# Installing Suhr P-90's in a 2008 Ibanez Prestige



## 720Guitars (Jul 5, 2020)

Hello, I just finished this project a little while ago and I’m starting to put together some photos and videos I took during the process. I thought I would post to some of the sites that have helped me out many times in the past.

This is a 2008 Ibanez Prestige RG2550Z I picked up on Kijiji. I wanted to do something really different with this guitar. The plan was to swap out the original HSH pickups with a pair of new P-90’s (I ended up going with Suhr S90s, which are an option on the Suhr JM Classic), install all new electronics, and make a new pickguard to give it a very different vibe.

In other words I pretty much wanted to take this guitar in the opposite direction from what people tend to do with RG’s, most tend to take what is already a pretty aggressive guitar and make them even more aggressive, in both look and sound. I kinda wanted to go the opposite way and make it I guess you could say more nuanced. The thing is I really love these guitars, they play amazing, fantastic necks especially, great tremelo systems, and just super well made overall, just not the overall character I was looking for.

So I found some 3D CAD models of a stock RG on Grabcad and used them as a starting point to create the new design in SolidWorks. I also had some tortoise shell pickguard material kicking around that I thought would work well here. When I get a chance I’ll post some pics of the actual work.


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## Pewtershmit (Jun 13, 2014)

Looks great. I did this to a couple of my Ibanez. made an SSS pickguard for my RT450, and have humbucker sized P90 in my RGA121. The routes of your guitar will of course need to be widened, but also be aware you may have to make the cavity DEEPER as well Vintage styled pickups tend To be taller and have longer pole pieces that stick out the bottom of the pickup.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Well I have t say "interesting, you took a shredder and made it into a Frankenstein 69"

Hope it works out for you!


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## 720Guitars (Jul 5, 2020)

Here are a few pics on the workbench. I was surprised how little routing of the body was needed to fit the P-90’s. I opted to use the drill press and dremel rather than the router and it made pretty quick work of it.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

720Guitars said:


> Here are a few pics on the workbench. I was surprised how little routing of the body was needed to fit the P-90’s. I opted to use the drill press and dremel rather than the router and it made pretty quick work of it.


I would be more comfortable with that method than a router without a jig 

Better than the chiesel hack method I have seen here on some violated guitars that have been fixed.


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## 720Guitars (Jul 5, 2020)

I made a trial pickguard using a 3D printer from the CAD files, and I’m glad I did because after using the guitar for a couple of weeks that way I decided to make a few changes to the design. Most notably I switched the locations of the tone pot and selector.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

I like what you did. I have the same guitar sitting in storage as I have enough HSH guitars already. This gives me a an idea for my next project. How do you think this would work/look without a pickguard?


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## 720Guitars (Jul 5, 2020)

1SweetRide said:


> I like what you did. I have the same guitar sitting in storage as I have enough HSH guitars already. This gives me a an idea for my next project. How do you think this would work/look without a pickguard?


I would obviously be a little more work with no pickguard to cover the extra routing etc, but certainly would give the guitar new purpose.


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## 720Guitars (Jul 5, 2020)

Here are some pics of the finished guitar, and a quick video to show how it sounded in the studio… Thanks!


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Looks killer and sounds great.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

The guitar looks superb and I totally enjoyed your playing and the tones. CONGRATS!


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