# So I stripped the paint off my Ibanez RG7321...



## SilverEvolver (Feb 28, 2013)

I went down the route of taking the paint off of my Ibanez RG7321, dyed it with some Indian Rosewood and then finished it in Tru-Oil.... The tone is way brighter (painful on all my old amp settings, so fo me personally it was a drastic change in tone).

I A / B'ed my old tone with this one (clean DI's and distorted) so I know it's not a placebo effect etc.

What do you guys think?

Ready for work:






Taken down to the wood with a heat gun, scraper and sand paper:





Dye applied:





Oil applied:





Oil dried:





More coats added and buffed:





Black and White for like... Stuff:





I'm now happier with the consistency of the coats and it looks a lot better with regards to smoothness and equality. I'll upload a final picture when I'm really done!


----------



## broj15 (Feb 28, 2013)

basswood can be pretty hit or miss as far as the grain pattern goes, but it looks like this one turned out pretty nice. Good job.


----------



## SilverEvolver (Feb 28, 2013)

broj15 said:


> basswood can be pretty hit or miss as far as the grain pattern goes, but it looks like this one turned out pretty nice. Good job.



Thanks man! That's why I put it off for so long, I heard horrific stories of green patches etc and I was like.. Should I? Shouldn't I?

Glad I did though!


----------



## User Name (Feb 28, 2013)

dude this seriously makes me want to just strip the shit out of all my guitars haha. i love that finish man looks insanely good.


----------



## SilverEvolver (Feb 28, 2013)

User Name said:


> dude this seriously makes me want to just strip the shit out of all my guitars haha. i love that finish man looks insanely good.



Thank you man! It was my first time ever doing anything like this so it was all a complete gamble... though a researched gamble... I think it turned out alright for a first timer hahaha


----------



## skeels (Feb 28, 2013)

Looks sweet man!


----------



## RV350ALSCYTHE (Feb 28, 2013)

That stain and grain look awesome


----------



## goldsteinat0r (Feb 28, 2013)

Between this guitar and that SC607B that was posted earlier this week I'm about to sand down my strat and stain it like this. That looks fantastic, man. Like some kind of high end ibby. Great job!


----------



## Paincakes (Mar 1, 2013)

I'm making a note here: huge success!


----------



## Antares88 (Mar 1, 2013)

Great success


----------



## nutsock (Mar 1, 2013)

Turned out great!


----------



## OfArtAndArsenal (Mar 1, 2013)

Looks great man! I'm doing the exact same thing to mine right now, except dark walnut stain and tung oil. Been sidetracked lately working on a shelf for my wife, but this makes me want to get back to it!
The grain patterns on mine look very similar to yours. Its a pity it has to be a 4-piece body (wtf) but I kinda think the stain makes the mineral lines look really cool.
Did you do anything else to yours or just the body?
I'm going to sand the neck and refinish with oil, and I've already re-drilled for a hipshot bridge.


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 1, 2013)

OfArtAndArsenal said:


> Looks great man! I'm doing the exact same thing to mine right now, except dark walnut stain and tung oil. Been sidetracked lately working on a shelf for my wife, but this makes me want to get back to it!
> The grain patterns on mine look very similar to yours. Its a pity it has to be a 4-piece body (wtf) but I kinda think the stain makes the mineral lines look really cool.
> Did you do anything else to yours or just the body?
> I'm going to sand the neck and refinish with oil, and I've already re-drilled for a hipshot bridge.



Hey man! I've had great success with the Tru Oil and I believe that is a better finish in terms of protection vs Tung Oil (though it may all be horseshit hahaha) but the Tru Oil feels lush (like wood) and is designed for gun stocks so it might be worth reading into?

All I did was mix the stain with some water to raise the grain and did it at a ratio of about 1 part water to 3 parts dye.

It ended up turning a bit gunky with the Tru Oil (which is normal) and then you use a towel to scape everything back off until it feels almost dry. THEN you spray a small bit on the boyd of the guitar at the top and bottom and just rub it over the whole thing (it should feel almost dry after you're done, just a little tacky).

Now what I do is spray a few small patches on the front, sides and back etc and rub it really hard all over and repeat this every 24 hours-ish.

It's been building coats nicely and looks really glossy now (almost like glass), the only thing I would say helps is using 00000 grade steel wool (ONLY WHEN THE OIL IS DRY!!!) to buff the guitar every 3 / 4 coats while following the grain only.

This is just what I did personally and it seems to be working well, there is more than likely many other people much more educated and experienced int he art of guitar finishing, so do your research first! Unless of course you already know all this stuff 

Thanks for the amazing response guys! It's made me smile all day!


----------



## Damo707 (Mar 2, 2013)

Looks cool man, is that 4 piece body glued together?


----------



## noUser01 (Mar 2, 2013)

That looks gorgeous man, absolutely stunning! I'm surprised you were luck enough to get such a nice wood grain out of that basswood. Like broj15 said, basswood is very hit and miss with the wood grain, but that's very nice.


----------



## MrMcSick (Mar 2, 2013)

Looks good but that sucks it either 4 or 5 pieces laminated together.


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 2, 2013)

Damo707 said:


> Looks cool man, is that 4 piece body glued together?





ConnorGilks said:


> That looks gorgeous man, absolutely stunning! I'm surprised you were luck enough to get such a nice wood grain out of that basswood. Like broj15 said, basswood is very hit and miss with the wood grain, but that's very nice.





MrMcSick said:


> Looks good but that sucks it either 4 or 5 pieces laminated together.



I think it certainly looks like a 5 piece glued together, but it sounds fantastic and feels great to play so other than aesthetic (which I'm happy with) I'm not sure of the implications of having the 4 piece?

I mean sure it would be great to actually look at your guitar and see one nice solid piece of wood that it all resonates through equally etc but in this case I think I've been lucky.

It should sound like shit, look like shit and resonate like shit.. but it does all 3 awesomely hahaha so just luck I guess? Hahaha!

Cheers guys!


----------



## VBCheeseGrater (Mar 2, 2013)

Looks nice man, surprised how good that piece of wood looks. Nice finish too!

When i sanded down my Squire II i found PLYWOOD  you can imagine my surprise. I still have that axe though, actually sounds pretty good.


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 2, 2013)

VBCheeseGrater said:


> Looks nice man, surprised how good that piece of wood looks. Nice finish too!
> 
> When i sanded down my Squire II i found PLYWOOD  you can imagine my surprise. I still have that axe though, actually sounds pretty good.



Hahaha nice!!


----------



## LolloBlaskhyrt (Mar 2, 2013)

That's cool! Well done


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 3, 2013)

LolloBlaskhyrt said:


> That's cool! Well done



Thanks man I appreciate the feedback!


----------



## Kiwimetal101 (Mar 4, 2013)

Looks great mate!


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 4, 2013)

Kiwimetal101 said:


> Looks great mate!



Thank you so much man!


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 4, 2013)

wow.. I've been contemplating doing this exact thing to my RG7321.... I think I'll be doing it now.


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 4, 2013)

what brand of stain did you use?


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 4, 2013)

ApteraBassist said:


> wow.. I've been contemplating doing this exact thing to my RG7321.... I think I'll be doing it now.



Hahaha go for it! 



ApteraBassist said:


> what brand of stain did you use?



Colron!


----------



## synrgy (Mar 4, 2013)

Marked improvement. Good on ya!


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 4, 2013)

synrgy said:


> Marked improvement. Good on ya!



Thank you buddy!


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 4, 2013)

Thanks! and was the oil you used something you sprayed on or just brushed on?


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 4, 2013)

ApteraBassist said:


> Thanks! and was the oil you used something you sprayed on or just brushed on?



I sprayed small amounts onto the guitar and then used an old rag to rub it in. Thin coats!


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 4, 2013)

damn... looks like the brand of stain you used was UK only. what brand oil did you use?


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 4, 2013)

Oh nevermind I see its Tru-Oil


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 4, 2013)

ApteraBassist said:


> Oh nevermind I see its Tru-Oil



Indeed! I think a dye is a dye though?


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 4, 2013)

yeah i just liked that color you got. I'm sure I can find something close though


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 5, 2013)

ApteraBassist said:


> yeah i just liked that color you got. I'm sure I can find something close though



Indian Rosewood man!


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 6, 2013)

Ok here we go! I stripped all the hardware and the neck last night. I started to try and use a heat gun but it was kind of a pain in the but. I just went to home depot and bought some paint stripper and some rosewood water based stain by minwax, and then to finish it I will be using tung oil. I'll let you know how it goes! may take a few days since it has been a little rainy


----------



## IndoRGforme (Mar 7, 2013)

Sure beats the black!
Good job sir.


----------



## Pikka Bird (Mar 8, 2013)

A good dark-ish stain will do wonders to almost any basswood, even the pieces that don't look too spectacular at first. Yours has a whole extra dimension, though. You got rather lucky, I think. I'm loving it.



ApteraBassist said:


> Ok here we go! I stripped all the hardware and the neck last night. I started to try and use a heat gun but it was kind of a pain in the but. I just went to home depot and bought some paint stripper and some rosewood water based stain by minwax, and then to finish it I will be using tung oil. I'll let you know how it goes! may take a few days since it has been a little rainy



You may not get super awesome results with the stripper. I've read that Ibanez uses some kind of super resilient material for their top coat, but I'm not sure if this goes for all the factories. Anyways, if it doesn't bite then just go at it with 60 grit on a random orbital sander, and keep the pad fresh (you can clean it with a wire brush to give it some extra life). Also, be sure to get through _all_ the sealer before staining, or you'll get a nasty, blotchy look.


----------



## OfArtAndArsenal (Mar 8, 2013)

That sealer is the worst. Took me forever to get through that stuff and there's still one little spot on the inside of the bottom horn that I just can't get through. No idea why it penetrated so deep in that one spot.


----------



## OfArtAndArsenal (Mar 8, 2013)

SilverEvolver said:


> Indeed! I think a dye is a dye though?



Maybe, but I'm pretty sure a dye and a stain are two different animals. OP, did you use a stain or a dye? I've had good results from minwax stains, but never used a legit dye.


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 8, 2013)

ApteraBassist said:


> Ok here we go! I stripped all the hardware and the neck last night. I started to try and use a heat gun but it was kind of a pain in the but. I just went to home depot and bought some paint stripper and some rosewood water based stain by minwax, and then to finish it I will be using tung oil. I'll let you know how it goes! may take a few days since it has been a little rainy



Best of luck bro! Look forward to seeing the result! Would still suggest a heat gun and scraper though. 



IndoRGforme said:


> Sure beats the black!
> Good job sir.



Thanks man! 



OfArtAndArsenal said:


> That sealer is the worst. Took me forever to get through that stuff and there's still one little spot on the inside of the bottom horn that I just can't get through. No idea why it penetrated so deep in that one spot.



Same for me man, bastard stuff. 



OfArtAndArsenal said:


> Maybe, but I'm pretty sure a dye and a stain are two different animals. OP, did you use a stain or a dye? I've had good results from minwax stains, but never used a legit dye.



I believe it's a dye man. I'm uneducated in the difference between a dye and a stain


----------



## Konfyouzd (Mar 8, 2013)

Shit's tight...


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 8, 2013)

Konfyouzd said:


> Shit's tight...



Like yo mama


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 8, 2013)

if anyone's wondering, the stripper did absolutely nothing. The heat gun only made a few chips fly off, so I went with the sander. under the black is a super thick layer of clear paint that is a biotch to get off... 

here's when I was just making it through the clear stuff


----------



## nojyeloot (Mar 8, 2013)

ApteraBassist said:


> if anyone's wondering, the stripper did absolutely nothing. The heat gun only made a few chips fly off, so I went with the sander. under the black is a super thick layer of clear paint that is a biotch to get off...



I, for one, was wondering. 

I hope my Kramer isn't has temperamental as yours. I'd like to be able to use just the heat gun since the body contours similar to an Ibby S-series. Would rather not use a sander or chemicals.

EDIT:
This video gives me hope as well.

http://youtu.be/sqv5UEe8v88
(can't get it to embed)


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 8, 2013)

yeah... definitely didnt not have the effect in the video.... but then again it was very cold out when I was doing it so maybe if i did it on a sunny afternoon it would work.

those little odd shaped holes in the finish on the left side where all my heat gun did.


----------



## nojyeloot (Mar 8, 2013)

ApteraBassist said:


> yeah... definitely didnt not have the effect in the video.... but then again it was very cold out when I was doing it so maybe if i did it on a sunny afternoon it would work.
> 
> those little odd shaped holes in the finish on the left side where all my heat gun did.



Weather would definitely have an effect I'd think. 

That makes sense too. Since it was cold outside, I assume you had to hold the gun in place longer rendering your strip:burn margin very thin. Still, nothing a little more sanding can't fix  

I can't wait to start on mine. OP did a really good job on his refinish, but gotta finish my swirl first.


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 8, 2013)

nojyeloot said:


> Weather would definitely have an effect I'd think.
> 
> That makes sense too. Since it was cold outside, I assume you had to hold the gun in place longer rendering your strip:burn margin very thin. Still, nothing a little more sanding can't fix
> 
> I can't wait to start on mine. OP did a really good job on his refinish, but gotta finish my swirl first.



To be fair though guys I did it outside in the frost with a heat gun hahaha just hold it in the same place for longer


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 8, 2013)

yeah maybe so. I was just afraid to burn the wood or melt the paint or whatever..


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 8, 2013)

ApteraBassist said:


> yeah maybe so. I was just afraid to burn the wood or melt the paint or whatever..



You WANT to melt the paint man. You want it to bubble so you can scrape it off. But now you're down to the lacquer I would just sand it otherwise you will risk burning the wood.


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 8, 2013)

I guess I wasn't really thinking about it. I'll try again during the day this weekend on the back since i havent touched that part yet


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 8, 2013)

ApteraBassist said:


> I guess I wasn't really thinking about it. I'll try again during the day this weekend on the back since i havent touched that part yet



It's alright man you didn't want to risk damaging your guitar, best of luck!


----------



## Suitable (Mar 9, 2013)

Mate that came up a treat! Kinda makes me wish I did that with my 7620! 



SilverEvolver said:


> Now what I do is spray a few small patches on the front, sides and back etc and rub it really hard all over and repeat this every 24 hours-ish.



 I usually get my misses to do that (try )


----------



## Forrest_H (Mar 9, 2013)

That looks so sick.


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 11, 2013)

alrighty, here's my weekend:

stripped off the top all the way. some good figure in there!





Then applied stain and sanded partially back off with 220 grit









Then applied first coat of Tung oil












Cant WAIT to add more coats and install a D-activator


----------



## nojyeloot (Mar 11, 2013)

^Bummer man, only one the first pic showed up :/

EDIT: It's probably because they're facebook links.


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 11, 2013)

hmm not sure why that those links didnt work... try again


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 11, 2013)




----------



## nojyeloot (Mar 11, 2013)

EDIT: ^now it works.


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 11, 2013)




----------



## nojyeloot (Mar 11, 2013)

Starting to look good man. 

Which color/type stain did you use?


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 11, 2013)

I used Minwax rosewood water based stain


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 11, 2013)

honestly I'm over the moon about it. Sooo much better than plain black.


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 11, 2013)

Suitable said:


> Mate that came up a treat! Kinda makes me wish I did that with my 7620!
> 
> 
> 
> I usually get my misses to do that (try )



Hahaha so much win! 



Forrest_H said:


> That looks so sick.



Thank you so much man! Glad you like it 



ApteraBassist said:


> honestly I'm over the moon about it. Sooo much better than plain black.



Fantastic bro! Let us know when it's done!


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 11, 2013)

should only be a few more days so I can add a few more coats of tung oil


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 12, 2013)

Decided to redo the front as a burst


----------



## nojyeloot (Mar 12, 2013)




----------



## ihunda (Mar 12, 2013)

Epic makeover is Epic!


----------



## JP7 (Mar 12, 2013)

I noticed the same thing when I stripped my alexi 600 it got so much brighter once I took the paint off it's like you took a blanket off the amp it's quite remarkable!


----------



## TIBrent (Mar 12, 2013)

SilverEvolver said:


> Hey man! I've had great success with the Tru Oil and I believe that is a better finish in terms of protection vs Tung Oil (though it may all be horseshit hahaha) but the Tru Oil feels lush (like wood) and is designed for gun stocks so it might be worth reading into?


This, I used tru oil on the neck of my latest build & do not regret it in the slightest! Feels very natural & smooth. One of the best feeling choices to protect wood, especially unfinished or lightly stained woods in my opinion


----------



## Anonymous (Mar 12, 2013)

Turned out great man 
When I sanded my 7321 down (older bridge model) there were two big cracks in the top. But I got it off eBay for like $200~ and the guy didn't know anything about the guitar other then it had 7 strings so theres no telling what it went through.


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 12, 2013)

JP7 said:


> I noticed the same thing when I stripped my alexi 600 it got so much brighter once I took the paint off it's like you took a blanket off the amp it's quite remarkable!



Nice! Glad to hear that other people experienced a similar effect! 



TIBrent said:


> This, I used tru oil on the neck of my latest build & do not regret it in the slightest! Feels very natural & smooth. One of the best feeling choices to protect wood, especially unfinished or lightly stained woods in my opinion



I love the tru oil. It's terrible for protecting against actual knocks. But if you just want to seal the wood etc it looks and feels fucking amazing! I love getting new dents on my guitar it adds character and a story to me 



Anonymous said:


> Turned out great man
> When I sanded my 7321 down (older bridge model) there were two big cracks in the top. But I got it off eBay for like $200~ and the guy didn't know anything about the guitar other then it had 7 strings so theres no telling what it went through.



Ahh bummer! What happened?


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 14, 2013)




----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 14, 2013)

decided 4 coats was enough. the bottle only recommends 2. Installed a D-activator! just gotta install the guts back in and I'm in business


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 14, 2013)

ApteraBassist said:


> decided 4 coats was enough. the bottle only recommends 2. Installed a D-activator! just gotta install the guts back in and I'm in business



Nice job man!


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 14, 2013)

Thanks for the inspiration! had a blast working on it.


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 14, 2013)

ApteraBassist said:


> Thanks for the inspiration! had a blast working on it.



No problem at all buddy glad I could help


----------



## OfArtAndArsenal (Mar 14, 2013)

So I guess I'm next. I FINALLY got around to staining mine. It's been stripped and sanded and re-drilled for a hipshot for months and I haven't had time to hit the next step. Funny thing about two kids and one on the way...
Anyway I put on the first coat of stain, aaaaaand ran out halfway through the last side. I got it covered, but I'll probably do another, haven't decided yet.
And of course I forgot to take pictures of the process, but I'll get some up asap.


----------



## SilverEvolver (Mar 15, 2013)

OfArtAndArsenal said:


> So I guess I'm next. I FINALLY got around to staining mine. It's been stripped and sanded and re-drilled for a hipshot for months and I haven't had time to hit the next step. Funny thing about two kids and one on the way...
> Anyway I put on the first coat of stain, aaaaaand ran out halfway through the last side. I got it covered, but I'll probably do another, haven't decided yet.
> And of course I forgot to take pictures of the process, but I'll get some up asap.



looking forward to it!


----------



## NHo (Mar 15, 2013)

Nice job!
If I wouldn't change the bodies of my ibbys, I'd probably do the same!


----------



## FruitCakeRonin (Mar 19, 2013)

I'm in love with this thread, greats results! And I am really tempted to do it too. 
I have a plain black, no bindings or anything RG1570z. But let me ask, how expensive is this? Im a student so I don't have a lot of money. And how difficult is this. SilverEvolver, you mentioned that this was your first time? The only thing I've ever done is change pickups, so I have no idea how hard taking out the trem, the neck and possibly the tuners is. Or rather, putting them back on the right way.


----------



## nojyeloot (Mar 19, 2013)

ApteraBassist said:


> decided 4 coats was enough. the bottle only recommends 2. Installed a D-activator! just gotta install the guts back in and I'm in business



Hey man, how much of a difference in sound did you notice with the before and after (acoustically and plugged in)?


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 25, 2013)

FruitCakeRonin said:


> I'm in love with this thread, greats results! And I am really tempted to do it too.
> I have a plain black, no bindings or anything RG1570z. But let me ask, how expensive is this? Im a student so I don't have a lot of money. And how difficult is this. SilverEvolver, you mentioned that this was your first time? The only thing I've ever done is change pickups, so I have no idea how hard taking out the trem, the neck and possibly the tuners is. Or rather, putting them back on the right way.



This was also my first time doing anything like this. it's all super easy. just make sure when you're putting it back together you remember to put the ground wire back up into the body cavity and up through the hole in the bottom of the bridge so its grounded. i forgot and got a lot of hum haha

as for cost, I bought a 35 dollar sander. the stain i think was 10 bucks and the tung oil was 20. and then some rags... ultimately very cheap.

also you will have to rewire the pickups which is easy. I learned how in like an hour. a soldering iron costs like 15 bucks.


----------



## ApteraBassist (Mar 25, 2013)

nojyeloot said:


> Hey man, how much of a difference in sound did you notice with the before and after (acoustically and plugged in)?



definitely much better tone. it feels like it "opened up" a bit. kind of like taking off a blanket that was covering up the speaker. all in all this guitar is much more of a keeper now.


----------

