1974 Ibanez Custom Series No. 2408-1 Artwood Orient Dragon

Henlein

Hi guys, I hope this is in the right place to post all of this as I am wanting advice about fixing this guitar up and I think it is unnecessary to do two separate posts about it ?

I just acquired a 1974 Ibanez Custom Series No. 2408-1 Artwood Orient Dragon thanks to a post by Studmissile in the Gumtree/Junkmail/Capeads deals thread ? It is a very rare guitar and it took a few hours of searching to find it... if you search the name in google, only like 7 hits come up.

I was able to identify the guitar (without a serial number) thanks to this thread I found on the Ibanez collectors website:
http://www.ibanezcollectors.com/discus/messages/1004472/1468.html?1179257936
where one was sold on Ebay for the equivalent of R31000. Which obviously made me go take a look at this one advertised for R2500 ? Although that is not the reason why I bought this guitar... it will be fantastic once everything is fixed up but the thought of the potential re-sale value should I not be satisfied did help.

The tops of these guitars were walnut and hand carved in Thailand, with the guitar being built in Japan with SC-Sound Pick-ups, Maple fretboard and neck.

This one is not in fantastic condition and needs a bit of work... The one carved panel is coming off and needs to be re-glued (I assume?), the fretboard is showing signs of wear with dents worn into it, there seems to be some loose wiring (the volume fluctuates a lot) and the bridge appears to have been blocked as it is raised, resulting in a very high action.

I would just like to hear everybody's thoughts as to how to fix these, and if my assumptions about the causes of these issues are correct and could I fix some of these easily enough or should I take it to a luthier to be safe?

Any input would be appreciated ?

AlanRatcliffe

If collector's value is your main concern, don't do anything to it or take it to a pro luthier who is good at restoration, not just repair. Things like refinishing or refretting will affect the value, but there are certain things that can be done invisibly, like regluing the top (although it looks like there has been a fair amount of shrinkage too) or replacing the innards of pots. ? AFAIK there is no-one locally that can source good condition original replacement parts the way some of the US/Euro guys can.

If primary concern is to make it a player, it'll still need a luthier as jobs like refretting and the top reglue are best done by a pro. You might have to make some decisions like refretting and leaving the divots in the board vs resurfacing the board - the former will hold more value, the latter will make it more of a player.

BTW - I think the bridge raised up like that is just a simple case of the bridge screws being tightened too far, loosen 'em off a turn and see if it comes down. Tighten up the claw screws in the back if needed.

Gearhead

The top wants to be fixed by someone who really knows what he's doing, since you may only have one shot at it. My advice would be to store it with humidifyer so that the wood stabilises before doing anthing.
The bridge may very well be an easy fix, open up the spring cavity at the back of the body and find out. Springs missing? Retainer loose? Etc

singemonkey

What these guys said. Use a pro. Not worth messing around with a rare and interesting instrument. Get it done right.

studmissile

Very Nice, Thought it looked good!

shaundtsl

Wow, cool headstock! Very interesting guitar.

Norman86

Off to a pro it should go!

I think it'll look even better after being taken care of!

Henlein

I have checked the back of the guitar and all seems fine, so I will put on a new set of strings today and loosen the screws on the bridge while I am at it and see what happens ?

What luthier would you guys recommend in the Jhb/Pretoria area? Someone near Benoni or Hatfield would be preferable but if it is worth it I can travel.

With regards to the specifics... what exactly should I get done? As far as collectors value goes, its not my main concern... I would rather have the guitar be a player because it is my only strat but obviously I don't want to destroy too much of the guitar's value.

Norman86

Benoni - i wold recommend BvanS guitars...
Neon Gecko on the forum ?

Henlein

I will check him out, thanks ?

flatfourfan

I wonder how much it would pull back if it was placed in a more humid enviroment?

That sucker is as dry as a martini.

slyd

flatfourfan wrote: I wonder how much it would pull back if it was placed in a more humid enviroment?

That sucker is as dry as a martini.

I saw an article somewhere, where a luthier placed a shrunken top (not as bad as this one) into a humidifier. Got great results.

Henlein

I have oiled it so that should help. It was so dry that you could easily see where the pick guard was protecting it. I don't have the guitar with me so I'll have to wait for the weekend to see the results.

slyd

???
Possibly, oiling was not the best option, as glueing will need to be done, . . .. and ze glue, she don' like oil ?

flatfourfan

slyd wrote:
flatfourfan wrote: I wonder how much it would pull back if it was placed in a more humid enviroment?

That sucker is as dry as a martini.
I saw an article somewhere, where a luthier placed a shrunken top (not as bad as this one) into a humidifier. Got great results.

Yup......I saw one on the les paul forum a while back where a guy did it with an accoustic and it pulled back a LOT.

TommyHamid

Do you still have this guitar? I'm searching for one.