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RG548 project

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lng pink rg548
11K views 62 replies 20 participants last post by  TruckstopChuckie 
#1 · (Edited)
RG548 project (w/pics)

Hi folks.

I'm kinda new to this forum after lurking around for some time.
I've never really been a 80's/shredder/w***er kinda guitarist, so I've sticked to my Fender's, but I've always wanted a heavy rock guitar, so here goes...

Just picked up this dreadful RG548 body. It used to have a natural finish, but some of it's previous owners really wanted a black guitar. Of course, the result is horrible, but I do think it's saveable.

The wood starts to appear pretty quickly, so it won't take that much effort to restore it to it's sort of original condition.

I wanted to paint it either pink or green (LNG), but seeing the grains in the trem cavity makes me think of 'root beer'....

So what do you guys think?





 
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#33 ·
I'm getting there. Final coat of pink has been sprayed on (I think it's five coats, but they're really thin so I keep sanding down to the primer now and then, so it's taking a lot work covering up the blems I'm making) and the clear coat is just around the corner. Just have to do the final sanding/buffing (2000 grit paper and maybe even polishing).
I've given up on trying to get it all straight and even, so I'm just using sandpaper and fingers on the spots that won't straighten out using a sanding block. In my eyes it looks good enough.

I tried to paint the trem cavity green, but messed it up using a different brand of spray. Had to sand it down and paint it pink again.

Well, pictures...









I'm waiting for the postman to drop a black floyd rose special down in my mailbox.

To keep the cost down I'm thinking about going for white 'buckers from GFS (for all I know, maybe the guitar doesn't turn out any good?!?)...
 
#37 ·
....
I've given up on trying to get it all straight and even, so I'm just using sandpaper and fingers on the spots that won't straighten out using a sanding block. In my eyes it looks good enough......
I made a suggestion on page 2. You put in a lot of effort so far. Why not make it right first time? It won't take all that much more effort or time.

Whichever way, good work. Keep it up.
 
#43 ·
Well, both 'yes' and 'no'...

The 'yes' is that it has got three more coats of pink. The 'no' is that the layers haven't been wetsanded yet.

Things are busy at school nowadays so I haven't got a lot of time noodling around with this project. I'm planning on getting the paint job finished (pink and clear coating) by Christmas and maybe get it all put together by the end of January. Still missing a lot of parts (pickups, pickguard, edge studs and locking nut), but I'll see what comes up next week (going to New York on Saturday).
 
#47 ·
Things are going slowly at the moment, haven't done anything to it in about a month. Got some stuff from GFS yesterday and I did a mockup just to get an idea of how it will turn out. The pickguard is on it's way, but I might change my mind. I kind of like the look of it without the pickguard. It looks very 80's. Gotta shave of my facial hair and get a wig.

 
#49 ·
Thanks! :)

As for the pickups, I totally agree. I thought the zebra was white/black and not cream/black. What I had in mind (after leaving the idea of yellow pickups) was a double white in the bride, black single coil and white/black zebra in the neck on a black pickguard, making it look like a hum/single from distance, like a pickguard equipped 565 but without the reverse headstock.

I've also run across some issues with the pickups. I guess it's a well known problem. The screw polepieces on the humbuckers are somewhat in the way. Is it possible to shorten the screws (or put differently: will I ruin the pickups if I remove them, shorten them and then put them back in), or will I have to get the pickup cavities re-routed?
 
#52 ·
you did a great job spraying that body. I was way to hasty when I did mine, so I got a few drips, but you look like you're really paying attention to detail. Oddly enough, I painted a friends pink RG black, and you're painting a black one pink. Must be black-pink karma or something.

Let us know how it plays when it's all built up! Nice work
 
#54 ·
This project has been tucked away for too long and it's about time to get things moving. I'm gonna start shooting it with clear coat today, after I've wet sanded a few areas that needed a little 'touch up'.

I put on fake vinyl tree-of-life decals from the 'bay. White pearl looks good, green pearl...., looks really cheezy, just the way I like it. I've changed the neck and middle pickups too. It will have GFS 'Crunch' both in bridge and neck and a rail single coil (6k I think) in the middle.

I'd love a monkey grip, but don't have the right tools to do one.

 
#55 ·


The sun is shining and the weather is nice. This projects needs to be finished, the sooner the better. The weather in norway has been terrible this summer, raining all the time so guitar painting outside has been out of the question.



After several layers of clear coat and more coming. Hopefully it will be ready to be tucked away this evening and letting the top coats maturing and getting ready for final sanding and buffing in the end of november.
 
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