Ibanez RG520EXQS "青鮫牙(Aosamega)"

"青鮫牙(Aosamega)" started out as a RG570EX neck I purchased from a guy who got it from Tom Lee music Hong Kong. Apparently, Tom Lee was selling Ibanez necks. I had a chance to try out an old RG550 and was deeply addicted to the super thin profile of the original wizard neck. At that time, I just bought Aohimaru "青火丸" and decided to just swap the neck over.



After swapping the neck over for a short while, I decided that I actually like the profile of the Made in Japan Wizard II neck and would prefer to keep the guitar as it is. I proceed in switching Aohimaru "青火丸" back to what it was, reinstalling the original neck.

I began hunting all over Ebay for a MIJ RG body and I happened to chanced upon a silver RG520 Body which was supposedly a RG520QS body, made of mahogany. I haven't own a mahogany bodied guitar up till that point and decided to try it anyway, considering that how rare it is at that time to get a Mahogany bodied RG.

I took a gamble, bought it and sanded it down. True enough, it was really a RG520QS, with that Quilted Salepe Veneer. I was astonished. This body later went on to house Ibanez RG(5)270DX "Frankenstein" . The body and neck has a colour mismatch but all is good for the time being. The guitar was then fitted with Dimarzio Evolutions (Since they are my all time favourite Pick ups). Surprising enough, the Evolution paired up nicely with the Mahogany. The warmth and the Treble of the Mahogany body paired up evenly with the Mid bass overdose of the Evolutions.

Recently, I've been surfing around for another guitar body to match up the color of the neck and eventually found a RG520QS that is in blue. The quilt on this body isn't as nice and more subtle but nonetheless, I wanted to retain the mahogany tone within this guitar. I went ahead and bought the guitar, transferred everything over and hence, "青鮫牙(Aosamega)" was born.

As all the parts used to construct this guitar are made in Japan parts, it is technically a made in Japan Guitar. Japanese craftsmanship is still evident in this guitar, in terms of the wood routed, painted and precision. The neck is actually an Ibanez Super Wizard Neck, the thinnest neck Ibanez has ever made and I would believe the thinnest among all electric guitars.

The neck measures 17mm on the first fret and 19mm on the 12th fret with a flat radius of 430mm. There was once, to my horror, I found lacquering flaking off the neck. I am pretty particular on stuff like that and I decided to just sand off everything, and refinished to my favourite neck finish. Hand rubbed oil finish. The neck has aged to a golden hue thus far but nonetheless, baby butt smooth. My favourite part about the Super Wizards is that it also sports a Bulbinga stripe at the back and not because of cosmetic reason. The Bulbinga stripe acts as a separate hardwood that counteracts the neck tension, therefore making it more resistance to neck warping.

This guitar got it's name "青鮫牙(Aosamega)" from the way it looks. "青鮫牙(Aosamega)" means Blue Shark Fang in Japanese. RG570EX necks are fitted with mirror shark tooth inlays and since the color of the guitar is blue , I decided to just call it Blue Shark Fang. In addition to the Evolutions, the guitar is also equipped with the Orange Drop and Treble Bleed mod.





Ibanez RG520EXQS "青鮫牙(Aosamega)" Specs
neck type: 3pc Made in Japan Super Wizard neck with Bulbinga Stipe
fingerboard: Rosewood with dot inlay
body: Transparent blue Mahogany body with Quilt Salepe Veneer
fret: Jumbo frets
bridge: Ibanez Original Edge Bridge
neck pu: Dimazio Evolution Neck
bridge pu: Dimazio Evolution Bridge

Neck Specs
Scale: 648mm/25.5"
a : Width at Nut 43mm
b : Width at Last Fret 54mm
c: Thickness at 1st 17mm
d : Thickness at 12th 19mm
Radius: 430mmR

Refinishing your guitar neck with sealing oil

Guitar necks are a major part of the feel of a guitar. The neck is the first part of the guitar that is a direct contact to our fretting hand and it can immediately make us hate or like the guitar. It is by far one of the most important parts of the guitar that allow us to bond with the guitar. The back finishing of the guitar neck plays an important role of that feel too. Some of us like the feel of sticky lacquer while some of us like satin finish.

Sometimes, after playing for a long time, we find that our beloved guitar necks has stripped lacquer or worst, dings. Some of us like it, some of us don't. What if, you belong to the ones who don't, such as I?

There is a kind of finish that I will like to share with all my readers out there. It's known as Hand Rubbed Oil finish. Not only is this finish really easy to do, it also leaves the neck baby butt smooth. Sound too good to be true? Check this out.

First 2 above has been refinished with Hand rubbed Tru-Oil while the third picture has been finished with Hand rubbed Tung Oil. Tru-oil leaves the neck with a slight sheen while tung oil tends to have a satin surface. Both of them feel somewhat the same but Tung oil tends to turn to a golden hue over time.

Items you will need:

1. 300 grit, 600 grit, 1000 grit, 1500 grit sand paper.
2. Cloth (Preferably from old T-shirts)
3. Surgery gloves (You can actually do without these, just that you will have a hell of a time washing your hands later)
4. Time

Instructions:

1. Start off with sanding away the lacquer of the neck with 300 grit sand paper. Make sure you do not over sand at this point and change the shape of the neck.

2. After that is done, pour a healthy amount of the sealing oil (Tung or Tru) on the cloth.

3. Rub the oil into the wood by doing an up and down motion with your hand. Rub it until the wood feels dry.

4. Repeat step 2 and 3 a couple of times. (I usually do this 3 times)

5. Leave it to dry for at least 6 hours. (Depending on the kind of oil you use. leave it a day just to be safe)

6. Pour some oil on 300 grit sand paper and sand the oil on the back of the neck. This removes raised grains while at the same time drives more oil into the pores of the wood. Sand till the neck feels dry.

7. Repeat Step 3 to 5 again.

8. Pour some oil on 600 grit sand paper and sand the oil on the back of the neck. This is to smooth-en out the texture of the wood. Again, sand till the neck feels dry.

9. Repeat Step 3 to 5 again.

10. Pour some oil on 1000 grit sand paper and sand the oil on the back of the neck. Again, sand till the neck feels dry.

11. Repeat Step 3 to 5 again.

12. Pour some oil on 1500 grit sand paper and sand the oil on the back of the neck. This should be the final polishing of the neck. The neck should give u a glossy sheen by the time you are done with this step. Again, sand till the neck feels dry.

13. Repeat Step 3 to 5 again.

14. Lasty, repeat Step 3 to 4.

15. This time, leave it to dry for 2 days.

16. Buff it with buffing compound and finish it with Lemon pledge. That will leave the neck Baby butt smooth.

There, that ain't that hard is it? Do take some time to take a look at the video posted below. It shows you how to achieve a professional looking hand rubbed oil finish. Even if it's done on the table, the same principles can be applied on the neck. Lastly, enjoy that professional looking baby butt smooth neck and rock on!