# Ibanez RGT42DXFX Project



## dreadnautthrash (Feb 12, 2015)

So I just ordered a used Ibanez RGT42DXFX from guitar center for a steal $179.99!!! The paint is a little messed up, but I'm gonna sand and seal and finish the beautiful maple/walnut neck through and mahogany wings anyway. I am going to replace ALL of the crappy stock Ibanez parts and want to know what you guys recommend for pickups, bridge, locking tuner heads, nut, internals and sealing and finishing methods. I play thrash metal, and classic metal/rock.









This what it looks like under that fugly paint (not my guitar). I dont even know why they painted these guitars, the natural body is gorgeous!!!




. This is my first full on built so any help from you guys would be much appreciated. 
Thanks!


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 12, 2015)

has anyone switched out one these stock fixed bridges for an aftermarket one? If so which bridge did you use? I'm looking for one that matches the string through holes, and is at least is big enough to cover the sealed holes from the other bridge.


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## unclejemima218 (Feb 12, 2015)

That looks awesome man I hope yours turns out! 

I'm in the process of ordering a Hipshot for my little brother's Ibanez AX7221, once I get a hold of them to verify that it fits (which, if it does, I don't see why they wouldn't make one that fits a sixer) I will hit you up and let you know!

As for tuners, Schaller, Grover, and Hipshot all make pretty nice stuff, I'm ordering some locking Hipshot ones in a bit once I find out if the bridge will fit the AX7221. 

As for pickups-- My favorite passive pickups are DiMarzio D-Activators and Seymour Duncan JB/59's, or Nazgul and Sentients. I've also heard nothing but good things about Bareknuckle but they are a bit more expensive. BUT I also enjoy actives, so EMGs are a go-to for me. Most people around here don't like them though lol. You could always try something new too. Surprise yourself! 

Unfortunately I've never refinished a guitar, but enough browsing through the forum will grant you a general idea of what to do. 

Good luck to you sir! hit us with some updates! and photos!


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 12, 2015)

Yeah, let me know how the string through holes line up and weather or not the old screw holes are covered. The hipshot would be my first choice.


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 12, 2015)

Well I've been doing some reading and for anyone curious, this guitar and all the other RGT models that have the walnut/maple neck through, those 2 woods affect the tone much more than the mahogany wings because the pickups are mounted directly into them. Maple has enhanced highs and upper mids and subdued lows, and walnut has the same characteristics except slightly warmer. So your gonna want a pickup that doesn't enhance the presence, and enhances the lows and has a good amount mids to warm up the sound. I'm thinking the Duncan JB would fit that bill nicely. Other recommendations? Got a couple shout outs for d activators but I'm not familiar with their characteristics.


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## unclejemima218 (Feb 12, 2015)

For sure man! I was told it wouldnt match up, so I'm anxious to hear what they have to say.


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 12, 2015)

unclejemima218: I also have a ibanez RGA42TE w/ EMGs and at first I didn't really like em but now that I've gotten used to them I really dig em. I've been listening to pickup shootouts to try to find a good passive but everyone on YouTube just HAS to include an EMG in their video, and I keep saying to myself..... Damn that EMG sounds good!!!


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 12, 2015)

And photos will come... The guitar was shipped out of Kansas yesterday and I live in Cali. Its also being sent via USPS Ground (oh god....), so who knows I could open my front door in a few months and go "oh yeah that guitar I ordered, better hit up seven string!". But seriously as soon as I receive it, its on!!!


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## spn_phoenix_92 (Feb 12, 2015)

Do they really look like that under the paint???


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 12, 2015)

Yeah that's its natural wood body, its crazy right? What the hell where they thinking putting that paint on there?


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 12, 2015)

Pickups, bridge, tuner head, nut suggestions? Sealing, finishing methods?


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## jarledge (Feb 13, 2015)

These are sort of a hidden gem. I bought one way back years ago about a year after they stopped making them. It was gun metal grey but had the lo trs II trem on it. I bought it for like 200 with a case. I put a d-sonic and paf pro or air norton in it. I check ebay a few months later and they were selling for closer to 500 with a case so i sold mine as quick as i could. 

I ran across one like you got with a fixed bridge and they wanted like 180 for it with case. I let one of my friends get it because he wanted a neck through Ibanez with a thicker wizard II profile and this guitar was about the only one that he was likely to run across for the price. 

As far as upgrades, new saddles and pickups help out a lot. The nut really only matters when you play open cords/ and maybe a little when palm muting open strings. 

The gotoh tuners aren't bad, you could probably get some grovers that will fit without modification. You might be able to get sparzels that will fit but definitely double check you sizing and set screw locations. 


As far as sealing/finishing . It will have a sealer coat on it. You should be able to refinish from the original sealer coat. If you want to go totally natural take it down to wood and just use some tung oil. I'd certainly take the back of the neck down to bare wood and oil it. A lot of guys are recommending 2K clear coat as an easy spray finish with good results. Best piece of advice is be patient and have a lot of sand paper. Work through you grit counts and do it by hand. Or you could go heat gun/chemical stripper if yours doesn't have binding.


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 13, 2015)

Probably 4 or 5 years ago I bought a RG2EX2 and really loved the sound of the passive pickups and the feeling of the wizard ii and fixed bridge. About 2 years ago I bought a RGA42TE with EMGs, Egde Zero ii trem, and wizard iii neck. While the the rga is a great guitar, I really prefer the thinner wizard ii necks, not having to mess with the trem, and the passives (while I love the emgs there's just something missing compared to the sound of a great passive). So first thought was to rebuild the rg2ex2, but then I figured I should invest in higher quality platform, and I stumbled on to the RGT42DXFX. It was exactly what I was looking for!!! Plus it cost less the RG2EX2!!!

My plan is to sand completely down to the wood on both the body and neck, finish the neck with tru-oil and gun stock wax, and use a clear water based grain sealer and finish with a water based polyurethane on the body. I'm going to REALLY take my time on the sanding of the original paint and with the steel wool between coats. Gonna check out that 2k clear coat though....


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 13, 2015)

Hell yeah! The rattle can clear coat seems like the way to go! Thanks bud!


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 13, 2015)

jarledge said:


> I ran across one like you got with a fixed bridge and they wanted like 180 for it with case. I let one of my friends get it because he wanted a neck through Ibanez with a thicker wizard II profile and this guitar was about the only one that he was likely to run across for the price.



How does your buddy like the rgt42dxfx?


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## TRENCHLORD (Feb 13, 2015)

dreadnautthrash said:


> Well I've been doing some reading and for anyone curious, this guitar and all the other RGT models that have the walnut/maple neck through, those 2 woods affect the tone much more than the mahogany wings because the pickups are mounted directly into them. Maple has enhanced highs and upper mids and subdued lows, and walnut has the same characteristics except slightly warmer. So your gonna want a pickup that doesn't enhance the presence, and enhances the lows and has a good amount mids to warm up the sound. I'm thinking the Duncan JB would fit that bill nicely. Other recommendations? Got a couple shout outs for d activators but I'm not familiar with their characteristics.



The pickups only touch the rings, and the rings are screwed into the body wings, as also is the trem's mounting posts, so I'm not so sure the wings are any less contributing to the tone than the neck, but who really knows I guess.

Some neck-thru guitars have much wider neck planks in which the nut, bridge, and magnets are indeed all in the same piece/pieces of wood, and maybe that's where the whole "neck wood is the main tone" thing started .

Anyways, good luck. Most of those that I've seen stripped down have indeed had very nice looking wood underneath. I have one with the HR GIGER finish that will never be stripped, but most of the time I agree that natural is the way to go.


I'm a huge fan of the EMG 81 in the RGT models. That heavy wood combo w/ the warmer rosewood board really is an awesome host for the 81 IMO.
Almost every one I've played with that wood combo has a very tight/deadened quality that just works so well with the extra compression of the actives. (go 60 for the neck though, not 85)


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 13, 2015)

TRENCHLORD said:


> The pickups only touch the rings, and the rings are screwed into the body wings, as also is the trem's mounting posts, so I'm not so sure the wings are any less contributing to the tone than the neck, but who really knows I guess.



No that's a really valid point, I didn't really notice that the pickup rings and bridge are bolted right into the mahogany. So I would guess the wings would affect the tone as much as the neck.


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 13, 2015)

Well that opens up the pickup selection a little bit...


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 13, 2015)

TRENCHLORD said:


> I have one with the HR GIGER finish that will never be stripped, but most of the time I agree that natural is the way to go



I wouldn't strip that paint either. That guitar has to be a collectors item.


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## jarledge (Feb 14, 2015)

dreadnautthrash said:


> How does your buddy like the rgt42dxfx?



He likes it a lot. He has held on to it for a couple years now. I think he put d activaters in his. They are cool, but not really my thing. I like the neck pickup more than the bridge. 

If you want to go active, i really like the livewire set. Not a dave mustain fan but they are the best of both worlds. 

If you want emgs, go 85 in the bridge and 89 in the neck so you can "coil tap" in to an emg SA. The 85 is stupid awesome in the bridge. It is full and thick with a lot of depth but maintains the typical active pickup clarity.


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 14, 2015)

jarledge said:


> I think he put d activaters in his. They are cool, but not really my thing. I like the neck pickup more than the bridge.



So what didn't you like about them? I'm just wondering because a bunch of people have been recommending these for this build. What would you recommend for passives since you have owned one of these guitars?


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 14, 2015)

So I'm thinking of swapping out for an ibanez tight end bridge. It looks badass, I think it should line up with the string through hole (makes sense to me, this bridge is designed for rg's), and i dont think it will line up with the old mounting holes, but it looks big enough to cover the old holes after I seal them. Any thoughts on this?


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## Pikka Bird (Feb 14, 2015)

Tight End R or the older Tight End?


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 14, 2015)

I like the original but seems like its gonna hard to find one. I might settle for a tight end r but I'll probably wait til a original pops up.


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## The Shit Wolf (Feb 14, 2015)

dreadnautthrash said:


> So I'm thinking of swapping out for an ibanez tight end bridge. It looks badass, I think it should line up with the string through hole (makes sense to me, this bridge is designed for rg's), and i dont think it will line up with the old mounting holes, but it looks big enough to cover the old holes after I seal them. Any thoughts on this?



Hey sorry I didn't find your thread earlier cus I currently own three of these and have owned six total so I might be the person your looking for lol

But yeah like someone said these are like beautiful cheap hidden jems, they're great for the price you can currently get them, there are lots of different colors, different body woods, trem/hard tail, MATCHING HEADSTOCK lol

Anyway for your bridge I'd say if you dig the hipshot get it, it will fit and as long as you place it correctly it will cover the old holes from the orginal bridge but honestly graphtech saddels look really cool with the orginal grey base plate and they sound really good still...they also don't chip or get scratched as easily as the hipshot.

Also be careful with the tight end bridge I'm not sure how well that will fit on these? I know the mounting holes won't match up at all. If you get it to fit though I'd love to see how it looks.

The other thing is from experience I'll tell you these guitars do NOT all sound the same because the walnut/maple neck and pickups will sound different depending on the wings

Like for example I have the same one you got the mahogany fixed bridge rgt (my favorite and the best non-prestige rgt IMO) and emgs work GREAT in that guitar, if you seem to like emgs either go with the 81-60 set with an 18volt mod or the regular 57-66 set and that shit will sound awesome...but to contrast I threw the same pickups (81-60) in my basswood winged rgt that has a trem and idk something was just missing? Like the aggressiveness? I wound up putting dimarzio titans in there instead. 

I'm not sure if I read all the questions you had but let me know if you got anything else


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## jarledge (Feb 14, 2015)

dreadnautthrash said:


> So what didn't you like about them? I'm just wondering because a bunch of people have been recommending these for this build. What would you recommend for passives since you have owned one of these guitars?



The d acts, to me at least, didn't have the same sort of mid range that most other dimarzios have. They were more true to an active pickup with high presence and cut. 

I had a d-sonic with the bar toward the neck and either a paf pro in the neck. The pro is ok, but a little flubby in the lows with certain rigs. The air norton is a good match, or even the hum from hell if you want really bright/full/loud.


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 15, 2015)

The Shit Wolf said:


> Anyway for your bridge I'd say if you dig the hipshot get it, it will fit and as long as you place it correctly it will cover the old holes from the orginal bridge but honestly graphtech saddels look really cool with the orginal grey base plate and they sound really good still...they also don't chip or get scratched as easily as the hipshot.
> 
> Also be careful with the tight end bridge I'm not sure how well that will fit on these? I know the mounting holes won't match up at all. If you get it to fit though I'd love to see how it looks.
> not sure if I read all the questions you had but let me know if you got anything else



Everything I've read says that not only do you have to make new mounting holes but that the string through holes won't line up with the hipshot. The reason I thought about the tight end is because it is designed for rg's, in fact the rg1451 (model with the tight end) and the rgt42dxfx both have wizard ii necks with 43mm nuts. Soooooo, I'm betting that the string through holes line up. I know the mounting holes won't though.. But their 90 bucks plus shipping from ibanez rules. I might just go for the graphtech saddles. I wish ibanez would have some dimensions for their bridges.
Thanks bud I'll let you know if I have any more questions


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 15, 2015)

The string width on the tight end is 2-1/8" and the rgt42dxfx is 2-1/16" so I'm just gonna do the saddles....


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## The Shit Wolf (Feb 15, 2015)

dreadnautthrash said:


> Everything I've read says that not only do you have to make new mounting holes but that the string through holes won't line up with the hipshot. The reason I thought about the tight end is because it is designed for rg's, in fact the rg1451 (model with the tight end) and the rgt42dxfx both have wizard ii necks with 43mm nuts. Soooooo, I'm betting that the string through holes line up. I know the mounting holes won't though.. But their 90 bucks plus shipping from ibanez rules. I might just go for the graphtech saddles. I wish ibanez would have some dimensions for their bridges.
> Thanks bud I'll let you know if I have any more questions



You do have to make new mounting holes (but that's really not hard) but I promise you a hipshot will line up with the string thru holes my rgt6exfx is sitting here with the hipshot on it right now...I think the problem is some rgs have staggered holes for the strings to go thru so some people get confused on which models have the straight holes (that rgt shave and the hipshot has) and the staggered holes, my rg7621 has the staggered holes so I can't put the hipshot on it so I did the graphtech 

but look at the back of your guitar if the holes are all in a straight line (I'd be surprised if they're not) the hipshot will fit... You should be able to see the straight holes on the hipshot online somewhere

You're gonna be happy with the tone of whichever you do though but if you like the look of the hipshot they sure look badass on an RG


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 16, 2015)

The Shit Wolf said:


> You do have to make new mounting holes (but that's really not hard) but I promise you a hipshot will line up with the string thru holes my rgt6exfx is sitting here with the hipshot on it right now...I think the problem is some rgs have staggered holes for the strings to go thru so some people get confused on which models have the straight holes (that rgt shave and the hipshot has) and the staggered holes, my rg7621 has the staggered holes so I can't put the hipshot on it so I did the graphtech
> 
> but look at the back of your guitar if the holes are all in a straight line (I'd be surprised if they're not) the hipshot will fit... You should be able to see the straight holes on the hipshot online somewhere
> 
> You're gonna be happy with the tone of whichever you do though but if you like the look of the hipshot they sure look badass on an RG



You are correct sir!!! I didn't even check the website after everyone said it wouldn't work, but the string width is 2-1/16" perfect fit!!! Just new mounting holes, no big deal. Can you tell me how you lined it up when you mounted it? I was thinking of sticking welding rods or something similar through the bridge and into the string through holes to hold it in place as I mount it. Do you have pics of the rgt6? I'd love to see it. Thanks bud


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## Pikka Bird (Feb 16, 2015)

dreadnautthrash said:


> I was thinking of sticking welding rods or something similar through the bridge and into the string through holes to hold it in place as I mount it.



That's definitely a solid solution, if your rods fit snugly. Otherwise you can just jam some toothpicks into the outside string holes until it's a pretty tight fit. Awl, drill, screw and you're done.


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 16, 2015)

I really do dig the emgs. The more I shop around for passives the more I realise it. How did you go about installing the 9v?


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 16, 2015)

Should I get the .125 or .175 floor height on the hipshot?


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 16, 2015)

Received the rgt42dxfx today!!!! Was gonna record a beforetrack , but it needs to be completely re-setup and I don't see a point since im gonna tear it all apart anyway. Its got some gnarly fret buzz, got to even out and crown the frets.


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## jarledge (Feb 16, 2015)

dreadnautthrash said:


> Received the rgt42dxfx today!!!! Was gonna record a beforetrack , but it needs to be completely re-setup and I don't see a point since im gonna tear it all apart anyway. Its got some gnarly fret buzz, got to even out and crown the frets.



check your trussrod before you get carried away doing a level and crown. Start there then check your frets using a straight edge.


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## The Shit Wolf (Feb 16, 2015)

dreadnautthrash said:


> You are correct sir!!! I didn't even check the website after everyone said it wouldn't work, but the string width is 2-1/16" perfect fit!!! Just new mounting holes, no big deal. Can you tell me how you lined it up when you mounted it? I was thinking of sticking welding rods or something similar through the bridge and into the string through holes to hold it in place as I mount it. Do you have pics of the rgt6? I'd love to see it. Thanks bud



Yeah I just shoved shit in the holes and taped parts of the bridge down also...that's probably not at all what a pro would do but it seemed to work? Lol

But yeah currently I've got the rgt6exfx with the hipshot bridge and 81-60 pickups with the 18v mod, the flat black rgtdxfx with graphtech saddles and the 57-66 set and I've got the bright red rgt42 with dimarzio titans in it... I don't have any pics of them on here other then my ngd thread from awhile ago and I'm not sure how to post pics from my ipad on here  (my computer broke) but if I figure it out I'll throw it up on here 

For the pickups definitely get emgs if it's what your ear is leading you too because IMO they have a very distinct sound (aggressiveness?) I seem to not get from most other pickups and they sound heavy as fu*k in that guitar. Now the hard part is go listen to some 81 vs 57 emg comparisons and see which one fits your sound better.

Don't worry about the battery it'll fit just fine in the electronics cavity (I've fit 2 in there) just get some foam and wrap it in that then tape it up with electrical tape (making like a little sock for it to fit in almost, so it's easy to change out) ohh and obviously for space in there keep your wires nice and neat, get some zip ties or even bread loaf ties will work if your broke after buying everything lol

And for the bridge I'm like 90% sure you wanna get the .175 hipshot? If I remember right my friend awhile ago got the .125 and had to raise his saddles much higher then mine too the point where he sent it back for the .175

Ohh also yeah listen to what jarledge said these ALWAYS show up in my hands with fret buzz but just about every time it just in need of a truss rod tweak...the frets are usually pretty solid.

How are your fret edges? Mine are usually pretty smooth with the binding and all, not like the shiiiitttt they put out now that you gotta buy thru axe palace if you don't wanna deal with it your self


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 17, 2015)

No matter how the truss rod is adjusted I keep getting dead notes from the 14th fret up. The strings are fretting out on the higher fret. The guitar was used and has some fret wear, some flat spots and grooves any suggestions?


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## The Shit Wolf (Feb 17, 2015)

Hmm, sounds like they definetly need to be cleaned and polished (do you got stuff or know what you need? You can get stuff for cheap) and after that if your action is set right and you're still getting bad fret buzz then I'd take it to someone and pay for some work on it but I always like to try everything I can possibly do before I take it to someone else.


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## Pikka Bird (Feb 17, 2015)

I don't mean to come off as condescending, but do you actually know all there is to know about truss rod adjustments? Sometimes when there's buzz on all the upper frets what you need to do is tighten the truss rod some more and raise the saddles in the bridge, which I've noticed a _lot_ of people don't know. Saddle height and neck straighness play together in a very important way when it comes to low, buzz-free action.



If you're already aware of these things then disregard this post and do carry on with your fretwork.


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 17, 2015)

Yeah I know how to adjust a truss rod, my method my be a little simplistic though. I just hold the string down at the 1st and last fret and check the gap at the 7th fret I tighten if the gap is large and loosen if there is little to no gap. Pretty simple but its always worked before. Tightening the truss and raising the the saddles is EXACTLY what I did, I tightened until the truss started giving me resistance. I'd love to know if you have a better method though.


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 17, 2015)

The Shit Wolf said:


> Yeah I just shoved shit in the holes and taped parts of the bridge down also...that's probably not at all what a pro would do but it seemed to work? Lol
> 
> But yeah currently I've got the rgt6exfx with the hipshot bridge and 81-60 pickups with the 18v mod, the flat black rgtdxfx with graphtech saddles and the 57-66 set and I've got the bright red rgt42 with dimarzio titans in it... I don't have any pics of them on here other then my ngd thread from awhile ago and I'm not sure how to post pics from my ipad on here  (my computer broke) but if I figure it out I'll throw it up on here
> 
> For the pickups definitely get emgs if it's what your ear is leading you too because IMO they have a very distinct sound (aggressiveness?) I seem to not get from most other pickups and they sound heavy as fu*k in that guitar. Now the hard part is go listen to some 81 vs 57 emg comparisons and see which one fits your sound better.



I love the 81, on the videos the 57 sounds pretty sick but I've never played one. Which one do you prefer in the rgts? And how do those dimarzio titans sound?


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## The Shit Wolf (Feb 17, 2015)

dreadnautthrash said:


> I love the 81, on the videos the 57 sounds pretty sick but I've never played one. Which one do you prefer in the rgts? And how do those dimarzio titans sound?



Yeah the 81 is a fu*king work horse for pretty much any type of metal and I've had it in all my rgts at one point or another, some it works in, some not so much. It's great in rgtdxfx with the mahogany body.

Am I guessing correctly from your name that you like thrash and maybe more old school kinda metal? If so you'll love the 81 and probably don't even need to do the 18v mod as I think the tone suites that music best.

I think the 57 is in some of the new schecter guitars if you can make it to a guitar center that Carries them? But really to me it's better in the sense of note definition and clarity...I'd also say it's easier to eq sometimes as it's less screechy? But if you're not playing the type of music where you're worried about big chords sounding really clear then just go with the 81 cus something about that pickup just makes you wanna down pick the shit outta riffs...

The titans sound really great too, the bridge is a bit like the emg 57 (the bridge at least but the titan neck pu sounds great, better then the emg 66 IMO) 

The only thing is I've only ever put these in my rgt42 which has a tremolo and basswood wings and I did so because I really wasn't liking my tone with the either of the emgs in there soooo I'm not sure how they'll sound in the rgtdxfx with a fixed bridge and mahogany wings?


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 17, 2015)

The Shit Wolf said:


> Yeah the 81 is a fu*king work horse for pretty much any type of metal and I've had it in all my rgts at one point or another, some it works in, some not so much. It's great in rgtdxfx with the mahogany body.
> 
> Am I guessing correctly from your name that you like thrash and maybe more old school kinda metal? If so you'll love the 81 and probably don't even need to do the 18v mod as I think the tone suites that music best.
> 
> ...



Thanks bud, you've helped me a lot on the decisions for this build, its sick I have someone who has experience with these to bounce ideas off of. I think I might try that emg 57. An emg with better note separation sounds perfect!!! Because the one thing I dislike about my 81 is that it gets muddy when you play extended chord shapes with mid to high gain. 

Yeah I dig thrash and classic rock/metal some of my favs: pantera, Judas priest, Ozzy, sabbath, slayer, anthrax, megadeth, annihilator, havok, testament

I have a YouTube channel under the same name: dreadnautthrash that's got a few songs I recorded on it. I'm working on getting some of my new material on there, cause all that stuff was recorded with my old boss br1600 and I recently upgraded to cubase. Ive just been too busy


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 17, 2015)

Sanded off the paint last night. I have to take the headstock down to the wood because for some reason the paint on the headstock is under the sealer. I'm gonna take the neck down to the wood too, the body I was just take some 400 grit and steel wool to, and use the factory sealer, but its got some pretty deep gashes and dings so im gonna take it down the the wood.


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## The Shit Wolf (Feb 17, 2015)

dreadnautthrash said:


> Thanks bud, you've helped me a lot on the decisions for this build, its sick I have someone who has experience with these to bounce ideas off of. I think I might try that emg 57. An emg with better note separation sounds perfect!!! Because the one thing I dislike about my 81 is that it gets muddy when you play extended chord shapes with mid to high gain.
> 
> Yeah I dig thrash and classic rock/metal some of my favs: pantera, Judas priest, Ozzy, sabbath, slayer, anthrax, megadeth, annihilator, havok, testament
> 
> I have a YouTube channel under the same name: dreadnautthrash that's got a few songs I recorded on it. I'm working on getting some of my new material on there, cause all that stuff was recorded with my old boss br1600 and I recently upgraded to cubase. Ive just been too busy



Yeah no problem dude that's what I love about this site, Idk how long you've been coming here and I know you didn't get a whole lotta replies but this site is full of a lot of really cool, helpful, REALLY knowledgeable dudes and really I don't have much experience to pass out other then I love the rgt series and have owned abunch of them so I'm just trying to do my part I guess lol

But yeah dude I went and listened to your youtube channel (you got that video of you up playing that white RG with that badass pantara sticker right?) if that was you playing then I definetly think you'll like the 57-66 set...I'd say it's what you want if that's your style but you also want something that will give you that heavy aggressive tone.

And I like the pics! Why did they even paint these??? Are you still planning on getting the hipshot? It'll look badass with the emgs, black pickup rings, black knobs, black tuning pegs and you should go get a black ibanez sticker to put on the headstock when you're all done sanding....classy

Or do you got other plans? Either way it'll be


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## jarledge (Feb 17, 2015)

it is looking sexy so far. I never once thought to strip mine while i had it. I might have kept it if i knew what it looked like under the paint. 

For active I dig the 85 in the bridge. the 81 is too shrill/thin for me. I dont drop tune too much though.


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 18, 2015)

The Shit Wolf said:


> Yeah no problem dude that's what I love about this site, Idk how long you've been coming here and I know you didn't get a whole lotta replies but this site is full of a lot of really cool, helpful, REALLY knowledgeable dudes and really I don't have much experience to pass out other then I love the rgt series and have owned abunch of them so I'm just trying to do my part I guess lol
> 
> But yeah dude I went and listened to your youtube channel (you got that video of you up playing that white RG with that badass pantara sticker right?) if that was you playing then I definetly think you'll like the 57-66 set...I'd say it's what you want if that's your style but you also want something that will give you that heavy aggressive tone.
> 
> ...



Yeah bud that's me, that's just a random solo to a instrumental I wrote when I was bored, I usually play more aggressive stuff but I love dickin around with shit like that to. That's the rg2ex2 in the video. My first rg, after that I was hooked!!! I'm on my 3rd now, and have no plans of stopping!!! I love em!!!

Yeah I'm goin for the hipshot, and you described my exact plans for this build, black everything!!! Originally I wasn't going to sand the headstock, then I saw they made decals and decided it would look way nicer with the natural headstock but if they didn't make decals I wouldn't have even done it. 

I'm with you bud, I don't know why they painted them, I said the exact same thing in the first post on this thread. But I think if they didn't paint em, they'd be a lot more popular. Then they'd just be a gem instead of a hidden gem. Plus they'd probably be fetching a lot more money for em used. So I'd say its probably a good thing, keep everyone in the dark and we'll snatch em all up!!!!


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 18, 2015)

jarledge said:


> it is looking sexy so far. I never once thought to strip mine while i had it. I might have kept it if i knew what it looked like under the paint.
> 
> For active I dig the 85 in the bridge. the 81 is too shrill/thin for me. I dont drop tune too much though.



Thanks bud, I know who'd think that under that fugly flat black paint there's a guitar that looks like one of their high end prestige models.

I really dig the 85 in the bridge as well, I don't drop way down but I play in Eb, I like the added low end as long you roll off some of the really low frequencies, its nice, tight, and heavy!!!!


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## Pikka Bird (Feb 18, 2015)

I'm pretty sure you've still got a looong way to go before you've got that fully stripped. Ibanez uses the most resilient sealer under their paint, and to my eye it looks like there's still plenty of that on there. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings.


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## dreadnautthrash (Feb 24, 2015)

So all the parts have been ordered. I will be installing:
A hipshot .175 fixed bridge
Carvin 1:19 locking tuner heads
Emg 81/85 (was gonna go with the 57/66 but it was $230 and snagged these for $70 on eBay with wiring, pots, input jack and 9v adaptor, that and I already know I love the sound of these!)
Black Tusq XXL nut
And originally I was gonna do all black hardware but decided to do something a little different...

Almost done with sanding, only been doing a half hour to an hour a night... Being lazy...
For the finish I'm doing clear sanding sealer, and rub on polyurethane on the body and headstock, and tru-oil and gunstock wax on the neck.

I'm stoked, I think it will come out nice!!!


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## dreadnautthrash (Mar 11, 2015)

She's finished here she is...


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## dreadnautthrash (Mar 11, 2015)

Here's a couple more, you can't really see the finish in the others


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## max3000 (Mar 11, 2015)

Looks fantastic! How hard was it to retrofit the Hipshot bridge?


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## dreadnautthrash (Mar 12, 2015)

Honestly it wasn't that hard, first I used toothpinks to line up with the string through holes, but realised they where drilled off center so I used to old bridge holes for reference.


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## dreadnautthrash (Mar 12, 2015)

I rounded off all the sharp edges on the front of the guitar, when I first started I thought I ruined the body, but after I finished I loved it.


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## jarledge (Mar 14, 2015)

looks ....ing awesome.Congrats on it.


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