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Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
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My recollection of the Ibanez SAT vibrato is that it is cheaply made and does not return to pitch reliably. (Admittedly, that could have been the stock machineheads or the nut slots.) Check the pivot spacing when choosing an upgrade. (I may still have an Ibanez FAT 32 vibrato stashed away somewhere.)
The pickups are also cheap 'n' nasty. Some versions have a triple coil bridge position pickup. It offers side by side coils for humbucker sounds or stacked coils for "noiseless" Strattiness.
A friend of mine bought a set neck version of that model. I forget whether its neck was bowed or twisted. Either way, it was never a joy play.
Steel bbq kebab skewer and gentle leverage. It works but no certainty whatsoever as to if it returns in tune!
Something like a pick, or an old credit card should easily take care of the gunk without damaging the (thick ) poly finish.
A good wipe over with naptha ( lighter fluid ) will clean everything else up.
Take some time to polish up the frets well, and check the truss rod is working before you put any strings on it, and then set it up without worrying too much about the trem working at first.
I wouldn't invest in any upgrades at this point, if the pickups are working correctly, it is what it is.
If it is nicely set up, and playing well, it could probably be sold for something around £ 200-250, no problems.
Upgrades won't add to that, and at its heart it is a cheaply made Chinese guitar, slightly ridiculous that it is possible to buy something like that for that price, but that is the world we live in.
If, after close investigation, it has a soild maple top, ( doubt it ), it could be a good base for some better pickups and a refin, but it would be a lot of work (money) to get a good result that looks any better than existing, a lot of work to preserve the binding, which is in itself very nice. and something like a Wilkinson trem, for around £100 would be a good upgrade- but won't improve the resale.
Good project to have, for nothing.
Neck off. Cleaned and reassembled. No identifying marks or serial numbers in the neck pocket. Was pretty clean anyway. Truss rod nut appears ok but i think that wont be fully tested until its had some string tension on it. I have no idea how long its been in this state for.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53834186942_dcc1afaa17_h.jpg
Using thumbnail and an old credit card, I got to this. Lighter fluid helps a little but doesnt appear to fully dissolve it.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53834186927_4fda025498_h.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53835084121_1a80e6d0e3_h.jpg
Cleaned the back off and T cut it. Why not?! Jobs come up rather well
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53835334898_1e61972c16_h.jpg
Used up most of tin of lighter fluid but still a little to go on the top. @BillDL Your theory is good - marks on the pick up ring were a bit like soot but cleaned off well enough. The main stuff chipped off and was indeed brittle but the lighter fluid helps. Its a right job to get the last little bit off. Also, under where the main blob was, the veneer has lifted into a bubble - suggesting heat? Either way its not noticeable unless you are right up close or have relections so not too worried.
Next job - dremel and autosol from the garage for a fret polish and finish off the crud removal.
The whole thing looks very restorable to me - although it will never be pristine it will certainly be possible to make it into a playable, fully functional guitar for little more than the effort of cleaning it all up.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I need to get some nut files. Tracking down the ibby specs, these were strung with 9s and I usually play 10s. It may have been changed post factory but I doubt it so I just need to get some on order. Can anyone recommend a retailer/brand?
it was played by Eric Clapton at Woodstock
As good as I could get it with lighter fluid. Assumed heat damage:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53837596662_55f1bc56aa_b.jpg
Cleaning up the headstock. Note movement underneath:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53838929350_4f7fb50cb5_b.jpg
And now buffed:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53838839039_d6757cc787_b.jpg
Oh shit. Overdid it with the dremel and T cut. 2 small white spots below the bridge. Oh well, its a freebie so live and learn:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53837596812_ac9378346e_b.jpg
Fret polishing is a messy business:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53838929405_2bab572703_b.jpg
Frets polished and fretboard oiled:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53838929530_997928100e_b.jpg
Bobbled finish for extra Hendrix inspired heat stories:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53838749778_6fb41481ed_b.jpg
Final clean up done:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53838929540_64448f9d30_b.jpg
If it carries on raining I'll string it up this afternoon and have a play