Pickups
The stock pickups in this 2007 Ibanez RG370DX comprise an INF3 neck humbucker, an INFS3 middle single-coil and an INF4 bridge humbucker. All three pickups show the signs of age and neglect, but are still in working order. My recommendations here include the replacement of rusty components such as screws and springs, a thorough wiring integrity check and rewire if necessary, and general cleaning and polishing of metal and plastic parts retained.
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| Rusty Pickup Ring/Mounting Screws |
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| INF3 Neck Humbucker | Top |
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| INF3 | Underside/Sides |
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| INFS3 Middle Single-Coil | Top |
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| INFS3 | Underside/Sides |
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| INF4 Bridge Humbucker | Top |
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| INF4 | Underside/Sides |
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| Pickup Cavities |
Alpha 5P Five-Way Selector Switch
The stock Alpha 5P five-way selector switch is not functioning normally. Pickups are silent when they're supposed to be active, and vice versa. To compound matters, only one coil of the INF3 is ever active, and it's the same for the INF4. So, we have a malfunctioning switch, corroded solder tabs, and really gnarly wiring. What should I, a simple repairman, do? Replace the Alpha 5P, and start from scratch? Ah, yes, that sounds good to me.
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| Alpha 5P 5-Way Switch | Top |
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| Alpha 5P | PCB Side |
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| Alpha 5P | Switch Housing |
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| Alpha 5P | Solder Tabs |
Pots, Wiring and Output Jack
The volume and tone pots, output jack, and related wiring are not stock, and were installed during an earlier "upgrade" attempt. Red and black unshielded cable has been used for pot to pot and volume pot to output jack connections. We'll begin with the volume pot, a full-sized generic B500K. It's evident that someone's had a field day with his/her soldering iron, resulting in really nasty looking joints.
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| B500K Volume Pot | Front |
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| Volume Pot | Back |
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| Volume Pot | Side View |
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| Volume Pot | Top |
Next up is the tone pot, an unbranded full-sized A500K. Coupled to the tone pot is a poly 0.047uF cap, one leg of which has been soldered rather messily to the back of said pot. As for the generic mono output jack, it appears to be adequate, but is hardly an "upgrade" to that installed at the factory.
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| A500K Tone Pot/0.047uF Tone Cap |
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| Generic Mono Output Jack |
Long Story Short
On the whole, what we are looking at with regard to the switch, pots, output jack, and wiring is a right royal mess. It's a dreadful maze of solder blobs, burnt insulation, spliced joints, and heat shrink tubing. Cutting to the chase, what I'd really like to do is disconnect the pickups, get rid of these electronics, and wire in new components.
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