Ibanez help needed

[eschertron]

The IMGUR post shows what looks like a standard HSS strat, but with a funny red button on the upper bout? Is there any text/label showing what that does? Is there a control cavity behind it?

Well, don't I feel silly. Upon closer inspection, I see the "funny red button" is actually a stick-on pick holder.
Carry on!

[Ultrawave]

Thank you so much for your help everyone!
With the schematic in place I will do my best at repairing my boyfriend's guitar!

A little extra question:
Is it possible to de-rust the pickups or should he get new ones if they're too rusty?

Love to all of you amazing people,
Sus

[J M Fahey]

Well, some think rust adds "character", go figure

In any case they won´t affect sound.
I suggest you leave as is, just cover rusting metal (including the rusted part) with a coat or two of transparent nail enamel, toprotect it from ambient air and humidity.

[Chuck H]

Well, some think rust adds "character", go figure

Yep. Some people actually pay extra for it They call it "relic'd" now. Just use the clear finish over the oxides as mentioned and it'll just be "patina".

[Chuck H]

I read an article about how the whole relic'd instrument thing started. Fender says they were making signature guitars for Keith Richards, but he wouldn't play them on stage. He said it felt wrong playing shiny new guitars on stage and asked them to "bash 'em up a bit" It wasn't long after that Fender decided to market the idea.

[J M Fahey]

I relic´d my cool vintage Mercedes 190 SLX to increase buyer´s interest but somehow it isn´t working as expected

I´ll buy a gallon of nail enamel , that should do the trick.

[Leo_Gnardo]

I relic´d my cool vintage Mercedes 190 SLX to increase buyer´s interest but somehow it isn´t working as expected

I´ll buy a gallon of nail enamel , that should do the trick.

What my Dad used to say, "a bottle of Simoniz and some elbow grease, that oughta fix 'er up!" upon viewing some hopeless wreck. Now I say it. (He was half Irish & 1/64 Native American. )

[Chuck H]

Indeed! Never a fan of the idea myself. The most absurd of it is special oxidizing treatments sold just for messing up your hardware "correctly". Or even faux oxide rusty colored finish you can rub around on your metal parts. And the most offensive of it is the crappy finishing done to instruments that will be relic'd. Not at all what a real vintage instrument started with. Looks more like it was done with rattle cans in the yard. Making me think the whole trend is just a way for manufacturers to charge more for LESS artistic work.

Truthfully I have no trouble relic-ing my own instruments, thank you.

[Dave H]

I read an article about how the whole relic'd instrument thing started. Fender says they were making signature guitars for Keith Richards, but he wouldn't play them on stage. He said it felt wrong playing shiny new guitars on stage and asked them to "bash 'em up a bit" It wasn't long after that Fender decided to market the idea.

So we can blame Keith for the relicing phenomenon. He's even reliced himself.

[J M Fahey]

He's even reliced himself.

I remember reading his biography where they interview his Spanish housekeeper , who does not live there but works 3 days a week, saying something like:"every morning I go there I go straight to the pool, expecting to find Mr Richards floating there, face down. .......... somehow that never happened ... yet ... but anyway I always check"

[Ultrawave]

Okay so, I had a look at it this weekend and luckily it seems like the guy didn't mess up the guitar so badly after all.

The volume pot-meter does not seem to work properly though - and I wasn't able to fix it with what would directly translate from Danish to English "Contact spray" (kinda like WD40 for electronics). The pot-meter is much easier to turn, but the problem remains: It is not able to turn the volume down to 0 and thus make no sound.
I had the pot-meter measured and it did have, like, 40 Ohms over it when turned down all the way.
If I were to change this pot-meter, would I need it to be a special kind of brand? Or is a cheap one from China okay?

[Chuck H]

I've had good luck with plain Alpha pots if that's all you can find. Bourns makes better pots for just a little more money and they have distribution in Denmark, though you may have to order them. Bourns has a special line of "guitar pots" that have lower torque, more refined tapers and are more likely to actually measure just an ohm or two at full rotation. I (personally) would change to audio taper pots for both controls.