Ibanez S420 new top

[Deftone]

I have always really liked the look of the S series Ibanez guitars in natural oil finish. I already knew they were great players.

The natural finish guitars are more expensive, so I found this S420 years ago for only $235 on Ebay with the intention of sanding the top down.. Problem was after I got it played so well, I didn't want to mess with it. But I recently saw one someone else had sanded down and it pushed me over the edge.....



3-4 coats of Tru Oil on the top and that's it. I am super pleased with the results.

Here's a before shot....

 

[Kinkless Tetrode]

Ah, much better.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Yes, much better.

Nice job!

That thing is beautiful.

Tru Oil finish looks really good on gunstocks also!

 

[Deftone]

Yes, much better.

Nice job!

That thing is beautiful.

Tru Oil finish looks really good on gunstocks also!

I've already done a couple guitars with a very small bottle. When I went to go use it on this one, It had turned to a very thick syrup. So I drove to three different gun stores trying to find some, but apparently it's no longer legal in California. WTF?

So I pulled the old bottle out of the garbage and thinned out what was left with some Naptha....worked great!

 

[ricksdisconnected]

great guitars and a nice finish job.
next ya gotta send it out to a buddy in Atlanta for a solid inspection
and approval rating. please allow 4 to 6 weeks for return delivery.

 

[JJ119]

WoW
That's Nice!!

 

[mark123]

Nice job! Now swap in some good pickups.

 

[Trumpet Rider]

I have always really liked the look of the S series Ibanez guitars in natural oil finish. I already knew they were great players.

The natural finish guitars are more expensive, so I found this S420 years ago for only $235 on Ebay with the intention of sanding the top down.. Problem was after I got it played so well, I didn't want to mess with it. But I recently saw one someone else had sanded down and it pushed me over the edge.....

View attachment 110113 View attachment 110114

3-4 coats of Tru Oil on the top and that's it. I am super pleased with the results.

Here's a before shot....
View attachment 110115

Makes you wonder why Ibanez painted it in the first place.

 

[mark123]

Makes you wonder why Ibanez painted it in the first place.

It’s to cover up the three piece body.

 

[Deftone]

It’s to cover up the three piece body.

I've seen another that looked like five pieces. Personally I don't think it matters, but to each his own.

 

[mark123]

I've seen another that looked like five pieces. Personally I don't think it matters, but to each his own.

I guess it’s undesirable in lutherie but us mortal guitarists don’t usually even notice.

 

[lespaul339]

Looks great! I like it much better sanded down.

 

[pedecamp]

I have always really liked the look of the S series Ibanez guitars in natural oil finish. I already knew they were great players.

The natural finish guitars are more expensive, so I found this S420 years ago for only $235 on Ebay with the intention of sanding the top down.. Problem was after I got it played so well, I didn't want to mess with it. But I recently saw one someone else had sanded down and it pushed me over the edge.....

View attachment 110113 View attachment 110114

3-4 coats of Tru Oil on the top and that's it. I am super pleased with the results.

Here's a before shot....
View attachment 110115

That looks awesome!

 

[Deftone]

Here's the S320 that inspired me.....
He said he used wipe on Poly and he recently installed EMG's.

 

[Prostheta]

You got super lucky there. Solid colour bodies tend to be hiding all manner of wrongs such as filler, weird join locations and wood choices that don't match. Mostly because those are perfectly fine, and a good way to use wood that is less than ideal or fix seconds that couldn't support a clear or other raw finish. I've wanted to build a new S body myself to compliment my 2001 S1540FM, specifically one without the single coil, a hardtail instead of a trem and an iced tea burst with that marginal green-bronzing that a vintage LP develops. That would be perfect. I might have to use an actual S body, infill the single coil rout and vacuum bag a veneer over the top.

 

[gkelm]

Hard to beat a natural finish…nice work!

 

[Jamil Ecrire]

Gorgeous, I wish Ibanez had friggin licensed that tremolo. It's by far my favorite they've ever put out (even with the issues they had with their manufacturer).

I would have probably added binding and a QM/FM veneer but it looks fantastic!

 

[Deftone]

Gorgeous, I wish Ibanez had friggin licensed that tremolo. It's by far my favorite they've ever put out (even with the issues they had with their manufacturer).

Yea, I love that Trem.

 

[Jackco]

Nice job! Now swap in some good pickups.

The pickups are dimarzio, made for ibanez

 

[Jackco]

My S520
Factory natural mahogany finish w/clear coat