Ibanez AKJV95 conversion into something really special...

[rolijen]

Friends,

I just wanted to share my experience upgrading the low quality electronics and cheap, butt-ugly faux ‘vintage’ hardware on my Ibanez AKJV95 (Artcore Expressionist Vintage). This guitar was purchased as a no worries L-4 CES style guitar for venues where I wouldn’t want to take my more valuable jazz guitars. I bought it used and paid very little for it.

To prepare for the conversion, I consulted with several of you and read many posts on pickups and hardware. I settled on BigMike’s recommendation of Duncan Seth Lover pickups. To pull off the conversion, I found a nice set of keystone style tuners in gold, a set of gold Seth’s, gold Switchcraft jack and switch, CTS pots, Sprague Orange Drop caps, braided wire, a gold ES-175 style tailpiece and amber Gibson knobs. The coat hanger hook and dental floss method of fishing the jack, pots and switch through the correct orifices was quite daunting but oddly satisfying.

I prepared the guitar by removing all the hardware, wiring, pickups, etc. I fit a new bridge to the top while all the hardware was off. I enlarged the holes for the pots by using the reverse-spin drill bit method. Worked perfectly. Next, I did a rubbing of the top to map out the correct location of all the holes and transferred that to a jig where I soldered everything into place. Then, I tied dental floss to the shafts of the pots and switch, slipped lock washers down the string and onto the shafts and carefully inserted all the goodies into body through the bridge pickup route.

Next, I used my tiny hook to reach though each hole (starting with the jack, then moving to the pots and switch). It went smoothly. I didn't take pictures until the process was complete. So, the ‘before’ photos are from the web but the ‘after’ photos are mine. Sadly, the bridge I bought was defective so, for now I’m using a rosewood one from a previous ES-175 project. That will be replaced with an ebony bridge with gold adjusters. I still have to add a gold mount for the pickguard but otherwise, I think it turned out really nice. It plays and sounds fantastic. Well worth the effort.

Roli


Before:



After:

[ghostdncr]

That tailpiece is a huge improvement, IMO. No doubt the upgraded electronics will make a substantial difference in how the guitar sounds. It strikes me as odd how many guitarists will go through multiple pickups chasing tone yet have no idea what brand or resistance of pots they're using. CTS is my personal favorite and it seems you at least view them favorably. If you can upload a video of the guitar's sound with these improvements I, for one, would love to see/hear it!

[citizenk74]

Looks nice! Time and money well spent!

[kris]

Good work.
Is it a bone nut?
what about fretworks?
Best
Kris

[rolijen]

Good work.
Is it a bone nut?
what about fretworks?
Best
Kris

For now, the nut is the standard plastic Ibanez nut. Fretwork is good. Not great. I'll round the edges at some point. The seller (I picked it up used) was in a dry climate and allowed the guitar to dry out a bit causing some fret sprout. Nothing serious. Now that I've had it humidified properly for a few weeks, the frets are fine. I haven't had fret issues with Chinese Ibanez's until this one but it's much better now.

The laminated spruce top sounds warmer than the Maple they use on the AFJ models. It's not perfect, but for the money invested, this guitar punches way above its weight.

[Boston Joe]

If I may ask, what was the total outlay for the project?

[Jonathan0996]

Beautiful. Congratulations on some ingenuity and effort. The only other thing that I would have done would be to take it to a good luthier for a pro setup and maybe a fret dressing if they have some wear. It makes more difference than a lot of people realize.

[rolijen]

If I may ask, what was the total outlay for the project?

A little under $1,000.
$550 for the guitar
$50 for braided/shielded wire, pots and caps
$30 for jack and switch
$240 for pickups
$45 for the tuners
$65 for the tailpiece

I had the bridge, knobs and switch tip in my parts bin already.

Certainly not a bargain build, but the result is quite awesome. This guitar feels and sounds as good as any of my Gibsons. I will likely fit an ebony bridge on it and am toying with changing the pickguard to either a black or tortoise L-4/L-5 style with aged binding and with a gold Gibson style support/bracket. I’m good for now as I cannot seem to put it down.

[rolijen]

I should note that with its spruce top and neck pickup placement being similar to an L-4, this guitar has a voice somewhere between my ES-175 and my L-5. More like an L-4 but with less feedback. Back in the day, I had a love/hate relationship with an L-4 CES that was magical to play but was so susceptible to feedback that I just couldn’t live with it. This Ibby conjures some of that vibe but sans feedback.

[rolijen]

That tailpiece is a huge improvement, IMO. No doubt the upgraded electronics will make a substantial difference in how the guitar sounds. It strikes me as odd how many guitarists will go through multiple pickups chasing tone yet have no idea what brand or resistance of pots they're using. CTS is my personal favorite and it seems you at least view them favorably. If you can upload a video of the guitar's sound with these improvements I, for one, would love to see/hear it!

I’m a fan of Ibanez, but I had no idea just how cheaply made the hardware and electronics are. The wiring is cheap, very thin gauge and poorly soldered (some of the connections were barely hanging on). The pots are tiny and cheap. The pickups didn’t look too bad, but they sounded thin and the faux vintage patina finish is just horrible. Looks nothing like aged metal. The vintage finish is on every metal part, screw, bracket, tuners, tailpiece, pickups, everything. The tailpiece was thin and flimsy. So happy with how much nicer this guitar is after converting it this way. It was a fun project that fortunately turned out better than hoped.

[John A.]

I’m a fan of Ibanez, but I had no idea just how cheaply made the hardware and electronics are. The wiring is cheap, very thin gauge and poorly soldered (some of the connections were barely hanging on). The pots are tiny and cheap. The pickups didn’t look too bad, but they sounded thin and the faux vintage patina finish is just horrible. Looks nothing like aged metal. The vintage finish is on every metal part, screw, bracket, tuners, tailpiece, pickups, everything. The tailpiece was thin and flimsy. So happy with how much nicer this guitar is after converting it this way. It was a fun project that fortunately turned out better than hoped.

I tried one in a shop and really liked it, IMO the winner of the cheap 175-ish bake off. I agree that the aging of the metal components is cheesy, and I don't quite understand why they did that. But I thought the guitar as a whole sounded great. How different does it sound with the pup change?

John

[ghostdncr]

I’m a fan of Ibanez, but I had no idea just how cheaply made the hardware and electronics are...

I'm considering an Ibanez AF71F and figured this would be the case with an instrument at this price point. I mean, one is obviously not going to pay $400 for an instrument and it be 85% as good as an L5, right? Corners have to be cut, and cut deeply, to achieve a profit at that pricing. It sounds as though you are working toward fixing the obvious flaws of your instrument that were put there by the corporate accountants, which is something we must do if we don't have thousands of dollars to spend on a guitar.

The AF71F appeals to me because because of its floating pickup and controls, and what limited videos and reviews I've found of it tend to be quite positive. Folks seem to rave about that mini humbucker, but I'm thinking this guitar would be a perfect application for one of the Charlie Christian-style pickups. As a result of its design, this would be an easy one to upgrade as regards pots, wiring, pickup, etc., and turn into a good bang-around jazz box. I think you're definitely on the right track with your AKJV95 and not only "get" what you're trying to achieve, but see it as a road map of what I believe will be necessary modifications.

[rolijen]

I tried one in a shop and really liked it, IMO the winner of the cheap 175-ish bake off. I agree that the aging of the metal components is cheesy, and I don't quite understand why they did that. But I thought the guitar as a whole sounded great. How different does it sound with the pup change?

John

The stock pickups sounded ok. But lacked the fatness and clarity of the older real Super 58s. The Chinese version are not bad but they are thinnish with less articulation. The Seth Lovers sound fat and clear. It really sounds wonderful. Again, reminiscent of an L-4. I chose this particular model specifically because it does not have a Maple top. Although it's still a laminated guitar, the spruce top on the AKJV95 makes a notable difference in timbre. Plus it rejects feedback better than a solid spruce top would.

[rolijen]

I started another thread looking for help in finding a nicer pickguard as the one I purchased actual split into two pieces as I was drilling a hole. But, to finish out this thread, I thought I should post a pic here.

I will eventually try again, but I was able to salvage the guard by super-gluing it back together. There is a seam, but it's subtle and the bond is strong enough to stay together until I can locate another one.

Cutting and shaping the pickup cutouts was fairly easy using a Dremel tool. Final cleanup was done using the edge of a 2 x 4 wrapped with sandpaper. Turns out the narrow edge of 2 x 4 material (which is actually 1.5" x 3.5") is the perfect size. Within minutes, the cutouts were clean and looking like a factory job.

I think the guard is a perfect match for this project. When I'm able to find one, I may eventually go tortoise, but the black looks good to me. What do you think?

Roli

[TH]

I haven't had fret issues with Chinese Ibanez's until this one but it's much better now.

That's cuz Ibanez keeps a bunch of crazy techs in Bensalem that take EVERY SINGLE guitar that goes out and brings them up to spec, trim the razor fangs off the fret tangs and make it play to tight tolerances. Still, when I found a keeper for my own, I'd also level the frets in addition to the things that rolijen did.
Well, truth be told, I always remove the poly from the neck and contour it to my own hand but I do that for a living; then yeah, it's a worthy workhorse.

David

[TH]

I started another thread looking for help in finding a nicer pickguard as the one I purchased actual split into two pieces as I was drilling a hole. But, to finish out this thread, I thought I should post a pic here.


Roli

Take a piece of material, thin plexi would do fine, and glue/epoxy it to the underside. Use a finish of some sort and fill the split gap or even glue a veneer if you're up for the project. That pickguard will be fine. Really it will.
Beautiful job!
David

[rolijen]

Family photo, now that she’s complete (well, she still needs an ebony bridge... but I’ll get to that when I can):


This blonde looks gorgeous between her Gibson brothers!

[asedas]

any sound clips? looks very very nice. I think Ibanez archtops are underestimated a bit and have great ratio money/value.

[rolijen]

any sound clips? looks very very nice. I think Ibanez archtops are underestimated a bit and have great ratio money/value.

I'll record a few clips and post an update as soon as I can get to it.

[rolijen]

Ok. Total noob at adding sound clips... but here goes. This is my upgraded Ibanez AKJV95. I think it’s clearly in L-4 CES territory. Thanks for asking for clips as this was a technical stretch for me. Now, let’s see if this works...

Roli

[rolijen]

Here’s my L-5 CES for comparison...

Roli

[Little Jay]

Will you believe I actually prefer the sound of your Ibanez over the L5 in the soundclips? Well done! Looks great and sounds even better!

Great project and another testimony to the quality of these cheap Ibanez guitars. I will soon write a follow up about my AF-55-TF that seems to have opened up tone-wise quite a bit.

Enjoy that guitar and play her in good health!

[kris]

great sound of the updated Ibanez...
congrat!!!
Kris

[Little Jay]

great sound of the updated Ibanez...
congrat!!!
Kris

Did you end up buying that used AF-55, Kris?

[kris]

Did you end up buying that used AF-55, Kris?

The guitar/AF-55/ was sold for 200 Euro...I/ve been too late.