Underworld
Well-Known Member
Recently I've been in an Ibanez buying spree. Reason? Decided it was time to sell my beloved EBMM JP7 and look for something else. After playing extensively MIJ 7621s and 7421s, I decided to go on a hunt for rare, MIJ Ibbies. Started with a JPM p4, then a J-Custom 8527, and finally this.
I was browsing my local Kijiji (Canada's Craigslist) and saw this beast for sale for a very low price (compared to what they usually go for). Looked beaten and dirty, but for the price I just couldn't pass up. So after a total of 5 hours of drive and a bit of negotiation with the seller I came back home with an all original, 1991 Ibanez Universe UV7PWH.
First conclusions : not the original case. Dirty, oh so dirty. Frets are rusty, the bridge even more. Lots of nicks and dents, wood shows in places. The back of the neck is dirty beyond understanding. Here are some photos :
With the precious tips of MaxofMetal, I did a deep cleaning of the guitar. Nafta on the fretboard, pickups, body and neck, steel wool on the frets and fretboard, deep-oiling the fretboard (3 times!!), all metal pieces had been cleaned and rust removed. At that point a major problem appeared. The rust was the only thing holding the bridge together
Some screws won't stay in place, and the rust have started eating throught the saddles. I needed an other bridge. and again, MaxofMetal help me out 
he happened to have one for sale in great shape!
Fast foward 2 weeks, I changed the bridge, completed the setup, strung it and shred. Some pictures of the new bridge compared to the old :
My impressions
Sound : this is a beast. The sound is phenomenal. Brutal, detailed, rich, clear. I don't know if they painted it with unicorn's piss or whatever, but soundwise it's a dream.
Neck : what the hell? It's comfortable, it's fast, it's precise. The feel is more vintage than my other guitars, but so FAST! It plays itself. The neck is not really flat. It's round, but more in an elliptical way. Feel a bit like the neck on my previous JP7. It's very thin too. Thinner than my JPM and J-Custom. Yes it's round (C-shape), but feels different from the J-Custom (less pronounced C maybe?). There is some fretwear, but it has to be expected from a 24 y/o guitar - most of the frets on the 3 first string are getting flat. However, it does not affect playability at all, and there is minimum to no buzz with low action (about 1.25mm at 12th fret, 1st string).
Overall feel : I love the looks
vintage vibe with modern appointments. It feels nice and well made. I'm still in the honeymoon phase, but I like it. Yes, I've put about 10 hours of work cleaning it and putting it together, but it was well worth it (especially for the price I paid for 
). I still prefer my J-Custom tho - it feels a bit more modern, feels more solid overall and have a different behavior when playing (reacts differently to my touch and playing, for the better).
More pics in the next post.
I was browsing my local Kijiji (Canada's Craigslist) and saw this beast for sale for a very low price (compared to what they usually go for). Looked beaten and dirty, but for the price I just couldn't pass up. So after a total of 5 hours of drive and a bit of negotiation with the seller I came back home with an all original, 1991 Ibanez Universe UV7PWH.
First conclusions : not the original case. Dirty, oh so dirty. Frets are rusty, the bridge even more. Lots of nicks and dents, wood shows in places. The back of the neck is dirty beyond understanding. Here are some photos :
With the precious tips of MaxofMetal, I did a deep cleaning of the guitar. Nafta on the fretboard, pickups, body and neck, steel wool on the frets and fretboard, deep-oiling the fretboard (3 times!!), all metal pieces had been cleaned and rust removed. At that point a major problem appeared. The rust was the only thing holding the bridge together
Some screws won't stay in place, and the rust have started eating throught the saddles. I needed an other bridge. and again, MaxofMetal help me out he happened to have one for sale in great shape! Fast foward 2 weeks, I changed the bridge, completed the setup, strung it and shred. Some pictures of the new bridge compared to the old :
My impressions
Sound : this is a beast. The sound is phenomenal. Brutal, detailed, rich, clear. I don't know if they painted it with unicorn's piss or whatever, but soundwise it's a dream.
Neck : what the hell? It's comfortable, it's fast, it's precise. The feel is more vintage than my other guitars, but so FAST! It plays itself. The neck is not really flat. It's round, but more in an elliptical way. Feel a bit like the neck on my previous JP7. It's very thin too. Thinner than my JPM and J-Custom. Yes it's round (C-shape), but feels different from the J-Custom (less pronounced C maybe?). There is some fretwear, but it has to be expected from a 24 y/o guitar - most of the frets on the 3 first string are getting flat. However, it does not affect playability at all, and there is minimum to no buzz with low action (about 1.25mm at 12th fret, 1st string).
Overall feel : I love the looks
vintage vibe with modern appointments. It feels nice and well made. I'm still in the honeymoon phase, but I like it. Yes, I've put about 10 hours of work cleaning it and putting it together, but it was well worth it (especially for the price I paid for ). I still prefer my J-Custom tho - it feels a bit more modern, feels more solid overall and have a different behavior when playing (reacts differently to my touch and playing, for the better). More pics in the next post.
Thats far beyond fantastic, looks like new. This Oil must be unicorn's piss if you ask me, such a nice dark colour = compliments the Vintage White. 
