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Custom S370DX build

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s370dx
1K views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  ddcmiller 
#1 ·
So, I bought a S370DX and thought I was going to try my had at a swirl job. Little did I know when I purchased this guitar from GTR center online that it would have all the problems it did.

You can see in the pics that the previous owner tried to file the frets or scallop the fretboard, either way there is some damage that GTR center didn't tell me about. Shame on me for not asking more questions. There were two of the string lock blocks missing and the single coil had been screwed down so tight that the wires were just about cut through. Gave all that stuff to my buddy.

So, all my plans changed when I started sanding it down to get rid of this horrible purple and, discovered it was painted a baby blue first. Once I got through the paint jobs I found that it was made from a great piece of Mahogany. It started off life as gray meteor metallic then painted baby blue which; you can see the remnants of that in the jack hole then finally this purple. What a crime to have covered up this wood shame on Ibanez.

Now, I was down to the sealer which, was extremely thick. I first sanded it; only on the front and back, with 80 grit making sure to stay very even with how much I was taking off so as not to go through any one spot first. Once I got close to the wood I switched to 180 grit and then gave it a final sand of 320 grit. Never concentrating on any one area. I tried the heatgun trick that some people suggest doing; on the sides, and at first it seemed promising. As the sealer got hot it started to let loose but it became very clear that the wood burns very easy.These burns did sand out very easy also.

Now, once I got to the sealer which; while sanding smelled exactly like fiberglass resin, I discovered a crack in the body. Any ideas on how to fix this would be greatly appreciated.

I am going to sand the headstock down and apply a Mahogany veneer to match the body. All the hardware will be powder cosmo from a RG5EX1, the pewter looking stuff. I think it complements the Mahogany very well. I will be painting one of my black edge trems this same color and also the jack hole. I think it will look fantastic when done.

I am going to make my own silk screen to reapply the logo which, Mungojerrie from here at jemsite Photoshopped for me from my S370DX headstock, thanks man.

I will be adding a set of evos DP158, DP159, and ISCV2 to replace the original powersound pickups.

So let me know what you think so far and if anyone can give me any advice on fixing the crack. Thanks will update as I go.

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#4 · (Edited)
Well it's getting close to done. While dealing with the headstock veneer I noticed the body got dinged somehow. So, I tried the steam method and it worked great ding is gone. I have one of the neck pocket cracks repaired but it has a dark line that I can't get rid of, the wood got a little discolored from the heatgun I used to get the sealer off. Anyway here are some picks of the ding.
 
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