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.