Custom Ibanez S replacemnet bodies....Serious Intrest only.

[lobee]

If there were some prototype pics and wood selection pics I think a few of the noncommittal will become definite.

Also, does the "Routed for Lo- Pro" option and price include any other routing on the body?

 

[caughtinamosh]

+1 ^

eg seven string humbuckers/single coils

 

[lobee]

+1 ^

eg seven string humbuckers/single coils

...control cavities, trem cavity, neck pocket, knobs, switch?

 

[sworth9411]

All of the above. Routed for dual humbuckers (or single) Passive size trem cavity, neck pocket (for RG7620 neck) Volume Tone Knob (Or just 1 in one of two places) and blade type switch exaclty like the standard S.

Custom routing will have a minor upcharge priced per guitar for first time buys after that will become standard (sorry has to be that way for now...but it will be cost for me)...

(Custom includes single coils, slanted pickup routing for EMG, more than the two volume and tone, routing for a different neck, different bridge, etc...)

If I get the interest of people commiting per the orginal post I will make the first body on my own dime before I accept and ounce of money and at that point will take orders or not... So far only three people and I need five to make the body prototype.

 

[scott from _actual time_]

neck pocket (for RG7620 neck)

you will need to change the design compared to that of a stock S7 body in order to make your bodies fit a 7620 neck.

even the S7 bodies that had the AANJ still had the neck pocket located such that the guitar would intonate with a 22-fret neck, not a 24-fret one. the neck heels are in different places relative to the frets, so the neck pocket will have to be in a different place too.

 

[Sims Custom Shop]

Your right scott, thats a very good point.

 

[caughtinamosh]

Bugger, that's an important point... .

Looks like the S body might be out of the question (for me), as I have a 24 fret neck .

Unless... you can get round this, sworth?

 

[lobee]

Slipped my mind too. I'm trying to find a .gif that showed how Ibanez modified the body to accommodate their new 24 fret neck for the S series. I'll post it once I get it.

 

[sworth9411]

I believe it is a simple as burying the neck a little and adjusting the bridge route (as we had been planning for that) If anyone has other ideas on how to make this work better as well Im all ears.....

 

[lobee]

Yeah that's how Ibanez did it. They moved the bridge in about 1cm and routed the neck pocket about 1cm deeper. They also shortened the horns and body to keep the look.

It'll probably be neck heavy this way, especially being a 7 string. Longer, heavier neck + trem moved forwards + moving the strap pin back = neck dive.

 

[sworth9411]

Maybe using denser woods or weighting it will solve that problem......

 

[lobee]

Probably. Combined with the tone issue, I'm sure that's why Ibanez uses mahogany for the S series in the first place.

I don't think the neck dive will be *that* bad. You could try finding denser wood samples and leave the top horn slightly longer to keep the strap pin forward. A weight in the trem cavity and a thick leahter strap can also help with neck dive if it's an issue.

Do you have any spare Ibanez 24 fret 7 string necks? If you could get a prototype going I think it would help your cause greatly. I voted for "not sure" in the poll, but if you can get a decent prototype with plenty of pics my vote would change to "definite". And I'm pretty sure I could find a few interested people on the Ibanez forum as well.

 

[Elysian]

i'm going to be doing a RG7421XL/24 fret S build, should be getting the down payment for it soon, so you'll be able to see how its done. granted, its a 27" scale XL neck, but its not all that much different.

 

[scott from _actual time_]

Yeah that's how Ibanez did it. They moved the bridge in about 1cm and routed the neck pocket about 1cm deeper. They also shortened the horns and body to keep the look.

another possible way is to use necks like the original UV necks that have the neck heel around the 21st fret, the same heel position as the S 22-fret necks, and frets 23-24 are on a fretboard overhang. but they've never done that with the AANJ, so body modification might be the best way. (Adam, is that what you're planning too?)

 

[Elysian]

another possible way is to use necks like the original UV necks that have the neck heel around the 21st fret, the same heel position as the S 22-fret necks, and frets 23-24 are on a fretboard overhang. but they've never done that with the AANJ, so body modification might be the best way. (Adam, is that what you're planning too?)

all it really requires is moving the position of the bridge and pickups. you can put the neck wherever you want, as long as the bridge is in the proper place.

 

[darren]

Shh... don't give him any ideas... this is how Gibson ended up with the Reverse V!

 

[scott from _actual time_]

all it really requires is moving the position of the bridge and pickups.

sure, but eventually that starts to look strange. remember that Mammoth custom 7 that someone here had built, PRS-style, with a 27-fret neck? the bridge on that thing was moved so far forward to fit the neck that, to my eyes at least, the guitar looked really strange, with way too much empty space between the bridge and the endpin.

admittedly it was a "skinny" non-trem bridge, so maybe with a Lo-Pro and needing to move it less to fit a 24-fret neck than a 27-fret one, it won't look so odd. but the bridge can't be put just anywhere or the aesthetics will start to suffer.

 

[Elysian]

sure, but eventually that starts to look strange. remember that Mammoth custom 7 that someone here had built, PRS-style, with a 27-fret neck? the bridge on that thing was moved so far forward to fit the neck that, to my eyes at least, the guitar looked really strange, with way too much empty space between the bridge and the endpin.

admittedly it was a "skinny" non-trem bridge, so maybe with a Lo-Pro and needing to move it less to fit a 24-fret neck than a 27-fret one, it won't look so odd. but the bridge can't be put just anywhere or the aesthetics will start to suffer.

going from 24 fret to 22 fret means the bridge would only move about 1/2" if the last fret is at the same spot, its not going to look any different to most people who don't have their rulers out.

 

[HammerAndSickle]

if the frets are on a fretboard overhang, then frets 1-22 are all at the same place as they are on a 22 fret neck o.o so the bridge wouldn't need to move at all, right? Similar to adding frets at the headstock end for baritones, the bridge shouldn't need to move.

If you took a 24 fret guitar, got rid of the neck pickup, and built frets to the top where the pickup was, you wouldn't need to move the bridge.

 

[Elysian]

if the frets are on a fretboard overhang, then frets 1-22 are all at the same place as they are on a 22 fret neck o.o so the bridge wouldn't need to move at all, right? Similar to adding frets at the headstock end for baritones, the bridge shouldn't need to move.

If you took a 24 fret guitar, got rid of the neck pickup, and built frets to the top where the pickup was, you wouldn't need to move the bridge.

the bridge is always going to be the same distance from the nut, its all a matter of fret access. sure, you can build a 24 fret S that doesn't move the bridge or the horns at all, but then you would have fret access issues, moving the bridge(in relation to the butt of the guitar) or modifying the horns or both is the best method.