my rg3120 problems/needed adjustments

[Chritar]

well, my 1998 3120 is great, i bought a couple months ago or something like that..anyways, i knoticed these few problems early on but decided they werent a big deal. the two problems, are that the 17th frett isnt dead but the notes dont sustain as much and they sound rattly as if theyre being muted. most notably on the a and d string. i dont want to raise the action too much to avoid that and i would rather not pay a luthier to fix her up. i was wondering if i got a frett leveling tool off of stewmac.com if that could help..would lowering all the fretts a slight amount after the 17th frett do much? or would it ruin it?

the second problem is a bit more simple i hope. well, this guitar is old and it has a lot of cosmetic scuffs and clear coat cracks and what not. i dont really care about that..but the seller that i bought it off said his friend who owned it before had dropped it on stage and got --ed when it happened because he payed a lot for the guitar(list when it released was 1500 us) and that drop cracked the lower horn and what not..yadda yadda, its fine..but i knoticed the high e string is considerably close to the edge of the board and when i play on that string i always frett off where on all my other ibanez's i dont. it looks as though the neck has more space on the lower end, so is there a way i can straighten it out to give more treble side space?

i also knotice the wizard on my 3120 is not as wide frettboard-wise as my 550 reissue, i prefer the 550 feel. but the frett work on the 3120 is nicer, minus the 17th frett

thanks for any help

[albee1952]

Actually, the fretboard width should be the same but the thicker Ultra neck profile of the 3120 may just make it seem different. I love the 3120 neck and have 2 now. Fret leveling may solve your problem BUT if you are not experienced at this procedure, please DO NOT learn it on a nice guitar. Start on some cheap necks and develop the skill for this before attacking your 3120. 1 or 2 high frets should be a simple fix for a good luthier and it will be money well spent. As for the seconmd problem, it sounds like the neck is shifted in the pocket a bit. I would loosen the neck screws just a little and tweak the neck so the string spacing is even on both E strings, then retighten the screws. If it won't stay in place, you can try cutting a pice of sanding screen(home depot for drywall) and placing it in the pocket and re-attach the neck. The gritty screen bites into the wood a little and helps keep the neck wherever you tighten it. BTW, the 550 neck and 3120 neck are interchangeable as long as both are AANJ heels.

[Chritar]

thanks for the info, it is very appreciated seeing as your the only person who replied to this, aswell as on the ibanez forum(no one replied) and your reply is very helpfull...and no, my 20th 550 is square heel joint. that would look kinda funky having a dy headstock on my blue/greenish 3120...i would do it though for a temporary solution

[albee1952]

DOH!! Forgot about that re-issue heel. The mid to late 90's model 550's had the AANJ. I kind of think they blew it by going back to the old heel.