Iceman Humbucker Pickups and Rings

I decided on replacing both humbucker pickups with the Seymour Duncan “Hot Rodded Humbucker Set” which consists of a SH-4 JB in the bridge position and a SH-2 Jazz for the neck. Information on the set can be found here: https://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/hot-rodded-humbucker-set

One of the nice things about the Seymour Duncan site is that they have a “Pickup Selector” which will help you find some possible choices, based on the type of music you want to play, tones you want to achieve, the type of bridge your guitar has, and even the woods of the fretboard and body. The “Pickup Selector” can be accessed here: https://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup-selector-step-1

The Hot Rodded set was one of the 3 that showed up for my choices. I knew of the SH-4 JB because Brad Gillis (one of my favorite guitarists) frequently uses one in the bridge of his custom Fender Stratocaster. Also, the Duncan page shows artists who use the SH-4. One of the artists: Paul Stanley.

Note that all the Duncan pickups, like many other pickup brands, come with their logo on them. I’m not real big on this. While I ultimately decided to keep the logos, I did research ways to remove the logo. There’s a great discussion of the topic with some possible solutions, on the Duncan forums no less: https://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/showthread.php?265629-REMOVING-SEYMOUR-DUNCAN-LOGO  Novus 2 Fine Scratch Remover is probably what I would try first (mostly because I have some). But be sure to be careful when experimenting with any of these: like with most cleaning products, it’s best to test in a small, less-seen area.

I also wanted to line the pickup cavities (along with the other cavities) with Copper Foil Tape. This is supposed to reduce external electrics from interfering with the guitar’s electronics. I picked up 2-inch-wide Kraftex Copper Foil Tape, which was easy to work with. The tough part was getting the sizes to drop in correct and getting the foil tape into the corners and crevices. Will it help with buzz? No idea. But I figured it couldn’t hurt.

The other upgrade I wanted to do was to add visual contrast via chrome/mirrored pickup rings or frames. They do make them, but I quickly discovered pickup rings were more complicated than I realized. You can’t just order “pickup rings” as there are many variations and you have to figure out which of those variations you need for your guitar. And I’m not even talking about color or material choices here. There are pickup rings that are flat and those that are curved or arched (say for the curved top of a Les Paul). The IC-400 has a flat top. The other “option” is between flat or slanted: this is for how the pickups sits running from the bridge to the neck. The IC-400 has slanted pickup rings: higher by the bridge, slanting down approaching the neck.

Okay, so I need flat (non-curved), but slanted pickup rings, in chrome. I preferred a set in actual chromed metal, but couldn’t find them in the exact combination I required. So I settled for a chromed plastic set. I ordered them, they quickly arrived, and they looked good. Then came time for installation and the 4 corner hole in the humbucker rings didn’t line up with the holes in the Iceman. So yes, there’s ANOTHER variation that you have to be aware of: a sizing/dimension one.

I didn’t want to drill new holes into the guitar, especially so close to the original holes. I first tried to Dremel out the holes on one of the pickup rings, cutting them inwards to allow the screws to line up with the existing holes in the guitar. After 2 tries, I realized there was just too much difference in the sizes to make it look good (even though that size difference is numerically miniscule). So I went in search of chrome, humbucker rings that were flat, slanted and sized correctly. I was able to find them at WD Music Products (https://www.wdmusic.com/ ), who have a good selection of humbucker rings (among other things) and actually list the various dimensions. The photo below shows the size difference between the two different chrome rings. What a thorn in my side.

It seems this size difference is another American vs. Oversees sizing issue. Can’t we just decide on one standard? Apparently not. So before you update your humbucker rings, be sure to measure and make sure you’re getting the size you need. Otherwise, you’ll just be wasting money and time like I did.

Cleaning an Iceman

Before any mods, the first thing was a good cleaning. I picked up some Ernie Ball Guitar Polish (which includes the cloth) at Guitar Center. It did a good basic cleaning of the guitar, cleaning up the scuz, and did a nice job on the fretboard.

That being said, it didn’t really remove any of the scratches, major or minor. I did some online research into cleaning a guitar, and found some good info, including an article by Metal Mike Chlasciak (of Halford fame): https://www.guitarworld.com/blogs/four-steps-keep-your-guitar-looking-amazing  Besides many tips and explanations, he describes how a lot of guitar polishes aren’t really “polishes” but really a detailer. I expect this is what my Ernie Ball Polish was.

Based on Metal Mike’s suggestions, I ordered a couple new products, all from Amazon. The first item was actually several items: Mothers 07240 California Gold Clay Bar System. I liked this because it had good reviews, was priced at $18, and everything was all in one “kit,” including 2 bars of “clay,” a detailer spray (for “lubing” the clay), and also a good sized microfiber towel.

The next two items I ordered was Planet Waves Restore Guitar Polish ($6) and a Planet Waves Microfiber Polish Cloth ($5). While these both list “Planet Waves” as the brand, D’Addario must own them or have bought them out at some point, because their logo is featured prominently on both products.

So following the directions I went to town cleaning the guitar, in the following order: 1) Mothers Detailer Spray with Clay wipe down, followed by buffing it/drying it with the included microfiber towel (which actually is mostly drying up the leftover Detail Spray), 2) Working in the Planet Waves Restore Guitar Polish with the Ernie Ball cloth, allowing it to dry to a haze, then buffing it off with the Planet Waves Microfiber Polish Cloth, and finally 3) Spraying the Ernie Ball Guitar Polish on and buffing/drying it with another microfiber cloth I had (from a Harbor Freight 4-pack, which cost only $1 with a coupon).

The results? Not much, in my opinion. Yes, the guitar sparkled and was clean, but the above process didn’t do anything on the scratches and scuffs (nothing noticeable anyways). Though, based on the cloths condition after all the cleaning, it obviously did something. I was just hoping for a little more, based on the products and time invested.

Buying an Iceman

I checked eBay, Reverb, Guitar Center, and even Craig’s List daily for an Iceman. There were some nice offerings and of course some where the seller overvalued their Iceman by a factor of 10. I eventually came across a nice IC400 (with case!) on Reverb.

The Iceman was black and had a couple dings and the usual light scratches. The bridge pickup was upgraded to a white Duncan Invader, which I wasn’t wild about: neither the “white” or the pickup model. Given that the guitar was reasonably priced, I figured I could replace the bridge pickup with something more to my liking. I asked the seller some questions (making sure some things in the photos were reflections and not scrapes). Happy with the answers and the seller’s responsiveness, I took the leap and bought it (thanks Nolan!).

I received the IC400 in about a week and was thrilled to finally hold and play my very own Iceman! But I almost immediately thought of what I would like to mod on the Ibanez. As I suspected, I wasn’t really wild about either pickups, so that was on the list, along with replacing all the related rusty screws. The other thing was that the guitar was very black, like Spinal Tap black. I wanted to add some contrast to it. The tuners and bridges were chrome, so I figured switching out some parts for those that are chrome/mirrored would provide that contrast against the black.

Switching out the stock clear/black knobs for some Gotoh Chrome Dome Knobs would be a good start. Did they make chrome pickup rings/frames? That might be nice. I’d have to research that. The truss rod cover was black, but I knew there were mirrored versions out there, based on the photos I had seen doing my research.

So a lot of things to consider, research, and ponder, which I actually enjoy doing: It lets your mind escape from the “daily grind,” be creative, and dream a little.

Ibanez Iceman

KISS was the first band I ever got into and Destroyer was the first record I ever bought (or rather the 8-Track… don’t ask: it was based on my parents’ brilliant advice). This was back when I was like 8-ish and probably around 1977. The one instrument that I always viewed as being synonymous with KISS was Paul Stanley’s Ibanez Iceman (yes, even more so than Ace’s Les Paul. To me, anyways.).

As a kid, my friend and I pretended we were KISS by using Tennis Racquets for guitars, so of course I had no idea what kind of guitar Paul used: I think at the time, I knew the terms “acoustic guitar” and “electric guitar.” Then one day, we walked into a small music store in a strip mall next to Countryside Mall (near Clearwater, Florida). And there it was: we were both like “Paul Stanley Guitar!” The owner told us it was an Iceman (but he was smart enough not to let us “play” it). I think that was the first guitar I ever learned the name of. Not a strat. Not even Ace’s Les Paul. The Iceman. And, boy howdy, did I want one.

After many years of not being much into music (Depending on what I’m passionate about at the time, I jump between model/prop building, writing, music… if I’m excited about something, that passion helps drive me, especially on days I’d rather be taking a nap), in 2018 I started looking into getting an Iceman. And I really wanted the H.R. Giger model (ICHRG2).

I’m a Giger fan, and obviously an Iceman fan: sounds like a perfect match. But they’re tough to find, especially in decent condition: there always seems to be a half-inch gouge out of one of the edges. Prices seem to range from $800 to well over a grand. I could swing the lower price range, but, of course, those are usually in worse shape.

So while waiting for a nice, affordable Giger Iceman to show up, I decided to just look into getting an Iceman. But which one?  A good resource for the different Iceman models can be found here: https://ibanez.fandom.com/wiki/Portal:Iceman_series

I definitely wanted the separate-able neck and bridge volumes (like a Les Paul has, which allows you to do the Frehley-esque, quick on-off-on-off-on-off, ala the beginning of “Cold Gin” on Alive!). I also don’t like having the output jack on top of the guitar (unless it’s an angled “boat” like the Fender Strat has). So I wanted to find one where the jack was on the edge/side. And while I love Paul’s Iceman, I don’t like the mirrored tail behind the bridge (some call it a “Christmas Tree” due to the shape). Also, I preferred having the angled-rectangle fret inlays, versus the plain old dots: not a deal breaker though. Researching the specs and looking at photos, I decided to look for an IC400.

Welcome

Hi and welcome! I’m creating this blog site to document my work in customizing and/or refurbishing guitars, while also providing a resource for others with the hope that this will save you some research and keep you from making some of the mistakes I’ve made.

Some of the mods were hard for me to figure out, even after combing through books and online pages for solutions: hopefully, my experiences – and inexperience – can help you in some way with your projects.

Note that I’m not-a-Very-Good Guitarist. I’m more of a Vocalist who putzes around on guitar when life and work allow it. But since I was young, I have appreciated the beauty, versatility, and complexity of guitars. My love with tinkering and building things fits right in with being able to mod and fix them.

I’ve got a couple of projects already lined up, some more interesting and/or complex than others. I’ll do my best to update when I can. But this is going to be very part-time, at least until I can build a time machine.

Thanks in advance and I hope you get some value from what’s to come.