As you can tell from the pics below, the Ibanez GAX70 featured today isn't exactly gigworthy. There is a lot that needs to be done to get it back in fighting shape. The current owner's main worry is that "it does not make a sound" when plugged into an amplifier. Strangely enough, he isn't bothered at all about the rusty hardware, dirty fretboard or badly worn frets.
Checked the pickups, they're working. As such, one may conclude that the problem lies in the electronics. And no wonder, for the pots are frozen stiff, the switch is barely functioning, and the output jack has seen better days. Oh, and by the way, it does look like someone's been in the control cavity with a soldering iron. For instance, I've never seen Ibanez use black and red unshielded cable for the switch to output jack connection.
After failing to get the pots to loosen up, I've decided to just trash the current electronics and give this GAX70 some new innards. These will include full-sized Alpha A500K pots, 0.022uF poly caps, a generic toggle switch, and Switchcraft output jack. And while I'm at it, I might as well recondition the fretboard, clean the frets, and do a little polishing. Although the owner hasn't requested this, it would be a shame to leave this once-beautiful guitar in such poor condition.
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| As Received |
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| Nice Bell Knobs |
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| Not too bad on the outside |
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| The inside is another story |
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| The wiring does raise a few doubts |
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| Alpha A500K Pots and 0.022uF Caps |
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| Generic Toggle Switch and Switchcraft Output Jack |
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| New Components and Wiring |
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| Switchcraft Output Jack Wired In |
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| Managed to save the Bell Knobs |
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| After a little TLC |
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