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Less is More: Ibanez GAX30 Mods
I wanted an inexpensive guitar that I could keep on my sailboat during the sailing season in NJ. I wanted something simple and light to use in the confined spage of a 31 ft sailboat along with my small Fender G-DEC amplifier and midi player. I saw the Ibanez GAX30 in a local music store and after checking out a few guitars in stock for having a good neck with level frets, I purchased one for less than $150. These can be obtained even cheaper with Holiday sales inducements. Here is the Ibanez web link for details about this simple guitar. http://www.ibanez.com/eg/guitar.aspx?m=GAX30
I looked at a few Ibanez models in this series and chose the simplier two knob, one 3-position lever switch model because I had some parts in my junk box that I wanted to try. Here are the details for anyone wanting to make a very versitile sounding guitar on the cheap.
I removed all the electronics in the control cavity which is very easy. Then I shielded the entire cavity. You can use the more expensive self adhesive copper foil form Stewart-Mcdonald or the self adhesive alumium found in hardware stores. Either way, just make sure you bring a few tabs up the cavity sides to cover the spots where the screws attach so that when the foil is added to the back of the plastic cavity cover it completes the shielded enclosure for mimimum hum.
I had an EMG concentric bass/treble control that would convert the high output impedance pickups to lower impedance as well as add active equalization. See this link for wiring details. http://www.emgpickups.com/downloads/...s/BTseries.pdf
Granted, this EMG-BTC is designed for a bass guitar but since it has 4 selectable EQ center frequencies of 2,1, 3.5, 4,5 and 7.0 kHz, I thought it might work in this guitar. It did! Remember I labeled this post, "less is more"; here is why.
I made many guitar mods over the years, built and designed guitars that had every possible switch combination. I even made a guitar with an analog pot joy stick to change pickups sounds and combinations 20+ years ago. Something about this guitar intrigued me by it's simplicity and it's possibilities.
First, the 3-position pickup lever switch had to go and be replaced by a 5-position Mega-switch from Stewart-Mcdonald. Get the one designed for two humbucker wiring. It requires that each humnbucking pickup has access to the center tap of the two series connected coils. Fortunately the GAX30 has an unused center tap on the pickups which makes this switch mod very easy. Just follow the Maga-switch wiring instructions and you get the following pickup combinations. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electron...aswitches.html
Position 1: Neck pickup coils in series humbucking
Position 2: Neck pickup, single coil
Position 3: Neck and bridge single coil in parallel and humbucking (Strat sound)
Position 4: Bridge pickup, single coil
Position 5: Bridge pickup coils in series humbucking
Wire the pickups directly to the new Maga-switch and then take the output from the Mega-switch to the input of the EMG-BTC module. Wire a 25K ohm push-pull pot for the volume control. This way, changing the volume has no effect on the tonal qualities as the BTC isolates the pickups for external loading.
I found the sound a little bright and wanted a way to quickly get a more jazz sound without fiddeling around with the BTC EQ knobs. I just wired a .01 uF capacitor on the push-pull pot switch at the output of the Mega-switch to soften the sound. You can adjust this capacitor value to suite your own playing style. I found the .01 to be just right and along with some active EQ adjustments, gives an additional pleasing range of sounds.
So, with what looks like a very simple guitar, you now have a tremendous amount of sound versitility. You can use a single 9V battery or if you need more signal headroom, wire two 9V batteries in series.
The BTC EQ has both boost and cut capabilities. The low EQ is +/- 10dB and the high EQ is +/- 12dB. There is a center detent for a flat sound.
It is easy to fit one or two batteries in the control cavity as there are few parts in it. Obtain a 1.5" length of self-adhesive foam weather striping about 1/2" to 5/8" thick to mount directly over each battery location on plastic cavity cover keep the battey tightly in place.
I hope this gives the forum readers some ideas to try.
Joe Rogowski
I wanted an inexpensive guitar that I could keep on my sailboat during the sailing season in NJ. I wanted something simple and light to use in the confined spage of a 31 ft sailboat along with my small Fender G-DEC amplifier and midi player. I saw the Ibanez GAX30 in a local music store and after checking out a few guitars in stock for having a good neck with level frets, I purchased one for less than $150. These can be obtained even cheaper with Holiday sales inducements. Here is the Ibanez web link for details about this simple guitar. http://www.ibanez.com/eg/guitar.aspx?m=GAX30
I looked at a few Ibanez models in this series and chose the simplier two knob, one 3-position lever switch model because I had some parts in my junk box that I wanted to try. Here are the details for anyone wanting to make a very versitile sounding guitar on the cheap.
I removed all the electronics in the control cavity which is very easy. Then I shielded the entire cavity. You can use the more expensive self adhesive copper foil form Stewart-Mcdonald or the self adhesive alumium found in hardware stores. Either way, just make sure you bring a few tabs up the cavity sides to cover the spots where the screws attach so that when the foil is added to the back of the plastic cavity cover it completes the shielded enclosure for mimimum hum.
I had an EMG concentric bass/treble control that would convert the high output impedance pickups to lower impedance as well as add active equalization. See this link for wiring details. http://www.emgpickups.com/downloads/...s/BTseries.pdf
Granted, this EMG-BTC is designed for a bass guitar but since it has 4 selectable EQ center frequencies of 2,1, 3.5, 4,5 and 7.0 kHz, I thought it might work in this guitar. It did! Remember I labeled this post, "less is more"; here is why.
I made many guitar mods over the years, built and designed guitars that had every possible switch combination. I even made a guitar with an analog pot joy stick to change pickups sounds and combinations 20+ years ago. Something about this guitar intrigued me by it's simplicity and it's possibilities.
First, the 3-position pickup lever switch had to go and be replaced by a 5-position Mega-switch from Stewart-Mcdonald. Get the one designed for two humbucker wiring. It requires that each humnbucking pickup has access to the center tap of the two series connected coils. Fortunately the GAX30 has an unused center tap on the pickups which makes this switch mod very easy. Just follow the Maga-switch wiring instructions and you get the following pickup combinations. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electron...aswitches.html
Position 1: Neck pickup coils in series humbucking
Position 2: Neck pickup, single coil
Position 3: Neck and bridge single coil in parallel and humbucking (Strat sound)
Position 4: Bridge pickup, single coil
Position 5: Bridge pickup coils in series humbucking
Wire the pickups directly to the new Maga-switch and then take the output from the Mega-switch to the input of the EMG-BTC module. Wire a 25K ohm push-pull pot for the volume control. This way, changing the volume has no effect on the tonal qualities as the BTC isolates the pickups for external loading.
I found the sound a little bright and wanted a way to quickly get a more jazz sound without fiddeling around with the BTC EQ knobs. I just wired a .01 uF capacitor on the push-pull pot switch at the output of the Mega-switch to soften the sound. You can adjust this capacitor value to suite your own playing style. I found the .01 to be just right and along with some active EQ adjustments, gives an additional pleasing range of sounds.
So, with what looks like a very simple guitar, you now have a tremendous amount of sound versitility. You can use a single 9V battery or if you need more signal headroom, wire two 9V batteries in series.
The BTC EQ has both boost and cut capabilities. The low EQ is +/- 10dB and the high EQ is +/- 12dB. There is a center detent for a flat sound.
It is easy to fit one or two batteries in the control cavity as there are few parts in it. Obtain a 1.5" length of self-adhesive foam weather striping about 1/2" to 5/8" thick to mount directly over each battery location on plastic cavity cover keep the battey tightly in place.
I hope this gives the forum readers some ideas to try.
Joe Rogowski