4Hayden Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 To me I leave them stock , if you want a change in sound today with the Amps, pedals,mixing boards ect..You can generally get the sound your looking for plus if you ever resale they're worth more. 4H What do you chose to do ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 My personal preference is to leave the guitar bone-stock. It holds value better when it's stock, and I don't really care to monkey around with the fundamental features of a given guitar. I own many guitars, and all of them save one are in all-original condition. My Les Paul Studio Coppertop is modified (Seymour Duncan Dimebucker in the bridge position, and quality locking tuners) but to be fair, I bought it used, and it had been modified by the previous owner. I have no desire to return it to stock condition, simply because I am lazy, and it works fine the way it is, at this point in history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmis Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Almost always i leave them stock, in one of my Ibanez Artcores i swapped pups since they were ceramic, i didn´t like the tone from them. But otherwise i tend to find what i´m searching for in a stock guitar, i was thinking to change the pups in 2 pro tone Squiers i bought, but they´re just fine, actually i sold a Fender JV and a Squier silver series since the pro tones suited me better In my opinion the guitar part aftermarket is waste of money and time, better to concentrate on the playing then fiddling with the gear, especially if you buy a Gibson or Fender or Ibanez or....(fill in with whatever well known brand) branded Guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldog86902 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Yeh,leave it stock and buy a nice amp,,those wee spider jams r great for preset sounds,,you can pick what year what track and what band you want with the dial,,I wish I never got rid of mine,😭 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Leave them stock. I sometimes feel a little sad when people buy a new quality guitar along with replacement pick-ups. Its none of my business but it seems almost disrespectful somehow. There is an exception. I bought a Hagstrom Deuce, which is a cheap guitar, and after evaluating it for 3 months, had it upgraded. The carcass of the Deuce is fine. Neck & body are all mahogany. The tuners are good and the pickups exceptional. I had all switches, pots & wiring replaced (Switchcraft) and the 4 knobs reconfigured (from regular Gibson type 2 x volume + 2 x tone) to 1 master vol & tone, and the other two with coil splits. It's now the most versatile of all my guitars, and I enjoy using it every bit as much as the expensive ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 For me it really depends on what I'm starting with. I add Dunlop strap locks to everything. That's automatic. The rest ends up being case by case. If it ain't broke I don't usually fix it. People are often surprised to see that I have guitars with stock pickups in them but if they are sounding good then there's no need for me to make new ones for it. By the same token I'm always amazed to hear people say "I had one of those. loved everything about that guitar but the _____ so I traded it in." I currently have 10 Gibsons and all of them have been modified in some way. But I'm also an opportunist and buy a lot of basket case stuff junk just because it's cheep. A lot of times these need work and I feel no need to return them to factory specs if I'm buying or making the parts. I do try to stick to a rule of not doing anything that can't be undone and returned to factory specs later. I don't remove wood for tuners or pickups ect, or sand off factory paint. Ya gotta have a few rules.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swampash Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 I always put Schaller strap locks on any new Guitar. Also, if the new Guitar is US made, I generally won't change out hardware, pickups or any electronics as the stock ones are of such a high quality. Usually for Guitars that come from the far east or Mexico will mean an electronics overhaul almost straight away for me. Gretsch Guitars would be the exception. Hardware is usually still good though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 I would rather leave it stock, but I will swap out pickups if the current ones don't do it for me and the cost of doing so doesn't put it too far underwater. The addition of strap locks is a no-brainer acoustics: adding a pickup or replacing one that's seen better days is another change I'll gladly make. (the under saddle transducers tend to wear out over time) wear & tear parts, tuners, switches, pots, which should be replaced as needed probably don't count for this discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Generally I leave them stock, but that's not a written-in-stone rule. Every now and then I'll get the urge to tinker with something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayinLA Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Obviously It takes me a day or so to nail the setup and intonation stuff. So if that counts, I always take the factory strings off soon as we get the action set. And as much of a PAF guy as I am, have changed the bridge pickups more than I've changed wives on my 2 LP's. So I guess that counts as 3 small tinkers... Basically stock, but that bridge pickup has so many possibilities that really change the entire instrument. I almost always play in the middle position and control the tone and volume varience in with the pots, but sometimes gotta go bridge and go Kirk Hammet, just to keep things fresh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 If I pay a lot for a guitar, I'll generally leave it stock, except for minor changes like a nut or adding a strap lock, maybe add a better bridge.. I think a Strat is made to mod, and I've bought less expensive guitars and changed out pickups or added locking tuners, etc. I don't ever buy a guitar with plans to sell it, so I don't worry about resale value. That doesn't mean I won't keep original parts. I have let a few go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 I can't leave a guitar stock, mostly because that aspect is a hobby, and, well, I'm just so darned good at it. Not to mention, opportunity to learn. The other thing, when I BUY a guitar, I tend to evaluate it on what I can't change, and consider the things I can change. Perfect example is if a guitar is great in every area but the pups, It's a keeper. Things like feel, color and looks, and the "acoustic" tone are things that are the hardest to find that fit to an individual's taste. Pups are easily swapped, as are tuners, etc. Same with amps. Likely they will end up with different speakers and tubes. Just can't resist. I generally don't like to "hack", because, like someone likes to say, "let your ears decide". Mods don't always get the results expected. Resale value doesn't come into it, because what I buy, I buy to use. But I do restore vintage stuff, mainly so I can hear it, and as it works out, Leo and McCarthy were a lot better at it than I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPguitarman Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 For the most part, I leave them stock. the only change I made to my Les Paul is changed to Speed Knobs and changed to Strap Locks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Depends. Most all my guitars are stock! But, I do sometimes change little things, for personal reasons. But, it's NOTHING that can't be undone, though, and put back to stock, in minutes. "Collectible" guitars, I would never change, from stock. Anything else, is fair game, within reason. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Depends. Most all my guitars are stock! But, I do sometimes change little things, for personal reasons. But, it's NOTHING that can't be undone, though, and put back to stock, in minutes. "Collectible" guitars, I would never change, from stock. Anything else, is fair game, within reason. CB Your Strat would be way cooler if it had a floyd rose and locking nut. Might as well throw some humbuckers in there while you're at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny V Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Strap locks which some might consider a modification. I consider it a safety necessity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fromnabulax Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Yes, I leave them stock, and I change them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Depends on the guitar. My Gibson ES-330 is 100% stock. Both my Parkers are 100% stock (although I had one of them built for me in the custom shop - so the factory modded it for me). The previous owner of my Casino put in Duncan P90s and Grover machine heads. I modded my Faux-LP LTD replacing the overwound humbuckers with GF Mean 90 pickups, rewired for only one volume and one tone and added a Varitone. I wasn't overwhelmed with the Varitone but at least I found out what they are all about. The Mean 90s sound great though. Insights and incites by Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Mods on Gibsons: Schaller Strap Locks (all Les Pauls and my Explorer), Speed Knobs for actually eight guitars and basses (that is where not stock except three guitars with Witch Hats that I leave alone), TP-6 Finetuning Tailpiece wherever applicable (eight guitars), Schaller STMC Roller Bridge on Frank Zappa "Roxy" SGs, added polarity (erratingly aka "phase") switch on Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess, EMG TB-HZ pickups and extended switching options on two EB 2013 basses; all mods reversible. Mods on Fenders: HSS to SSS Noiseless and Schaller FR upgrade (two FR Strats), HSS to SSS Noiseless & Graph Tech Ghost piezo system (two FR Strats, irreversible), SSS to SSS Noiseless (one Nashville Power Tele), three-ply pickguard (American Deluxe Tele Ash; the stock one-ply guard rattled and buzzed), thumbrest on '65 Mustang Bass (irreversible). Others: schaller Strap Locks on Ibanez AR 720, mini toggle switches on Ibanez RG 430 and BL 700 Bass, thumbrest on BL 700 Bass (irreversible), pickups on Suzuki EL-600 Les Paul copy. I also modded some pots and caps for different values. All in all 34 instruments here, and of all these only three Fenders are completely stock, two MIM Nashville Power Teles and an Indonesian set-neck Custom Tele, except strings and batteries, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Used to mod but now have begun to go the other way. My Strat and Tele have extensive mods. On my Gibsons all I have done is change the selector switch tip (white to black) on 2, Schaller strap locks on one of those (LP), got a black scratchplate for the black 175. I liked having as many pickup options as possible without switches so 4 guitars have push/pulls (one is stock). But just had them taken out of the Tele and put back to how I got it, stock but with a mini-toggle for out-of-phase in mid position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanH Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 My Gibsons are all stock but I did change the pups on the two Epi LPs I used to own due to the muddiness of the stock Epi Humbuckers to SD Hot Rodded Set and 490R/490T since both can be bought very economically. I am tempted to change the P90s on my Wildkat and also the own brand pickups on my Ibanez Prestige to Dimarzios but they are OK really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 All mine are same as I bought them. Stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Stock although my Martin has a strap button added and some ebony bridge pins. There's enough guitars out there so if it's not what I want I take a pass and buy something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Almost nothing in my life is stock... guitars included. Even my wife has been modded... slowly... over time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 Even my wife has been modded... I converted my wife from a set neck to a bolt on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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