[gania13]

Hi everyone,
A couple of years ago i bought a really beat up '95 MIJ RG505, the price was pretty cheap.
The guitar did look like it had some non original parts, and it had quantum pickups from S series from that era, but it plays and sounds great, so it seemed like a good buy.
Along the years of owning it i did not play it too much, thus did not care to really "fix" it.

Today while changing the strings, the bridge popped out and i saw something that seems wrong:
1. the studs seem to be at an angle, and not completely perpendicular to the body(you can see it on a pic i screwed out to demonstrate the angle)
2. the cutout for the bridge seems too large, am i correct?
3. the distance between the bridge and pickguard looks way too close(is it because of the stud angles?
4. referring to question 3, does the pickguard look to be original?
5. do the bridge blades look ok? or are they dead?
6. the wiring job looks like a complete mess, i'm thinking to get new parts(mainly pots and switch), and tidy it up, any recommended parts/place to buy?(preferably with international shipping option)

and finally if fixing this is not a small job, i'm thinking maybe i should take the paint off and change the color(i saw a shade of yellow inside the bridge cavity, so i guess Desert Yellow is the original color?)


What would you do/ advise me to do with this guitar?

 

[JsXLine6]

It looks like your bridge post insert holes are egged out. Over time the holes can oval out due to long term use or heavy string/spring tension. Either that, or someone did a bad repair job. To fix it, you'd have to remove the post inserts, have the body in a mount that keeps it perfectly level. Then using a drill press, drill out the holes to a larger size that a dowel rod can be inserted and glued. Then drill into the dowel once the glue has set. That way the inserts can be reinserted. This is a diffcult job because everything has to be measured precisely. Your best bet is to find a local luthier to do the job.

 

[vintagegtrs]

Do you normally have issues with International shipping? I figured everyone would do that these days! Thomann music might be a good choice

anyway. most parts can be sourced from ebay or Amazon. Ibanez rules is great resource for parts and a Forum sponsor.

I use the following for most parts:

philadelphialuthiertools.com

I soak rusty parts in vinegar, lemon or lime juice first until the rust is mostly gone and then use an old tooth brush to clean up. Then, cover them with WD-40 and lay them out to dry.

you can do an okay job at home with painting if you are patient and detail oriented. the problem is usually with clear-coat. you need a 2 part clear for it to be a durable finish.

primer/sealer
base coat. White for Desert yellow
House of Kolor neon yellow paint about $40 for a 1/2 pint - you can buy preloaded spray paint cans of this paint in the USA
UV resistant clearcoat
sandpaper, buffing compound etc

My suggestion is to contact a few small body shops to see if they would be willing to paint it for you if you want it nice.

I personally charge $250 for neon colors to make it worth my time. that is with your body and the paint and all of the time and supplies it takes to do the job right.

Guitars like yours are good finds for me because i can do all the work and get them back to like new. Since most Ibanez guitars don't hold their value extremely well, people don't want to spend what it costs to restore them properly. Maple boards are the most time consuming and expensive to do right if you want them to look like new.

Good luck!

 

[Rich]

It looks like your bridge post insert holes are egged out. Over time the holes can oval out due to long term use or heavy string/spring tension. Either that, or someone did a bad repair job. To fix it, you'd have to remove the post inserts, have the body in a mount that keeps it perfectly level. Then using a drill press, drill out the holes to a larger size that a dowel rod can be inserted and glued. Then drill into the dowel once the glue has set. That way the inserts can be reinserted. This is a diffcult job because everything has to be measured precisely. Your best bet is to find a local luthier to do the job.

This is the way an overpriced luthier wants to fix the job and not a single step of it is necessary. there are several ways to easily fix the problem that are much stronger than the original setup and cost pennies, require no plugs or drilling. the easiest of which is to pull the anchor, hold the body vertical headstock side down, and run thin CA on the ovaled side of the hole, hit it with accelerator. Check the fit on the anchor. Repeat until it starts to get tight and then tap the anchor back in, I usually use wood glue in the hole to fill in any gaps present. If the gap is large, over 1mm, pull the anchor and fill the headstock side of the hole with an acetone based wood patch. Insert the anchor perfectly straight to form the new hole, pull it back out and clean the base of the hole where the excess patch has been pushed. Let dry, coat with a thin coat of thin CA, hit with accelerator, tap the anchor back in. Either method will give you a fix that will be far stronger than the original basswood and probably last the lifetime of the guitar.

If there is a job with very little movement of the anchor you can just use anything to pull the anchor back hard against the trem side of the hole and wick thin CA into the small gap, hit with accelerator every few minutes and let it sit a bit, then repeat until it won't take any more CA. The hole is now rock solid, the wood has been hardened 10 times harder than it ever was, and the job cost you pennies and is done in an hour.

You have a sizeable gap. I would probably use wood patch but you can do it with CA. If you ever get too much CA in and the anchor gets too tight glue a little sandpaper on a dowel and sand it back till it's snug.

These are simple fixes that luthier schools overteach repair methods that are antiquated, expensive, and completely unnecessary.

 

[Rich]

anyway. most parts can be sourced from ebay or Amazon. since Ibanez rules is down. i use the following for most parts

Ibanez Rules is not down, it's just slow right now.

 

[vintagegtrs]

Ibanez Rules is not down, it's just slow right now.

Sorry about that! My apologies, I guess i thought it was down because there was no shopping cart etc. I just needed to read

 

[vintagegtrs]

run thin CA on the ovaled side of the hole, hit it with accelerator.

Super Glue to you and me :grin2:

no idea how hard it is for him to get these things in isreal - It's probably better to carefully do it yourself and learn if you have the ability

 

[Rich]

Sorry about that! My apologies, I guess i thought it was down because there was no shopping cart etc. I just needed to read

I've never had a shopping cart, most people would just order the wrong parts anyway. Email and tell me what you need and I learned long ago I catch many many mistakes the customer makes thinking they're ordering the right parts, but of course I can't catch them all.

 

[Rich]

Super Glue to you and me :grin2:

Super glue is crap you buy at the grocery store. Good CA comes in 4 viscosities, can be bought at any good hobby store, online, Stew Mac, or once you know what you're shopping for, Amazon or ebay.

Bob Smith Industries makes 99% of what is found in hobby store but it usually rebranded with the name of the store.