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Ibanez Axstar restoration

R

Rejected666

Jun 26, 2011
38
6
Aalst, Belgium
#1
So I picked up a 1986 Axstar AXB50 today for €30 (~ $41).
This bass has seen better days, but I should be able to restore it without spending too much.

DSC04825.jpg


Things I plan on doing to this bass:
  • Clean up the fretboard (frets are oxidized and wood is slightly scratched)
  • Refinish body and neck
  • Replace electronics and knobs
  • Repair tuners
  • Replace all rusty screws

Btw, does anyone have any suggestions on how to clean up the frets without damaging the wood and how to get the fretboard smooth again?
 
#3
Well, I'm finding myself advocating for just cleaning it up and keeping it as-is. Those things are quite rare for an Ibanez and can easily be sold in North America for ten times what you paid for it.

Refinishing it will kill the resale value, especially for one in such good condition...
 
#4
Man that thing is gorgeous. Subbed.

I agree with Beej, cleaning it up, fixing the mechanical bits and maybe the electronics is all I'd do. If I had the chance, though, I'd have a luthier make an exact duplicate with a walnut top or a similarly striking wood and get that done as well. :D

What were you considering for the electronics? What's the layout now? The pickups look like normal guitar humbuckers size-wise (similar to EMG-HBs in Steinbergers and EMG Selects in Hohners). Are the electroncis passive?
 
#5
I know this will hurt the resale value and I would like the avoid that as much as possible, but on the other hand I'm not really one to sell my basses.
The thing is when I saw it in the ad online I was planning on keeping it original, but seeing the finish in person changed my mind.

The main problems are:

Dents all over the sides and back
DSC04845.jpg


Cracks between and around the controls
DSC04847B.jpg


Other than that the finish has become matte in some places, but I guess that could be fixed without a repaint.
I'll just hold off on the refinishing for now; see what my fellow TBers think I should do about the finish as it is now.

As for the electronics:
The electronics are passive on this model and it appears they are still original (except for the missing tone pot of course).
So my plan is to keep the pickups and rebuild the original circuit. Which would give me 1 volume, 1 blend and 1 tone.

Feel free to offer any advice or suggestions; it can only benefit this project :D
 
#6
Hi Rejected,
I would keep it as original as possible, but then it's not my bass...
As for cleaning the frets and fretboard, 0000 or 00000 steel wool will do the job nicely.
You can get it here:
Invalid Link Removed
I suppose they'll ship from NL to BE, but I guess you can get it in Belgium as well.
(BTW never do this to a finished maple board!)

Timon
 
#7
Thanks Timon, I went to the local home improvement store for some 0000 steel wool and it worked like a charm :hyper:

The fretboard went from this:
DSC04829B.jpg


To this:
DSC04865.jpg


I also started work on the tuning mechanism, there were a couple of problems with it:

  • All the screws were rusted
  • 2 of the 4 screws were crooked
  • 1 screw was completely stuck

In other words; only 1 of the 4 tuners was working fine.
In this picture you see the bridge as it was, but without the tuner that was stuck:
DSC04852B.jpg


And after replacing the screws:
DSC04858B.jpg


The 4th tuner will be repaired soon, but I have to drill that one out and retread it first.
 
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#8
I have one too, they are very rare indeed, but worth almost nothing, maybe a few honderd $, I'm sad to say.
Did alot of research about it, but did not find very much.
If you have an active one, it's worth a bit more, the sixers are the ones to have, these go for about $1.000,00.
It has been my mainaxe for a big part of my life and will never sell it, not for a few honderd $ anyway.

Bass1002.jpg
 
#9
After thinking about it for a while yesterday, I decided to refinish the bass after all. I know this kills the resale value, but I just wouldn't have been happy with the damaged original finish and I don't intend on selling it again either.

I decided to go for Duplicolor traffic orange.
And after drying overnight and quickly placing the parts on top it looks like this:
DSC04871B.jpg


It might not be original anymore, but in my opinion it looks way better in orange :p

Next up: prepping for clear coats and making a new axstar decal for the upper horn.
 
#10
Today I cleaned up the bridge a bit:

Before:
DSC04873.jpg


After:
DSC04874.jpg


Unfortunately I'm a bit stuck at the moment:
I can't continue finishing the body because I'm waiting for some waterslide decal paper I ordered, I can't work on the electronics because I'm waiting on the pots I ordered and I can't repair the broken tuning mechanism so I'm having a new piece made which I won't have until next month :(
 
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#12
Rejected666 said:
After:
DSC04874.jpg


Unfortunately I'm a bit stuck at the moment:
I can't continue finishing the body because I'm waiting for some waterslide decal paper I ordered, I can't work on the electronics because I'm waiting on the pots I ordered and I can't repair the broken tuning mechanism so I'm having a new piece made which I won't have until next month :(
Click to expand...

You could replace those rusty allen screws with some nice shiny ones (maybe stainless?). That'll keep you occupied for ~30 minutes or so; longer if any are stuck. ;)

Nice job BTW.
 

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