Ibanez Floral RG550 "紅花姫(Benihanahime)"

"紅花姫(Benihanahime)" is one of my biggest project that I have even attempted on. When I first bought this guitar, it was in total unplayable condition. I got this guitar, thinking it was a great deal and already having ideas on what to do with it, I bought the guitar home from this Grandpa rocker. The guitar originally came badly repainted (Think ordinary rattle can spray over existing finish with dings) in metallic red. I wanted another Floral guitar and so, in my mind, I was thinking of making this into a Red Floral project. My main decision in buying the guitar was due to the fact that I've always wanted a square heel block neck join Ibanez, the original Wizard neck and the Original Edge bridge. Those are the specs for some of my favorite guitars.

After bringing the guitar back home, I began sanding the guitar and quickly realized that rattle can spray paints that was applied too thick a layer cannot be sanded at all. So I proceed in using the paint stripper (a process which I actually hate as it stings the skin) to strip off the paint.

Next, I had to apply the material finish on the guitar, which was a piece of cloth with Japanese prints. I am a fan of Japanese floral designs which explains the main reason of me choosing this. So there I begin again, with my DIY bug getting the better of me with the drive to create a RG550 unique only to myself. Behold!

As I already had experience with floral finish on my previous "Frankenstein", this project was suppose to be somewhat simpler to do, or so I thought. I did the mistake of spraying over existing nitrocellulose based clear with acrylic based clear. So what happened was that the clear coat immediately shriveled up. So, I had to remove the existing finish and the material and start from step one again.

Meanwhile, I've also decided that I wanted some "Vine of life" inlay with matching headstock. I went ahead and got myself some Dotbuster abalone inlay sticker and clear coated over the fretboard with Matt finish lacquer. I figured that since it is a maple fretboard, I probably won't need to maintain it with oil and such. Coincidentally, the existing finish on the maple fretboard has been played till the point of the lacquer wearing out. So the neck was crying out for a refinish. Since I had extra of the cloth that I used for the body, I proceed in refinishing the headstock with the material. To keep it Ibanez, I added a chrome Ibanez decal over the finish.

After all the hardwork, the guitar is finally finished. Although the main horror of it is to realize that the neck actually needed shimming and after shimming, I had to file down the upper frets just to prevent the notes choking.

I took out the existing Dimarzio Evolutions from my "Frankenstein" and fitted them into a mirror red pickguard, installing it onto the guitar. This guitar also has a push pull coil tab knob for single coil tones. This gives the guitar both versatility and lots of tonal variation. Evolutions although mid bass dominant and hot, actually sings beautifully coupled with the Basswood body.

The original Super Wizard neck measures 17mm on the first fret and 19mm on the 12th fret with a flat radius of 430mm. This thin profile coupled with the flat radius makes playing really effortless. Due to the fret leveling, the guitar is also able to achieve the super sick low action or 1mm on the 12th fret, which I highly desire for all my guitars. This ensures that the player only need to touch while fretting, instead of spending effort to fret.

The guitar got it's name from the fact that it is a Red Floral RG550. "紅花姫(Benihanahime)" just simply means "Red Flower Princess" in Japanese. All and all, I am pretty satisfied with the end product of the guitar, even though it is not as perfect as I would have hoped. The feel of the guitar however is great, especially for a 20+ year old guitar.

Ibanez Floral RG550 "紅花姫(Benihanahime)" Specs neck type: 3pc Made in Japan Original Wizard neck fingerboard: Maple with "Vine of life" decal inlays body: Basswood with Floral Material finish. fret: Jumbo frets bridge: Ibanez Original Edge Bridge neck pu: Dimazio Evolution Neck middle pu: Dimarzio FS-1 bridge pu: Dimazio Evolution Bridge Neck Specs Scale: 648mm/25.5" a : Width at Nut 43mm b : Width at Last Fret 56mm c: Thickness at 1st 17mm d : Thickness at 12th 19mm Radius: 430mmR

Dimarzio Evolution Neck
Benihanahime neo classical by Adrian Goh

Dimarzio Evolution Bridge
Benihanahime Over the hills and far away by Adrian Goh

Dimarzio Evolution Neck Clean
Benihanahime F caruli Etude in C Major by Adrian Goh