# RGD 7 String Customization and Refinishing Project



## AngelVivaldi (Nov 14, 2011)

I got my RGD 2127Z a good 3 months ago and I finally have some musical downtime to get her refinished. I originally planned to send it over to the LACS for refinishing and small neck sanding, but the wait time wouldn't be worth it for a simple paint job and sanding that could probably do myself. 

Luckily, the father of one of my bassist's students just refinished one of his guitars and man... it looks incredible! Since his came out so nice I figured the guy was legit & trustworthy enough. With all of these horror stories about people sending their guitars off to be redone and getting screwed over, I wanted to make sure that I sent it to someone I can trust with the project. 

Ive was thinking about different things I can do to my rig that will make is more visually appealing, so I decided on a White/Black theme across the board (rig picstory coming soon). The guitar will be refinished with a Pearl White (see below), Black pickups w/black poles (Liquifire and Miracle Man FTW), and the cosmic hardware which is my personal favorite finish for hardware. I thought about matching the headstock, but I think the black headstock will still look sexy as fuck and contrast for that B&W effect.


*Here it is in its original, stock boringness:*
(sorry drewbie, its the best picture Ive got of it :lol)







*And here is the color Im getting:*
(There will be more shimmer in my color, but you get the idea here)


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## ZXIIIT (Nov 14, 2011)

Nice!
White is awesome, do a matching headstick like Dino's RGD custom !


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 14, 2011)

ZOMB13 said:


> Nice!
> White is awesome, do a matching headstick like Dino's RGD custom !



In any other situation I'd totally agree. I'm a sucker for matching headstocks. However, the main thing preventing me from doing the headstock as well is the mother-of-pearl Ibanez/Prestige logo. If it was any other Ibanez logo I'd snag a sticker off of eBay and use that. Dont think they make these logos


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## ZXIIIT (Nov 14, 2011)

AngelVivaldi said:


> In any other situation I'd totally agree. I'm a sucker for matching headstocks. However, the main thing preventing me from doing the headstock as well is the mother-of-pearl Ibanez/Prestige logo. If it was any other Ibanez logo I'd snag a sticker off of eBay and use that. Dont think they make these logos



Ah I see, those are hard to replicate and have them look good


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## xshreditupx (Nov 14, 2011)

angel, im excited to see what you come up with. i think white with a black stripe might look sick, or black speckle with the metal flake and keep the headstock black. either way, lets get together again and talk nerd stuff. ill have the axe fx back here next week, so its on!!!!


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 14, 2011)

xshreditupx said:


> angel, im excited to see what you come up with. i think white with a black stripe might look sick, or black speckle with the metal flake and keep the headstock black. either way, lets get together again and talk nerd stuff. ill have the axe fx back here next week, so its on!!!!



It's already being worked on, I think they just finished sanding it down. For Pearl finishes, there are a few additional layers that need to be done before the actual white color gets to it. Kind of a pain in the ass, but thankfully I dont have to deal with it 

I'm warming up to the idea of the black headstock either way. It'll coincide with my B&W theme even moreso, and we all know how important it is for me to be fashionably coordinated on stage


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## Stealthdjentstic (Nov 14, 2011)

Passed out Drew pics huh?

Grow your wolverine side burns back first brah


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## theo (Nov 14, 2011)

sweet! Can't wait to see some pictures!


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## theo (Nov 14, 2011)

sweet! Can't wait to see some pictures!


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 14, 2011)

Stealthdjentstic said:


> Passed out Drew pics huh?
> 
> Grow your wolverine side burns back first brah



Drew's the man- that's all I've gotta say. He can do whatever he likes. 

Oh, they've been back in full force for quite a while!


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## Syriel (Nov 15, 2011)

Since you can't go the matching headstock route, why not put a black pickguard on top of your RGD? IMO that would keep it uniform, and at the same time it would look awesome. 

Looking forward to finished pics!


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 15, 2011)

Syriel said:


> Since you can't go the matching headstock route, why not put a black pickguard on top of your RGD? IMO that would keep it uniform, and at the same time it would look awesome.
> 
> Looking forward to finished pics!



I'd imagine that it'd be tough to find a pickguard for an RGD shape.


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## Aevolve (Nov 15, 2011)

Can't wait to see it- this is bound to be god-tier


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 15, 2011)

Ummm, pics of the guitar in the botom left corner of the first pic? looks fucking sexy!


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 15, 2011)

scherzo1928 said:


> Ummm, pics of the guitar in the botom left corner of the first pic? looks fucking sexy!



That's one of Mike Sherman's builds!


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 15, 2011)

Great Scot!! I kind of figured it was a Sherman from the heel, didn't know it was a bass though... and what a Bass!

Thanks for the pics man!

edit: awww, can't rep you again for a day.


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## BlackMastodon (Nov 15, 2011)

That bass body: good gawd.


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 15, 2011)

Here's a pic that I just got back from the factory. This is just the primer layer... so stoked!


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 15, 2011)

Oh yeah, I'm in love fellas...


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## Konfyouzd (Nov 15, 2011)

Ibanez should come here for their next year's color options... Just release every guitar in one color like they've been doing and then just come here to see what color everyone refinishes it in. 

Let's see... So far we have Matt's chameleon RGD and now what appears to be a sexified pearly white...?


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 15, 2011)

Konfyouzd said:


> Ibanez should come here for their next year's color options... Just release every guitar in one color like they've been doing and then just come here to see what color everyone refinishes it in.
> 
> Let's see... So far we have Matt's chameleon RGD and now what appears to be a sexified pearly white...?



Yeppers! I've never been a fan of that matte black finish. Too stock, (on top of the dot inlays as well), plus it dings so damn easily that it'll look like shit after a heavy tour.


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## JosephAOI (Nov 15, 2011)

Syriel said:


> Since you can't go the matching headstock route, why not put a black pickguard on top of your RGD? IMO that would keep it uniform, and at the same time it would look awesome.
> 
> Looking forward to finished pics!


 I agree with this so much. If you don't do it, I might.


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 15, 2011)

JosephAOI said:


> I agree with this so much. If you don't do it, I might.



I wouldnt be against seeing how it would look. But I have yet to see 1 RGD with one on it. I'm pretty sure the RG pickguards that are out there arent compatible with RGDs as well, right?


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## JosephAOI (Nov 15, 2011)

AngelVivaldi said:


> I wouldnt be against seeing how it would look. But I have yet to see 1 RGD with one on it. I'm pretty sure the RG pickguards that are out there arent compatible with RGDs as well, right?


 Yeah but it wouldn't be hard whatsoever to make one. It's just plastic after all.


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## Randy (Nov 15, 2011)

If things slow down here at work, I'll photochop something, so you have an idea of what it'd look like.


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 15, 2011)

Randy said:


> If things slow down here at work, I'll photochop something, so you have an idea of what it'd look like.



oOoOoOo that'd be pretty sweet!


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## Randy (Nov 15, 2011)

Wrong bridge (I don't have that one CAD'd out yet) but this'll give you a ballpark idea. FWIW, the RG pickguard I have modelled here got a *tiny* amount of shaving to fit but not much:







EDIT: In 3D, I think the lower horn would make a lot more sense than it looks here.


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## theo (Nov 15, 2011)

my vote goes to sans pickguard


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## Kamin (Nov 15, 2011)

theo said:


> my vote goes to sans pickguard



I agree. I think the white is too nice to cover up.


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## Rick (Nov 15, 2011)

Nice hoodie, Angel. 

This is gonna look pretty sweet.


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## BlackMastodon (Nov 16, 2011)

The white does look really good, and the more that shows, the better, but the pick guard helps tie in the black headstock.


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## Kamin (Nov 16, 2011)

I would put black hardware on it and call it a match.


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## Rojne (Nov 16, 2011)

Ditch the pickguard, it will look sooooo much better without it!


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 16, 2011)

Randy said:


>



Duuude, thanks so much for mocking this up for me, much appreciated! I'll try and see if I can snag an RG 7 pickguard and fuck around with it for shits and giggles. I do think however that a pickguard on top of the extensive body contours may be a little too "busy." Certainly doesnt hurt to try! Maybe with the right pickguard finish and shape it could work. 



Kamin said:


> I agree. I think the white is too nice to cover up.


I'm like 80% with you here. 



BlackMastodon said:


> The white does look really good, and the more that shows, the better, but the pick guard helps tie in the black headstock.


 This is the main selling point for a pickguard as well. It'll really tie the room together.  





Kamin said:


> I would put black hardware on it and call it a match.


, however I love my Edge Zero II Trem WAY too much to replace it with anything else, and I havent seen any black ones. Cosmic chrome is my favorite finish for bridges either way, so I'm happy with that.


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## Randy (Nov 16, 2011)

AngelVivaldi said:


> I do think however that a pickguard on top of the extensive body contours may be a little too "busy."



I agree with this, intensely.


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## simonXsludge (Nov 16, 2011)

Ebonize the fretboard and the headstock won't look out of place.


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 16, 2011)

shitsøn;2745474 said:


> Ebonize the fretboard and the headstock won't look out of place.



ACTUALLY! Totally forgot to mention this, but I do plan on dying the fretboard darker to get more contrast. The bound rosewood on the RGD2127Z's is a bit darker than most, so it should be easy. Just dont want to dry out all the oils on the fretboard either.


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## Randy (Nov 16, 2011)

I've stained a couple fretboards using the LMII black dye and have had varying success with it but I've heard leather dye (StewMac sells some, but the same stuff you buy at a shoe place works just as well) is the best especially since it's designed to allow the leather to "breathe"


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 16, 2011)

Randy said:


> I've stained a couple fretboards using the LMII black dye and have had varying success with it but I've heard leather dye (StewMac sells some, but the same stuff you buy at a shoe place works just as well) is the best especially since it's designed to allow the leather to "breathe"



Thanks for the heads up. That was my next questions... does the LMII rub off on your hands? I'm surprised that a leather dye would be ok to use on wood


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## Konfyouzd (Nov 16, 2011)

I've never had the dye rub off on my hands. I used it on a couple of guitars already.


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 16, 2011)

Konfyouzd said:


> I've never had the dye rub off on my hands. I used it on a couple of guitars already.



The leather stuff or the LMII or whatever?


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## Randy (Nov 16, 2011)

The LMII stuff is a pain in the ass because it's powder, so you need to do a lot of mixing to get it. Personally, I'd just go with the StewMac stuff because you can use it right out of the bottle 







TO:






BFG Refinish -- Flame top?! - Page 3 - My Les Paul Forums

BFG Refinish -- Flame top?! - Page 3 - My Les Paul Forums

and everything I've read says it won't 'come off' on you.

EDIT: I also found a thread on here where Dendroaspis mentions that he's used the same stuff a number of times. That guys an expert on, well, everything... so he might be a good person to PM if you need any extra advice.


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 16, 2011)

Randy said:


> The LMII stuff is a pain in the ass because it's powder, so you need to do a lot of mixing to get it. Personally, I'd just go with the StewMac stuff because you can use it right out of the bottle
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Sold. Thanks for being so incredibly helpful


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 16, 2011)

Using the tuners from this set:





The knobs from this one: (not sold on this one yet, feel free to make suggestions!) I'd prefer a Black Pearl if possible.





White truss rod cover:


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## Syriel (Nov 16, 2011)

I'll still stand by my pickguard suggestion.

However since it's your guitar, it's up to you as to whatever you do to it. That white is sexy as hell tho.


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 16, 2011)

Syriel said:


> I'll still stand by my pickguard suggestion.
> 
> However since it's your guitar, it's up to you as to whatever you do to it. That white is sexy as hell tho.



I'll take some pics of the process to get everyone's input. Altho mockups are always incredibly helpful, seeing the real thing may change some minds including my own


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## theo (Nov 16, 2011)

where can you buy those knobs from?


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 16, 2011)

theo said:


> where can you buy those knobs from?



MJ Guitars


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 19, 2011)

Picked it up a few days ago and pictures barely do it any justice. The finish is immaculate! There are all sorts of green and purple reflections in the flakes when you look up close.  Altho it is dry to the touch, I have to let it dry 100% over the next 2 weeks or so. Which is fine because I have all sorts of custom parts coming in the meantime. I'm so happy and relieved to have a guitar with a clear coat on it; it's a shame that the stock finish dings so fucking easily. 

Onyx felt a little left out of the party during the photo shoot 




Better shot of the flakes in the finish. Cant see the multi-colored effects in this pic tho 





Overall look with the headstock in this shot










Lots more work to do, but glad that the finish portion of it is over!


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## BlackMastodon (Nov 19, 2011)

Looks damn good, man. Also, Onyx is an awesome name for a dog!


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## simonXsludge (Nov 19, 2011)

AngelVivaldi said:


> Overall look with the headstock in this shot



Doesn't look bad at all with that non-matching headstock. If you're still planning on dyeing the fretboard black, it's gonna look even better, I think.

Sexy guitar, nice doggy as well. 


​


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## AngelVivaldi (Nov 19, 2011)

shitsøn;2749407 said:


> Doesn't look bad at all with that non-matching headstock. If you're still planning on dyeing the fretboard black, it's gonna look even better, I think.
> 
> Sexy guitar, nice doggy as well.
> 
> ...



Thanks! The MOP decal actually ties in with the pearl finish beautifully. Overall I am very happy with how this is coming along. I should be getting my custom Sperzel tuners within the next week. The Tuner buttons are a Pearl White with the rest of the unit in Satin Black, which is a very similar finish to the headstock (matte black)


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## simonXsludge (Nov 20, 2011)

It'll look sick with those tuners, man. Great project allaround!


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## Kamikaze7 (Nov 20, 2011)

Hey Angel, Thought you'd like to see this... I got my "ESP Custom Guitars" decals from them and they are perfect sized as the originals are from ESP. Would be something to look into IF you do wanna do the headstock to match...

Ibanez "Prestige" Headstock Decal [hsiba009] : Best-Decals.com, Your One-Stop Decal-Shop

I've done plenty of business with them and I recommend them to anyone looking for repro decals for a rebuild or refinish.... Very reputable and good stuff for the money. If you clear coat over them, they'll last for ever.

Good looking Ibanez man. Coming out killer and looks way better than the facto black satin!!!


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## simonXsludge (Jan 4, 2012)

Hungry for an update! How's the progress?


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## Malkav (Jan 5, 2012)

Congratulations dude, that looks absolutely stunning 

Odd question but when you do a refinish like this how does it affect the shielding? Often in refinish threads it looks like the pickup cavities and electronics cavities get filled in with the new finish/colour and I was just wondering if this has any negative impact on the guitar if it's been shielded? Would one have to redo the shielding after a refinish?


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## metalheadpunk (Jan 5, 2012)

Malkav said:


> Congratulations dude, that looks absolutely stunning
> 
> Odd question but when you do a refinish like this how does it affect the shielding? Often in refinish threads it looks like the pickup cavities and electronics cavities get filled in with the new finish/colour and I was just wondering if this has any negative impact on the guitar if it's been shielded? Would one have to redo the shielding after a refinish?



when i did mine i taped off the shielding paint. But you should be able to paint over it and retain it's "shielding properties"


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## AngelVivaldi (Jan 27, 2012)

3 months later...

Yep, I'm a pretty shitty SS.org member  Thought I'd share an update with you guys. 

-	Custom Schaller&#8217;s in Pearl White and Satin Black (they&#8217;re the best tuners I&#8217;ve ever used- hands down).
-	Matte Black knob with Pearl White top
-	Dyed the fretboard black
-	Pearl white truss rod cover
-	Powder coated the tuner screws, locking blocks and trem bar White & the Nut and Round Nut surrounding the toggle switch Satin Black


Unfor they got a bit of coating in the first few threads of the washer and 1 of the screws so cleaning that out was THRILLING. The trem bar also neede to be sanded down because it wouldn&#8217;t fit in the cold metal hole&#8230; You can see some of the black was scratched off the toggle washer but fuck it, it&#8217;s a guitar and it&#8217;ll probably need a few more recoats during it&#8217;s time with me lol












Here's a shot fully assembled, but without the powder coated pieces


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## simonXsludge (Jan 27, 2012)

That came out killer, man! Congrats!!!


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## theo (Jan 28, 2012)

sweet! looks great. was the powder coating expensive?


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## Bloody_Inferno (Jan 28, 2012)

Stunning. And the black headstock is great the way it is. 

Congrats man!


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## ZXIIIT (Jan 28, 2012)

White tremolo arm !


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## AngelVivaldi (Jan 30, 2012)

Bloody_Inferno said:


> Stunning. And the black headstock is great the way it is.
> 
> Congrats man!



Im sooo glad I didnt do a matching headstock. Wouldve been nice, but I wouldnt have thought to scheme it out with the black and white.


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## simonXsludge (Jan 30, 2012)

If you can, post up a nice photo of the fully assambled guitar. It looks delicious in that live shot!


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## AngelVivaldi (Feb 1, 2012)

Full body shots!


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## simonXsludge (Feb 1, 2012)

Thank you, man. Looks stellar!

The white pearl really makes the contours of the body pop.


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## Levi79 (Feb 4, 2012)

This is siiiick dude!


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## nathanwessel (Feb 4, 2012)

That white looks delicious! 
Me Gusta.


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## AngelVivaldi (Feb 5, 2012)

really feels like the ever evolving project lol

Just got a LQF7 w/silver poles to replace the stealth version


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## kowoolo (Feb 5, 2012)

this will look even more badass with the matching pickup! may i ask where you got that pearl truss rod cover?


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## DMAallday (Feb 5, 2012)

dude, that guitar looks SICK!!!!!!!


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## guy in latvia (Feb 6, 2012)

^wow, awesome job, looks epic! Congrats!


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## AngelVivaldi (Feb 6, 2012)

kowoolo said:


> this will look even more badass with the matching pickup! may i ask where you got that pearl truss rod cover?



I had to get it custom made since the below company didn't have the new RGD shape truss rod covers. I do believe that he used my original as a template, so they may have them now 

Custom Luthier, Custom Inlays, Custom Guitar Inlays, Custom Pearl Inlays, Custom Fretboards Inlays, Custom Fingerboard Inlays, Abalam, Mother of Pearl - Ibanez RG <NOBR>Truss Rod Cover</NOBR>


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## kowoolo (Feb 7, 2012)

i might steal this idea for my now white RG i picked up from the painter's shop today  thank you very much!

seems as if the shop only had RG truss rod covers for locking nuts... but i might see if i can just snap off that lower bit of the cover


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## Onyx8String (Feb 8, 2012)

BlackMastodon said:


> Looks damn good, man. Also, Onyx is an awesome name for a dog!


Onyx is an awesome name 
Awesome finish as well man! Looks great!


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## AngelVivaldi (Feb 8, 2012)

kowoolo said:


> i might steal this idea for my now white RG i picked up from the painter's shop today  thank you very much!
> 
> seems as if the shop only had RG truss rod covers for locking nuts... but i might see if i can just snap off that lower bit of the cover



they'll totally work with whatever dimensions you have! Hit them up


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## vampiregenocide (Feb 17, 2012)

Damn how did I miss this. That's damn gorgeous!


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## PyramidSmasher (Feb 21, 2012)

Reminds me of the RG1527m with the white body and black headstock, of course the bevels and the fretboard make this thing way cooler


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## Geognosy (Feb 21, 2012)

This is honestly the first white guitar that I ever thought looked really good. Thanks for the great photos.


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## Vinchester (Feb 21, 2012)

That last pic stunned me! Super classy looking! Honestly you're doing a better job than Ibanez


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## AngelVivaldi (Mar 1, 2012)

PyramidSmasher said:


> Reminds me of the RG1527m with the white body and black headstock, of course the bevels and the fretboard make this thing way cooler



That actually may be my next guitar, only with an RGD-style body. Instead of the body being white I'm thinking about doing a completely inverted version for my next one, (maple neck, white headstock, black body etc). Not sure how that'll work out exactly... just been tossing the idea around. It'd be great if I could bleach or strip the color out of the maple for w whiter fretboard!


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## DropSplash (Mar 1, 2012)

How much did all of this cost you totaled up?


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## IronGoliath (Mar 1, 2012)

Absolutely beautiful, dude!


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## Bouillestfu (Mar 18, 2012)

Should have added http://www.specialistpaints.com/products/metal-flake White Flake to the paint job woulda made it sparkle like nuts!


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## DropSplash (Mar 19, 2012)

Are there any videos of this guitar?


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## donray1527 (Mar 14, 2014)

I came.


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## Adrian-XI (Mar 14, 2014)

donray1527 said:


> I came.



Holy crap, it took you like 2 years!


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## Rafkraken (Mar 14, 2014)

Absolutely sick guitar!


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## Vigaren (Mar 15, 2014)

Looks AMAZING!!!! Nailed it!


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## FIXXXER (Mar 15, 2014)

AngelVivaldi said:


> In any other situation I'd totally agree. I'm a sucker for matching headstocks. However, the main thing preventing me from doing the headstock as well is the mother-of-pearl Ibanez/Prestige logo. If it was any other Ibanez logo I'd snag a sticker off of eBay and use that. Dont think they make these logos



you can get a sticker and use it to mask off the actual logo before painting


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## AngelVivaldi (Mar 15, 2014)

FIXXXER said:


> you can get a sticker and use it to mask off the actual logo before painting



I've seen them before, but to line it up perfectly would be too nerve-wracking to risk. =(


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## donray1527 (Mar 16, 2014)

Adrian-XI said:


> Holy crap, it took you like 2 years!



That's what you call stamina


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## AngelVivaldi (Mar 16, 2014)

donray1527 said:


> That's what you call stamina



...or a problem!


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## AngelVivaldi (Mar 16, 2014)

penny1 said:


> Are there any videos of this guitar?



Yerp!


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## charlessalvacion (Mar 16, 2014)

Now I want a white guitar. hehe


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## Bassassasin (Mar 17, 2014)

This is the sexiest RGD i´ve ever seen...
I like the original headstock with the pearloyd tr-cover.
The only things, what i miss, are white polepieces


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## OWHall (Mar 17, 2014)

Bassassasin said:


> This is the sexiest RGD i´ve ever seen...
> I like the original headstock with the pearloyd tr-cover.
> The only things, what i miss, are white polepieces


^^ this ^^
get some BKs in there. Black battle worn with white poles.


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## AngelVivaldi (Mar 18, 2014)

OWHall said:


> ^^ this ^^
> get some BKs in there. Black battle worn with white poles.



I actually have a Miracle man in the bridge, but honestly there's nothing else they have that I actually like. Though that would be a cool idea


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## Bassassasin (Mar 19, 2014)

DO THIS, NOW 
Or get white Polepieces (powdercoat some old ones?) and you can replaye every pickup you whant


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