Want To Heavily Modify My Guitar.

[Ham]

Alright here's what I got.

It's my first guitar. An Ibanez SA160 BK

This is what I want to do.

1. Refinish
   
2. Close up the single coil holes and add a humbucker hole
   
3. Fill in the back of the guitar since it has a tremolo system and make it a fixed bridge.
   
4. If possible add binding around the top of the guitar.
   

I saw a tutorial on filling in a tremolo rout on project guitar and I'm going to follow it I think but if anyone can link me to anything better that'd be cool.

I have wood experience and have a router but that is the only tool I have. Would I be able to get all this to work with just a router?

Can anyone link me to a good tutorial on binding?

What are some good/stable fixed bridges in black or even white haha.

Last what are some recommendations for colors? I honestly like purple and the humbucker I have in the bridge is a white SD JB so I was thinking of making the guitar purple with white binding and white knobs and white pickups.

I really don't like Yellow, Orange, and Green.

The neck is also very slow when playing like solos. It has a gloss finish but so does my JEM and that thing plays amazing. Maybe it's just dirty but any recommendations here too?

[pauliemc]

A refinish will be easy, there are lots of finishing tutorials on the forum here. Seeing as you like purple, Why not try a heavy metal flake purple & white swirl ?

Extending the neck pickup route is easy, Just make sure you have a good template. Filling the centre pickup route has its problems. As it means that you will have to compensate for the wiring for the neck pup while you fill the middle route. Id leave it & wire it up like a jem.

A fixed bridge conversion on a trem equiped guitar is not a beginers job. Its not as easy as it looks to get it right. Id stick to the trem. You can Lock a trem in position by putting a small wood block between the body & trem block, Then adding 5 heavy springs & turning up the tension on them. Looks like a trem - but is solid as a hard tail (almost)

As for binding, If this is your first attempt at this kinda thing id stay away from binding an already carved top. Also, the Ibanez S models are realy thin on the edges & look awful with a binding (Trust me. customer wouldent listen, insisted on having it bound, Then hated it, Then had it all rounded out into a kinda JS type thing, so it worked out in the end)

As to this comment.

The neck is also very slow when playing like solos. It has a gloss finish but so does my JEM and that thing plays amazing. Maybe it's just dirty but any recommendations here too?

The difference between an SA160 & a jem is similar to that between a bicycle & a harley davidson. Especially if the Jem is a 7 & not a 555.

But mostly it would be set up & overall build quality that is your problem here.

But good luck with the project. Sounds like it could be cool

[Tim37]

have you considered just biulding a new body?

[DC Ross]

+1. Probably the same amount of effort involved.

[WezV]

Seeing as you like purple, Why not try a heavy metal flake purple & white swirl ?

you have to try that first - and take loads of pics so he has a tutorial to follow

or if you could do purple and black instead - that would be pure awesomeness

[Ham]

Yeah I was thinking about a swirl. Is there any kind of trem that is just swapable with the one I have in black? I"m trying to get some of the stuff to match up. I'll just stay away from the fixed bridge thing.

My Jem is a 7VWH so yeah it is a huge difference but what about fine sanding the gloss off?

[avengers63]

have you considered just building a new body?

+1. Probably the same amount of effort involved.

Agreed to just make the new body. Disagree that I think it would be even less work in the long run to make a new one.

Also, if you make the other body, you'll still have this one if something bad happens.

Don't listen to them about swirling the body. You're a beginner, and that's an advanced paint technique. Crawl before you walk before you run.

[pauliemc]

Seeing as you like purple, Why not try a heavy metal flake purple & white swirl ?

you have to try that first - and take loads of pics so he has a tutorial to follow

or if you could do purple and black instead - that would be pure awesomeness

Might just do that. But not with purple. Not a fan.

[Ham]

Seeing as you like purple, Why not try a heavy metal flake purple & white swirl ?

you have to try that first - and take loads of pics so he has a tutorial to follow

or if you could do purple and black instead - that would be pure awesomeness

Might just do that. But not with purple. Not a fan.

That would be awesome. I've already looked into the process of swirling but I never got around to it. I have painted guitars before but I was just looking for opinions on here.