NGD - 'relic'ed 1991 USA Fusion

[Extant]

Posted a while ago how I bought this off the bay for 550 because I wanted something with a floyd to mess around with and I figure if I didn't like it I could resell it and not make a huge loss. It arrived today.



It's very road-worn - covered in grime and dust in the usual bits, and a few chunks taken out in the side. Still in perfect working order, though.







There's a pickguard installed to cover up the rout, and an EMG81 with vol/tone and an Afterburner circuit installed. Not a huge fan of actives, but it's okay.





JT-590 has a lot of dust and grime on it. I'll have to clean that up eventually.



Neck feels really great (it's broken in, and has that nice worn look on the back) and you can see the wear on the fretboard. That'll have to be cleaned too.



Haphazard strings and headstock, which surprisingly has no dings on it. Very nice MOP logo, too.




I really love the short scale and neck on this, so I was thinking of grabbing a replacement body from Mojo routed for a recessed OFR, one hum and one volume - stick a Duncan or something in there (I was thinking a Custom 5 or A2Pro, not too high output) and a Gotoh FR and it'd be really rocking. Have it painted like one of these, too - I'm leaning towards the center one. What do you guys think?

[Super_shredder]

i really like as is , i wouldnt paint it or replace it. it has loads of mojo if you dont want it il have it

[Axewielder]

With that headstock being in such good shape, I'd consider a refin of just the body.

[AfterForever]

I like it very much the way it is. If you'd refin I'd go for black again.

I'm not feeling any of the mock-ups you posted, but if you like it.. it's your guitar

[MountainDog]

That 'wear' you mention on the fingerboard looks more like grime/gunk/smegma/sweat from the previous owner playing it without washing his hands. On guitars I've received like that, I've found that Naptha gets this gunk off well. You can buy this in the paint section of most hardware stores. After cleaning, recondition the ebony board with some good fingerboard conditioner/oil.

[ulijdavid]

I really like the all white with black stripe. A body from Mojo means you would still have the original body later on down the line. Pretty good score!!! Most of the "aged" look will clean up quite easily.

[Extant]

With that headstock being in such good shape, I'd consider a refin of just the body.

I kinda was thinking on that, but the pickguard and the Fusion contour just don't mesh with me - it's noticeable close that it doesn't follow the scallop. Also, I want a single hum, single knob body so there aren't any extraneous holes left behind - preferably in mahog, too.

That 'wear' you mention on the fingerboard looks more like grime/gunk/smegma/sweat from the previous owner playing it without washing his hands. On guitars I've received like that, I've found that Naptha gets this gunk off well. You can buy this in the paint section of most hardware stores. After cleaning, recondition the ebony board with some good fingerboard conditioner/oil.

Yeah. I think rubbing it hard enough with some Dunlop polish should get it out - not a problem there.

I really like the all white with black stripe. A body from Mojo means you would still have the original body later on down the line. Pretty good score!!! Most of the "aged" look will clean up quite easily.

Yeah, I'm thinking of flogging the body, pickup, trem and stuff to recoup some cash. The neck is perfect as it is.

[Axewielder]

splitting up a USA neck and body = bad mojo

[Newc]

"Mojo" mumbojumbo aside, you wouldn't get much for the body since it has to have the 24 fret shortscale neck, and those are hard to find.

[sully]

Yeah. I think rubbing it hard enough with some Dunlop polish should get it out - not a problem there.

if you mean the dunlop 65 spray cleaner, i wouldn't recommend that for fretboards; it's a finish polish. the best way to get that crap off of there is by removing the strings, and gently scraping off the majority of the jaweah with a single edge razor blade, then hit it with some 0000 steel wool (go with the grain, as ebony scratches easily) then oil the fretboard.

sully

[Extant]

if you mean the dunlop 65 spray cleaner, i wouldn't recommend that for fretboards; it's a finish polish. the best way to get that crap off of there is by removing the strings, and gently scraping off the majority of the jaweah with a single edge razor blade, then hit it with some 0000 steel wool (go with the grain, as ebony scratches easily) then oil the fretboard.

sully

Oops.

I tried scrubbing the gunk with a polish cloth, though. It seems to be coming off relatively easy. Is lemon oil okay? I've heard it's good and I've heard it damages fretboards, so.

[toejam]

You'll be fine with some lemon oil and an old toothbrush.

[Drazden]

Wrecked/sexy.

Yeah--that fretboard will clean up nice with a little lemon oil, let it soak in and wipe clean/dry with a rag, or a toothbrush as toejam said.

By the way, hi from GuitarsCanada!

How are the knobs set up?

[Extant]

Wrecked/sexy.

Yeah--that fretboard will clean up nice with a little lemon oil, let it soak in and wipe clean/dry with a rag, or a toothbrush as toejam said.

By the way, hi from GuitarsCanada!

How are the knobs set up?

Volume, tone, Afterburner. Way too much stuff for me! I prefer a one-volume setup.

[Brooke]

That looks like a sweet guitar...

I'd say go for Blue or white...