NHTom Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 They never seem to be "done" in my world....... I love to tweak guitars with simple, non-damaging mods to make them unique. Got my strat......had two black pickups and one white.......my ocd won't allow that, so swapped them to off white. Then I noticed that someone had added a pearl pickguard but not the trem cover......so upgraded that. Since all the other stuff was pearl, I swapped the tuner buttons to pearl like on the burton tele. Swapped the round switch tip on my tele for a vintage style one. Swapped the string tree for the round one. Added knob pointers and swapped the switch tip to vintage amber on my LP SP DC. It never seems to end........lol. NHTom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 It never seems to end........lol. Nope. It does not. Keep us busy and happy though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zentar Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 I like your design plan you followed. However I've seen people add stuff that doesn't go along with an overall design. Ive bought several used electric guitars over the years and all but one had random changes made that did not flow in the same direction. Ive even seen guitars where the ptevious owner replaced the PUs but never set the PU heights so no wonder he was never happy with the sound and sold the guitar. I think most people mod their electrics before they known anything about the technical aspect. Of course there will always be those with a poor sense of style. However, if I bought a used guitar with Pearly Gates that sounded fantastic I could care less if one PU was green and the other one blue. I generally don't touch what sounds good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHTom Posted August 27, 2015 Author Share Posted August 27, 2015 Yeah, I try to keep it classy.....lol. At some point I'll find some beater that is trashed but plays and sounds like a dream and do something crazy to it for mods, but I guess I prefer to "enhance" what is all ready there in my own fashion......a personal touch without straying too far from the original. NHTom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Hello Tom, to each one's own, I can't find any madness in it. Apart from that I'm done when it's done, I also have likes of my own which make me doing specific non-damaging mods. On all of my Gibsons with stock top hat or reflector knobs I replaced them with speed knobs. I also removed all of the chrome-plated stopbars and retrofitted TP-6 finetuning ones. All of my Fender Floyd Rose Stratocasters came HSS equipped, and for warranty reasons I had them modded with new pickguards and SSS noiseless pickups instead of doing that myself. Finally I swapped knobs and switch tips with some matching the covers of the new pickups. Since they are Floyd Rose guitars, there was no need to replace a whammy bar tip because there are none. You see, I also have my idiosyncrasies... :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Which is one reason, I've never fully understood the need for SO MANY varieties, of the same models, from the factory?! I mean, we tend to mod and "tweek" them, to our own satisfaction, anyway...regardless of how they come from the factory. But, "Marketing" will do, what they're going to do, whether it makes any sense, at all, I guess? CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Sometimes they don't make those one would expect. Except for the Dave Murray model, Fender only makes HSS Floyd Rose Strats. I love Floyd Rose systems over everything else, but for me a Strat has to have three single coils or, which I prefer, three noiseless SCs. But this is obviously just me, and thus irrelevant for the marketing people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 You own em and you can mod them. I mod most of mine. The only guitar I still have stock is a SG Classic (P90s), because it's, well, perfect! Though even on that one I think I may have changed the knobs (I'd hardly call that a mod). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 4 of my guitars have push-pull pots or mini-toggles to give me as many pup combinations as possible. 3 have Schaller crank buttons on the machine heads. 2 have wooden pup surrounds and knobs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 I do small "mods" from time to time, but nothing that can't be reversed, to original spec's. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Same here; sometimes little aesthetic things to make it my own; sometimes a complete change up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starpeve Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I went nuts on my Epi Dot Studio! B7 Bigsby, Roller Bridge, P90 in the neck, PAF in the bridge, re-loomed with shielded push-back wire, linear pots( I like em better than audio). I drilled and fitted dot markers face and side, using some flash Jap' luminous material, sanded and shaped the back of the neck, polished the frets, changed the pu rings for cream ( it's a full ebony guitar ) , cream LP Rythm/ Lead ring. It all went great, As much by luck as by skill, funnily enough it turned out exactly as I desired. I love this guitar as do all of my friends, it never hangs on the wall when anyone's around. I have a good mate I've known for 45 yrs who is a closet guitar master and he makes my Studio sing. In ways I never will. Next up is a Zero Glide Fret or whatever they're called, I can't recall right now.Did all of it myself as a novice, and enjoyed every stressful moment of it. I wouldn't have dared to do this to a more expensive guitar, but it really paid off and my Casino is languishing in it's case most of the time, lovely though it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I went nuts on my Epi Dot Studio! B7 Bigsby, Roller Bridge, P90 in the neck, PAF in the bridge, re-loomed with shielded push-back wire, linear pots( I like em better than audio). I drilled and fitted dot markers face and side, using some flash Jap' luminous material, sanded and shaped the back of the neck, polished the frets, changed the pu rings for cream ( it's a full ebony guitar ) , cream LP Rythm/ Lead ring. It all went great, As much by luck as by skill, funnily enough it turned out exactly as I desired. I love this guitar as do all of my friends, it never hangs on the wall when anyone's around. I have a good mate I've known for 45 yrs who is a closet guitar master and he makes my Studio sing. In ways I never will. Next up is a Zero Glide Fret or whatever they're called, I can't recall right now.Did all of it myself as a novice, and enjoyed every stressful moment of it. I wouldn't have dared to do this to a more expensive guitar, but it really paid off and my Casino is languishing in it's case most of the time, lovely though it is. Wow, that's quite a project! BUT...you know the rules "Photos, or it didn't happen!" CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starpeve Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Wow, that's quite a project! BUT...you know the rules "Photos, or it didn't happen!" CB I've always had trouble posting them. Keep getting told I've 'exceeded my global limit' or something. These mods happened over some time, BTW. Wasn't just a single project. She's an ongoing thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I've always had trouble posting them. Keep getting told I've 'exceeded my global limit' or something. These mods happened over some time, BTW. Wasn't just a single project. She's an ongoing thing! Have you tried loading them on "Photobucket," and then transferring them, on here? That's what a lot of us do. Seems to work "just fine!" CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starpeve Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Have you tried loading them on "Photobucket," and then transferring them, on here? That's what a lot of us do. Seems to work "just fine!" CB I must be 'Photobucket challenged' cos I did attempt it some time ago with no success! Should try again I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I must be 'Photobucket challenged' cos I did attempt it some time ago with no success! Should try again I suppose. Yeah, it's pretty simple. And will make it a lot easier, to load your photos on here! Go For It! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morkolo Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I usually keep them stock if I really like them, but other's like my Telecaster have been apart more times than not. Right now it's pretty simple with a Fender noiseless in the middle on a switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starpeve Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Yeah, it's pretty simple. And will make it a lot easier, to load your photos on here! Go For It! CB For now, I just tried a couple with the Ipad. Here goes.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starpeve Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 For now, I just tried a couple with the Ipad. Here goes.... As you can see, I'm not fixated on a classic look- got my own thing going. Trying to find a cream or Casino truss rod cover and debating whether to put a cream pickguard on her. BTW, pics don't do the luminousity of the dots any justice. They glow like neon, and for some time! Weren't cheap, but I figured what the hell- something different to pearl or abalone. That was a nerve- racking job, let me tell you. Had to steel myself to drill into the neck, and quite a bit of finishing after the dots were fitted. Scraped the coating off the frets, smoothed em right out, they feel fantastic now. Also smoothed off the fretwire ends while I was at it, she's really comfortable under hand now. That also goes for the roller bridge, it's so much more comfortable to rest on than the TOM was, and the tuning is as stable as it could be. The p-90/ bucker combo sounds great to boot! As far as the linear pots go, I find them much more precise than the audio tapers, works well with the tonal differences between the pickups. It was all a great learning curve, and most of the knowledge came from these forums. Thanks to any and all of you for the feedback that enabled me to undertake any of the stuff I've done. I may go for more expensive pups eventually, but it's actually hard to find fault with those that are in her. PAF is a Wilkinson, P-90 retrofit is from an Aussie company named 'Mr Fabulous'. Qute happy with them both, although I'd like to try an un- potted bucker as an experiment. Really trying for that Neil Young sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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