Advice on Refinish of Roadstar II RG410

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Author Message   kengray Posted on Monday, January 22, 2001 - 6:23 pm:    I recently purchased a Roadstar Series II (RG410) with a fantastic neck and strat shaped body for $95. I am thinking of stripping the guitar down to a wood finish. The question is, has any body out there ever stripped an Ibanez of this vintage (1985)and is the underlying wood reasonable?.... (I'm not expecting great grain) I've heard horror stories of guitar bodies that have been filled with autobody filler and the like all hidden beneath a factory paint job. The current finish is not terrible, but I'd prefer wood if I can have it. I think it was made of bass wood..whatever that is.   Timo Posted on Tuesday, January 23, 2001 - 2:30 am:    You really won't know what things look like under there until you strip it. Ibanez used basswood for a number of different guitars and there is nothing wrong with it tone wise but don't expect beautiful grain or flame. If it's laquered a solid color now, don't be supprised to see rather plain grain and/or various pieces glued together to make the body. Other companies use multiple pieces of wood also when they know a solid color finish is going on. I have a Destroyer II that has the most bizarre construction under the flamed maple top(which came off). Various angles glued together and 3 pieces of basswood but no "auto body" filler. Think about what you paid for it and remember the saying "you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear". That being said, I think Roadstars are great and I am actively looking for that perfect axe. Good luck.   kengray Posted on Tuesday, January 23, 2001 - 7:19 am:    Thanks for the advice. You are right about the "sows ear" thing. However, this is not my main axe (I am embarrassed to admit that I have 18 others). I actually bought it for the tuners to put on my Ibanez tele replica. After I got it home I played it and I can't bring myself to give up on a guitar that plays so well. It currently has one pickup which doesn't really work for me. Based on your advice I think I'll leave the current black finish and add a tortise shell strat pickguard with Fender Texas Special pickups. Hopefully it will end up as a sort of an Ibanez SRV.   Darren Miller Posted on Thursday, February 01, 2001 - 5:08 pm:    I've recently stripped my 85 roadstar II down and whilst it is made from 3 pieces of wood the match is good. The wood is light in colour and the hardest part was removing the sealer from it. The filler stuff has to be hand sanded but if you get the sounds going and get into it the time passes. I'm pleased with the results and have just fitted 2 gibson lp pickups into it and it plays and sounds superb. I took it to work and gave it to a collegue who knows his guitars who sat with it for and hour playing and said it's one of the best guitars he's played and is now looking for a similar one for himself.. If I could go back in time I would do it again   Steve (Gitfiddle1) Posted on Tuesday, April 03, 2001 - 2:09 pm:    Kengray, Before you go whackin' up that RG410, you might look for an RG430. Same neck, same trem, radiused body edges, and a pickguard with 3 singles. The 410's are kinda scarce while the 430's seem to be fairly common. Steve

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