2009 Ibanez JEM-JR Overhaul | Part 4

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Further Servicing

It's been raining hard all day and well into the night. What's a poor repairman to do, then? Tell you what, the hardware has been soaking in MultiLube for a day or so. Should be good and ready for further cleaning with an abrasive buff. In the image below, items in the aluminum baking tray on the left have already been buffed, while those on the paper towel on the right have yet to be. That oily reddish-brown patch shows you just how much corrosion has already dissolved into the lube.

Servicing Hardware/Rotary Tool/Abrasive Buff

Reassembling the Edge III

Moving on to the Edge III, disassembled components have been soaked in lube and cleaned, as described in the preceding section. These include the locking nut rear mounting bolts and washers, tremolo arm height adjustment screw, knife edge and base plate mounting screws, saddle lock bolts and washers, string holder blocks, string stopper bolts, and tremolo arm torque adjustment grub screws. As for the larger components such as the base plate, knife edge, tremolo block, and string saddles; they've been cleaned, polished and lubed. Additionally, all threaded bolt mounting holes have been cleaned with cotton swabs soaked in naphtha, and lubed with synthetic lithium grease.

Reassembling the Edge III

Edge III Fully Reassembled

Headstock-Mounted Hardware

Over on the headstock side of things, each and every component located here has been carefully cleaned, lubed, and/or serviced. These components include the truss rod adjustment nut, tuners, tuner washers and bushings, locking nut, pressure pads and bolts, locking nut rear mounting bolts and washers, string retainer bar and screws; as well as the plastic truss rod cover. The string retainer bar, truss rod cover, and locking nut pressure pads will only be reinstalled during final setup. 

Locking Nut Reinstalled

Locking Nut Rear Mounting Bolts

Greasing the Tuner Bushings

Tuners Reinstalled

Reinstalling the Neck

Let us shift focus to the neck now. You might recall from Part 3 that the fretboard and frets have already been taken care of. What's left, then, is to reinstall the neck. The neck mounting screws and ferrules have already been cleaned of corrosion, discoloration, and various categories of crud, and I believe there is visible improvement. One more thing needs to be done before actually screwing in the neck, though, and that is to lubricate the screw threads with candle wax.

Neck Screws Waxed

Neck Reinstalled

Restringing and Final Setup

The JEM-JR is now ready for restringing and final setup. As the owner prefers 10s, I've put on a set of Dunlop DEN 10/46s. Setting the intonation has not gone as smoothly as anticipated, though. Now, look closely at the second image below. The high E, B, G and D saddles are where they should be. However, the A and low E saddles are about level with the D, when they're normally much further back. Strangely enough, this is where I've had to lock them for proper intonation. Ah well, all said and done, this 2009 Ibanez JEM-JR is now good to go, and that's all that really matters.

JEM-JR Fully Set Up

Close-Up of Edge III

Reconditioned Rosewood Fretboard

Headstock Components Fully Reinstalled

Refurbished Trem Claw/Springs

Trem Cavity Cover Reinstalled

2009 Ibanez JEM-JR Overhaul | Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Cleaning the Fretboard

Thanks to the sun making a cameo appearance today, I've been able to work outside. Let's work on that grungy rosewood fretboard first, shall we. Now, this is one of the worst cases I've ever seen. Deep cleaning with naphtha hasn't done much as the grime and crud is deeply embedded in the wood. So, out comes a blade, and a scraping we shall go.

Scraping the Rosewood Fretboard

Cleanup | Maroon Scotch-Brite Pad

Fret Leveling

The frets are in poor shape, and you can clearly see lots of divots. Fortunately, there's still enough height left for a fret level, which should flatten out them pesky divots. We'll start out with a sanding beam, and work our way up to diamond sharpening stones. The diamond sharpening stones should remove most of the scratch marks left by the sanding beam. And of course, we'll be checking periodically for low spots and/or uneven frets with a fret rocker.

Far Too Many Divots

Fret Tops Marked

Initial Leveling | Sanding Beam

Post-Sanding Beam Results

Fret Tops Marked Again

Final Leveling | Diamond Sharpening Stones

Fret Tops Are Level

Recrowning the Frets

The fret tops are now nice and level, and the next step is to recrown them. Recrowning leaves a narrow strip of "land" right down the center of each fret, which is absolutely necessary for accurate intonation. Today, my fret crowning tool of choice is a StewMac Z-File Fret Crowning File.

Fret Tops Marked Yet Again

Recrowning the Frets | StewMac Z-File

 

Recrowning the frets leaves a slight burr all along the left and right edges of each fret top. These burred edges need to be rounded over for a smoother playing experience. For this purpose, I'll be utilizing successively finer grits of silicon carbide abrasive paper wrapped around a piece of high density foam; starting with 600 grit and stopping at 1000.

Rounding Over Fret Tops | Abrasive Paper

Polishing the Frets

The fret tops have been now been rounded over to 1000 grit, and one could very well call it a day at this point. However, going the extra mile and polishing the frets is well worth the effort. On this fine day, I'll be starting off with a Gray Scotch-Brite Pad, and then move on to steel wool. The first round of steel wooling will be with regular grade, and the second, with ultra fine 0000 grade. This should leave a silky smooth playing surface your fingers will thank you for.

Polishing Frets | Gray Scotch-Brite Pad

Polishing Frets | Regular Steel Wool

Polishing Frets | 0000 Steel Wool

Frets After Polishing

Conditioning the Fretboard

With fretwork taken care of, I'm shifting my focus back to the rosewood fretboard. After dusting off the metallic residue left over from all that grinding, sanding, and polishing, the fretboard is looking a little dry. It's time, then, to hydrate and condition it with a few applications of Dunlop Formula 65 Fretboard Ultimate Lemon Oil.

Fretboard Conditioning | Lemon Oil

Fonzie Osman | Uber Cool Bassman

Fonzie Osman is one of the most laid-back bass players I've ever known. He's the kind of guy who never has much to say, smiles easily, and stays mostly in one spot onstage. However, once he starts playing, you'll know he's in the house. Fonzie and I first started performing together in 1984 in Bukit Goh, along with Cheop and Cikgu Suhaimi Abrahman; both since departed. Rest in peace, compadres.

Besides playing bass, Fonzie is also a talented vocalist. Over the years, however, the demands of his career in shipping have left him little time for his musicals pursuits. As such, you'll only get to see him in action at private functions or jam sessions. Speaking of which, I'd like to share two cassette tape recordings of a 1986 jam session in Bukit Goh. These recordings feature Fonzie Osman on bass and lead vocals, Cikgu Suhaimi Abrahman on drums, and yours truly on guitar.

2009 Ibanez JEM-JR Overhaul | Part 2

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Let the Overhaul Begin

The owner of this 2009 Ibanez JEM-JR has finally given me the green light, so it's time for an overhaul. As the guitar has already been fully disassembled, I've decided to work on the grimy body first. It hasn't been an easy task, but it's been taken care of. The pickguard, meanwhile, has been given a good scrubbing with a kitchen sponge and dish soap, and hung to dry.

Front of Body After Cleaning

Tremolo Recess

Back of Body After Cleaning

Neck Screw Wells

Tremolo Cavity

Output Jack Cavity

Pickguard After Scrubbing

Hardware Servicing

I've carefully evaluated the hardware, and separated them into two piles. One, the components that will be serviced and reused, and two; those that will be put out to pasture. Thankfully, the Edge III itself is largely free of corrosion, and will only require cleaning and a lube job. As for the various bolts, screws, springs, washers and the like, a good long soak in MultiLube, followed by a good scrub; should do them a world of good.

Hardware Servicing | Image 1

Hardware Servicing | Image 2

Hardware Servicing | Image 3

Electronics and Wiring

The pickguard has been cleaned, as have the pickups, so we can start wiring in new electronic components. These components include a barrel jack, Alpha A500K pots, a generic PCB-based selector switch, and poly tone capacitor. By the way, all three pickups now feature new height adjustment screws and springs.

Pots and Switch Wired In

Middle Single-Coil Wired In

Middle Single-Coil

Rewiring Completed

Barrel Jack

Pickguard/Electronics Reinstalled

Remembering Yusof Abdullah aka Cheop

Yusof Abdullah aka "Cheop" was a simple man who hailed from Kampung Panching, Kuantan. Although his day job as a trucker left him with little free time, he was still able to indulge in his life's passion; singing. I first met Cheop in 1984, and we shared the stage in a number of bands throughout that decade. Sadly, Cheop is no longer with us. All I have to remember him by are old photos and cassette tape recordings.

In this post, I'd like to share two recordings of a 1986 jam session in Bukit Goh. These recordings feature Cheop [lead vocals], Fonzie Osman [bass], the late Suhaimi Abrahman [drums], and yours truly on guitar. Rest in peace, Cheop. You may not be with us in person, but your spirit lives on.

Ibanez RG370DX Overhaul | Part 5

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Getting the Pickups Ready

As has been painfully obvious since Part 1, the three pickups on this 2007 Ibanez RG370DX are in dire need of deep cleaning. This I have done to the best of my ability with the aid of naphtha, Waxco plastic polish, a toothbrush, and lots of paper towels. Was not able to do much about the hex pole pieces, but at least they can now be raised or lowered with greater ease. Plus, it warms the cockles of my heart to see them relatively free of grime and crud. The white stuff? That's just potting wax, folks.

Pickups After Cleaning

That being taken care of, we can shift our focus to pickup wiring, starting with the INFS3 middle single-coil. Removing the cover, and cleaning off all the crud and cobwebs from around the black plastic base plate has uncovered cause for alarm. One, the hot lead [white] has damaged insulation, and this could cause a short at any time. Two, looking closely, you'll notice that the solder points for both the hot and ground [black] leads are dull and dark. So dull, in fact, that you can hardly make them out.

Coverless INFS3

Damaged Insulation/Dull Solder Points

Not wanting to leave anything to chance, I've gone ahead and desoldered the existing leads from their respective base plate eyelets. Talking about desoldering, I really wish pickup manufacturers would stop making base plates out of plastic and go back to using fiber. These plastic base plates tend to overheat and melt a little too easily, making a mess of things. Anyhow, both leads have been replaced, the only visible difference being a yellow lead for the hot.

Hot/Ground Leads Replaced

Right now, everything has been taken care of, and I can breathe a sigh of relief. The pickups have been serviced, the plastic pickup surrounds for the INF3 and INF4 cleaned and polished, the INFS3 rewired, and all three treated to new screws and springs. Components have been reassembled and all that remains is to reinstall them into the body.

Pickup Screws/Springs Replaced

One final check, and the INF3 is dead in the water. No output at all. Rechecking the wiring repeatedly with various multimeters has yielded the same heartbreaking results. Having no other choice, I've unwrapped the black tape protecting the coils, carefully disentangled the rat's nest of wires within, and identified the culprit. It's the bare ground wire [labeled "1" in Fig. 1 below] that is soldered to the brass base plate of the INF3. 

Fig. 1: Stock INF3 Coaxial Cable

The solder joint is there, all right. The problem is that the ground wire has snapped off completely from this solder joint, breaking the ground connection between the base plate and control cavity circuitry. In short, no ground connection means an open circuit, which translates into a dead pickup. Right, resoldering the ground wire to the base plate should solve the problem. What the heck, I might as well go the whole hog and replace the red coaxial cable. That's what you see in Fig. 2 below. I've soldered on a new black coaxial cable, and the INF3 has come back to life. With pickup issues all sorted out, the INF3, INFS3, and INF4 are back in the body of our RG370DX.

Fig. 2: INF3 Coaxial Cable Replaced

Pickups Reinstalled in Body

Taking Care of Wiring

I've started off wiring chores by soldering a grey coaxial [shielded] cable to the owner's output jack of choice, a Switchcraft. The other end of this cable will be soldered to the volume pot when I'm dealing with control cavity wiring. I cannot stress enough on the importance of using shielded cable for longer cable runs, such as the volume pot to the output jack. Taking the easy way out and simply soldering on two lengths of unshielded cable will not minimize electromagnetic field [EMF] interference; and you'll most probably end up with an unbearably noisy signal.

Switchcraft Output Jack/Shielded Cable

When dealing with control cavity-mounted electronics, I prefer wiring as many components as possible outside the cavity, on a purpose-built board. In essence, one is putting together a "wiring harness," which, once completed, will be easily soldered to the pickup and output jack cables. Here, I'm wiring in the volume and tone pots on a repurposed plywood board built for an Ibanez GIO.

Wiring Harness/Alpha A500K Pots

Now, the pots have been unfastened from the plywood board, and a pair of "helping hands" is being utilized to keep the volume pot immobile while I solder the pickup grounds to its back. Believe me, it's way safer than trying to do this with the pot already installed deep inside the control cavity. For one, there is much less risk of accidentally burning wiring insulation with your soldering iron, and ending up with an unsightly mess.

Soldering Pickup Grounds

Folks, control cavity wiring has finally been completed, and the only task left undone is to solder the black ground wire from the back of the tone pot to the tremolo claw. Yes, you read me right. I've soldered the grounds for both the selector switch housing and tremolo claw to the back of the tone, and not volume, pot. This is because the back of the volume pot has just about taken as many solder connections as it can, while there's still lots of empty space on the back of the tone pot. Makes sense, doesn't it? Moving on, Fig. 3 is a simple representation of the wiring scheme employed in this RG370DX.

Control Cavity Wiring Completed

Fig. 3: Ibanez RG370DX Wiring Diagram

Well, wiring has been taken care of, so what's left? Oh yes, we should attach the black selector switch tip, as well as the stock black metal dome knobs. These knobs have been cleaned and serviced along with the rest of the hardware, and look much better than when received. Oh yes, we also need to fasten the output jack to the shiny new chrome-plated output jack plate, and screw the latter onto the body. Here's what it all looks like, then. 

Pickups/Electronics Fully Installed

Chrome-Plated Output Jack Plate

Reattaching the Neck

As received, the neck pitch on this RG370DX was off, and that's putting it mildly. Truth be told, the neck was actually angled upwards, resulting in unnecessarily high action in the upper reaches of the fretboard. To correct this, I've decided to install a very thin blackwood neck shim. Now, the neck's been reattached, and is ever so slightly angled downwards, thank goodness. Oh yes, I might as well glue some black EVA foam to the floor of the tremolo recess now. 

Blackwood Neck Shim

Desired Neck Pitch Achieved

EVA Foam Lining Replaced

 

Overhaul Completed

I've reinstalled the Edge III, and attached the new tremolo claw and springs. No, I have not forgotten about soldering the ground wire to the claw. Fast forward to November 25, this guitar has just been set up with Dunlop DEN 0942s, and put through its paces. Everything's working as it should, and I'm one happy repairman. I'll end this post with a few pics of the overhauled 2007 Ibanez RG370DX.

RG370DX Set Up and Ready to Go

Headstock Face

Trem Claw/Screws/Springs Replaced

Back of Headstock