1987 Ibanez RG550 Guitar Salvage & Restoration - Desert Sun Yellow 

Liking the fact that it was restored to maximum functionality & not an attempt to re-live the 'freshness' of a new guitar. Absolute thumbs up for this 👍👍

I have an 87 Desert Yellow that my dad bought me brand new for Christmas that same year. I still have it. Ive been thru GIT and played thousands of gigs with mine and I can attest to the rusting. My Edge was not replaceable, it was completely pitted. And rusted shut. We managed to keep most of the original parts otherwise. Mine similarly has many of the same stress cracks. Fortunately nothing is of any concern and it’s still my number one favorite. If anyone is interested I’ve got a few videos of me playing it over the past 30 years on my page. This video warmed my heart.

Whispering the entire video was odd, but the guitar came out really nice. I like the colored accents you did.

Adored this video with all the close ups. It felt like I was connecting with this guitar even though I can't touch it. Great restoration job! I share the love for RG550's, I haven't gotten an original one in my hands (I own two RG550's from the current Genesis Collection) but I know exactly how this must feel like, since I'm currently restoring an 1988 RG350. Very nice!

That turned out so great. You managed to keep the character while making the thing fully functional. Thanks for sharing!

Those mods and repairs scream "TWEAKER!"

I love your work on this guitar. You kept the intention of the old owner and made it better! I subscribed to your channel, well done

That's a cool project! Clearly well loved!

Incredible restoration & killer shredding!

Desert yellow is the ultimate RG colour - stellar work!

Good job! Looks and sounds amazing

Glad I found this channel. Hoping to be one of the OG's and watch this channel grow! Really Great Stuff!

The horror movie ambient tones under the narration are perfect.

👏👏👏 not many people understand or appreciate what you did. Nice playing too. I had Frank Gamble’s guitar instruction where he had same colour Ibanez S series.

So no joke. I’ve got an rg350m in dessert yellow with a single pickup, single volume, and a clear plastic pickguard. And it sings! I think it’s pretty cool that someone else thought to do the same thing.

Beautiful restoration and damn fine playing!

Very nice restoration. Nice save of an iconic 1980s Rock Time machine. More power to YOU.

Well done Brother.....You spun me back 30 yrz....love em....Head cutter guitars...the good Ole days...you got a treasure...I have owed 4.....still have 2......thanks again. ..Much Respect from St Petersburg Florida

nice job on the restoration! that's a pretty bold statement colour wise, they are great guitars.

That's exactly what my first guitar was. I'm so jealous. I've been looking forever!!!

Amazing restoration, wow everything!, thank you, thanks for sharing

Cool man. I like the redo. I've a '94 550ltd and love it!

Music was in a much different place when this guitar was built. Just imagine the world around this guitar as it was originally being assembled. Where were you in 1987? Many of you weren't even born.

Good job! Awesome playing!

awesome job restoring this beauiful RG 550

Sweet I miss my RG550

Great guitar, great channel, great playing.

I have a 1990 DY 550. Classic sound and is so easy to play!

I was waiting to hear the Guitar with that crazy Mod it had..... regadless sounds great.....

Great job on the restoration.

Just stumbled upon your vid.. great job in recovery of this "Franken 550".. and nice job keeping its original feel from the owner.. very surprised the bridge turned out as well as it did.. that rust remover is special stuff I have to look into it.. I am starting to love the Ibanez necks as I age.. i guess the playability helps the old hands.. lol.. awesome job.. your vid flowed quite nicely..

I have a 91 rg750 and it too has its qwerks but when they are broken in this is, they play amazing

Absolutely love this video, great job! A big kill-switch button where the power input is would have been really cool btw, maybe something for the future!

Great video. Killer playing!

what a beauty. I am going to look for one of those. I used to take guitar lesson at this music school back in the late 80's and they had this black 550. I loved it. Now, I have really nice rg770 Japanese which is more like the Petrucci Ibanez. I want a 550 with that maple neck.

Beautiful guitar! All that battle damage reminds me of my dirty, beaten-up jewel-blue RG570 that I got new as a teen. (No weird modifications though.) I think I should give it a good cleaning...

That is most beautifully shaped guitar.

Damn this guitar paid its dues, deserve a good retiring

Congratulations! Job well done 🎉🎉🎉🎉

Cool find. I traded my 87 RG550 for a roadworn Strat a couple years ago. Mine was about 3000 units older based on the serial. Was black with an aftermarket anodized pickguard and NOT the original Edge trem. Mine had a pristine neck with a rosewood fingerboard. If it had the Edge I would have kept it. Cool story on it- I GOT IT FREE!!!! Dude at work had purchased it at a Goodwill or other thrift shop as a prop for a Halloween costume- he gave it to me instead of trashing it when he no longer wanted it... It did not work and I found the reason it did not work was just a wire on the output jack had come off.

Love the videography, and the super tasty jam at the end.

pouring in the rust remover was very satisfying to watch👏 nice work🤘😎

1987 best year ever!

My new go-to ASMR video.

I like it, it's got a lot of character. I have 4 RGs, all are customized to some degree, one I built out of parts, my Frankenstein RG.

I have a 2007 RG 350 DX that I found in a pawn shop probably going on ten years ago now, was looking around for my second guitar with my dad because the SG copy I have didn't allow for trem plays. Even when I found it in the shop it was gigged, it already had the dings and some rusting going on, apparently the guy sold it with his amp as well (Which I bought, still have both, and it's still my main amp) it was missing the locking nuts and trem bar but those were easy enough to replace. It became my main guitar for a few years as I was still leaning and not really gigging or anything but I've had to retire it recently because where I grew up and the fact I didn't even have a bag for it, it just sat in my room exposed when I didn't play it means some elements have really gotten to it, the trem is rusted out, it still works but you get rust on your hand when you use it, the locking nuts and tuners have a fair bit as well, and the pickguard has warped upward heavily over time to where the middle single coil is almost touching the strings. The guitar still works though, and feels great on the neck but I have invested in a good thick bag for it and retired it until perhaps one day I can get it somewhat restored. It's got to have a trem repair because the tension plate under the fine tuners, the one removed at 9:27 the tensioner under the 5th string has been bent down since the day I bought it. But other than that I'd simply want like the guard warping issues and major rust issues sorted, otherwise keep the patina as is because that look is its story you know... Nowadays I have a couple other guitars I'm using as mains but the RG will always stay with me...

I owned an 87 RG 550 in 87 and it was a great guitar.

Nice frankenRG. And your coffincase is cool.

OMG... this brings back so many memories of a similar guitar I saved for a year to buy in '91... RIP * I should have watched the whole video before commenting. Mine was the midnight blue, no pickguard, and the dayglo green dimarzio's, bought it used in immaculate condition for 8 hundy, which was alot in 1991 working a $5/hr job. A friend borrowed it for a gig several years later, dropped it afterward breaking the headstock behind the nut. I was young and stupid, so never considered that it could be repaired. Life lesson learned.

Never understood the Vai hype around these, but cool you kept the mods the preview owner made.

Love it!

Amazing

Thanks great video.

This was really enjoyable! ❤️🤘🤘🤘

Damn you can shred. Love it

A maior RG de todos os tempos! 🎸💛🔥🔥🔥

Nice job, great playing, wonderful guitar! You got a new follower!

I love my '87 RG550 in DSY with a color matched headstock...

Ademas de un excelente video y una restauracion tremenda y digna, cerraste con una tecnica increible con tap arpegios y cromatismos a una linea de efectos clasicos para la rg: chorus, ts, delay y mucho mas que ya no alcanzo a percibir pero definitiva y totalmente ibanezco gracias por este vid lo disfruté

i can't tell if he just recited the whole lords of the ring story or if he talked about a guitar anyways banger video thank you for that content :)

epic. beautiful.

Still have mine!!! Same color!

How have you got so few subscribers? That cinematography, the voiced audio, the superb music. 🛎👍 Wishing you a million subs! 👍🙂

This guitar has a vibe

"The fallen leaves tell a story Of how a Tarnished became Guitar Lord. In our home, across the fog, the Lands Between. Our seed will look back upon us, and recall. The Age of the Guitar."

That's what I call genuine character

Love the video. Should have replaced the frets but thats alot of work. Anyway great video 🎉

I always wanted to play around with those little active circuits but it just never made sense to me to have those on board when there is much more ability to personalize the sound with off board fx

It's a guitar I've missed🤗💕💞💓💗

This is the coolest F'ing guitar video ever..

Astonishing.

A black RG550 was the 1st guitar I bought with my own money. (My very 1st guitar was my dads, he gave me)

I'd have swapped in a super distortion, new pot, and jack and left the rest alone.

I am Lefty and i still have one 1987 RG 560 and no less than three RG550ms 2 black from 91 original Edge and a 92 with the Lo pro edge and one white Casequeen without bucklerash or the pocket cracks with an original Edge from 1989. Ps amazing playing man. DS

Cool 550. Would of liked to hear the original owners wiring set up before disassembly.

I just found one in a pawn shop, super surprised. same color but no mods. Crazy finger ware on the frets but nothing damaging. Not sure if I will post or keep

I had a newer RG350M in the same color and I had it gutted in a similar way with the open cavity and a single Seymour Duncan Invader and a single volume knob 😂

Bro, you should see the one I just found. I'm going tonhave to do a video. I've done some of the repairs but never expected to receive it. It's been painted over like evh. Badly drippin paint. Set in neck in great shape. Multiple layer neck. It'll take some work.

Excellent work!! I would have worn gloves though... Curious why people refer to the jack where the guitar's signal comes out of as an "input" jack when it's really an "output" jack?

fun fun fun in the desert sun

For your information, the ibanez rg550 guitar can make a bolt-on-neck Of course, it's a set in thru neckten thousand

Hell yeah!

I need to try an RG550

But...never seen anything like this....very unique....and if it could only talk....well....you know what I am saying.....the rest is up to you....again ....Great job .... ..

I have an 87 which is going through restoration, I need to change pickups, paint is now more like orange burned but still kinda yellow, just wierd looking, it was expose to heat a lot and paint got damaged.

Edge is Ibanez's best floyd, even the old one!!!)))

This just pop up on my RU-vid Homepage and it was fun to watch. Great refinish you have done! So what was the original setting? How did it sound? I am curious what the previous owner did to it. By the way I subscribed your channel! Great channel to know! Thanks!

Geile Gitarre, hammer Typ👺

Cool vid, but you really need to do something with audio. Those S's hurt my ears.

that looks like too much fun. I think I would enjoy restoring guitars. that song that plays sounds like a Beastie Boy song called Transitions.

The sexy whispers tho 🤣

All guitars have a story, but not all stories have a guitar. It'd be a lot cooler if they did!

Just bought one from Houston for $200. Had to have it

So you would suggest worn out jumbo frets be refinished rather than replaced?

what song in the end?

Awe man, you scrapped the funky varicose thing... I wanted to see what that was all about

Great Job. Like i said in other videos like this. Nor the katanas or sushi not even Dragon Ball Z. The best product out of Japan Is late 80s~early 90s Ibanez RG. Period.

OMG is this the one that was for sale super cheap on some questionable website last month that I didn't trust enough to give them money?? If so, I'm totally green with envy.

No intonation on the bridge saddles?

I've done one full level amd crown. It was the last. Lol