NGD (At last!) 25th Anniversary

[kimonostereo]

It's finally new guitar day for me, although I got this guitar about a month ago at this point. I found it via the used gear pages at Guitar Center and it was such a good price, I couldn't pass it up.

The guitar came in very rough. Make no mistake, this guitar was no case queen. It has been played... a lot! The case looked like the guitar had seen a lot of gigs. The neck was really dirty, the back has some scratches in the finish as well as the lower part of the front. The bridge needed a lot of cleaning too and the volume pot had a dead spot in it. BUT the guitar played and sounded soooo good. This guitar really felt broken in!

I often joke that I spend more time working on my guitars than playing them which is why I suck at playing guitar. This guitar needed a lot of work, but I was prepared for that.

This is what the guitar looked like the day I got it.

I buffed out the pick scratches, cleaned up the bridge and then took my time to clean up the neck. If you want to find out how I cleaned it, check out this thread. One day, I may buff out the back of the guitar to get the scratches out, but I'm too lazy to do it at this time.

This is what the guitar looks like today:

I love the sound and feel of the 25th! I can finally understand why some of you have 2 or 3 of them. For anyone that ever wanted an Axis that was a little larger and more comfy to play, this is the guitar. I really wish the Reflex sold better for EBMM, but I wonder if it was their choices of colors and hardware. If the Reflex looked even close to the 25th, maybe it might have done better?

 

[jzeijen]

That's really nice! Congrats!

 

[TripHazard]

Beautiful job man. I know what you mean. I love modding and resurrecting beaters, and modding good guitars to suit my tastes. I'm happiest when their is a guitar in bits in the garage for me to tinker with. Probably why I'm not a better player than I am lol

 

[edhalen]

Fantastic job!!! I watched that guitar on the GC used site forever and really wished I could have bought it. You got a great deal! I'm really glad a fellow knucklehead got it. Boy, the neck looks brand new! Congrats!

 

[Gio_Force_One]

Great Job!!!

I just got a de-purpleburst y2d from guitar center for a great price and it also needs to be cleaned up alot. this guitar looks like someone really loved playing it. The guitar does play great and sounds awesome. it seems like it will be worth the time to clean it up.

 

[xjbebop]

""I often joke that I spend more time working on my guitars than playing them which is why I suck at playing guitar. ""

This is me too

Congrats!! Reminds me of the last AL I got (from GC used also...), VERY well 'broken in', but all that mojo gives it character...in a good way.
Enjoy!

 

[lrmf777]

Nice job. Looks fantastic. I'm amazed at how well the neck cleaned up.
What did you use to buff up the body to get rid of the pick scratches? Guitar polish and some elbow grease? Which I've tried with little success.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Nice job. Looks fantastic. I'm amazed at how well the neck cleaned up.
What did you use to buff up the body to get rid of the pick scratches? Guitar polish and some elbow grease? Which I've tried with little success.

you can remove pick swirls with Guitarscratchremover Guitar Polish Scratch Remover Home
It's not wipe on / wipe off - you have to use it as if it's a micro abrasive cream. It leaves no haze like some rubbing compounds like T cut or Ferrecela.

 

[kimonostereo]

Thanks for all the replies! Yes, it was worth it to take my time and clean it up. I have a Dimarzio chrome humbucker cover to replace the neck humbucker cover that has scratches all over it.

@edhalen
You were watching it too? I was actually holding out for one with a rosewood neck, but none came up during that time. There was another used 25th that showed up for ONE DAY for around $1100. I was going to ask for details but the. It disappeared.

@xjbebop
Glad to see I'm not alone!

@lrmf777
I used some 1500 to 2000 grit sandpaper first then a really light cut compound and the. Follow up with a swirl mark remover to get the fine pick scratches out. If the scratches are really deep, you might have to use something more aggressive like medium to heavy cut rubbing compound, but most times just swirl mark remover can do the trick.

I use a Makita buffer and a foam pad for larger areas. For smaller areas, a cotton terry cloth and elbow grease can do it.

 

[Flash Gordon]

Awesome! Congrats and thanks for the cleaning tips!

 

[JasonT]

Really nice job!

Love my 25th. So versatile, so good.

 

[threeminutesboy]

Congrats that's a beauty!

 

[banjoplayer]

wow this top sucks

really beautiful guitar and - as I know as a recent Reflex owner - very great sounding! Have fun with it.

 

[kimonostereo]

Thanks for all the 25th love! Currently my favorite guitar!

 

[lrmf777]

you can remove pick swirls with Guitarscratchremover Guitar Polish Scratch Remover Home
It's not wipe on / wipe off - you have to use it as if it's a micro abrasive cream. It leaves no haze like some rubbing compounds like T cut or Ferrecela.

Thanks Spudmurphy. I'll give it a try.

 

[Siddius]

Looks like a party. Does it play like a party? Sound like a party?

 

[kimonostereo]

Looks like a party. Does it play like a party? Sound like a party?

It certainly does! It's a shame these never took off as the Reflex because they sound just awesome.