibanez himself complete with veneer and all. I'm sure someone could provide a link...

But anyways, I agree with everyone else here. Make a new body. It sounds like more work, but in the end, it is far worth it. Imagine if you botched up the original body like I did.

why would you sand down the primer if it is already on there? i dont see the point to that. factory primer is very good

[axxion]

why would you sand down the primer if it is already on there? i dont see the point to that. factory primer is very good

i wanted the would grain to show on the back. i was young and didn't realize the value and the beauty of just a woodgrained top and solid black back.