Old Ibanez Rg550 with a few suprises

HarrySeven

Me being me...I think I'd just keep it as it is and try to find a way to resurrect the LEDs.

Sorry, lol.

ICBM

FelineGuitars said:

I wouldn't go digging he LEDs out . More than likely a SimsCustom upgrade and that would cost £440 to have done . Shame the wires are cut at the heel too. Would be a useful additional feature for a later resale

HarrySeven said:

Me being me...I think I'd just keep it as it is and try to find a way to resurrect the LEDs.

Same here. And I don't even like the LEDs… but I wouldn't go to the enormous amount of trouble you would need to to remove them properly. You might as well get a new neck.

You should be able to access the wires if you carefully chisel some wood away round the hole - it's not in a structural area and won't be visible when it's done. Stripping the wire will be tricky, but some patience and a scalpel blade should get you there. Then solder on new wire and heatshrink over the joints.

If the LEDs are sticking up and it's bothering you, I would flatten them off using either wet and dry paper - working along the length of the wood grain so you don't scratch it up, it will need a bit of patience - or a small Dremel grinding wheel, then polish up. Flattening the housings shouldn't damage the actual LED element, they're fairly well down inside.

fendergibson

Many thanks for all the advice fellas, I've looked at the sims custom website, seen the prices, cant believe it, really didn't know there was a sizeable market for this and the costs involved...

Rethink time

HarrySeven

fendergibson said:

Rethink time

Indeed...as @ICBM says, it shouldn't be too tricky to carefully remove enough wood in order to access the wiring.

 

Bridgehouse

Why don't you try to find a non-LED neck to put on it for now to play - put the old one in a cupboard so you can sell it later if you decide to?

I'm sure there must be a spare neck floating about out there somewhere...

Philly_Q

I think it looks fine as it is, although the green pickups look a little odd against the green/yellow finish.  And I'd just leave the LEDs as fret markers, even if you can't get them working again.

I'm pretty sure those humbuckers are PAF Pros, not V1s or V2s.

Motorhate

Philly_Q said:
I'm pretty sure those humbuckers are PAF Pros, not V1s or V2s.

I think you'll find they are V1 and V2 pickups - or at least they are according to this:

http://ibanez.wikia.com/wiki/RG550_(1987%E2%80%931994)

They've got them down as "USA designed" which may or may not have allowed "Dimarzio" to be used on the underside of the pickups. They could of course have been a replacement set of who knows what by the previous owner

fendergibson

I'd get another neck but for the fact the previous owner veneered the bloody headstock the same as the body....so seems a little pointless to sell on as its gonna look strange on anything else. 

I Need to think this through some more.

Fwiw, I also don't think these are v1 v2 types, I've had them b4 on another 550 I owned, they didn't say Dimarzio and they def didn't say made in USA. Also the seller said he put them in a few years earlier and had forgotten what they were but they were expensive ( which I just took as sales patter etc )

Philly_Q

I don't think they are the original pickups.  V1s and V2s normally look like the ones below, sometimes with screw polepieces, sometimes with hex bolts.

They are most likely PAF Pros.  One could be a Fred or something but it wouldn't have black polepieces unless it was a custom order.

WezV

This is were pictures really help.  Its clearly not DIY LED's  put in a fretboard like the link I posted in the other thread. 

I agree with the others now I have seen the pics, its much more likely to be a SIMS job.  It won't have been cheap, but it doesn't add anywhere near that value either.  It won't have taken a board replace to do it either

fendergibson

I've checked the SIMs stuff, and my overall impression is that whether you like led markers or not they do a quality job.

Thus it makes me wonder why at least 3 LEDs were not drilled centrally through the dots. Only off by a mm but immediately apparent.

This is what drove me to the conclusion that it was semi pro diy....and not a £600+ Job !!

The main thing for me is playing it so its gonna be a stickers job until I get bored again and fancy spending dosh on either removal or repair.

Anyone know of quality fret stickers then, not dodgy eBay sellotape stuff ?

stonevibe

Just play it, or sell the neck on. I see RG necks pop up on Ebay all the time.

fretmeister

LEDs are still cool.

Motorhate

stonevibe said:

Just play it, or sell the neck on. I see RG necks pop up on Ebay all the time.

They're Wizard necks which really are an aquired taste. Ultra thin and flat which some people hate from the off. It took me a while to get used to them but I much prefer the thicker, Gibson type 50's necks.

stonevibe

I have two and find the necks are okay, as they are so wide. Makes up for the lack of depth, as my preferred profile is baseball bat plus!

fendergibson

Well, stickers turned up - turned out a lot less complicated than I thought it would 

https://i.imgur.com/trJGrSY.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Ft2z2Sp.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ogxBe8J.jpg

fendergibson

It'll do for now 

Bridgehouse

fendergibson said:

Well, stickers turned up - turned out a lot less complicated than I thought it would 

https://i.imgur.com/trJGrSY.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Ft2z2Sp.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ogxBe8J.jpg

I'm glad you stuck with it...............

stonevibe

I do love a 'stickered' RG550 road warrior/bastardised Super Strat. Here is my one.
http://i.imgur.com/3LIio1b.png

fendergibson

stonevibe said:

I do love a 'stickered' RG550 road warrior/bastardised Super Strat. Here is my one.
http://i.imgur.com/3LIio1b.png

Love it