Guitar body identification

[kingarex]

Please move if this isn't in the right place.

I bought this body with a bunch of other parts. It looks like an Ibanez or a Jackson but neither are exact. The octagonal humbucker cuts and the square neck bolt layout are what is throwing me off. Plus I didn't get any original parts and it's been painted so any hope of a serial number is long gone. I'm going to hit the neck pocket with a heat gun and putty knife in the hopes of peeling up the paint to reveal a model number. I am going to rebuild it and would love to restore it instead of making it a hodgepodge.

[pyrroz]

Why does it matter ?

you got a shredstick body, its a nice start!

[newey]

Feb 15, 2023 0:12:16 GMT -5 kingarex said:

I am going to rebuild it and would love to restore it instead of making it a hodgepodge.

Certainly try to find something in the neck pocket, but barring that, I think you're going to be on a fruitless search. First off, you don't know that this wasn't a "hodgepodge" to start with, someone could have bought the body and built it out. The pickup routing is pretty common for these bodies, it allows for HSH, HSS, SSS pickup setups, while not removing as much wood as a pool route.

Measure closely, you may find the dimensions measure up closer to integer metric values, that would be a clue that it's an import. But there are so many brands that make these so-called "Super Strat" guitars, I doubt you'll be able to "zero in" much more than that. The pickguard mounting holes seem to be quite close to the routing, moreso than usual, that may be a unique feature. You could try to trace out where the pickguard would have gone based on the holes and use that as a clue- you're probably going to have to make a template of a guard anyway to have a new one made, so not really any extra work.

Other than that, I got nothin' . . .

[cynical1]

The neck pocket is wrong for an Ibanez. The chamfered pickup routing eliminates Yamaha, Jackson, Dean, Kramer...pretty much anyone that'd have a recognizable logo....

My guess is you have a veneered basswood body. Paint job by committee. You might find something identifying it in the neck pocket. Most times the incriminating details are on the neck.

I like the relief on the back at the heel. Nice detail. I'm not sure what's going on in the trem cavity on the back...

I wouldn't worry about restoring it. I'd take this as a blank slate where you can do whatever your heart desires with this thing. No worries as long as the scale of your neck mates with the body.

HTC1

[gckelloch]

I had an early 90's Ibanez RG760 with an angled neck pocket like that. That would be my guess. Seemed Kinda' thin on the bottom edge for basswood. Was a somewhat dull sounding guitar with the Indian RW FB Wizard neck, cheap "pot metal" saddled Floyd Rose "licenced" bridge and DiMarzio stacked SC's in the middle and neck. OK for high gain shedding.

[kingarex]

Yeah that was what I was thinking. It's incredibly lightweight so it's probably cheap anyway. I'll just sand it up nice, fill the dents and put her together. Any suggestions fellas?

[kingarex]

Also, when shopping for a neck, what is the metric used for making sure the heel is the right size. Is it a simple width and length? How do you measure the bolt spread?

[cynical1]

Feb 15, 2023 12:08:42 GMT -5 kingarex said:

Also, when shopping for a neck, what is the metric used for making sure the heel is the right size. Is it a simple width and length?

Typically, most companies use the Fender spec:

Width = 2-3/16" (56 mm)
Length = 3" (76 mm)
Depth = 5/8" (16 mm)

Ibanez can vary, depending on year...from 53mm up to 58mm wide, depending on model.

You also have a Strat style pocket, in that it has a radius at the heel. Tele necks are square at the heel, so watch that.

I would imagine your neck fits into the Fender category. Measure it to make sure, though.

How do you measure the bolt spread?

That's according to Hoyle. I doubt you'll find a neck that matches your bolt pattern exactly. I usually plug the holes in the neck and re-drill to accommodate the body.

There is a high probability you'll need to shim whatever neck you find to accommodate the body\bridge.  The formula is over here:

 guitarnuts2.proboards.com/post/79231/thread

Scale length is unknown.  Fender scale is 25.5".  Some of the 80's shredder guitars would use a shorter scale, like Gibson, at 24.75" - 24.5" and give you 24 frets and a trem system.

HTC1

[gckelloch]

Feb 15, 2023 12:06:35 GMT -5 kingarex said:

Yeah that was what I was thinking. It's incredibly lightweight so it's probably cheap anyway. I'll just sand it up nice, fill the dents and put her together. Any suggestions fellas?

Maybe use paint stripper to avoid all that sanding?

I got a nice Wenge neck w/Stainless frets from this guy:
www.etsy.com/shop/HavokGuitars?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1331743220

The heel width measures 55.3mm with my electric caliper. It feels like a standard C/soft V profile with a 10" radius at the nut and flatter at the top fret. The neck screw holes were not drilled so you won't have to worry about alignment. Granted, I had to buy a cheap plastic hammer to reset the treble side of the 22nd fret, but it did the trick. The fretwork was otherwise very good-- fully crowned and polished. I got a splinter from a small end-grain piece sticking out on the bottom edge, but that was the only flaw. Wenge w/Stainless frets makes for a very bright-sounding guitar. You might go for a Roasted-Maple Gloss neck/Rosewood FB (or the Roasted-Maple Satin neck) w/Stainless frets. An Indian RW FB can actually sound brighter than a raw Maple FB, but cuts of wood can vary a lot. Guthrie Govan has a Roasted-Maple FB on his Charvel, and it's not terribly bright. In any case, likely never having to do fretwork is a nice option for that price. I find the attack character of Stainless a tad "harder" sounding. It can be countered with Brass saddles and/or the tone knob. An Aluminum pickguard shield (or ~0.025" thick Al tape) softens the upper-mids of SC pickups via eddy currents. I've done that on a few guitars. Not sure what Floyd Rose style options there are, but I wouldn't cheap out too much there. The trem block alloy also makes some tonal difference.

There are some excellent affordable off-brand pickups like Tonerider, Mojotone, Artec, Wilde, etc. Price does not generally correlate with better sound. Alegree in the UK offers all kinds of affordable custom options. I think it's worth getting something with pole screws in each HB bobbin for fine-tuning, but that's just me.