"10 Minute job if you prep correctly.
1) its an American Allen wrench so ya don't have to find a metric set ... that's awesome we all have those
2) TAKE THE STRINGS OFF... don't be cheap !!! this is the time to polish and clean all the little places when the strings are in the way.
##### the bridge saddle may want to fall out / be ready and if it does... its directional and only goes back on one way ... ya cant mess it up !!! ########
3) Replace the 2 small knobs first as they will help hold the plate for ya
4) with the guitar upright in your lap while sitting in a chair / you can easily hold the pre amp section in place reaching in the sound hole in a comfortable position that your am and wrist actually bend in.
5) while holding the pre amp with on hand/ install the plate and start each of the new screws / do not tighten any
6) after all screws are in place slowly tighten the screws while pushing the buttons and sliding the faders to make sure the plate is not going to bind any of the controls
7) in a few turns you are done and installing new strings
8) install Polyweb or Nano web strings from Elixir !!!! they last the longest and ya don't want to change 12 strings again !!!! :) :) :)

Perfect fit !!! I've had this guitar brand new for years and it seems Ibanez has an issue with the original material for the control plate. As cheap as these things are... ya might buy 2 if ya keep guitars as long as me :) :)"

"Great exact replacement. Smaller hands is the ticket or loosen all strings to get hand all the way in so you can push the eq outwards to get faceplate screws started but don't over tighten. Thank You"

"5 stars. Fast shipping. Product as advertised. If your previous one failed to the point that you are not sure how to install the new one - here is what worked for me:
1. Loosen or remove your lower guitar strings so that you can get your hand in the lute hole and help position the metal pre-amp.
2. Remove the 4 old black screws from the pre-amp (Allen wrench).
3. Pull off the old volume know, the old tuner knob, and the old phase knob (fingers or needle nose pliers).
3. Put 4 new screws in the new black faceplate (i.e., don't try to start screw insertion in both the faceplate and pre-amp at the same time) . Gently insert the screws all the way into the face plate, but don't tighten (Allen wrench).
4. Using your hand through the lute hole to center the pre-amp in your rectangular guitar hole, position the pre-amp so that the screws on the cover can be screwed into the pre-amp. IMPORTANT: The metal tabs on either side of the pre-amp go against the INSIDE of the guitar body.
5. Tighten each of the four screws a little at a time - i.e., don't tighten one of the screws all of the way in before tightening the second one. When all of the screws are almost tight, look at face plate and make sure it is lined up straight. You may have to shift the faceplate/pre-amp just a bit to make sure it is parallel with the guitar sides. Once everything is straight, tighten each of the screws until it they are snug - do not over-tighten."