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Restoring a 2002 JS1000

12K views 50 replies 14 participants last post by  Algiman 
#1 ·
Hey all, new member here. I've just acquired a 2002 JS1000 for a great price. But, with that great price comes a project. Finish has some dings and scratches in some sad places on the body and headstock. Ibanez logo looks to be corroding somehow. Pickup rings are worn and corroding. Trem looks to be in the same boat. Pickups look decent but the tape is filthy from what I can see Neck is in good shape but I can feel the bubinga stripe, so it may need some work there too.

It's not all bad news. The frets and board are in good shape and the pickups work, though I am going to re-tape them.

I have a refinish scheduled for May. I have some color ideas in mind, leading contenders are a candy green or candy blue. But I'm open to suggestions. Likewise, I am going to try to clean the bridge up as best I can, but I am leaning towards replacing it with a chrome Edge with rings, knobs, and tuners to match. Does anyone have any tips or tutorials on how to best clean up the existing bridge?

Thanks all.

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#2 ·
I had a similar experience except with a 2006 - those are great guitars to find for cheap.

Route I went was to swap out the Cosmo Black hardware with Chrome hardware from a JS1200 - fortunately I was able to sell the JS1200 with Cosmo Black hardware to get some $$$ back.

At the end of the day, I had the guitar custom painted with a JS25ART finish: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AqLwm-X6--9hgpZPuk3XZkzZ1_GSDQ?e=ksFEf6

Good luck on your project!!!

-sc-
 
#5 ·
That hardware will likely come up looking like almost new chrome hardware if you polish all the components with a metal polish such as Auto-sol. I've done this with a bunch of hardware, and it looks so much better when done. ;)

Restoring a corroded bridge ? Lone Phantom

Old post from my blog, but it definitely works well.
Thanks for the tips and link! That cleaned up nice!

Awesome find man. If the hardware is pitted... It will not come out. If you use metal polish it will shine but the texture will remain. When it comes to refinishing I've always loved metal flake candy paint! It just shimmers and looks so damn good. I refurbished a 540 Radius last year, repainted it an emerald metallic green. Looks awesome! It's similar to the HAM Js guitars but doesn't change to purple. It's an early 90's ford paint code.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/144tTy22v_mGeJjELt0Gigw9aR8BNY6Vc/view?usp=drivesdk

Finding hardware is hit or miss. Unless you bite the bullet and buy new. Make sure you keep your bridge saddle shims though if you wind up getting a replacement edge from some other model that isn't a satch guitar.
That Radius looks great! Thanks for sharing. I'm more of a lime/emerald green guy myself, so that's the leading contender right now. But the a candy midnight blue is also tempting me.

Yeah, the hardware is what it is. I'll do my best with it, either polishing it up like LonePhantom suggested, or just cleaning it up and getting as much rust off as possible. Given that I am already having the guitar refinished by a notable pro, I'll probably bite that bullet and get a new chrome Edge and hardware.

Question regarding the skunk stripe on the neck if anyone can lend some advice. I can feel the bubinga swelling out a touch. Should I assume it will need to be sanded out and refinished as well?
 
#4 · (Edited)
Awesome find man. If the hardware is pitted... It will not come out. If you use metal polish it will shine but the texture will remain. When it comes to refinishing I've always loved metal flake candy paint! It just shimmers and looks so damn good. I refurbished a 540 Radius last year, repainted it an emerald metallic green. Looks awesome! It's similar to the HAM Js guitars but doesn't change to purple. It's an early 90's ford paint code.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/144tTy22v_mGeJjELt0Gigw9aR8BNY6Vc/view?usp=drivesdk

Finding hardware is hit or miss. Unless you bite the bullet and buy new. Make sure you keep your bridge saddle shims though if you wind up getting a replacement edge from some other model that isn't a satch guitar.
 
#6 ·
I've never heard of a stripe bulging out... The only part of wood on the neck that is exposed it the fingerboard. Is the neck warped at all? Gathering that the hardware is pitted and the wood is swelling... I'd be worried that it was left in a damp place causing all those symptoms. It wouldn't hurt to get some gauges on that neck to see if it's the only problem. If all seems well, if the feeling of that stripe doesn't bother you, then leave it be. But if it's going to annoy you... Even knowing that it's like that. Then you may need to sand it out.
 
#7 ·
I plugged it in and fiddled with it just to make sure the pickups were functional and what not and I didn't feel anything odd with the neck outside of the stripe issue. It will likely drive me insane, so I may have it sanded out a bit. Obviously gonna have to be careful about that, as I'd hate to change the profile much.
 
#10 ·
The original edge will work fine. All you need to do is remove the shims under your middle saddles to reuse on the replacement. So even if you can find a good price on a used one in great condition, it can be from any Ibanez model, just make sure you keep your old shims.

And if it doesn't have shim then it has a different base plate meant for a 9" radius board. you can always buy some Floyd rose saddle shim and shim the new(ish) bridge you get.

My js24p has shim under the saddles. so saddle shim will work just fine.
 
#11 ·
The original edge will work fine. All you need to do is remove the shims under your middle saddles to reuse on the replacement. So even if you can find a good price on a used one in great condition, it can be from any Ibanez model, just make sure you keep your old shims.

And if it doesn't have shim then it has a different base plate meant for a 9" radius board. you can always buy some Floyd rose saddle shim and shim the new(ish) bridge you get.

My js24p has shim under the saddles. so saddle shim will work just fine.
Good to know! Yup, mine has shims. I'll hang on to them.
 
#12 ·
Great project! I did the exact same thing in November with a black pearl JS1000 and ended up going with a "Muscle Car Purple" finish, which turned out really nice. You can see all the details on the ReRanch refinishing forum (looks like I still can't post links), just search for "Stripping and refinishing poly"

Regarding hardware, I had some of the same issues with the cosmo black. I have power coating equipment and attempted to chrome the trem, knobs and pick-up rings (it wouldn't have worked well on the tuners, so just bought new Gotoh ones). Honestly the chrome powder coating didn't turn out that great, not bright/shiny enough, more like a gray chroming. So I ended up purchasing new knobs and pickup rings, but kept the trem and will just deal with the mediocre chrome. I looked into getting it all professionally re-chromed locally, but with a basic setup fee and service it was going to be a minimum of $75. Still cheaper than a new Edge, but I just wanted to get it done (BTW - purchasing an at-home chroming kit was cost-prohibitive too, about $200-$300). I really wish I would have know about LonePhantom's trem cleaning page and AutoSol, would've saved me some headache, oh well.

Anyways, I think it'll be a great project, I really enjoyed mine. Happy to answer other questions.
 
#14 ·
I agree about the Cosmo black. Now if it was a metal flake orange color with Cosmo black hardware... That would look awesome! But the chrome hardware was why I always liked the js1200 over the js1000... Black Pearl would have looked better with chrome because the contrast would make the hardware pop.
 
#18 ·
I have three of the 24 fret models, 2410 2450 and 2480. I don't think there's any difference in sound, I mean the alder guitars sound great but that's not about frets, for me it's about the look, they just looked better. and I don't really care about having two more frets
 
#22 ·
This brings up an interesting question. Should I stick with the PAF Pro and FRED? Mind you, my Satch fandom goes back to when I was like 7 and Blue Dream came out. Those are the pickups I grew up knowing Satch used.

Are the PAF Joe, Mo' Joe, and Satchur8 pickups any good in comparison? Now obviously they're "good" in that they ended up in production guitars and I'm sure Joe used them. But in comparison to the classic configuration, I have no idea what might be more preferable. Unfortunately, YouTube comparison videos seem to be few and far between.

Anyone have any thoughts on the matter?
 
#20 ·
I've never played a 24 fret JS.
The 22 fret ones play great and are really nicely balanced. I think the only time I've ever wished I had the extra 2 frets was when trying to play Eugines Trick Bag. Which I still can't do very well and let's be honest it's more than the missing frets stopping me nailing that one 😉

Back on topic that purple finish looks great!
 
#23 ·
I have the satchur8 in a mahogany guitar and a basswood guitar. It sounds insanely good, very thick and full tone. It's high output though. The Fred according to DiMarzio has an output of 305, the satchur8 is 375 and has an alnico 8 magnet which gives it the increase in output. It does have nice dynamics for a high output pickup though. Especially with a high pass filter.

I have 2 JS guitars with the mo Joe and they sound excellent. I actually removed the Fred because I didn't care for the tone character. The mo Joe is the Freds bones... With a bit more balls and clarity. It's output is 320. It's the Fred... But with "more". One of my guitars has the mo Joe and paf Joe and it's my favorite for tones with double humbuckers. The paf Joe is by far my favorite neck humbucker. Go to DiMarzio's website and read about them.

I personally wouldn't own a guitar with the Fred, I removed it because it sounded dark or... Flat, it lacked something in tone. Though I loved the singing feedback that the Fred, mo Joe and satchur8 have. For a basswood body... The Mo Joe or satchur8 is a great upgrade.
 
#24 ·
I have JS guitars with all combinations pretty much FRED PAf Pro, FRED PAF Joe, Mo'Joe PAF Joe, Satch Track Mo'Joe, Satur8 sustainiac. I think that they are all good. can't say one is clearly better but I do really like Mo'Joe PAF Joe a lot. I don't think you'll be disappointed with any of them. My least favorite is Satur8, but I got used to it
 
#25 ·
I agree with you on the satchur8, it took a bit to grow on me. But I found I liked it a lot more when I lowered it. It had to be a bit lower than my guitars with the mo Joe. It just drives the preamp noticeably harder, especially with clean channels. But once I found my preferred height I actually loved it.
 
#26 ·
Time for an update!

So due to some COVID-related issues, my refinish is delayed. So I figured I might as well get her cleaned up, strung up, and play it.







So all of the hardware is new. I cleaned the board and polished the frets as best I could. Re-taped the pickups as well. All in all, it's great for now.

Any tips on getting a brand-new Edge trem arm into the socket? Because brute force isn't working so well. Of course, I could always try MORE.
 
#27 ·
The bushings on the trem arm are tapered on one end. So keep that in mind. I also had an issue with a brand new genuine Ibanez trem arm for my 540r... Still won't fit correctly. I ordered a red bishop trem arm for it. I am waiting for it still cuz it's coming from Japan. Covid is also causing problems with that 😑. Looks gorgeous though man!
 
#28 ·
Looks great! What a difference new hardware makes, quite a change from the original stuff. :) I can't remember, did you settle on a color?

And thanks to everyones for the earlier refinishing comments (totally missed those), still loving the purple!

EDIT: Yes, my trem arm was stiff too, I have to wiggle a lot while I push down. Maybe a *tiny* bit of grease or sewing machine oil?
 
#33 ·
Rich from Ibanez Rules ended up getting me a nut from a JS100, which mount through the back of the neck. But the height is proving to be an issue. I need some shims to raise the action towards the nut.

Sorry for the lack of updates guys. Not much to report. My refinish had to be delayed due to COVID. I am open to suggestions on who could handle such a job, if anyone has any recommendations.
 
#34 · (Edited)
That's weird because a js100 has a 17" radius finger board where a 1000 has a 10" radius. Schaller offers a 10" radius nut... But you'd still have the problem with it being a rear mount... And it is completely flat on the bottom. Rich is definitely your best bet for a genuine ibanez js nut. He can get Everything else, I imagine he'd be able to order you a nut for like... A js24xx series neck, I would think they were pretty much the same, I could be wrong of course.

I've had a problem with the nut sitting too high with the past 2 custom necks I've had made. I used a perfectly flat sanding block and 80 grit sand paper to carefully sand it down flat. It's tedious, and If you're not carful you can sand it at an angle. But I've never had a better shimmed nut on a guitar. If you just need to shim it higher, gotoh offers shim made of brass with their replacement nuts (their nuts are a 14" radius btw). You may be able to find them. I'm pretty sure stewmac sells floyd nut shim.
 
#36 ·
It was Rich who recommended the JS100 nut. In fairness, the radius isn't really an issue. It's the height that is the problem. So I need to get some of the individual shims per side, due to the placement of the JS1000's truss rod adjustment bolt. A standard flat-bottomed nut won't fit on the JS1000 neck due to the bolt being raised in the center. The JS nuts accommodate for this. So, I just need to get those shims and I'll be ok. $10 shipping on a $5 set of shims from Stew-Mac though. That's criminal. So I'll have to wait until there's some other things I need so I can bundle that shipping.

I'm sure there's folks who will help with the refinish, depending on where you're located going local might be best. I just Google or look on Facebook for them as well as get a sense of who does good work. If you're unable to find anyone I'm happy to help, but with the caveat I'm just a guy with a day job who does this on nights and weekends. :smile:
I've casually done the research and ultimately I don't know who to trust for a complete refinish job. The guy I used previous I trust implicitly as he works for a major guitar manufacturer and his work is what is sold to customers on their multi-thousand dollar guitars. Unfortunately, his schedule doesn't allow for side jobs anymore. That may change down the road, it may not. Hence why I was looking for someone else. But again, it's a trust thing. I've been burned before on refinishes. So for something like this, I really need to know the person doing the job knows what they're doing and will do the job right.
 
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