Little Ibanez still a goodun'

Monday, April 20, 2015 -- Over the weekend I switched my guitar of choice from the Peavey Raptor strat copy and started playing the Ibanez Gio GAX30. I like my Peavey (other than the constant need to retune periodically), but the Ibanez just impresses me each time I play it ... its a well-balanced guitar, easy to play and I think I have the pickups dialed in pretty well. The high E string needs to be raised just a bit, its a little dead when you're trying to sound that string close to the nut .. it may be the

need to check the neck relief.

8:55 a.m. -- But overall, the little Ibanez is winning me over from my Peavey strat. The Peavey is a "fat strat" -- two single coil pups and the bridge is a humbucker. I'm really wanting a strat with the traditional SSS arrangement, and I keep looking at inexpensive Squire strats on eBay.

I'm jonesing for a telecaster, too. Big time, preferably a surf green one, lol! Red, black or butterscotch works too. But I already have a project guitar I really haven't started -- my  Spectrum strat.

The Spectrum project appears to have been a traditional sunburst originally, but the finish has been removed from the front and back of the body. The original finish still exists on the edges, however, which is kind of weird. I really don't want to remove the rest of the finish simply because I don't want to have to worry about sanding off the finish and screwing up its (currently) smooth bout edges.

So the plan is get some sanding sealer and work on the body extensively to get it as smooth and level as possible. After that, I'll paint it, possibly surf green. I've tentatively offered it to my daughter as a blank canvas, but she is so busy she doesn't seem interested.

I need to order the supplies to prep the body, so that's the first step.

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