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This place has given me GAS... I mentioned this in the Your Signature Model topic but it's turned from a silly idea into a real project! I've been looking at Ibanez Iceman & Fireman guitars for a while now, wanting one but knowing it wouldn't get used much, and anyway I'm meant to be trying to keep the total number of guitars down, for space reasons as well as money. But, I do have an Ibanez RGIB6 which I like and use every now and then, it's different enough to keep hold of with the longer scale, the low B string and the EMG pickups (which are surprisingly good for a clean sound). It's just got an RG body, nice enough but nothing special, so the idea came to me to get an Iceman or Firman body made for it. It'll have to be custom made because although you can get the bodies everything is in the wrong place for the 28" scale. I've found (via Basschat's recommended Luthiers page) a good luthier who's up for doing it, and liked the sound of it as a "bit of fun" project: http://jimfleetingguitars.com/ so the guitar is going over there next week! It's a crazy project really, the guitar cost about £300 on ebay and I doubt it will be worth much more when all the money is spent, but I'll have something unique that I really like. This is what I'm starting out with: and this is what the finished article will look like: It probably will have the scalloped edge (and back). That pic was done with the actual body shape that I've put together - I scaled the picture of the neck up to it's actual size (ins software) so I could do the body shape exactly right, and I'll do a trial paper fit to make sure. It's just slightly scaled up from the standard Fireman to suit the wider neck and longer scale. The finished guitar will be a bit longer than the original but that's fine. The look I'm going for is as if it was factory made like that, which might seem an odd thing to do with a custom body but it will suit that guitar. It'll be a while before it's done but it's not something I use every day anyway. Not everyone's cup of tea I know, but I can't wait.

I posted a picture of me playing my Aria here

With an instrument like this, it would be wise to take it to a reputable, competent luthier, to have it inspected, repaired/restored if necessary, and set up for how you'll be playing it. Think of it, not as a cost, but as an investment, as the guitar will be good for another half a century or so. It's quite normal for any quality instrument to benefit from a check-up now and again. A good workman will know exactly what to look for, and how to remedy any flaws. Just my tuppence-worth; hope this helps.