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To refin, or not refin?

meatwad

meatwad

Apr 9, 2008
2,734
1,033
Smallville, USA
#1
Hey all. I bought this Ibanez RD707 with intentions of painting, modding, you know... being my beater. I feel like I have to be so cautious with my StingRay and Tobias.

100_0158.jpg


Well, now I discover it was made within the first year of production of it's kind (1987), and the color (magenta) was even discontinued that same year. So now I have a pink bass and a growing moral dilemma to keep it completely stock, even though I dislike the color.

Am I crazy? Should I sand it down, paint it, and never look back? Does anybody else think these Fuji-made Ibanez's will ever be collectible?
 
#4
meatwad said:
Am I crazy? Should I sand it down, paint it, and never look back? Does anybody else think these Fuji-made Ibanez's will ever be collectible?
Click to expand...

If this was made in Korea or China, I'll mod it till I get tired. BUT, this is a Japanese bass made 22 years ago by FujiGen, the same company that built the very first Japanese Fender. Who knows, 10 years from now, this could be a hot item at eBay. Lucky you.
If I were in your shoe, I'll keep it completely stock. Just buy a cheap bass for modding.

Just my two yen:D
 
#6
kenjikun said:
If this was made in Korea or China, I'll mod it till I get tired. BUT, this is a Japanese bass made 22 years ago by FujiGen, the same company that built the very first Japanese Fender. Who knows, 10 years from now, this could be a hot item at eBay. Lucky you.
If I were in your shoe, I'll keep it completely stock. Just buy a cheap bass for modding.

Just my two yen:D
Click to expand...

Yes, I have much respect for the FujiGen-made instruments. I own an '83 "SQ" Squier Stratocaster from there, and seems like my early 90's Tobias Standard was made there too.

I love it's thin, Jazz-like neck, and it's sharp body edges. It's very light compared to my StingRay, and balances well. Perhaps I will find a similar one in a different color to gig with, and keep this one put away.
 
#7
Out of all the finishes, there were less numbers of Magenta & Tangerines made. Hoshino produced more black & whites as they were easier to sell. I'd keep it all original, it will be worth more to a collector if you ever wish to pass it on in the future.
 
#8
You've already heard it, but keep it stock. In today's information age, what was once a little known well made instrument easily becomes collectible. Think of all the Greco, Tokai, Eko, Hagstrom, Hayman, etc. stuff that went for a few hundred dollars not eight or nine years ago that, thanks largely to eBay, is going for Fender and Gibson dollars.

A better example may be the oddball guitars by well known brands that keep inching up in value such as Fender's cowpoke and JP-90, or Peavey's T-60. Kitsch factor alone may drive the price through the roof shortly. (See Teisco, et.al.)
 
#16
meatwad said:
Hey all. I bought this Ibanez RD707 with intentions of painting, modding, you know...
Am I crazy? Should I sand it down, paint it, and never look back? Does anybody else think these Fuji-made Ibanez's will ever be collectible?
Click to expand...
Leave it alone. Leave ALL instruments in their original conditions, especially if you don't know what you're doing. Your mods -- as you yourself recognize -- devalue the instrument (any original instrument), so don't do anything that isn't 100% reversible..

Prime directive: MAINTAIN THE ORIGINAL INTEGRITY OF THE INSTRUMENT.

If for some psycho reason you feel you must wreck some instrument, do it to one that someone else has already hopelessly screwed up.

So many threads in this madhouse boil down to, "help me spend $400 and 2000 man-hours turning my $200 bass into a $100 bass!" :rollno:
 
#18
I disagree the main purpose of an instrument is to make music. Some of the best sounding basses are modded. i.e Marcus Miller, Billy Sheehan etc. Look at all the artist models out there...they started as stock.If it is your collector piece keep it stock , but as you said "it's my player" then make it your player.
 
#19
It's your bass, not mine or anyone else's. Would I refinish it? No! However I am not you, and this isn't my bass, so go
ahead if you're sure you won't regret losing any current and future value as a collectible instrument from the vintage
collectors' point of view. If you can live with that, then make this bass as unique and special to you as you want to.
 
#20
Bongolation said:
Leave it alone. Leave ALL instruments in their original conditions, especially if you don't know what you're doing. Your mods -- as you yourself recognize -- devalue the instrument (any original instrument), so don't do anything that isn't 100% reversible..

Prime directive: MAINTAIN THE ORIGINAL INTEGRITY OF THE INSTRUMENT.

If for some psycho reason you feel you must wreck some instrument, do it to one that someone else has already hopelessly screwed up.

So many threads in this madhouse boil down to, "help me spend $400 and 2000 man-hours turning my $200 bass into a $100 bass!" :rollno:
Click to expand...

In response to this, I would not have attempted to refinish myself. There is a body shop in my town that can do a very professional paint job on guitars, even better than most factory finishes. I've seen their work, and it's very impressive.

There seems to be quite a lot of faith here that this bass will be valuable someday, as I had wondered about myself. I'd hate to destroy something unique, and for a mass produced instrument, this one seems not so mass produced, I suppose. Not only is it a more rare color, but the hardware is all chrome. All the pics and info I have found shows these having black hardware...

I'm lucky to have found it in all original condition, and I have decided to keep it that way. Pickups, paint, and all.
 

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