Depends on the guitar... If I spend over 1.5K on a guitar I expect it to be perfect and I shouldn't have to mod it in the first place! But about 4 years ago, I got a 2nd hand Made in Japan Fender Tele for 400 bucks which I originally bought because I wanted a cheap guitar to carry around, and I quickly found out that it played better than my American Tele. The pickups were a bit weak though, so I swapped them for Seymour Duncans, sold the US Tele, and It has become my number 1 guitar.
One of my mates did exactly the same thing. I bought the one being modded in this video for $1700 and it doesn't play any better than his $400 one he bought secondhand a few years back.
I'm a serial modder with no intentions of stopping. There is so much joy for me in creating. A stock guitar is a wonderful thing, but creating music with an object you created is a special thing. At this point I basically owe my life to Lollar pickups and Emerson pots. That being said, my main guitar for the past little bit has been a stock Telecaster, lol.
Dyed in the wool customizer here! I start with something I like and can feel comfortable with( usually a telecaster) and then tweak it to do what i want it to do.
Teles are good platforms for that! I have a beat up Nash Tele that is the best sounding guitar I own but has 2 big holes in it for bridge posts that were incorrectly drilled for a cheap Bigsby kit when I bought it. I didn't like the Bigsby so I just put a traditional Tele 3 saddle bridge on it. I love offset vibratos so since it's already got 2 big holes in it in addition to the screw holes from the Bigsby that's no longer on it I'm thinking about routing it for a Mastery vibrato. A Telemaster, or Jazzcaster, if you will...
I regularly mod my guitars. I recently added "quick connects" to the electronics on my pickguard so I can quickly swap between different pickguards with different pickups, pots, caps, switches, in about 10 minutes without any soldering. I suspect that most musicians don't know that Vintage, World Renowned, Multi-million dollar Violins (Stradivari, Guarneri, Amati, etc.) undergo significant modifications (bracing, neck, headstock, bridge, etc.) to modernize them for contemporary use. There is a fascinating video called "Why ORIGINAL Stradivari DON'T exist?" on the "Edgar Russ Distinguished Violinmaker" Channel that describes those changes. Maybe guitarists should not be so worried about Mods.
Thoroughly enjoying the stream, Keith, thank you for hosting/having us. I quite enjoyed the anecdotes and stories you shared throughout this stream. Keep up the great work Keith ☺️
Scored a StarlaX Soapbar a couple years ago for the princely sum of 675 bucks on CL. Find of a lifetime and I didn't realize how rare they were. 24.5 scale and Soapbars at 5.5lbs. From what I could find they were only produced w/ Soapbars for 6 mos and only appeared in the 2010 catalog. It's the best guitar I've ever owned.
Every guitar I have is modded. My left hand was crushed in the hinge side of a door, so all my guitars are scalloped with small frets. I’ve also changed pickups, pots, necks/reset necks, tuners, bridges, etc. For me it’s all about tweaking the guitar to get what I need out of it.
Keith, I really, really enjoy your channel! Keep up the good work. I found 5WW after buying a Telecaster American Professional II in Roasted Pine in early 2021. Since then, I’ve watched countless hours of Ask Zac and 5WW looking for insight, history, lessons, tips, and entertainment. Thank you so much. The only thing I’ve done to my Tele is I’ve swapped the stock knobs out for Tele Deluxe knobs. I just really like the aesthetic. Sometimes, that’s enough. Cheers!
A. If you think it is. Any physical change is a modification. Some changes are cosmetic, so only affect appearance - most will be functional and affect playability and/or sound. Even if the guitar just looks better (to you - opinions differ), the change is worth it. If it plays and/or sounds better you’ll play it more and should become a better player 🎸👍 Modding is a great learning experience and it’s fun - don’t worry about resale value … 🙂
I like the idea of having a “try something” axe next to your main one. My number one is an ASAT that stays the same but I have a Player tele that’s there to try different pickups, strings, tunings, etc.
I bought a ‘Worn, Olive Drab’ Epiphone Casino when it was on offer for £380 (don’t know what that is in USD) I swapped out the tuners for Kluson Deluxe (£50) and replaced the neck pickup with a ‘Casino Royale’ from House of Tone, Chester, England (£95) (you really should check them out. Their main man is a native of your country and a genius when it comes to all things wound) while he was installing the pickup he put a treble bleed on the neck volume. This is now my number one, go to guitar. It sounds and plays amazingly. My Pro II Fender Strat is just gathering dust and I keep having thoughts of selling it 😳. Absolutely love your videos. Brilliant content presented exceptionally well. Keep ‘em coming mate and best wishes from the Independent Republic of Liverpool, where four lads with funny hairdos made a few records a long time ago.
Depends on the guitar100%. For instance you try a Squire classic vibe and determine that the guitar over all as far as appearance , playability, perfect neck, etc but you do not like the sound and it has a trem and lacks locking tuners and bridge isn't great. You just can't walk away from it but you are a pro musician and know instantly that if you buy this guitar you are going to have to mod it to use it onstage.
@@captainkirk70 Whammy bars cause a lot of tuning issues. My comment was geared more towards trem guitars. Especially on lower priced models because if they are not using brass or stainless steel all the way thru those parts will wear out pretty quick depending on how much you use that rem. Also a huge difference in 6 and 2 point trems of the fender style and how you are going to use it. Jazzmasters can be a night mare. The 40th anniversary jazzmaster , Squire swears that they have fixed this neck shim issue. Even some of the upper end Fenders have neck shims in them. Break angles, non roller vs roller bridge, locking tuners / String locks, locking nuts, it can get pretty damn crazy and that is one thing that has kept me away from them. I always wanted a jaguar or jazzmaster since I was a kid. Don't know if I'll ever buy one because I don't want to deal with the tuning issues. If the guitar comes with locking tuners and a roller bridge that changes my thought process but I have to look for quality parts. Take Sire guitars for instance. Their strat model S-7 upper end has locking tuners. Their S-3 which is currently running at 399 does not. They both have the same tremolo system but the block saddles on the S-3 are cheap junk metal. So you would have to replace those saddles with stainless steel ones. The tuners are staggered in height to eliminate string trees which is good but one would have to know where to buy replacement tuners for that particular non string tree S Style because a regular set of locking strat tuners is not going to work, Sire currently does not sell their staggered tuners separately. So for 150 more you better off to go for S-7 which I have considered but it is not a Jag or JM which is what I really want. That is about the only difference aside of body material. S-3 is full mahogany and the S-7 is proper alder for the strat. The pick ups are different also but just a cheaper version of alnico 5 on the S-3. They are hotter than the ones in the S-7 though and a lot of Sire players prefer the S-3 pick ups. Any way, happy playing.
My first modded guitar is my Korean Y2k Epiphone LP. Swapped the original pickups for a couple of Seymour Duncan APH-2 and Pearly Gates, both with coil splitting. Ended up sounding great, so I invested a little more into it and changed nut, tuning keys and saddles. It's a really nice instrument. Then I went a little further with two cheap guitars I had, one with a decent body and another one with a great neck and "merged" them together with custom electronics and switching. It could be the SS-11 makes anything sound good, but it does sound GOOD!
I have a CV Mustang, I've wanted to get Lace sensors into something. I tossed a pair of Purples into it. Nothing like that around that I can grab off the shelf. I also changed the tuners for hipshot locking and tossed some cheap faux inlays on it and a comp stripe. I have a Hagstrom Super Swede that is fantastic straight out of the box. I've considered swapping the pickups for something hotter than the stock but they're good and I'm not sure I want to play with it. Maybe I'll toss some Deathbuckers in it some day. My Ibanez Artcore TM71 had a pickup die. It's cheap, has a repaired headstock and really wasn't worth doing anything special to so I put GFS surf 180's in it and it sounds great. That was more out of necessity than want. I also find I rarely if ever play it. But its sentimental, first guitar I bought myself back in 2004/5. To me all of the things I've done was worth it. I haven't touched my Gretsch baritone or Vox SDC-1 mini either because they, and the Hagstrom are great and I don't know that theres anything to do to them. Maybe ill swap the pickups in them some day.
Slightly off the main topic, may I say I love your "Guitars of..." videos. I just rewatched the ones on Jerry Garcia, Eric Clapton, and David Gilmour (and I have watched the Gilmour one and the Black Strat one at least three times already). Love all your content, Keith!
Its something ive never done , but intended doing at various points . Ive changed tuners and scratchplates and do my own set ups etc.. but ive never gone and got a guitar with sole intention of swapping all the electrics and or hardware .
I've never kept an instrument, acoustic or electric, that I've modified. The only instruments in my collection are the ones that I blown away by in their stock form. It helps cut down on buying odly enough because I know the chances of finding an exceptional acoustic instrument are slim, even amongst high end builders. The guitar either has "it" or it doesn't. No amount of tinkering will change that.
⚓️ Thanks Keith 🌈 yes… new pickups & pots in a $1C 2007 Squier Affinity Strat… pick guard… copper foil cavity. 🎶 sad to say I can’t play well enough to tell the difference, though the new pickups are a lot quieter. 🎶
I have the Fender JV modified 60's tele also. I upgraded the nut to Graphtech and put Kinman Broadcaster pickups in it. The nut made a huge difference to the sustain and the pickups are wonderful. I bought it because I love the feel of the neck, but with these upgrades the guitar is inspirational to play for me. I'm sure the Ron Ellis pickups will sound great also.
I liked what you said about building/ordering a custom guitar. I have built my own through Warmoth and I like it a lot, but it turned out differently than what I wanted. Yes, maybe the second time around I could do even better getting what I like, but still I have made fairly immediate connections with fully assembled guitars from all price ranges in more frequency. So I say do what Paul Reed Smith says. Go to the store get 10 guitars and play them until you find the one for you.
I came in late the first time.... I do not "Mod" guitars. I change things out if they need to be replaced for some reason (that rarley occurs for me to be even more honest!). I can always dial in a tone that I like on any electric guitar that I've owned. I do purchase different guitars for different sounds. 12 string, Baby Sitar, S-Style, T-Style (but I built my own because I can't stand the typical T-Style!), Super Strat, Semi hollow, Dual H.B., Modern style Dual H.B., Baritone(s), Bass, Fretless Bass, 8 string Multi Scale, etc.
I replace all tuners with Steinberger machines. Hard down strumming, Major 3rd bends, and behind the nut antics don't present an issue. The 40:1 ratio is pleasant, too.
I like to make my guitars more ME. * On my PRS SE, I changed the cream pickup rings for black rings, Gotoh locking tuners (because I prefer BACK-locking tuners), and I replaced the PRS Hipshot-style tailpiece for an actual Hipshot. * On my Squier Vintage Modified Baritone Jazzmaster, I put in CTS pots, Switchcraft jack, Fender V-Mod pickups, and I added a Fender Jazzmaster vibrato. If I ever find someone making replacement pickguards, I also want a white or cream pickguard to match the block inlays. * My next project is my Squier Classic Vibe Bass VI. I have CTS pots, Swithchraft jack, Fender Jazzmaster vibrato, and JBE B6 rail pickups. I also have a black pearloid pickguard. Fun fact, it is the Chicago Music Exchange exclusive blue, with matching headstock. My plan is to make it look like a TOS Starfleet guitar, complete with TOS Starfleet insignia. * In the future, I also want to get the Chicago Music Exchange exclusive PURPLE Squier Classic Vibe Jazzmaster. Then, get a REAL carbon fiber pickguard, and the Plymouth Roadrunner logo.
Most guitars, even good ones do not come with very good electronics. I'm not talking about the pick ups, I'm talking about the wiring, the switches, the pots and caps… And even when those components are OK, the number of times I found bad solder joints is astonishing. The connection to the bridge is almost always terrible. that's what got me into doing mods in the first place. Sometimes the pick ups aren't quite right, but most pick ups are way better than people give them credit for. However, sometimes you just need a new look, and sometimes you need a new sound that doesn't quite work with the pick ups you had. I found two types of pick ups I really like, and now I put them in everything. Be creative, have fun, and make sure you play more than you tinker or dream.
Not financially in a position to order a custom made guitar from Gibson or Fender or whoever but these last few years have bought 3 or 4 Epiphones with the idea of modding pick-ups, wiring etc. If the body is good, solid, and the neck feels right then I'm happy to upgrade electronics, bone nut etc. Most recently Epi Casino with Lollar P90's, bone nut, 50's wiring etc. - not super expensive and way less than the Gibson US made Casino . . . which a few people have not exactly raved about. I still have a few guitars that don't need to be touched, Gibson 1968 Les Paul, Japanese made Roland Strat & Gretsch solid body, Sadowsky NYC S style, Duesenberg Starplayer . . . I think modding is fun if you want a specific sound and know what that might require.
Fun discussion! I'd much rather spend my limited free time playing guitar than modifying guitars. I buy guitars that have the specs I want; if they don't work for me, I return or sell them. Over time I learned what I want, selling some guitars I no longer need or want. I have my hardtail rock guitars of choice, my active prog/fusion and my passive prog fusion, big box jazz, classic guitars, and unique guitars. Everything else is getting sold. Cheers!
I have to say that as an artistically creative person, part of the fun of a new guitar for me is to make it both as sonically and visually unique in my collection as possible, without making it unusable in most situations. The most expensive guitar I have is my mid90s LP Studio, which cost me around $1500 Clinton-era, and even that one was not immune to the bug to make it unique. So I won’t buy a guitar if I get the feeling I’ll regret modding it later. I consider every instrument I own a mod/upgrade platform.
I have more than a dozen electric guitars and I've modded them all. I always put in pickups and locking tuners. Some have special electronic and wiring. My Gibson SG and Fender MIA Strat are stock but they came with locking tuners and good pickups.
Head injuries and concussions aren't funny, but in this instance, the resulting anecdote is. Years back, I was in the ER with a fractured knee, spending about 6hrs there while staff came and went. Shortly after I found myself in a little curtained-off examining area, a young man came in to the area adjacent to mine. He'd been in a tobogganing accident in which his sled had stalled and someone came racing down the hill behind him on their sled, hitting him in the back of the head. Physically, he seemed to be uninjured, but was amnesic; a condition expected to abate after a day or two. The next 5 hours, I listened to him asking the exact *same* 4 questions, with the *same* wording, in the *same* order, to whoever was in the chamber with him. "Did I hit a tree or something?". "No, someone hit you." "Are they okay?" "Yes, they're fine." "What day is it?" "It's Wednesday." "Is this Chedoke Hospital?" "No, it's McMaster Hospital." "Did I hit a tree or something?". And on it went the whole night. The only thing the young man said during that time were those 4 questions. With only a curtain separating he and I, and no other distractions, believe me I heard EVERY last word. Around 1:00AM, the head nurse, who hadn't witnessed ANY of this, comes in to speak to him. She says to him "Your parents are here to pick you up. We're going to send you home, now, but I want you to remember that you're going to be a little confused and disoriented for a while." He looks up at her, and asks "Did I hit a tree or something?". Mmm-hmmm. Now *there's* a guy to give instructions to!
One each classic, acoustic & electric guitar. The electric is a purpose bought Squier Affinity 2020 HSS cause I loved the pickguard and the weight. Intention to swap pups for Fender Yosemite & pots. Love the neck but worked the frets too low so will go to 6105’s EVO’s. Locking tuners. Gonna end up a mighty expensive $250 guitar. : ) Worth every penny!
That psychedelic, several repeat, hall reverb, @ the 13 minute mark, was probably the wildest moment some people hve experienced sinc the sixties and seventies, lol...
Keith you forgot about your 2010 Mira 25th Anniversary with P90s that was all black. I bought that off you two years ago. I still have it and will probably never get rid of it. I love the P90s in it.
There has always been, and still is, something equally special & unexplainable about ‘Made in Japan’ Fender guitars. Especially the MiJ Telecasters. Maybe someone along the way has figured it out & can specifically qualify and quantify what that difference is. But invariably whenever I pick one up I feel it.
I bought a brand new CIJ Fender Jaguar bass back in 2006, and at even at a closeout price and a useless amp kicked in by Friendly Musician, it was a bit of a disappointment. Bridge and tuners were sub-standard, pickups sounded clanky, no shielding in the cavity - but the materials, fit and finish, and Japanese craftsmanship were first rate. Lovely neck, perfect balance, it was worth spending a few bucks more on. Hipshot bridge, tuners and D-tuner, DiMarzio in the bridge, and a Wilde (a/k/a/genuine Bill Lawrence) P46 where it counts, CTS pots, and the good kind of straplocks. A set of D'Addio's chrome flats and I'll put up against any boutique bass that costs more than my car is worth. Bass for life!
I have 3 Gibson SG's which I've purchased as husks over time and that way I didn't pay the premium of a new one so I skipped over removing the stock components and simply installed the electronics and high end hardware of my choice, best deal if you're a tinkerer.
I am weird, I tend to look at a guitar and either think, "Yeah that looks good" or "They did not do that right." Best example an Epiphone Prophecy Futura, first saw it and thought, "They did not do that right" Bought it, pulled out the EMG's dumped the rest of the electronics. Replaced the EMG's with Duncan Invaders mounted in Duncan Triple Shot Bezels. The caps were replaced with a G&L PTB. I was much happier, but I do not know about anyone else. I sold it to buy other stuff.
It might not qualify as a "mod", since I bought my reissue Wilshire 2nd hand as a body+neck with no electronics; my "mod" was simply completing the guitar to make it playable. That said, I find one of the shortcomings of short (24.75") scale set-neck guitars joining the neck to body at the last fret, to be the requirement to leave room between the fingerboard and neck pickup for the neck tenon to have a stronger glue joint. True not only of the Wilshire and its cousins, but the SG as well. Why is this a shortcoming? Basically, it reduces the distance between the neck and bridge pickups, decreasing the tonal contrast between them. Personally, I like the way that switching from neck to bridge (or vice versa) on a Fender gives me an entirely different sound, and that difference is drastically reduced on a shorter scale guitar where the pickups are forced closer together. What was my "mod"? I installed a pair of Duncan P-Rails, which have a blade coil and a P90-ish coil, but did so "opposite" to the way many normally install them. I put the neck blade coil closest to the fingerboard, and bridge blade closest to the bridge. When only the blade coils are selected, going from B to N or N to B yields a big tonal change. I don't really like the arrangement of dual volume/tone controls on the stock Wilshire. Too cluttered, and incompatible with pinky swells. Instead, I have a simple master volume (placed where I can easily reach it) and master tone, and a Tele style pickup switch. I also have a 3-way toggle for each pickup. The Tone pot is wired as a "bidirectional" control: two different rolloffs in each direction of the midpoint. It also is easily amenable to "pinky wah", since it reduces (halves) the rotation required to go from full dark to full bright. Between that Tone control and the pair of pickup toggles, there is a substantial degree of tonal flexibility with a very simple interface and clean lines. Naturally, I had to cut a new pickguard. This isn't a "mod" so much as the creation of what *could* be a whole new model.
Darn, wish I had made the live show. 8( I've been ill and kind of in and out here. I really enjoyed the replay though! I'm a notorious modder/builder! I just bought 2 new guitars, and their both going to get modded. Unusual for me to buy new but the deals were so good I couldn't help myself. LOL That eye looks sore. Hope your feeling better Keith!! Peace, --gary
Big love from Dorset, England. Well done dude for cracking on with everything, still not sure what the plastic thing on ya head is doing, but anyway. Always love the shows, even when you do stuff about us brits. Keep on keeping on man! 🙂
Just stuck a Vega Trem on my old partscaster. Wow... if you only do one mod on your stratobastard in your life, make it a VegaTrem! (not a paid promotion!)
I have a candy apple red 2017 maple fingerboard American professional tele that I hotrodded with Seymour Duncan Little 59/ Vintage stack pickups and locking tuners. It's more guitar than I am a guitar player. I'm 65 and carpal tunnel is kickinf my ass. Still, through my 1 watt Marshall, it's a gift from God.
I had that same audio problem with a bad audio driver like 10 years ago. You could reset the device to fix it or change the sample rate. The fix was a custom community driver since windows and creative/emu had abandoned it years before.
I sure identify with your definitions of “budget” guitars! I bought my first decent six-string (an Ibanez knock-off of a Martin D19) in 1972 for $150, which is about $1100 today. It was a great guitar, and it took me into my first band, and my first paying gigs. The money I paid for that guitar was the entirety of my wages working that summer. Last week, inspired by your previous video on your customized PRS, I went to my local music store and played that same Zach Meyers PRS, and I liked it so much I bought it for $885. I didn’t realize that it was actually “cheaper” than my 1972 Ibanez until now! What a trip! So am I gonna mod it up? I don’t know the answer yet… I am still getting to know it. I had to do some setup when I brought it home, and of course new strings (9’s), and played through my Fender Blues Jr with the Jensen speaker it sounds pretty good. But I have to admit I am tempted to find about 50’s wiring and upgraded pots and pickups! Thanks for doing this series, Keith. I’ve been following five watt world for a few years now, and appreciate all of your content… but the fact that your channel has kicked me up into playing a new electric guitar and even signing up for lessons from Jeff…. well, it seems to me that that is the definition of “meaningful impact”. Keep it up, man!
I enjoy upgrading guitars. I have a Squier Tele and Jaguar which I have upgraded with new PUs, Graphtec nut and saddles and locking turners. Also a new Tremelo for the Jaguar
I've been torn between going to the Gibson Garage and doing a made-to-measure or going around and trying all the Gibson Custom Shop guitars I can find in-person. I want a super good one, but I want it my way.
New video coming in 5 watt world “ When Firewood attacks” Kieth ??😏😆😎. Sorry couldn’t resist . I have a compensatory habit of fiddling with just about ANYTHING I own & cannot seem to be able to live with things “ As is” , so yeah , I change pickups, pots, strings ( Gauge sizes , & types) , pickguards ( colors & sometimes styles ) until I get what satisfies me . Of course I don’t own a ‘59 Gold top Les Paul , or one of Jimi Hendrix’s or Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Original Strats , so there’s that at least … 😆 . I’m of the opinion that you should do what you want , or need to to get what you need musically to help find your “ Sound” that suits you personally. Thanks for allowing me to state my view, and enjoy all you post for us . 👍
Man I've modified every guitar I have or had, all my 5 of my Floyd Rose guitars have Fu-tone Titanium parts and brass big blocks right when I buy them for the reliability and the note clarity I get. Wish I caught this on live stream.
It sounds like there is an unfulfilled niche in the market of custom guitar building that a wise entrepreneur could capitalize on. When you custom order a fine Italian or English shotgun you are invited to the production facility at an appointed time where you are carefully and meticulously measured on a standardized measuring system unique to each company to ensure a proper comfortable practical and convenient fit.
Installing a roller bridge in a guitar with a Bigsby is pretty much a necessity to keep it in tune. So yes - worth it... Same with potting pickups or upgrading cheap wiring or adding shielding. Is this a serious question?
The missing Denim shirt is almost kind of upsetting in the "Uncanny Valley" sort of way. Just ain't quite right. I'm going with Totally Bad Ass for the blackeye/bandage look. Thanks for all you do Brother!
Modding or Frankensteining? Do you feel it is the same? Where does one end and the other begin? Most of the mods I do to instruments I buy to play have been minor stiff like pickup changes… but I’ve always bought tons of parts and broken/damaged instruments to make creations… which in the end lead to instrument building…mostly because I want things you can’t just buy from a shop.. not all of us have the money to have our crazy ideas built for us 😅 I still Frankenstein to prototype a idea to see if it is musically valid before I spend the time and use nice wood…
I think the main question is what modifying a guitar really is? Is it changing string gauge? having a brand new guitar and take apart the thin plastic layers on the pickguard modding? or is it just changing specific componets of the instrument in order to improve the overall quality of it the only things that count? 🤔 i'm just being silly xdd
Have a nice little Charvel that I haven't done anything to, BUT everything else, NOT! Most of the "budget" guitars come with fret, and wiring problems. Nuts are usually a little soft, and sometimes the pickups don't fit the pockets, so I almost always have to do something to em.
???Favorite lesser known pickup maker? Mine is Brandonwound pickups. Best pickups I've ever used and I'm 53. First mod I do to almost all guitars is have a new bone nut professionally cut. Nothing else to me improves the playability as much. My favorite budget guitar brand is the Squier Classic Vibe series. I have 3. My 50's telecaster is better than my friend's custom shop Fender '52. By quite a bit. Also the MIJ Burny guitars are the best Gibsons I've ever played. So my bases are covered and I've never spent more than $1K including any mods. Totally satisfied. Even a local high end guitar builder says my Burny's are better than any Gibson he's seen.
17:54 You want a really REALLY fantastic “budget” guitar? A Slick SL50 tele style! Less than $300 and it fkg rocks!!!!! I wouldn’t change a thing! I kid you not. The pickups really have power and bite! They look relic’d but that’s cool. One control knob; volume! A brass bridge that can be intonated. Couldn’t be happier. I play it more than my customs! Thru a Boss Katana Artist I’m so close to an orgasm! (Hey I’m almost 70. Give an old man a break! Lol) 😊😊😊
I have changed pups and noticed a 5 to 10% improvement, and other times (P90s), no change at all. I have bought expensive guitars that feel and play fantastic, but benefited from a set of BK pups ( I use them in all my guitars ).
Modding guitars is half the fun. Buy the good bones and make it cool, just for yourself. Lollar P90s are real cool. I bought a pink Bronco bass from CME just to mod it. A$150 guitar became a $3k+ guitar and unique.
great video as always Keith! Have you considered making a video about "relic" guitars? I think it's an interesting topic. We live in a worldwide community nowadays that are willing to pay MORE money (much more) for guitars that are purposely damaged. Are relic guitars only for aesthetics, or are they really better than brand new? and if so, why? Im of course not talking about real vintage instruments, but shop/lab relic made out of the factory.
i own 7 guitars and 6 of them are heavily modded, to the point where some are unrecogniseable. during lockdown i got really into buying cheap (i mean cheap cheap, like donner) guitars and modding the f out of them. one of them i modded so much i realised there was nothing original left on it except the body and i thought 'damn i should have just bought a body'
Nice guitars but that Tele Custom is gorgeous , I'm having a real hankering over a Tele and looking at the Harley Benton Fusion anniversary model . T style , 2 buckers with coil splits , Stainless frets , Wilkinson Trem , Goto Tuners and roasted flame Maple neck and board , for around £400 !!!
I have a MIJ Telecaster from the early 90's. Its got great bones and the aesthetic is great, but the hardware they used (tuners, pickups, and switching) were pretty low quality. They all failed over time with limited use Having replaced the tuners/saddles with Gotoh, some Duncan pickups, and the switch with Mojotone its a really fantastic instrument
Take care cause as we age these “little falls” add up, are worse than we think, etc.. just ask me how I know ; ) Love the purple shirt; to make it better in my opinion of course would be to add that great 5 Tube to it. Maybe below the lettering in the middle? Keep up the great shows Keep playing.
Well I held on to some good parts for Strat and Lp, parts already payed for once back in the time waiting for "that guitar" and my idea was to find two well built well sounding affordables one Strat one Lp. But in otherwise No it is very often a waste of both time and money.
I had an SG Standard that I tried 5 sets of pickups in an attempt to brighten it up - FilterTrons, p90s, Tele-voiced pickups, Firebird pickups, and gold foils - and the damned thing sounded almost exactly the same with each set. Guitars are the sum of their parts. They have a certain "voice". I will no longer change anything for tone related reasons, only for functionality (a better Strat vibrato with an arm that stays in place, a bone nut for longevity and tuning stability, a better quality switch or pot as examples). It's a frustrating and fruitless exercise.
In my experience the answer is both Yes and No. Modding a guitar can get you a better guitar for less money than buying the more expensive model. Sometimes its cheaper to just get the more expensive model from the get go. I love to mod and have always bought Fender Squiers and now Gretsch Streamliners and modded them to my tastes. I can make a Squier sound like a $1500 Fender for a $600-900 investment. I can make a Streamliner sound like a $1500 Gretsch for a $1000 investment. To do this you have to replace everything but the body and neck. And the neck is not going to be as good as the more expensive guitars, Where its never worth it is when you go to sell your guitar. a $300 guitar with $600 mods is still a $300 guitar when you go to sell it. So have fun, do what you want and enjoy the process. I am currently playing a $450 Gretsch Streamliner which I swapped out the pickups with Dynasonics, replaced the bridge with a Tru-Arc, and added a Bigsby. Could of just bought an Electromatic for the same/possibly cheaper price but I wouldn't of had the sunburst body or the fun.
