Salutations from Chicago, IL

[wazkelly]

Hi Raz, Welcome and great to have another Explorer fan on board.

Know what you mean about the traditional Gibson styled scratch plate that comes part way up between both pickups. Plenty of aftermarket alternatives on eBay but a modification I did on the 1st one I owned back in early 1980's was to cut the bit off that goes up between the pickups. End result was more of a Firebird shaped scratch plate.

Being a Kiss fan at the time Paul Stanley had just switched to Ibanez and I absolutely loved his broken mirror themed Iceman, so much so that I had the Explorer resprayed in black gloss and got an actual glass mirror cut in that triangular modified scratch plate shape with holes drilled for the 3 way switch and mounting screws. It was a hoot to play on stage when catching the light show and reflecting that back into the crowd.

Sad how so many treasured things get sold off when you get married and have kids. Thankfully my PBG EX-1 kit has turned out better than the original one I had more than 30 years ago. This truly is an addictive past time.

[Raz]

Hi Raz, Welcome and great to have another Explorer fan on board.

Know what you mean about the traditional Gibson styled scratch plate that comes part way up between both pickups. Plenty of aftermarket alternatives on eBay but a modification I did on the 1st one I owned back in early 1980's was to cut the bit off that goes up between the pickups. End result was more of a Firebird shaped scratch plate.

Being a Kiss fan at the time Paul Stanley had just switched to Ibanez and I absolutely loved his broken mirror themed Iceman, so much so that I had the Explorer resprayed in black gloss and got an actual glass mirror cut in that triangular modified scratch plate shape with holes drilled for the 3 way switch and mounting screws. It was a hoot to play on stage when catching the light show and reflecting that back into the crowd.

Sad how so many treasured things get sold off when you get married and have kids. Thankfully my PBG EX-1 kit has turned out better than the original one I had more than 30 years ago. This truly is an addictive past time.

I'm sketching and planning on cutting my own pickguard(s) from my own created templates & blanks. More ability to customize and (hopefully) less unpleasant surprises.
I also know the exact Ibanez you're talking about. It's a nice looking one, however if a gloss black will show fingerprints I don't even want to think about glass.

And I know the last statement, just replace "married and have kids" with "student loans to repay". There are a few guitars I've gotten rid of that I truly, truly do miss.