Ibanez JEM Forum banner
3K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  Bluestreak 
#1 ·
I'm customizing a 7621 and would like to remove the inlays from the original fretboard. I'm hoping that I can do this without being able to see where they used to be after a few minutes of polishing up the fretboard once the inlays are out.

The inlays appear to be almost like they're a "stick on" of some sort, as I could swear I can see wood grain through the el-cheapo silver dots Ibanez installed on the fretboard. I am either going to move the dots to the topside of the neck a la the JPM's or do some custom inlays.

I did a search and it had a few miscellaneous threads explaining how to remove factory inlays, but there was no word on the aftermath of the situation. Any light you all could shed will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

-Roger
 
#2 ·
No way could those be stick on dots. The "grain" you see is probably in the inlay material ... or the grain in the fretboard below the inlays. In either case, once you remove the inlays, you will be left with the recesses cut into the board (usually about .050 inches deep). You will have to fill them in (which would show up a lot) or cover them with some new inlay. If you really want different inlays, you would be better off to replace the fretboard ... at least since you don't want it to show up afterwards. It's gotta be cheaper too ... less labor. You can get a new board, slotted and radiused, for about $15, with no inlays. You'll need frets, but you have to do that anyway if you are redoing the inlays.
 
#3 ·
Where can I get the fretboard, and how hard would it be for a novice but very well versed do it yourselfer to replace the frets? I've accomplished quite a bit using the online tutorials.

I kind of wanted a maple fretboard and smaller frets anyway.

-Roger
 
#4 ·
Bluestreak said:
...and how hard would it be for a novice but very well versed do it yourselfer to replace the frets? I've accomplished quite a bit using the online tutorials.

I kind of wanted a maple fretboard and smaller frets anyway.

-Roger
Yes, it is quite feasible to do a refret yourself, but I would advise doing at least a couple of refrets on a practice/cheap neck, before you touch your 7621 neck. This is not a comment on your abilities, of course, just that fretting seems simple in concept but an art in actual execution, i.e., takes practice to get the right touch, in my humble opinion. And buy plenty of fretwire, more than you think you need!

Good luck and regards!

wemedge
 
#5 ·
I'd agree with that. Try someplace like stewmac.com or lmii.com for fretboard blanks. Lots of other places too. You can get whatever wood and frets you want.

Practicing is always a good idea. You could practice on your old board if you are replacing it. Or even consider buying an extra board to practice with.

Do some reading/studying first before you jump in to decide if you want to do it yourself. It is doable if you take your time. You will need some tools, though -- especially if you are going to do the fret work.
 
#6 ·
Time constraints being what they are (I'm trying to finish this guitar in the next 8 weeks) replacing the fretboard may become a future endeavor.

Nobody carries a 16.93" (430 mm) radiused fretboard in 25.5" scale pre-slotted for frets. To do the job properly, I'd have to get a blank board, cut my own radiusing block, sand to the proper radius (by my calculations, if I used a 16" radius board from a luthierie, I'd only have to shave 0.0024" off the center of the board to get a 16.93" radius) and then cut slots for the frets. I just won't have time at this point.

I think I am still going to pull the frets and go with a smaller fretwire as well as polish up the existing fretboard with some 600+ grit paper. I'll still have to make my own radiused sanding block, but that will come in handy in the future. I'll remove the dots and get some abalone ones... we'll see how it turns out. I may not want to go to a maple fretboard if I can polish up the existing one to my liking.

Thanks for the help.

-Roger
 
#7 ·
Bluestreak said:
Nobody carries a 16.93" (430 mm) radiused fretboard in 25.5" scale pre-slotted for frets. To do the job properly, I'd have to get a blank board, cut my own radiusing block, sand to the proper radius (by my calculations, if I used a 16" radius board from a luthierie, I'd only have to shave 0.0024" off the center of the board to get a 16.93" radius)
Surely you'd never be able to tell the difference between 16.93" radius and 16" radius (0.0024" is nothing)? I use 16" radius for customs and can't tell between that and my standard Ibanez fingerboards. But yes, as long as you're familiar with the tools used then you should have a go at inlaying, refretting and changing fingerboards - once you start you begin to look at every guitar differently (more in terms of how much nicer you could make it than how it is at the moment - although I'm a sucker for having 'projects' anyway ;-)).
Rich
 
#8 ·
Serratus said:
Surely you'd never be able to tell the difference between 16.93" radius and 16" radius (0.0024" is nothing)? I use 16" radius for customs and can't tell between that and my standard Ibanez fingerboards. But yes, as long as you're familiar with the tools used then you should have a go at inlaying, refretting and changing fingerboards - once you start you begin to look at every guitar differently (more in terms of how much nicer you could make it than how it is at the moment - although I'm a sucker for having 'projects' anyway ;-)).
Rich
Rich,

I hear what you're saying. I actually went in CADD and drew it up to verify how large the difference would be in radii from 16" to 16.93", and sure enough, it was 0.0024". It may be thinner than gnat's wing, but to someone who's a.) a perfectionist and b.) doing a refit for the first time on a high quality instrument, I'd prefer things be as close to perfect as I can get them! I'll route myself a 430-mm radius sanding board next time I'm at my grandfather's woodshop. For now, I think I'm going to polish up what's already on the guitar - and abalone dots from Stewmac will only cost a few dollars, and it'll replace those POS cheap plastic dots that are in there now...

And I'm already thinking about picking up an RG5xx and "improving" it when I'm done with this one. I'm just glad I have a very understanding wife. ;)

-R
 
#10 ·
Just an update...

I pulled the dots out of the fretboard and then started trying to polish the existing rosewood. Talk about polishing a turd... it was awful even after being shined up and oiled. I went on EvilBay and won a piece of nice Brazilian bloodwood... check out auction number 7318796131 to see it. You know how we can't link to it from here 'n all... :rolleyes:

Today at the office, in AutoCAD, I drew up the blank wood, got the specs for a 7-string fretboard off this site, then laid out the pattern for the fretboard and the where I'll need to score the board for frets. I printed it up on a piece of transparency. When the wood gets here, use the template to make the fretboard and score it for the frets. I ordered a couple of tools from Stewmac that I'll need to do the job.

When I got home tonight, I steamed up the old board. The scarf joint separated a little on the top side of the fretboard, but I glued it down and supported it in a vice with some homemade cauls to keep pressure on the neck. I'll leave it like that for a couple of days so it binds tightly. In the mean time, I've got plenty more sanding to do on the body...

And I designed my logo, which a friend who works at a graphics shop will be cutting for me. It'll be a tribute to the Ibanez logo, but a little different, and I'm going to do my name like the signature artists do on the headstock. I think it's going to be a cool idea.

This is tooooo much work, but man, I can't wait to see the end result.

-Roger
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top