Wanted a midi RG with Maple fretboard - rolled my own!

[HankMcSpank]

I've always preferred guitars with Maple fretboards (why don't Ibanez make more of them?)

But I also wanted a midi guitar with a floating trem.

Ibanez only make one midi guitar (or did!)...the RG1520GK - trouble is it's a walnut fretboard (& very nice it is too).

The solution to my problem?

Take an RG550 'maple fretboard' bestowed neck (I owned an RG550 already) & put it on the new RG1520GK midi guitar!! Tad dah!!

Got to hand it to the Japanese - even though 6 years separate these two guitars, the tolerances were such that the neck went in no bother & the bolt holes lined up perfectly! No change in string height relative to the body so action remains the same with tthe new neck. (the only downer is I've lost the lovely pearl 'Prestige' Headstock decal that I had with the original new Wizard Prestige neck - still, can't have everything I guess!)

Next phase is to route the back of this new offspring & slap in a Variax transplant!



here's what the RG1520G looked like before...

[Dee]

I like this, it's definitely an improvement in terms of visual niceness, IMO.

Good job!

[jerrye777]

Cool, how does the midi tracking work -- how well?

[kotornut]

Walnut fretboard on the original?

[waylay00]

I thought it was rosewood on the original.

Anyways, the maple looks nice!

[kotornut]

That's what I thought. It is rosewood unless it's a custom shop original. I've never heard of a walnut fretboard.

[HankMcSpank]

You're right - it *is* rosewood on the original, but regardless of what it's made of - it's dark & I don't like it!

Re the tracking - well with a GI-20 it tracks well, but I'm getting a little bit too much false triggering. I'm going to be buying an Axon AX_50 which by all accounts is in a different league.

[kotornut]

Originally Posted by HankMcSpank

You're right - it *is* rosewood on the original, but regardless of what it's made of - it's dark & I don't like it!

Re the tracking - well with a GI-20 it tracks well, but I'm getting a little bit too much false triggering. I'm going to be buying an Axon AX_50 which by all accounts is in a different league.

Okay, that sounds right. But I agree with you. The Maple looks better on that guitar.


I like all the fret board woods, just as long as they're on the right guitar.