01GT eibach Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 42 minutes ago, rct said: It depends on what the guitar is for ... Totally agreed -- It also comes down to musicianship level and economic strata too. But when I hear about anyone buying a R9 and changing out the pickups after they barely have even played it, I still will invariably roll my eyes regardless. Please don't judge me ... LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted December 22, 2020 Share Posted December 22, 2020 14 hours ago, 01GT eibach said: Totally agreed -- It also comes down to musicianship level and economic strata too. But when I hear about anyone buying a R9 and changing out the pickups after they barely have even played it, I still will invariably roll my eyes regardless. Please don't judge me ... LOL Yea, something like that should be heaven, right out of the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted December 22, 2020 Share Posted December 22, 2020 I modded almost every electric I used to own. No crime to doing that. Its your guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted December 22, 2020 Share Posted December 22, 2020 May I add that you aren't a hypocrite, simply a convert. 😄 I'm not a modder by nature, and I think technique and expressive playing are far more important than tone, but I'll fix something that bothers me. I got an LTD Faux-Les-Paul in trade for some of the aftermarket software I write for Band-in-a-Box. It has a fast neck, slightly heavy but comfortable body, good tuners, but IMO over-wound humbucker pickups. They just sounded to 'buzzy' for the kind of music I'm playing. So I put two GFS Mean 90 pickups in it and used that guitar on stage until I got my Parker (which I had the factory put Duncan P-Rails in). While I was at it, I put in a Varitone switch which was OK but unnecessary. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 I am with you Sparky - if a guitar doesn't do it for me the way it is I don't buy it, and just keep looking until I find what I'm after. But like you I made one exception. I played Les Pauls for many years and as I got older and my lower back started betraying me I favored lighter guitars. Then I happened upon a Les Paul Lite (sometimes known as the Les Paul Less) which is in fact a Les Paul, but about half the thickness in the mahogany back so much lighter. I was thrilled with it, sounded and played just like a full size Les Paul, but it only had one tone knob, and in the place of where the second tone would be there was a little toggle for coil tapping. So after a couple of years I had a guy install a second tone pot with a push/pull so I could still have the coil tap feature (although I admit I didn't use it often). But I felt while the mod was reversible, I had actually improved the function of the guitar and not detracted in any way. But that is the only guitar I ever modified in 55 years of owning electric guitars. Now that I think back on it, this is the only Gibson I ever owned that needed other repairs. The pickup selector switch went bad and I was lucky to get one (direct from Switchcraft) that fit in the more slender body, and also the bridge pickup died and I had to have that replaced too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted December 24, 2020 Author Share Posted December 24, 2020 On 12/20/2020 at 6:54 PM, sparquelito said: I'm guessing that adding a pick guard at this point wouldn't be out of the question. It would certainly cover up a lot of the damage from the previous owner. 🙁 In for a dime, in for a dollar, I guess. The new matte black pick guard (from musiclily.com) looks really good, feels great, and most of all, covers up that heinous wear spot that was so eye catching. (Go back and look at the photo in the original posting. Natural relic'ing is one thing, but hoo boy was that ugly.) And I have always been a fellow who could take 'em or leave 'em when it came to Les Paul pick guards. But I am liking this. I decided that I didn't like the metal bracket thingie, so I mounted a fat rubber washer beneath the mounting screw closest to the Volume Knob, drilled a fine pilot hole, and screwed it right into the top of the guitar. Fabulous choice. It's really solid. And hey, I had to do the same for the screw up there by the neck, so no big deal. Sweet Jesus, stop me now. No more mods. 😬 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 Not so fast, there, Sparky, Where is the whammy bar? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razorpig Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 On 12/19/2020 at 4:02 PM, Rabs said: The problem with chasing sound is it is a chase that never ends.. In a week/month/year or whatever. At some point you will probably want something different. And thats what I think it is.. Its not that the previous sound was bad.. As experience changes, so does your taste... Bingo! But it is such a fun chase. I love everything Gibson, I just think they feel, sound, play better. However one of the first things I always do is swap out the PUPs.......chase that sound for something a little better where I think Gibson has fallen down a little in recent years, besides, it's fun and when it's all said and done, that's what's it is all about: playing and having fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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