stratele Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Right, here's my point.... Gibson and Fender are considered by the majority of guitarists to be king, and the benchmark to which all other manufaturers follow. Whichever your preferences are, both of these giants offer the cream of the crop. Hence you pays for the quality.... So why are some folk paying good money for these axes, and then replacing pickups, pickguards, tuners, pots, (****, I even heard of someone paying 5K on a Rory Strat and spending another 2K on refretting!). If these two major manufacturers are producing the best guitars money can buy, then why mess with what comes as stock? ALL my guitars are stock, and I get all the tones, sounds, colours, and vibe from each and every one! IMO, (like we all know...) tone comes from two major contributing factors: fingers and technique, regardless of the axe you play and how you mod it... Just want your input on this, because unless you're a world renowned axeman touring with the best of 'em (in which case, you WILL need a 'tech' ****in' around with ya pickups, electrics, rig, etc.), I see little point...just get on and play 'em! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 It's a fairly well known fact that there a far better aftermarket parts for your guitars than the ones that come stock. Pickups especially... But if someone is pleased with how there guitar sounds and feels out of the box then that's just dandy. Kind of like having a Harley, ya can't just leave it as is.... Plus anything made after 2004 is crap any way.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
britabe Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 yea i just put sprague vitamin Qz (tone caps) in my LP and it made a huge difference in the tone and the range thereof. while i was in there i noticed that the wires coming from the switch were absolute junk so now im thinking about a rewire w/ vintage spec wire. meh...maybe not but i was underwhelmed to say the least with this tiny wire they used and i honestly am not sure if a rewire in this case would be an upgrade. But the tone caps were an instant upgrade to be sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jameswithesg Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 i love a custom rig, people hate me for it, ive even done routing on my guitar for a 3rd pickup, put in coil tap, i love my effects board, 5 pedals do a lot, i wouldnt gig another amp besides my own, i just like having my rig, it sounds like no one elses, thats why i like custom modding, most of my original parts are still on my axe except the plastics, ive added a pickup, but i do all the work myself so i know how to repair it IMO , it is important to have: 1. fingers and technique like no one else's 2. a rig like no one else's to ensure a sound and tone like no one else's 3. an axe that looks and is put together of parts and pickups like no one else's 4. a personality like no one else's which is why i love guitar, its different for everyone, and the guitar is the easiest instrument to modify to your own specifications, when you know what those are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LPC Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 And sometimes you change all these parts, and the sound gets worse. But you 'think' it sounds better. Then some time later, you return it to stock and say 'it sounds awesome'. Yeah, that was me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemoon Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 The mod with the most ROI for me was putting in a bone nut on my standard. Great investment. It is now easier to tune it, remains in tune longer, and significantly improved the sustain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T50 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 ... the tone caps were an instant upgrade to be sure. +1 I just took out the booger looking caps and put these caps on my 01 LP Std: http://www.rsguitarworks.net/rsstore/product_info.php?cPath=45_67&products_id=358 http://www.rsguitarworks.net/rsstore/product_info.php?cPath=45_67&products_id=425 They work as advertised! Now, I'm closer to the sound I am looking for. Plan to try different ones on my other Gibbies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Sometimes your tastes change over time and it also depends on what you're into. Almost all of my guitars are stock but some have minor changes (removed the pickup covers on my LP) and others more drastic (changed the pickups, trem block and currently having a Suhr noiseless system added to my Strat). With the LP, the issue was microphonic feedback at higher volume; I like the sound of the guitar so removing the covers was the practical answer. With the Strat, it's just sort of evolved over the past few years as needs have come up. While I'm not really into modding guitars per se (I'm just not into taking the time to do it in the first place and don't have the patience either), it's an old tradition that guitar players have been doing for decades to either tweak the guitar more to their liking (after all, one size doesn't fit all) or to simply personalize them into something more unique and maybe to stand out from the crowd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarmann199 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 you cant say i bought an awsome guitar and its awsome for everyone. while it is a custom or etc a new guitar will almost never be YOUR guitar untill you have modded it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xuestor Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I know people that have bought a brand new top of the line Fender strat, taken if apart and let it slide behind their car on gravel, and then put it back together, just to get the "vintage look". Some people just ain't healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bram Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 For me there's a huge difference between 'modding' and 'upgrading'. Modding has more to do with the outside and personal taste (looks, extra features etc). Definately not important for me. Upgrading has more to do with the inside and the tone of a particular instrument. This is where pickups, pots and caps come into play (for getting the best tonal balance out of your instrument). Some guitarists like to change things like the tuners, the nut, the bridge and the tailpiece. A good, quality made Les Paul shouldn't need these kind of upgrades to perform or to sound better, unless some of these parts are worn and no longer functional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynadude Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I don't own one amp or guitar that has not been modded in some way. Off the rack sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddy light Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 cause its fun to take apart stuff and put bacck together with better stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish1642 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 so I'm guessing the cigarettes are an essential part of your toolkit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdclmn7 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Most musicians I know don't bother with adjusting thier saddles. Most don't play lead. But then, there are those pro-active players who, like me, believe in controlling the situation before the situation controls you. We notice when a change of guage or brand will make a difference in the neck, intonation, or trem. The proactive musician will determine whether or not the OEM hardware is good enough to meet their particular needs. That same group of people will be the first to test new hardware and recommend the good stuff to others. You can see how this group ultimately controls the market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chongo Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Right' date=' here's my point.... Gibson and Fender are considered by the majority of guitarists to be king, and the benchmark to which all other manufaturers follow. Whichever your preferences are, both of these giants offer the cream of the crop. Hence you pays for the quality.... So why are some folk paying good money for these axes, and then replacing pickups, pickguards, tuners, pots, [/quote'] Just because Gibson is a king doesn't mean the king doesn't have warts. Gibson's quality control usually means that your new guitar gets hauled in to have the nut cut a bit and the action adjusted, even on the PLEK'd versions. Honestly, I'm not sure that you pay for much more than the headstock and logo on a Gibson (I've got half a dozen, all built prior to 1980) these days, and you pay dearly for that. The quality of most LPs, anyway, just isn't that great and certainly NOT better than some other comparable guitars. Friend of mine has a Custom built Axcess on the way, but most of the electronics will be shaken out and replaced within six weeks of its arrival. Part of the mods include a Fernandes Sustainer kit, which will require an additional rout in the back for both the circuit board and a battery box. And then there are the two switches that will stick out the front. One volume will be come the Master volume, another will become a sustainer intensity knob. One tone control will split the coils on the pickups (as it does now) but the other will become a Chandler Tone-X -- a fixed wah with 16 dB boost. The Burstbucker at the bridge may or may not be swapped out for a coil tapped 9K '57. The Sustainer gizmo puts a single-coil size activator in the bridge spot, and the plan is to tuck a DiMarzio Fast Track II alongside it. In the past, LPs have been modded partly because Gibson won't. Except for one model in 1978, you couldn't get a coil tap switch on the stupid thing until the Jimmy Page sig model showed up. On my Ibanez Artist AR-300 ('82), I've got factory Tri-Sound switches that select Serial, Parallel and Single Coil for each pickup. The standard quad wiring system is silly (but since it's "traditional," Gibson won't change it). So you mod it. The knob placement on an LP is where it is mostly because the early models all came with a pickguard. But moving the bridge volume up near the bridge/bridge pickup so that you can do volume swells makes more sense (the space was blocked by the pickguard before) and makes the guitar more fun to play. You couldn't get a tummy cut on an LP until recently. You couldn't get a cut-down ("scarfed") neck heel until the Axcess. Folks have re-topped LPs with better flame/quilt/koa/spalt/walnut/whatever for years because you couldn't get really good stuff from Gibson without a $25K hole in your checkbook. Until very recently getting a trem on an LP was virtually impossible, or limited to a Bigsby from the factory. Hence, you mod the guitar. Other manufacturers have a LOT more options available compared to Gibson. I'm not trying to shill for any particular company here, but you can get a single-cut guitar from Carvin with awesome woods, a smooth neck heel, a choice of two trems (Floyd and Wilky), a fast neck with low action and great playability (no PLEKing required), several inlay choices, LOTS of choices of finishes and a thin PolyESTER (not polyurethane) UV-cured overcoat that will not shrink, crack, discolor, check or flake off -- and the guitar will be in the $1500-1700 range (fully pimped out) and will compare favorably to Gibsons running $3000 and more. They have their own warts -- there's no separate binding availlable, there aren't pickguards available, etc. Agile is a "cheap knockoff" brand sold by Rondo Music that has some pretty amazing quality for a $300-500 LP type guitar (solid mahogany bodies/necks, decent pickups and hardware at that price point, etc.). Even more amazing is that you can custom order one and get an Original Floyd, a wide/thin neck, a 16" radius, ebony fretboard, abalone inlays, good Alnico V pickups, triple binding on headstock and body, neck binding, a full 3/4" maple cap with good flame, and you can get it in NECK THROUGH construction with a neck heel shape almost identical to the Axcess, and you can have it in a solid or chambered version (your choice) with an outstanding case and mailed to your door for around $1200. The custom version takes approximately half the time of the Gibson Custom shop to get it to your door. A custom Axcess will run you $4K for starters. So given the availability of options available on other guitars, you can probably see why folks want to take a stock LP from Gibson and get it up to speed with the same kind of optional gear... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chongo Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 so I'm guessing the cigarettes are an essential part of your toolkit It's essential for the "flavor" of the photograph. And I'm thinking that getting Sex, Drugs or Rock and Roll into that photo was going to be tougher to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bram Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I think a Les Paul isn't worth having the name 'Gibson' written on the headstock if it has too many technical problems to begin with. The nut, bridge, tailpiece and tuners have to be in perfect working order from the beginning. Those things prove if its a good guitar with potentional or not. I wouldn't take the risk of buying a Les Paul (let's say an R9) if it doesn't speak to me unplugged. If there aren't any technical problems and it sounds great the way it is, then it's worth buying the guitar. Electronics can always be changed, as well as the action (low, medium, high), but you can't change the way a guitar is build and put together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duende Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 i love a custom rig' date=' people hate me for it, ive even done routing on my guitar for a 3rd pickup, put in coil tap, i love my effects board, 5 pedals do a lot, i wouldnt gig another amp besides my own, i just like having my rig, it sounds like no one elses, thats why i like custom modding, most of my original parts are still on my axe except the plastics, ive added a pickup, but i do all the work myself so i know how to repair it IMO , it is important to have: 1. fingers and technique like no one else's 2. a rig like no one else's to ensure a sound and tone like no one else's 3. an axe that looks and is put together of parts and pickups like no one else's 4. a personality like no one else's which is why i love guitar, its different for everyone, and the guitar is the easiest instrument to modify to your own specifications, when you know what those are[/quote'] How refreshing to hear! I fight daily with pupils to trust in their own way, and not somebody else's. It is why despite me being a Randy Rhoads fan, I wouldn't be seen dead with a polka dot v or RR1 Jackson! I agree customising a guitar for the sake of it is futile. However I think the more you find your own way, the more choosey you get and hense wish to change little things! Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddy light Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 It's essential for the "flavor" of the photograph. And I'm thinking that getting Sex' date=' Drugs or Rock and Roll into that photo was going to be tougher to do.[/quote'] well i did have 2 girls "making love" next to the table and my friend was shootin up, but they didnt want to be in the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Eye Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Circumstances can lead to a modded guitar. Modifications may lead to followers, monkey see, monkey do. I bought a second hand amplifier and got an old guitar with it. The guitar needed a job on the circuitry and a paint job. I took it apart to do that. I changed the bodyshape to check how that would influence the sound (Bo Didley played a guitar that looked like a part of fence or a cigar box with a neck, it sounded great, that tells you that the bodyshape is not a main thing). An acquaintance gave me one of his old humbuckers, it was a better make than the original single coils. So I put it in. The result was a modded stratocaster with a bridge humbucker. That set up wasn't around much when I created it. Now it's available as a standard type. Anyway, I couldn't believe my eyes when some burglars ripped it from my apartment with the other string instruments there. To me it was funny, not fancy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratele Posted February 27, 2009 Author Share Posted February 27, 2009 Thanks, some interesting replies here. I now understand the appeal, (or in some cases, the neccessity) in upgrading/modding stock guitars. Kinda makes me want to have a go myself, just for the fun of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddville Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Depends on the guitar, I guess. All my satin 335 needed was a little nut tweaking to get the B string moving properly. It's so gorgeous as-is I've refrained from even tinkering with it to get my favorite strap locks installed, being as how it has two different strap button hole sizes on it. A Mex 60s Classic Strat I bought a few years ago had huge potential hanging in the store. All it took was some fret dressing, trem blocking and a new jack assembly to get it pretty much perfect. My EB2D turns 43 this year and all I've ever done to that is lower the bridge and replace the toggle cap, and the original owner never even had to do that much to it. The original cap's still in the case too - it's just in two pieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I wonder what The Man would have to say on this subject... Probably something like this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlewing19 Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I've modded ALOT of guitars. Some cosmetically and some sonically. Sonically, mostly pickups....I've had some guitars that sounded muddy, some nasally....some just dead. I recently bought a 2005 Tele Deluxe that came with the noiseless samarium cobalt's & they sounded awful!!! I replaced them with EMG's and what a difference. Why would Zakk replace put EMG's in his guitars if he didn't like the sound, or David Gilmour, etc. Some guitars need help! I have a strat that wouldn't stay in tune and I put locking tuners on it and problem solved, no change in tone, so why not??? Come on people....don't be retarded!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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