Stripping Ibanez S320 Questions

[Ryan350DX]

I'm probably going to buy the Ibanez S320. It is open pore, which means it doesnt have a nice smooth finish on it, but instead a black paint over an aged wood look. What I want to do is Strip all of the paint off and put a nice clear clear finish on it to give it that Ibanez S5470 look. Woodgrain is my favorite look on a guitar.

Ibanez S320:

Ibanez S5470:

I would use chemicals to remove the paint, and a good clear coat finish, making sure to scrape all the paint the same direction and being sure not to gouge the body.

Has anyone done this with this particular guitar.

Ive never torn a guitar apart to work on a body before, But I have worked with wood and stained before. Can anyone give me some tips on removing the hardware of a guitar, Bridge, pickups, neck.

The reason I picked this guitar is because its cheaper than the rest and can still sound good with a Nice Tone Zone bridge pickup and Air Norton Neck.

Ive been to project guitar but I didn't see a page on taking a guitar apart. Im sure I could do it but Id rather have someone explain a good process on taking stuff off.. Thanks Guys

[Spudman]

I don't think you'll get the color out of the wood. Since it has been finished and left open pored then the stain has soaked down into the wood. It would take sanding to get all the color out. For a little extra $ you could get the finish you want without all the hassle. What is your time worth and what if the cheaper one doesn't come out like you hoped?

[NeglectedField]

Enjoy your S320 and modding it! It's a great axe. I think Spudman is right, it's most likely stained through. Your best bet is to just enjoy that S320 as it is then when you've got more money, trade it for an S5470.

Tell you what though, I'm not looking forward to having to adjust the intonation, I've restrung with a heavier gauge and the intonation's right out of whack on the D and/or G.

[andyt]

stripped mine, came off really easy with a sander in about a half hour.


few coats of tru oil on it

[EvoGiant]

looks nice!

[Ryan350DX]

WOW, can you tell me the process and how to take the hardware and stuff out the correct way? and do you have any pictures of the steps?

[Von Styne]

Ryan, I think that guitar looks cool with the black. But that's probably because I got a natural finish. It would go nice with a natural in a guitar collection.

Andy that guitar looks cool. Has a bit of a blonde look which is a little different than the common stain/finish on the Ibys.

as far as disassembly,1st remove all the strings with the guitar laying face up. Then hold the bridge to the guitar as you flip it over and remove the tremolo springs. Pull the bridge out carefully.

Then to remove the neck, lay the guitar face down on a flat surface with a towel or any soft fabric.Then just use a phillips screw driver and remove the screws from the neck. same with everything else, phillips screwdriver. Make sure to keep track of where the parts go.

Now all that should be left to do is remove the pickups. If you feel comfortable with a soldering iron, just heat up the solder and pull the wire off gently. use some alligator clips to keep the heat from damaging the electronics.

That project I just finished with my S540 was only my 2nd project. Now that I learned a lot more I'm going to try to fix some things on my 1st project. Good luck Ryan

[Ryan350DX]

Thanks a lot man,

I've removed SAT type trems before, but Ive never taken off a neck or the actually guts of a pickup, output jack or the selector switch. I have a sustainer in my guitar and I've taken out the chipboard 3 times .

[Von Styne]

No prob. Post some pics when you can.

[Von Styne]

how's the project going?

[Ryan350DX]

It's going to be a while before I buy this guitar man. I just wanted to see if it was do-able. I gotta buy a vehicle before I think about buying a guitar hehe. Thanks for your concern, I will certainly tell everyone about the project in the future when I attempt it.