1983 Ibanez AR30 Restoration | Part Four

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

In Part One of this series, we took a look at the early stages of restoration work done on this 1983 Ibanez AR30. Then, in Part Two, the refinishing process was completed; and the AR30 left aside for a month. Next, in Part Three, we saw electronics, shielding and related issues being taken care of.

We are now at the fourth and final part of this series. It's been nearly a year since I started this restoration, and I'm eager to send it back to the owner for final testing. As it turned out, I met him just a few hours ago at his rehearsal studio, handed him his AR30; and was treated to a 15 minutes of blazing guitar work.

After putting the guitar back on its stand, he looked at me and gave me the thumbs-up. I heaved a huge sigh of relief, I tell you. Well folks, that concludes the saga of how this 1983 Ibanez AR30 was restored. Who knows, one of these days another AR30 might just come my way.

1983 Ibanez AR30 Restoration | Part Three

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

In Part One of this series, we took a look at the early stages of restoration work done on this 1983 Ibanez AR30. Then, in Part Two, the refinishing process was completed; and the AR30 left aside for a month. We are now at the electronics stage of the restoration process.

I've been provided with a pair of used PRS Dragon I humbuckers and a pair of mounting rings. The "Dragon Bass" is the neck humbucker, and the "Dragon Treble," the bridge. Unfortunately, neither of the seller's rings seem to fit the profile of the top correctly. In fact, the bottom of the neck mounting ring is completely flat. But I do have on hand a pair of Gibson pickup mounting rings: PRPR-015 (neck) and PRPR-025 (bridge). Yes, they seem to fit better than the ones supplied by the seller; so they'll be the ones I'll use.

Other than that, I've shielded the pickup and control cavities with conductive paint, and screwed in grounding tabs/wires where needed. I've also wired up a harness consisting of three Alpha A500K pots, 3-way toggle switch, K40Y-9 0.033uf tone cap; and Neutrik/Rean NYS229 output jack. Note that genuine Gavitt cloth push-back wire was used throughout. The original output jack plate also needed to be replaced as it was beyond saving; even after a thorough de-rusting.

The AR30 has been strung with Elixir Nanoweb 10s, set up, tuned; and put through its paces with the help of my trusty Fender Champion 40. By the way, here are two YouTube videos of yours truly doing exactly that: Video 1 | Video 2

1983 Ibanez AR30 Restoration | Part Two

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

In Part One of this series, we took a look at the early stages of restoration work done on this 1983 Ibanez AR30. We are now at about 30 coats of Tru-Oil, with wetsanding having been carried out after every three coats or so. It has been a laborious process, but well worth the effort. Along the way, the two holes meant for the mini-DPDT switches have been sealed, and a spot finish touch-up carried out. So its now basically neck pup volume, bridge pickup volume, 3-way toggle switch; and master tone. I've decided to conclude the refinishing stage of this restoration here, and allow the Tru-Oil to cure for at least a month before proceeding.

1983 Ibanez AR30 Restoration | Part One

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

Preamble

This restoration is still in progress, so in this post; I’ll detail the work done so far. However, before we get into that, let’s peruse some information concerning this beat-up black “Crafted in Japan” guitar. For starters, The Guitar Dater Project has confirmed that it was made in May 1983 at the “Terada Plant.” Next, concerning background information and specs; I’ve found the Ibanez Wiki to be a wellspring of knowledge. Let’s get right into it, then. It seems that the AR30 was a “spot model” that never featured in any Ibanez catalog. Only produced between September 1982 and August 1983, it was offered in two finish options: Black (BK) or Brown Sunburst (BS).

Factory Specs

Body: Laminated wood center block with Japanese Ash (Sen) “wings”
Neck: Three-piece Maple (set-in joint)
Fretboard: Rosewood/24.75” scale/12” radius/22 medium frets/acrylic dot inlays/bone nut
Hardware: Fixed bridge/Quik Change tailpiece/Smooth Tuner II tuners/Sure Grip II knobs
Pickups: Two Super 70 humbuckers
Electronics: Two volume pots/master tone pot/three-way toggle/mini-DPDT master phase switch/mini-DPDT master coil split switch

Work Done and Comments

Right off the bat I noticed that the guitar had recently been refretted with jumbo frets and the original knobs replaced with generic black “speed knobs.” A previous owner had also added foil shielding to the pickup and control cavities, which was beginning to crumble in places. I made a mental note to remove the existing shielding and use shielding paint instead. The pickups needed to be replaced, as did the stock electronics and wiring. After several discussions with the owner, it was decided that we replace all the components and ditch the two mini-DPDT switches. In short, we’d be going with a straightforward volume/volume/tone configuration.

The black finish was in terrible shape; and the body sported numerous dings, scratches, gouges and bare wood spots. It was no surprise then, that the owner wanted the body and neck stripped and refinished as a sunburst. I decided to go for a dark crimson burst violin-style hand-rubbed finish using suitable shades of StewMac ColorTone Liquid Stain and Tru-Oil. I’d also be sealing the two existing holes for the mini-DPDT switches as they wouldn’t be part of the new wiring scheme.

To date, I’ve completed about 90% of the refinish job. Once this part of the restoration is complete, we should be able to move on to rewiring and hardware installation. But that’s a story for another post.

Ibanez York 628/12 Restoration | Part One

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Just found out today that all the pics from my July 31 post on this Ibanez York 628/12 are missing. Serves me right for hotlinking. That post has already been deleted. And so, here is a repost with all the details and pics; for those of you (like me) who are into this sort of thing. The guitar has been partially stripped and refinished. It is currently undergoing the last leg of clear-coating (see last 3 pics), after which it will be hung to dry for as long as possible before final wet-sanding and polishing.

Details
Name / Model No: Ibanez York 628/12
Category: Dreadnought / 12-String Acoustic
Serial No: 75 328
Production Notes: Crafted in Japan circa 1975

Specs
Full Length: 43"
Body Dimensions: 19.75" x 16"
Body Depth: 4.5"
Neck Width: 1.75"
Top: Spruce
Back and Sides: Mahogany
Soundhole Rosette: Wood Marquetry
Body Binding: White
Fingerboard: Rosewood / Bound / Abalone-like Block Inlays
Bridge: Rosewood
Tuners: Chrome / Unsealed

Front view.

Back view.

Front of headstock.

Back of headstock. Tuners still working okay.

Nut is falling apart. Owner wants it rebuilt.

Serial Number.

Seems like a previous owner had this refinished.

Shrunken pickguard. Needs to be replaced.

Extensive damage to the back.

Neck heel/neck seam has come apart.

Damaged mahogany back.

Binding has not been scraped clean.

Finish damage near the end pin.

Nice bridge.

Fixing the split in the neck heel / neck seam.

Inlays at 1st and 3rd frets actually came loose.

Regluing the back to the sides.

Baking soda/CA glue nut rebuild attempt.

Spruce top stripped, sanded and restained. 

One pesky bottom brace reglued.

Clear coating in progress.

Hung to dry in between clear coats.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three