1991 Ibanez Restoration

During the COVID-19 pandemic, like millions of others around the world, I found myself stuck at home and bored. That’s when an idea hit me: why not relearn how to play the electric guitar? I hadn’t touched mine in 18 years—it had been gathering dust in the attic. When I finally unwrapped its careful packaging, I realized it might need some servicing.

 

There were a few problems that needed addressing. One pickup was not working, but I managed to source a period and model correct replacement from eBay. The truss rod needed adjustment... done! The volume knob was missing... replacement found! Some of the paint on the body was chipped and peeling off, so I sanded for a fatigued or relic'd look.  

 

Finally, the frets needed some redressing, levelling and polishing. This should have been a simple enough job, but I was bored so I decided to change the fretboard inlay from the boring white plastic to abalone mother of pearl! This implied a refret job as well. My success with these two rather complicated tasks threw me down the guitar restoration rabbit hole :)