Do You Upgrade/Mod Your Guitars?

[Alligatorbling]

I used to be mod crazy. I had a Gibson SG a few years back that I modded every single aspect of that guitar. The only thing left stock was the wood. I believed that it would sound better if i upgraded everything. In reality it just sounded different, not really better.

Today for the most part, I dont mod/upgrade my gear. Im not against it because modding/upgrading can be a lot of fun, and in a lot of cases the instrument will sound better. Take my MIM telecaster for example. The stock pickups were ok, I had James at Rewind wind me a set of custom pickups for it, it sounds much better.

My new SG 61 RI is currently all stock. Am I tempted to upgrade? Kinda, but not really. I really like the stock 61T and 61R pickups. They sound great, so Im gonna enjoy them for what they are.

My USA Fender American Professional Stratocaster has Tim Shaw pickups in it, and honestly they are some of the best strat pickups Ive ever heard.

I notice my trend of modding is that if its a foreign guitar ill usually upgrade the pickups. I find that USA models already sound great from the factory. The put some research and design into them, so I enjoy my USA guitars for what they are.

Will I never mod another high end guitar? I honestly dont know. But for now im enjoying them for what they are.

 

[OldBenKenobi]

Yep.

I like things my way. I've never bought a guitar where everything is my way stock.

 

[DotStudio]

I put an amber switch tip on my 335. A little ostentatious, might switch it back.

 

[NorlinBlackBeauty]

Yep, all of them.

My most recent was one big mod.

 

[sk8rat]

yes and no. my first gibson lp I replaced the wiring, bridge and tailpiece to experiment more or less. the bridge and tailpiece swap was purely for aesthetics.

the reason I say no is because my current #1, a 339, came modded already and I was in a sense undoing a mod the p.o. did. by swapping the tone pros bridge with nylon saddles and tailpiece for a closer to stock creamtone abr-1. I didnt come with the stock bridge and tailpiece so I just used what I had.

it came with 50's wiring and tone pros tuners also but I would have been fine with the original stock parts.

 

[Stevie 202]

Most of them I do but they’re just minor tweaks...

Generally nuts, saddles and tuners.

Only have one stock (Jeff Beck Strat) because it already had the things I wanted.

 

[Roberteaux]

Never modded any of mine. Only one was an instrument that I wasn't able to play before purchasing it, though... but I knew I'd be satisfied with the one I didn't play first, because the instrument was a custom-made Telecaster (one of Dave's) and he was aware that what I wanted was that clean bridge pup sound of a Tele.

I was tempted to have a bunch of modifications made to a Rickenbacker 330/12 I own... but somehow got used to the guitar as it was and so stopped thinking about modding it. I don't expect to stay with that one forever, though (would prefer a 360/12) and so figured it was best to leave it stock anyway.

--R

 

[KP11520]

When the results are required, desirable and worth it and that's to get it to where it will stay.

BC Rich Eagle.... still untouched as it is right on the money still after 39 years.

Epi Dot - Mostly everything

Epi JDM LP Standard LQ - Pickups and Pots, Switch, Caps, Wiring and Jack. Tuners, bridge and tailpiece next.

Tele - Just built one how I wanted it with all the best. No mods required..

Jazz Bass needs attention

Taylor 714Ce maintained only and sweet from then til now.

 

[Oldskoolrob]

Can't help myself. I must customise....
The only guitar I have which I haven't customised is my Gretsch Jet....because it's already modified lolz. But I did put a sticker on it...

 

[efstop]

Changed everything on my '50s Tribute except the tuners, bridge & stop bar, changed the pups and knobs on the LPMM, swapped the guard & bridge assembly on my Tele, and changed the pup in my Squier Bullet. I have plans to modify my Ministar Basstar with a body extension and a new bridge.

 

[artis_xe]

I've done it with all of my electrics . I see it as customizing , more than it is modding . my favorite upgrades include a Babicz bridge / Hipshot tuners / TV Jones pickups / Fralin pickups

I always rewire and upgrade pots . have had a few nuts replaced with bone . guitars are for modding . not sure that even the best guitars include ALL of the features that I would want

 

[dissaffected]

Only guitar I modded was a PRS core. I came to hate the pups pretty quickly. Shoved a couple of Seymours in. Much better.

 

[Roxy13]

I almost always put in new pots and caps.

I just finished crowning and polishing frets on my new SG Special. To me, Gibson's PLEK is a little extreme. Frets that flat bother me. I also see it has the PCB so that will be getting replaced. Otherwise I'm happy with that one.

It just depends on what I think they each need.

My G&L Tribute Legacy needed a new nut because one of the slots was cut crooked. Other than that I have left that one stock.

 

[Alligatorbling]

My USA Fender American Professional Stratocaster actually came stock with a bone nut.

 

[JTM45]

Nope, I buy them the way I like them or I don’t buy them, I just don’t have the time nor the talent

 

[Thrill]

I mod some, I leave some stock. Really too depends on what is considered "modding". But that could be another thread.

But I mod my guitars based mostly on needs. Like if a guitar has a super sticky, glossy neck that I keep getting hung up on, Ill hit it with some 800 grit sandpaper and make it satiny smooth. If I want a killswitch on it but it doesnt have one, Ill drill a hole and put a killswitch in. Pickups, electronics, hardware, etc. Usually I replace things or do mods because Im "fixing" something to make the guitar play or sound better.

The only modding Ive done for totally, 100% purely aesthetic reasons, was replacing the stock super shiny, chromed out looking hardware on my Gibson LP for Creamtone aged hardware and reflector knobs. But even then you could say that switching from a Nashville bridge to an ABR bridge was a feel/playability mod, even though at the time I just wanted my guitar to look more "vintage" as it already had kind of a vintage vibe to it.

 

[LP121]

I modded my Squier strat from SSS to HSS.

 

[TrippyStormtrooper]

The only thing I change is the strings. My personal philosophy in life, is that something is either good or it isn’t. I very, very rarely change anything on my guitars. Unless something breaks or fails, I love things for what they are and accept them for what they aren’t.

 

[dsmcl77]

Gibson's and alike is only minor cosmetic mods, sometimes pups change and all 50's wiring.
A SG special that was repainted Daphne blue.

Fender style guitars is an another story... Neck for some, body for other, tuners, pups and full rewiring, tremolo improvement and some with relicing...

 

[jvin248]

.

I find many guitar owners mod their first couple guitars like crazy .. trying to figure out what pushes the tone around the most given the excessive 'theories' out there. Then they figure out what is a practical change and the later guitars are lightly modded unless there is a serious perceived issue.

.