Got a J-Custom, disappointed with the rust & corrosion

johnmatrix · #1 08-21-2009, 07:23 AM

Hi all,

I recently purchased a used RG8470F from Japan, and I received it today. It's a beautiful guitar in every way, but I'm a little disappointed that there is so much rust & corrosion on it, it's only a couple of years old. Just about all the screws are rusted, the Gotoh tuners are pitted, the bridge is the worst though. The saddles are badly rusted, pitted and have what appear to be raised bubbles underneath the surface that I can't exactly clean off.

Why don't they make parts especially the saddles out of a metal that isn't going to rust away to nothing? They could use stainless steel, seriously it doesn't cost that much. They could even use tungsten carbide for the knife edges (which are also rusted) and they will last longer than the owner his or herself. As part of my business I order tungsten carbide parts from China for use in different applications, and the parts only cost a few dollars each. I've tried scratching that stuff and it's near impossible. It could be used for the saddles and it will never rust, scratch or dent and your strings will be on a perfectly smooth safe surface for the life of the guitar. It has a hardness rating of 9, with diamond being a 10. It is used for drilling into rock, so believe me when I say it is extremely tough.

Instead I end up with this mess on a 2-3 year old guitar...

I'm certainly no professional guitarist, I've only been playing for a year.. but why can't they get this right? There are such obvious and cost effective fixes for these issues. Are they doing it so you have to buy replacement parts sooner than later? I haven't had a chance to play it yet because I want to get all this clean before setting it up.

Homebake · #2 08-21-2009, 07:25 AM

uh, there's guitars from the 80s which have been kept in good condition and look way better than that. i'd say the previous owner was just an idiot or lived like...right at the sea or something.

Rich · #3 08-21-2009, 07:29 AM

You bought a used guitar from what is basically an island. No different from buying guitars that have lived at the shore in the US. The big question is why you would buy it in that condition to begin with? Are you trying to pass the blame onto Ibanez for a poor decision on your part?

johnmatrix · #4 08-21-2009, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich

You bought a used guitar from what is basically an island. No different from buying guitars that have lived at the shore in the US. The big question is why you would buy it in that condition to begin with? Are you trying to pass the blame onto Ibanez for a poor decision on your part?

Yes I am new to buying guitars, especially used ones from overseas, and I take responsibility for not being thorough enough. I'm sure I will love it once I get it cleaned up as much as possible, I haven't even had a chance to play it yet.

Based on what you're saying, since the J-custom is for the Japanese market only, why wouldn't they anticipate rust issues? that sounds like a poor decision on Ibanez's part. Is it really that difficult to put in stainless steel saddles at the very least?

I know many people are going to be very defensive about what I'm saying, and I don't mean any disrespect! I'm just trying to understand why the best\most expensive line of Ibanez guitars especially being designed for the island that is Japan, would ignore impending rust issues.

Homebake · #5 08-21-2009, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnmatrix

Yes I am new to buying guitars, especially used ones from overseas, and I take responsibility for not being thorough enough. I'm sure I will love it once I get it cleaned up as much as possible, I haven't even had a chance to play it yet.

Based on what you're saying, since the J-custom is for the Japanese market only, why wouldn't they anticipate rust issues? that sounds like a poor decision on Ibanez's part. Is it really that difficult to put in stainless steel saddles at the very least?

I know many people are going to be very defensive about what I'm saying, and I don't mean any disrespect! I'm just trying to understand why the best\most expensive line of Ibanez guitars especially being designed for the island that is Japan, would ignore impending rust issues.

the rust issue is caused mainly by bad treatment by a previous owner i'm pretty sure.

UV-7-BK · #6 08-21-2009, 07:53 AM

Is that one of the photos the seller sent you? ...or when you recieved it?

IbanezFreak777 · #7 08-21-2009, 08:04 AM

Dude
I have 2 J Customs from 1999 and I dont have any rust what so ever...

looks like you got slightly screwed over, cause if had seen that i would not have bought it...

But then again, I never buy a guitar unless im holding it my hands first... or I trust the seller I am buying from... like a reputable seller like Rich

Just a stupid rule I like to make for myself..

johnmatrix · #8 08-21-2009, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UV-7-BK

Is that one of the photos the seller sent you? ...or when you recieved it?

That's a photo I just took after taking the trem out to clean it. I was only told about the very few scratches & slight chips on the guitar by the seller (Ishibashi). I have contacted them about it, because I did ask for the condition of the trem and whether there was any corrosion on it, and they never exactly answered that question. They did send me seperate pictures to show the scratches and dents though. I just really wanted the guitar and assumed it would be fine.

Anyway it sounds like this is a pretty extreme case of bad treatment, so I won't do any more Ibanez bad-mouthing. I noticed the little saddles where the string sits actually pop out, and are fresh metal underneath, so I'll scrape off as much rust as possible and flip it over so its nice and clean on top. Might upload a picture when it's done.

ibz_SA · #9 08-21-2009, 08:21 AM

Let this be a good lesson my friend. Always look on the bright side, it could be much worse.

metalgod72 · #10 08-21-2009, 09:37 AM

It could be soy sauce.
Just trying to be funny, not offend anyone

johnmatrix · #11 08-21-2009, 10:21 AM

Does anyone know how the tremolos are coloured? I'm pretty sure all these little tiny lumps on the surface are pockets of rust underneath, and I suppose they need to be removed so I am considering just using a dremel type tool and polishing the trem saddles back to the bare metal, hopefully smoothing out the surface and taking care of the rust.

Bluestreak · #12 08-21-2009, 10:30 AM

My '91 has cosmo-black hardware with less pitting, and I live in coastal Florida where cars left outside start to rust overnight. You can't really do much about pitting once it starts, any grinding will expose the pot metal beneath and remove the finish altogehter. I'd find a new unit to replace that one. With a little time, you're bound to find somebody selling one on EvilBay or in the Jemsite classifieds. Good luck... it's a shame someone took such poor care of a good instrument.

-R

UV-7-BK · #13 08-21-2009, 10:55 AM

dude, i think you werent careful enough in your purchase.....because of that, this is your end result unfortunately!!

Looks like its been heavily gigged and just slammed in the case..no cleaning...no care.... ......shame

Get a new bridge from Rich and your set!!

cm_17 · #14 08-21-2009, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich

You bought a used guitar from what is basically an island. No different from buying guitars that have lived at the shore in the US.

In the stores in Japan, many used guitars on display had bridges that looked like somebody had poured acid over them in the past, although the body, neck, etc. looked meticulous. As Rich said, it's an incredibly humid area. I also just got a '94 S540 from Florida that was only lightly played - but all the frets and hardware shows different degrees of corrosion. Important point to check with sellers from humid areas.

johnmatrix · #15 08-21-2009, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UV-7-BK

dude, i think you werent careful enough in your purchase.....because of that, this is your end result unfortunately!!

Looks like its been heavily gigged and just slammed in the case..no cleaning...no care.... ......shame

Get a new bridge from Rich and your set!!

Yeah, lesson learnt as someone said above... luckily the neck looks perfectly clean and the frets look almost new, so whoever owned it must have just had a very sweaty right hand to do all the damage and never did any string bends, because I can't see any wear at all.

There is slightly more to the purchase story than I made out. When I initially asked all the questions about the guitar, I was told there were only very light picking scratches on the front. Then after I paid for it in full the very friendly guy I was dealing with said he found out there were a few small chips in the paint on the back that he didn't know about, which he sent a bunch of pictures of and asked if I still wanted the guitar. He said he would include 2 sets of ernie ball strings because of the mistake. I said no worries I still want the guitar, and figured gee if he was that worried about these tiny little chips in the paint to send me pictures\throw in free strings and ask if I still wanted it, even after paying for it, everything else must be in tiptop shape. How wrong I was eh! I have emailed them and I will let everyone know how it goes.

Meanwhile I've done my best to clean it, but I'm still not happy because I know the rust is lurking there under the surface eating away like a tooth cavity. I don't think the 'relic' phenomenon goes down too well on Ibanez guitars does it? haha

I seem to attract bad tremolos, I recently sent my Jackson DKMG back to the manufacturer under warranty because the anchor posts weren't centered and the bridge was hitting the cavity on one side when I pulled up on the whammy. They've decided to replace it so I'm waiting on that too...