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It's a cream 90's supertrat style (EX series) It's beat up and such, but a nice neck. So i wanna get rid of that super thick seal and paint. It's got a nice chip out of it and i can see at least 4mm thick near-clear layer, then the colour. All i want to do is get this axe down to the wood and leave it naked. Is it safe/effective to use a ordinary paintstripper? It's noxious stuff. But i certainly don't wanna sand it down! Ive used this stuff and it seemed safe on the wooden doorframes and shelves, and says it's woodsafe.

I realise that under this coat is some ugly wood. I'm hoping for a less dull tone, with more resonance. Both of which suck on this guitar.

Should i wear my glkoves goggles and do it? Or will i kill my guitar?
What to do with the finnish once it's done. Wax, oil or a light coat of something?

Ive been to reranch.com

well, i can definately tell you that stripping an ibanez by sanding it is one of the worst jobs i ever embarked on. i would recomend some type of paint stripper and just take everything off the guitar. i've used about 6 different kinds and never had a problem

Standard paint remover may soften it but won't remove it.Aircraft or autostripper will work better.But the stuff is deadly,you'll want to wear goggles and a respirator for certain with that,(you should anyway).
You may also want to check a dip and strip place,they'll have liscence and access to industrial grade strippers.
Failing that you may want to apply stripper and sand down a few layers then prime and re-paint.
If you go the stripper route you'll want to wash the guitar in vinegar after stripping it.This will neutralize any remaining chemical,(and if anyone says something stupid like quot;...oh I never did that and never had any problems..quot;ignore them,they have low standards).After the vinegar wash the guitar with distilled water.JUST wash the surface you're not trying to pickle it.
After it's fully dried sand it smooth and depending on what typr of finish you're going to do will depend on you're prep.Check out this place for an excellent prep and paint tutorial covering the different looks.
from : localhost/www.reranch.com

Patience. Even aircraft or auto stripper has a tough time with the plastic-like coating on Ibanezes. I tried regular paint stripper, which softened the top layer of finish, nothing more. Even auto stripper only caused a few deeper bubbles.

Unfortunatly, my best luck came with sanding. If you have a portable belt sander, buy a nice gritty belt and sand away. Should take you about an afternoon to remove it all. For horns and tough to reach places, I used a drum on mine, although you could get by with a drum sanding bit for a drill, it'll simply take a bit longer. An orbital sander will be useful once you get down to primer so you don't take away too much wood. The entire job can be done with an orbital sander, but be advised it will take a couple days to knock the entire thing out.

Regardless of whether you use a stripper or sand, wear a mask. When the Ibanez finish sands off, it can create a fine plastic dust that would be nasty to inhale.

Heat gun? Am i asking for trouble even mentioning such a tool around a guitar...

its funny that you started this cause i have a crappy ibanez GRX guitar layin around, and yesterday, i got out some really heavy duty sandpaper, and went to town on it, i almost got all the black paint sanded off the back of it........ im sure its got a much thinner finish on it though thans yours does, its low quality guitar


Originally Posted by More-Gear-Than-SkillHeat gun? Am i asking for trouble even mentioning such a tool around a guitar...

Not really,it is a decent idea,but with some finishes it has a tendency to bake it and toughen it.Plus you may burn the wood underneath.This may cause uneven response from the wood when sanding.
You may wish to try trying it in an oven at 150 for about 20 minutes and then
applying the stripper while the finish is still warm.
The even low constant heat will help to soften the finish and applying the stripper right after should keep the finish from curing so it's easier to remove..

I did the heat gun on 300 centigrade, in even, conservative swoops. It really aged that finish. It went from beat up vanilla, to butterscotch-brown. I mostly just lifted the outer quot;colourquot; coat off with a scraper. Then its that very thick, transparent quot;dippedquot; stuff. Which separates from the wood with a bit more heat. Gotta get it off while its hot, cause it bakes on (as JohnJohn says). In some spots where the gun was too liberally applied, the wood is a bit burned. Should be able to sand it off though.

Tonight I'll use the heat and stripper method together. I would not recommend the heat-gun method on a guitar that is loved. It just feels wrong.

This Ibanez EX series is heavy seal stuff, and the wood under looks like pine to the eye, but i think its Agathis or Poplar. It sure is gonna be a lighter axe when i'm done.

Here's me question. Once I've cleaned off all the coat, can i sand it and leave it just as is? Or should i really just put one or two coats of SOMETHING on it? I like the idea of a plain wood.

Now that you've cracked the seal you should be able to get some results with a stripper.
From there it's sandsandsandsandsandsandsand....well......you get the idea.
If you choose to leave it as is you may want to sand it smooth and do a thin coat of wax or oil,(I just love the way everyone is jumping on that wagon these days and acting like they've discovered something new :laugh2.Years ago when I was doing this people were giving me grief saying that you can't do that because it'll ruin the tone and the wood).
This should just seal it lightly and be easy to remove if or when you decide what to do with it.
But test it in a small area first,it's hard to say how the underlaying cover will handle it.Even though it may be a poly by adding heat you've altered it slightly and it will respond a little differently than the production sheets will say.Plus with it being a heat gun it's response may be uneven.
Not a bad thing,just go slow.

Sweet, JohnJohn... You've given me the confidence to strip down, wax up and show off the natural look I have... Will post pics when I'm done.

If you're going to go full strip and resael completely with oil and wax that's a whole other kettle o' fish.
I'll PM you with those details in a bit.

trowelled on the paint stripper jelly, left it for a couple hours...came back and there was a strange powdery pile of white matter left where most of the pastic-macho-seal was. Most of it's now eaten off! The curved lap, top and tummy areas and horns are toucher, thicker cookies. More stripper. Getting close to the wood now...

Once i'm fully clean, sanded and bare, I will consult JohnJohn on the next step...