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That would be good practice. It’ll be dicey cuz they’re already so low.
I’ll see what happens tomorrow. Cruisy day and I’ll have at it.

If you don't crown them properly, you're in for a world of pain. Dead notes, ghost notes and wolf tones. Once crowned you won't need to do much to polish the tip of the fret. As they are, when fretting you will make contact with the leading edge of the fret, the string will rattle on the top of the fret, telling you from experience.

Right. So the same thing that happened before I got the goldtop right

Thanks James!







Yes yes I'll sort out the intonation now.

that looks great!!! While it was there... you didn't go for his deluxe option, and get the headstock reshaped as well?

AiRdAd wrote:that looks great!!! While it was there... you didn't go for his deluxe option, and get the headstock reshaped as well?

As much as I would enjoy a thread where James turns a Tele headstock into a Strat headstock... no. no I didn't.

Progress shots coming tonight

Very reasonable pricing and super fast dispatch from toneloungematt + 3 new holes in the bridge and the intonation is sorted. She's a top loader now.

Regarding the Ibanez EX350 - it's definitely early 90's....and '91 sounds about right.

Back in the day, these used to sell at about $1000, compared to say a Japanese-made RG550/570 that was around the $1600-$1800 mark at the time.

It's also definitely Korean made and with regards to the woodworking & fretwork should actually be a nice axe that you should be able to get happening with a super slinky action. The issues with these guitars were the cheaper hardware and pickups.

The Ibanez TRS trem was a FR knockoff of reasonable, not great quality. It's nothing like the far superior Edge trem - but it is acceptable.

The pickups however were godawful. I know tone is subjective and all that, but in addition to having a kinda thin top end to the tone, they were VERY microphonic when used with high volume/high gain. Pickup swap would be highly recommended to turn it into a pretty decent axe.

Kinda redundant to post progress pix when the final version is up lol
But dunnit look good?

I will update when the ibanez bits turn up. The treat for the goldtop I ordered 4 weeks ago finally showed up -.-

Curious that the old tart was a thousand dollar guitar once. I’d put it above a current gio but below an s470 or similar.
Given the state of the neck (twisted ) I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to thing it all, but I’m guna give it a hoon.

Single coil wrote:Kinda redundant to post progress pix when the final version is up lol
But dunnit look good?

I will update when the ibanez bits turn up. The treat for the goldtop I ordered 4 weeks ago finally showed up -.-

Curious that the old tart was a thousand dollar guitar once. I’d put it above a current gio but below an s470 or similar.
Given the state of the neck (twisted ) I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to thing it all, but I’m guna give it a hoon.

Post them anyway, always good to see your thumb

Floyd has arrived.
Pictures of thumb and associated guitar to come, as well as a simple reno on a new kid on the block.

These things just don't make my life easy.



The screws holding it to the block had stretched or something. Block was ok, so I nicked the screws from the TRS that was on there and away we went.
TRS seems to be in one piece ok with the weird screws (???) so search me. Whatever; functioning floyd rose and the TRS is back at square one with a busted saddle.

Next job:





The old screws didn't talk to the new locking nut assembly (surprise), and the new one is all of half a mil too wide.
I managed to make it work ok, so it wasn't a complete diddle around. Just use the original nut and the new locking bits, he thought, it will be fine, he thought.



nah gee

so on the new nut went, and the "why won't you work?" continued.



I wasn't having a great time with it. I mean, progress was there, but it was slow.
I had another go at the frets - They're about as good as I'm ever going to be able to get them without scoring up the fretboard

... And then.



Yeah, trying to get this to sit still for 10 seconds.

Oh, hold on



Yeeeeeeeeeeee



Oh cool, I love stickers.



This is probably my favourite part of a floyd rose.





Sorry, but if you aren't playing on 600 gauge strings, are you even a real guitarist?

Aaaaaand we got another problem.



Hint: Look where the two E's are sitting.

Sorted that out - Neck had moved a little in its pocket. It may need some solidifying still, but for now it holds.
For the next issue, I found that (I suspect) I'd managed to put the G and B saddles around the wrong way. Schoolboy error!



Blocked the trem, locked the strings (hah ha!! It worked!!), and swapped them over. I don't think it came out of the factory that way, but it was $22 to my door, so I guess it wouldn't be too far fetched to assume such.

Pissing around with the intonation wasn't the most fun I've ever had (nor was getting the bloody thing to sit flat). I want to say it's about 95% there.
It plays - The truss will need adjusting. It sounds pretty good for something that was firewood a month ago.

I think I'll take it in to Kerri and see what he says.

... Maybe once I've been a bit more silly with it. In HD, no less.

Loosen of the neck screws slightly and dong the headstock on something solid to correct alignment. Be careful, not too hard or you'll smash out the neck pocket. I do this with mine.

Did something similar and she's all aligned now.

I don't think Kerri expected it to play again.



Then he said sell, so here we are.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listin ... 86&ed=true

Bonus pix and teaser: Blue RG is next on the block.