An Ibanez fixer upper Les Paul...

[Blazer]

Nitro? Poly-E? Poly-U? Stain? Bueller?

Nitro, it's the easiest to work with when it comes to buffing it to a shine and it's also the easiest to make it look vintage.

What Dimarzio's did it have prior?

The Cream Dimarzio is either a dual sound or a PAF pro, I couldn't find any description number on the base plate only the embossed "Dimarzio USA"

The Neck pickup was a seventies Super 58, most likely the original neck pickup.

I haven't been able to identify the bridge pickup yet, it has the "Dimarzio USA" embossing on the base plate and from what I found it's original, unmodified but it has Fender style pole pieces instead of the hex screws or Phillips slot heads normally found with Dimarzio.

[MetalHeadMat]

I might be looking for a paf pro... If you don't need it

[Blazer]

Well with the body being painted there was not really much I could do on this project, so I started to look around for replacement tuners, seeing as how the guitar came with a mish-mash of Schallers which didn't exactly made the guitar look good.

So I went to my local store and was scouting their pile of spare parts when all of a sudden a box caught my eye...

Okay, new old stock thirty year old Ibanez Tuners, and I need tuners for a 33 year old Ibanez, it didn't take me long to put two and two together. And when I opened the box my smile got even wider.


They were in the color I was looking for, how perfect do you want destiny to become?


I still have to do some repairs on chipping and flaking of the finish of the headstock but the tuners make a perfect fit here.

[john.w.lawson]

love those iddy lps! had a 70's cream colored,neck through one. loved it!

[toejam]

The Cream Dimarzio is either a dual sound or a PAF pro, I couldn't find any description number on the base plate only the embossed "Dimarzio USA"

If it's four-conductor wire and had the switch to split/coil tap, then it's a Dual Sound (same thing as a Super Distortion, just came with the added switch).

[Blazer]

Well here's the body in black, the white residue you see is from the wet sanding.


And from another angle, all whats needs to be done is spray it with a yellow tint lacquer to give it that vintage tint. And then I have to wet sand it again and polish it.

[Grandturk]

Wow - certainly looking much better!

[Blazer]

Well I got the body back home, buffed it to a shine and started assembling it.









All I need to do now is install the pots, wire it all up, install a pickguard and I'm done.

[Grandturk]

Nice - my very first guitar was a borrowed Les Paul copy bolt on - played like shit, but it got me playing.

[markD]

looks killer!!!!

[Blazer]

It's done.

[rjohnstone]

Very nice.
Job well done!