Blaine! - Ibanez GRX70QA Transparent Blue – 2020 Electric Guitar

2020 Ibanez GRX70QA Electric Guitar in Transparent Blue

Meet Blaine, a 2020 Ibanez GRX70QA from the GIO range, finished in striking Transparent Blue with a quilted Art Grain top and versatile HSH pickup configuration.

Blaine was abandoned when his previous owner moved house and arrived at The Stray Chord in remarkably poor condition for such a young guitar. Stickers and badges had been hot-glued directly to the body, the finish was heavily scratched and hazed, the fingerboard was filthy and dry, and the electronics were loose, stiff and crackly.

What followed was one of our more intensive restorations.

After extensive cosmetic restoration, complete fretwork, electronics servicing and a professional setup, Blaine was successfully rehomed for £140.

About Blaine

The Ibanez GRX70QA is part of the accessible GIO range, bringing the fast necks, aggressive styling and versatile electronics associated with Ibanez's RG family to an entry-level instrument.

Blaine's poplar body is topped with Ibanez's distinctive quilted Art Grain top, finished in Transparent Blue to highlight the figuring underneath.

A slim maple neck and jatoba fingerboard provide the fast playing feel expected from an Ibanez, while the HSH pickup configuration offers considerably more tonal flexibility than a conventional two-humbucker guitar.

Two humbuckers flank a single-coil middle pickup, with a five-way selector providing access to everything from fuller rock and metal tones to brighter, more articulate sounds.

A synchronised tremolo bridge adds further versatility, making the GRX70QA an approachable first electric guitar while retaining enough flexibility for considerably more experienced players.

Restoration & setup

Blaine's restoration was considerably more involved than his relatively young age initially suggested.

Badges and stickers had been hot-glued directly onto the guitar, while years of neglect had left the finish scratched and hazy and the electronics barely usable.

During his Stray Chord Bench Transformation he received:

• Stickers and badges carefully removed
• Hot-glue residue painstakingly removed without damaging the underlying finish
• Poplar body thoroughly deep-cleaned
• Multi-stage machine correction of the Transparent Blue finish
• Scratches and surface haze substantially corrected
• Body polished to a deep gloss
• Jatoba fingerboard intensively cleaned
• Fingerboard thoroughly conditioned
• Fingerboard edges carefully rolled
• Complete fret level
• Frets crowned and polished to a mirror finish
• Fret ends dressed and refined
• Electronics flushed and serviced
• Loose and stiff controls corrected
• Five-way selector cleaned and checked
• Pickup operation checked across all five positions
• Neck relief adjusted
• Tremolo bridge action set
• Action lowered and optimised
• Full intonation
• Fresh Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings
• Final professional setup and playability inspection

The transformation revealed the striking Transparent Blue finish that had been hidden underneath years of neglect and modifications, while the fretwork and setup turned the GRX70QA into a considerably more refined instrument than the one that arrived.

Specifications

Blaine's adoption

💙 REHOMED 💙

After being left behind and arriving as one of our messier modern rescues, Blaine completed his rehabilitation and found a new home.

He is no longer available for adoption, but his page remains permanently in The Stray Chord Rehomed Archive as both a record of his transformation and a reference for players researching the Ibanez GRX70QA.

Rescue • Restore • Rehome