Should You MOD Your Guitar? 

Decided to mod the old Squier after seeing the price increases. High prices will get you to focus more on what you have then what you want.

I modded my Squier CV 60s Custom. PAF style pickup in the neck and 1964 style Tele in the bridge. All electronics changed to US spec. Guitar is epic now. It's like my very own custom guitar.

I’m getting ready to route my Silver Sky for a humbucker 😅 I almost mod every guitar I own though. I feel like it makes it a little more my own!

Some of my best guitars are used Parts-casters. I’ve had more of a direct education on pickups, tremolos and wiring than stock brands.

I modded my mim telecaster from the early 90’s. I had changed the bridge years ago. Recently I put a 4 way switch, locking tuners, and symore Duncan quarter ponders. It is a beast now.

I have built 2 parts casters from Stratosphere and just ordered a new set of Eric Johnson pickups to mod one of my strats again. Love doing mods.....you can basically create your own custom shop for under $1000. I tend to use US Bodies and MIM necks....then use Seymour Duncan pickups

I do reversible mods on my more expensive guitars (no routing or extra holes as much as possible). But with budget and cheap ones? Only the body and neck will remain stock!

Definitely keep all original parts for resale. Vintage guitars "Do not mod" is a good rule of thumb if looking to resale. Personally will go for '50's wiring for LP's or 335 type guitars and blender mod for Stratocaster type guitars. However...KEEP ALL ORIGINAL PARTS. 😎👍

I love the master volume on my Gretsch guitars. If I have a guitar I want to keep that does not have one, I usually add one and include a treble bleed as part of the addition. Mostly I play semi-hollow guitars. I recently took my DeAngelico DC Premier 12 string and did so. The PUPs are really sweet Seymore-Duncans and those remained. Threw out all the crap factory dime pots and put in CTS pots (+1 more at the lower horn for the master) and Orange Drop caps. Bleed circuit is on the master pot (150k ohm resister in series with 1mF cap between input and output terminals of pot). Now it does exactly as I want and offers far better control than a stock layout. Maintains stable tone and volume balance between multiple PUPs.

Spot on with partscasters or any non-stock guitar, even applies to the highest end Warmoth - if you mod a stock guitar, keep the original parts. Warmoth, Carvin, Keisel, or any made to your spec guitar; these are keepers or something you lose your ass on if trying to sell. That $500 fully scalloped Warmoth neck is amazing, even more with that sweet $400 body and $600 in parts...you may get the parts cost out of it if you decide to sell :(

I bought a squier bullet strat about a month ago. The only stock item now it the surf green body. Fender neck, bone nut added, fender locking tuners, neck plate, saddles, strap buttons, Tex Mex and deluxe drive pickups, obsidian solderless wiring kit(CTS pots, oaks 5 way, blender pot and switchcraft output jack.) Brown tortoise shell 4ply, and finally mint green covers and controls. Okay, done nerding out.

Partscaster is the answer. Get the custom shop specs you want (maybe even a nitro finish) but at the price of a player series or less (depending on what pickups you want).

I modded my 2020 Fender Custom Shop 61 telecaster as I don't plan on ever selling it. Took out the Hand wound Texas special pickups and put in a set of OC Duff 63 Buckaroo pickups. Replaced the three rusted/relic steel threaded saddles with Bensonite compensated half barrel steel saddles. It sounds better tone wise to me and has more sustain and the tuning and intonation is now spot on. Took off the mint green pickguard and put on a custom black pickguard. I have all the original parts for it so I can put it back to original if I ever wanted to.

Thanks for the shout yall!!!

I got one of Dylan's mod kits for a CV tele. The idea is to take a mid-level guitar (CV, player series) and make it sound on par with an American made Fender guitar for only $200-250. It won't resell for much, but it is cheaper than getting the American made stamp on it.

Only changed some hardware like tuners, but always stick the original parts in the case. Flirting with trying some new pickups in an SG standard out of curiosity.

I would expect a brand new guitar to be good out of the box, at least to the point where it wouldn't need upgrades immediately. But...I just found an old beat up Fender on FB that was just trashed and rusty. Perfect mod platform. Fender body and neck, and I'm slowly gathering the parts to rebuild it. As is it would never be worth selling anyway, might as well make it a great guitar again the way I want it. Cheapo guitars are good for that too. I don't think any Glarry would be worth upgrading to resell, though. 😆

I love modding guitars. Start simple, then go big :). (but yes don't do it if you think you'll get your money back, ever)

A buddy of mine has one of the white Jackson HT6 Juggernaut guitars with the ebony fretboard (I believe they're discontinued), and it's been top to bottom modded to mimic the USA version. Hipshot tuners and bridge, bare knuckle pickups, etc, all hardware changed from black to gold. It's an awesome guitar and he bought it already modified at a used guitar store for 300 bucks. It sold new for 800 and has at least 600 bucks worth of upgrades to it. So yeah, as awesome as it is, the value is not there, even though it's so much better than it would have been stock. That being said, he got the guitar for a steal and will most likely never sell it. I'm the same way where I love modifying my guitars, but only do so with the ones I know I'm never gonna get rid of. I agree. Mod for fun and for your own benefit, but don't try doing it for a profit. Also though as a disclaimer, I don't own any guitars that are worth more than about a grand. Majority of them are worth less than 600. I would completely agree with not modding ones that are way over a thousand cuz usually at that point you're already getting a pretty good guitar.

If I upgrade the pickups, I’m putting the factory pickups back in before I sell it. They don’t add resale value and I will reuse the pickups on another guitar. I think there are some instances where signature guitars don’t lose value if they’re modded (with high skill) to be more accurate. I’m thinking EVH Frankenstrats, Brian May Specials, etc. There are mods that are accepted by those enthusiast communities that are seen as desirable. My Brian May Special is modded to hell and back and I KNOW I won’t recoup what I put into it, but I would argue it hasn’t lost value. But it doesn’t matter because it’s a forever guitar. Of course, this example excludes 99% of guitars on the market. Regardless.

I did a Free Way switch mod on 2 strats and 1 tele. Very simple mod that doesn't alter the the appearance, plus it's an easy mod to undo

Yes mod.... great way to know you gear I added hot rodded Duncan's to an esp ec 256 and it rips.......

Interesting topic. I’ve had a Custom Shop Stratocaster for 20 years. I play the shit out of it, to the point where it needed a re-fret. So I had it done. Same size frets as the original and the luthier did a great job. It plays like when it was brand new which is awesome. Is this considered a mod? Have I devalued the guitar?

If they ever come out with a maple neck version, I'll buy one in a heartbeat to route the bridge out for a humbucker to make me a 21st century ultra modern EVH style super strat

I have to disagree on this one, as charming as you guys are... I mod almost all of my guitars (pickup upgrades, tuners, etc.), and always sell them for more then unmodified ones on Reverb, and they sell easily and the mods seem to be appreciated and valued.

I have seven guitars, the only one stock is my Am. Ultra HSS strat. Pups, pots, pickguards, bridge, locking tuners, strap locks. So much fun to mod a guitar to your own specs.

In my SSSE I’m putting.a Firebird humbucker in the bridge, a Peavey Toaster humbucker in the middle, and a Gibson alnico five Staple pickup in the neck position…

Only nodded guitar I have is that 2016 Dup Sonic. Electronics were pretty rough so I threw in a proper harness and some Antiquities. Killer rig now.

i want to know how you got 1992 Eddie Furlong to replace Jonathan

Yes, yes, yes you should absolutely mod your guitar! Modding your guitar will make you more familiar with how a guitar works, appreciate the craft put into a guitar, and it’ll make your guitar feel more personal which will encourage you to play it more. I’m so glad I modded my 96 stratocaster back when I got it because now I have such a passion for guitar and just finished building my first electric straight from scratch.

I see all these eBay listings of upgraded guitars or partscasters at unrealistic prices for months on end. There are these basses that have been there years. There's a reason they're still there. (I'm looking at lefties fwiw.)

I modded my Les Paul Studio, (AMS Voodoo model), but I kept all of the factory parts. I swapped out my 3 way toggle switch for a kill switch button, (a small one, so the toggle switch can be put back in), and I removed the PCB board and put in an aftermarket wiring harness. I wired both pickups together leaving me with only a master volume and a master tone knob. The pickups are really hot ceramic slugs, so it wasn’t going to sound like a traditional LP to begin with. I love the guitar, but I know that I can’t really sell it or trade it as it is. I consider it to be my “Hot Rod” guitar.

I've changed the pickups one guitar in 2003 and I'm replacing the hardware on it when all of the parts get here. If I don't like something about a guitar I return it or sell it as a used guitar. The guitar I've done & am doing again is an Epiphone Explorer my girlfriend, now wife, bought for me as a Christmas gift in 2002.

Also, forgot to mention... I will mod ANY guitar if I'm curious about trying new things or making "improvements" - $300 or $3,000, whatever, you only live once - have some fun! So far, I've only had one guitar I won't ever change a thing (except strings) on. It will stay "stock" until I the day I no longer feel it's absolutely perfect. I'm not even going to change out the strap buttons for strap locks (which is usually the very first thing) - I just love it the way it is.

Thank you! Finally someone saying it like it is. A Silver Sky IS yet another iteration of a Stratocaster.

I love modding guitars. I try to keep everything reversible and everything as tasteful or useful as possible. Everyone likes locking tuners. At least they should. Haha.

Really enjoy your video's, guys. Refreshing perspective . Keep it up!

I have a MIM 50's Telecaster the one that had the Lacquer finish. I bought it from the store missing paint and 8 years later the only thing stock is the body and the bridge plate. I experiment on it while the rest of my Teles stay stock. The same goes for my Strats. I have what I call a clean Frankie and the rest of my Strats are stock. Gibson, I either like them or I pass on them, but the temptation is always there.

I mod lower priced decent guitars $1k because I only buy expensive guitars that meet my requirements. Doesn't make sense to spend tons of money only to mod. Otherwise I build my own guitars from scratch so I get exactly what I want. This is why we all end up with dozens of guitars!

My PRS SE Custom 24 got upgraded with PRS locking tuners and Fishman Fluence Classic humbuckers. I found the stock pups a bit muddy. I don't expect to mod my USA guitars, but the imports are fair game.

For the most part I don’t mod my guitars but I modded an American Pro 2 Tele, I put a cunife humbucker in the neck and I had the luthier do a swimming pool route to make it lighter. It’s under 7 pounds. It’s kind of like a thineline without any feedback issues. I love it so much I am having him give me a price on putting one in the Bridge. I have no plans to sell it because it’s one of my favorite guitars.

You should mod the guitars that you keep for your players. And you should leave untouched the ones you keep for investment

I think that if you are trying to have a solid sounding guitar for less money modding can be a great way to go. Getting something like a squire and putting in some good pickups is always a good option. Especially if you either can’t afford a high end guitar or just don’t want to take your really expensive guitar into the often precarious situations musicians find themselves in on the road.

I love my duo sonic. Desert Sand looks great on it.

I’ve just modded my new Gibson es339 with a pair of Semour Duncan custom shop Mj’s Magic Skinnerburst specs amazing sounds I already have a set of skinnerburst limited edition Joe Bonamassa in my Les Paul these sound as close as possible. If your looking for a set don’t hesitate you can pick up a set on Reverb, harder for us in the EU ,more expensive now but if you are looking for a set of the limited your going to pay a big price

⚓️ Thanks Casino 😎 I got the ‘what’s app’ shortlist notification yesterday in a reply to my comment 🎸

Evertune! Put SD pickups and an Evertune in my Yamaha 311 hb p-90. The 611 had SD’s in them but I bought the cheaper 311 model cause I hadn’t played electric in 25 years and had a limited budget.. Later I was planning it a ton and tried the 611. Pickups sounded way better than Yamaha’s entry level paf’s and p-90. I ordered and installed the SD’s that came with the 611 and it was soo worth it. Not a big change but so happy. When I was flush a few years later I got another guitar, an Ibanez Jiva-10. Love the feel and sound of the guitar but hate tuning the floating bridge so I got a Tremel-no installed. Love it as I prefer rhythm guitar when playing hard rock and prefer adding vibrato w bends.Use the whammy more for Jazzy stuff with the middle pick up. Kept all original hardware if I ever sell or trade it, but doubt I will. Next mod was putting an Evertune in the Yamaha. I had the money and loved that guitar. Was pricey but worth it. 300$ part plus around $350 labor from an excellent luthier Fren Asken at his repair and custom/boutique guitars in LA: Asken Guitars. (Guitars he makes have super comfortable asymmetrical necks, btw). He did a fantastic job and showed/explained really well how it works. Love it and play it all the time. Around $850 in mods (pickups and Evertune) on an originally $500 guitar but I love it and play it all the time. Love the sound and it’s always in tune!

I have an OLP that I put HB P-90's in, and it sounds and plays awesome! I won't sell it. A Jay Turser 335 that I put GFS pups in, a bone nut, locking tuners, and a roller bridge... another awesome guitar I won't sell. An IYV LP I put Duncans (and a sweet harness) in, a roller bridge, and Sperzel tuners... it's my favorite guitar ever... never selling it lol. It's all about what sounds and feels right to you.

Most guitars I buy, usually stay stock, expect for locking tuners. But I did get one of the sparkle white squier modern tele, and I’ve changed pretty much everything and I just got a filtertron to pick in the neck, but it was more just for curiosity. Plus I really want them to come out with a jack white signature fender tele, with all the mods to his three wheel motion guitar. Always keep the stock parts!

If you can get your hands on a Sire it's a great mod platform. I wanted a strat single coil doing for times when I want to play blues and get that sound but I didn't want to spend 1000+ on a special purpose guitar I won't play very often. I got my hands on a Sire S7 and it's fantastic for that sound. I just wanted something different than a Squier. Maybe it's the name that sucks so bad but I just can't bring myself to buy something called a Squier. For now I'm keeping it as is but down the road I could see myself popping in some Fender Tex Mex or custom shop pickups into it. It's definitely a guitar I'm keeping for a long time. With the prices of guitars going so crazy I've bought my 4 that I want and probably not buying any more for a very long time. 2 humbucker rocking machines 1 string through body with passive pickups and 1 Floyd Rose with EMG. Then the strat style and a single cut style that I bought to mod myself and teach myself how to work on them. Probably it for a long long while unless I just decide I want a semi hollow body some day.

I modded the F out of my first guitar, a '76 Strat. I wanted a humbucker in the neck position, so I had it routed. Put in new tuners and my "luthier" drilled new holes. Since got rid of the humbucker and put Bill Lawrence's in. It needs new frets badly....buy I hardly ever touch it. I'm a Gibson and PRS guy now.

in my experience, modding pickups doesn't affect the value at all. it doesn't add or take away anything. If you're selling, put the OG pickups in and sell the aftermarket ones separately.

I had to get a loaded pickguard because my 2nd mim strats pickups (1st one had truss rod completely stripped had to return it)they have become microphonic. So I had to borrow 300 dollars from my mom like a little boy. But she cares about my tone and is my number one fan

I will always improve the pots, and change the pickups. I just save parts. Oh, and ALWAYS remove the first knob on a strat.

I've replaced all my pots on my new Gibsons. The old ones wore out so I wired them 50s spec and put Seymour duncan antiquities in them. Did the work myself. If I ever sell them I'll have a price and if no one wants to pay it, I'll keep them

If you like doing it for doing it sake then yes but I think otherwise its a rabbit hole and it’s better to just take the instrument and leave it as is and play it

If you're going to change pickups specifically. Don't do it right after you get the guitar. Use the original pups for like 3-6 months, maybe a year. And then if you don't like them still, change them.

MIK Epi Les Paul Plus. HCSB, beautiful bought new in '07. Thought about a SD HR set for about a minute.

Bought a 98 MIM Strat.... came with locking tuners, I made a bone nut, I installed new jumbo frets, rolled the fretboard a bit, it came with 69 custom shop pickups and I re-radiused the poles, installed a steel block in the bridge and stainless saddles. WAY BETTER than any US Strat now!! For WAY less money!!

I have only modded 1 guitar, a 2020 Squire CV Telecaster 60's. Took the pups out and put some Lindy Fralin Blues Specials. This is one night and day change that was well worth it.

I mod if there are terrible pickups, but largely I leave the guitar alone with the exception of tuners. I usually put locking tuners on and make sure they are drop in replacements. That is usually about it.

The only modding I have done is swap out tuner buttons on a few guitars, and a set of pickups in another. I’m about to get new pickups for a high-end guitar of mine, but I will probably hang onto the originals for resale value one day.

I have three parts Telecasters: a Warmoth, an Allparts and a Fender. I can experiment however I want without modding a stock guitar

Baxter, great show as always. Been watching your show forever, now I would like your opinion. Should I buy the Epiphone 60s reissue. Everyone is saying that the Epiphone's have been getting better, the higher money ones. I would appreciate your advice. I know they weigh a ton, besides that is it a good buy. Not worried about resale.

I’m a serial pickup changer, but I keep the originals in the case in case I sell it later on.

I have several guitars I bought just to mod. A pink Squier Bronco bass that now has three pickups, new tuners, bridge and lots more. It’s playable, fun, and versatile. There is a 2015 Gibson LPjr that is modded to be like Lennon’s Les Paul, Charlie Christian etc. I have a parts telecaster too and a Casino Coupe that are all much better than original. I have 17 guitars and most are original and not to be modded.

I am a big fan of modding guitars to make it your own and built many partscasters. Some guitars play outstanding but don’t sound great for your needs. I have a $2000+ Les Paul that I love but never liked the Classic 57 bridge pickup so I changed it out for something with more bite. But I also have a American Professional 2 HSS Strat that I would not dream of changing, well except for the pickguard.

Dylan downsized his rv and they got an apartment in GA somewhere. now its like a dodge cargo conversion, its on dylans second channel....dylan & leslie. he recently got the mayer core prs and the se I guess a strat type was his first ever guitar.

"It's a strat type of guitar, sorry Dylan" savage :D

Also made tele from parts another great learning project

Modded nearly every guitar I've owned. Companies often cut corners by putting substandard screws, plates, steel, etc. If you get a Player Strat and mod it you can get 75-85% of a custom shop style instrument for half the cost of a custom shop. Plus it is a flex on guitarists who do not tinker/mod! :) great video thanks for all you all do.

My best guitars I traded low end junk guitars for with Zach in Texas, funny that you bring him up.

The Zac segment got me. My name is Zac and I used to trade out gear a lot. Fortunately I've ended up with some great gear though lol. I also have a Player Series I modded years ago but plan to keep forever.

I’m with Baxter, I just play the damn thing. I do have a Player Series Strat that I changed the pickups in. I have another that is completely stock, and I loved the feel so I got another to mod

It's not too much to mod. In 1996, I paid $600 for my Jimmy Vaughn endorsed Tex-Mex (pre-signature Tex-Mex) and then modded it completely. $600 went further in 1996 than $850 today. I bought from a local shop and they were not willing to come down on the price so I probably over paid, but I really wanted that guitar and I'm a terrible negotiator, so that's on me. I still love and mod it (minorly now). At this point only the body/neck and frets are original.

I put Fender Pure Vintage '65 Jazzmaster pickups in my Squier JMascis Jazzmaster. They made a really good guitar much better. The original pickups are really P90s. They were good sounding pickups but just not the Jazzmaster sound. I kept the old pickups if I ever sell the guitar but now that it sounds fantastic I will not sell it. The guitar is like a totally different beast which I now love and not just like. For a little extra cash I got a new Jazzmaster!

I've done some modding to few of my guitars, nothing big though, pickup and bridge changes. I do have a dream of modding some Gibson LP model one day, to have Tri-Sonic pickups, but that project I'd probably commission a luthier to do. About prices going up, in 2009 I bought my Gibson LP Custom AW from Thomann, it was 2890€ back then, today they go for 4999€, I'm glad I bought it back then because I couldn't afford it today.

Yup it’s yours, make it they way you want it. If it too extreme you might not be able to sell it. Just bought a import Dean From Hell need to put an original Floyd new pots and smooth out the fret ends I knew I would have to put an additional couple hundred to make it feel and sound really good.

I have modded guitars if it makes them look/play better and am not concerned about resell value. I usually keep them for years and get my monies worth out of them. Lately, I ordered a new Fender ProAm II Jazzmaster and part of it is going to be paid for with a 2007 Strat VG that has a mod that makes the guitar worth more as it has a feature that it needed. This guitar uses batteries to power it's Roland circuitry and it's problem is that as soon as you plug the amp cable in, the Roland comes to life even if have the rotary switch is in the Standard Strat position. Makes the batteries life much shorter. So I installed an on/off microswitch in the pickguard and now can play as long as I want without the batteries going flat. Since I now plan on selling it, I could spend the money for a new pickguard, but I don't want to go through the hassle of replacing it, so I am preparing to sell the guitar for less than the going market value even though it is a much needed mod, especially if it is going to be played on stage.

I have only modded 3 guitars. Rest are bone stock and I'm happy. I only mod if I really like the guitar and it needs it. Happy with all three, but I still keep the stock parts for if I do want to sell.

I have been so terrified of modding my Tele. I have been constantly pondering putting a humbucker in the neck, as well as swapping out the saddles for titanium. But my fears are both damaging the guitar, as well as me not enjoying the modifications. So much like my tattoos, I shall hold off from getting any.

I bought one of those firefly 335 knockoffs and swapped the pickups for some Seymour Duncan’s and absolutely love that thing and it’s such a cheap guitar I’m not worried about making money on it and will probably never sell it unless I have to

I like the part about the value from time you have had it part. I've had a Japanese ESP horizon for 25 years that still is top notch quality but some of the features make it less desirable and it's not held it's value like an MII would..... I paid over $2k new for it and it's only worth around half that, BUT I've certainly gotten the full value of the guitar playing it almost every day for 25 years and I've paid less than $100 a year for it. That's not bad.

I have a friend who seemed addicted to modding Sometimes he ruined the guitar And he always had guitars mid-mod for extended time frames & some may never get done. I did mod my first electric partly to make it better & partly to replace broken parts with better ones I know I wouldn’t recoup my costs, but that’s okay, I play it now

I've done 3 parts-casters, but in each case, I did it for myself to get some "custom shop" spec that isn't really available otherwise. I built a rosewood telecaster like George Harrisons, I did a 50s spec telecaster with a giant baseball bat of a neck, and I did a reverse slant 60s Jimi-esque stratocaster. But would I ever take these into a shop to sell?! Hahaha! No way.

As Supro dealer Baxter should do review on Amps, I own the 67 Thunderbolt and love it

Well I didn't see anyone mention it yet but only modify your guitar for better resale only if your name is David Gilmore who's black strat sold at Christie's auction house for 3.9 million plus Christie's 10%. That guitar received many modifications over the years while in his possession.

Picked up a mid ‘80s MIJ E series Squire for $400 and it’s an amazing playing Strat. So I’m trying to decide, do I put my ltd Ed numbered $350 Bonamassa 55 Bonnie p-ups in it or go for broke and buy $450 Fender Custom Shop hand wounds to bring out the guitars potential?

Over the years I've bought & sold a lot of Gear. I've done Mods from time to time. I've learned the Consumer usually doesn't care whether a Mod is added or not. Usually they're only willing to pay, whatever the Used Online Price is, on a Used Instrument. If one is planning on doing a Re-Sale of a Instrument, it's usually Best to buy something that sounds Great as is. Simply due to avoiding Losing Money, if you decide to Re-Sale later. - If you plan on Keeping the Instrument, usually down the road, maybe years, more than likely it'll be Re-Sold later. Whether it's to Upgrade or a person dies & family sales the Gear. Keep that in mind, if you decide to dump lots of extra in Upgrades... Good Luck!

Make your own Frakenstrat, there is no resale value but you can do what you want. But to spend 850 (1100) in Canada on a mex Strat, crazy idea.

I got excited when you said fender is going to release new guitars next week Guess I have to wait next Thursday for announcements

yes! always

Popped some locking tuners on my LP (only Gibson I've played that I liked) that are Kluson and have the tulips. Keeps far better tune! Mod away if you don't plan to sell it or if you can keep the original parts and pop them back on, why not go for it?

The polarizing divide on ‘tone wood’ is SO hilarious! I equate people who believe wood or material has NO effect on a guitars sound to flat-earthers.

I modded my 2009 red satin ES-335 into a 5 string ES 335. (Modded the nut - spreading the strings.. . Sold it on Reverb this year... it sold in a couple hours fair price. (I wonder if he kept the setup?)

If its a vintage Classic Probably Not, if you are not experienced in Moding Guitars, best if do Mod that you take it to a Professional Luthier, but Real question Should Be is it better to BUY Cheap and MOD to What you want, or just save for one you want the way you want and experience says Always Better to Save for what you Want then to try and Mod something into what you hope it will be, and Guys all those Mods when you go to Sell it wont add a Dime to Price you get if we are being Serious and Honest, Personally I return Vintage Guitars to Spec and Newer ones or rescues do get Built to the Max and MOdded, but with realistic expectations as to Performance and resell, and Yes I save Original Parts so able to return it to Factory Original

All good if you want to personalise a guitar and particularly so if you have the ability to do it yourself rather than pay someone to do it... but for my mind in 2022 the quality and capability of stock standard ‘affordable’ guitars is so good that to pay almost the same in mods as the original price of the guitar is unnecessary when they’re so good to begin with. My preference is to buy another guitar so I have a palate of very different guitars. If I was to swap out pickups from my Squier I’d been almost at the same cost of a high percentage of the cost. I’d rather get another guitar.

I’ve modded a few inexpensive but quality guitars, significantly improved them, and sold them for much more to at least break even on all of the extra costs. The buyers were super happy with the modded guitars that they’ve bought from me and therefore I was happy too! Win-Win. You can always try to ask for the price that you want or feel that you should get as there are people out there who don’t mind paying for it because it’s aleady done for them. Worst case scenario, you get a little less.

My son got the duo sonic in 2016, and he's always looking for projects. I'm not finding many mods out there...what are people doing? New pups?

Yes you should mod your guitar especially if you are a lefty. Take Strats, you cannot get lefty guitars in anything other than SSS. Luckily, the Mexican Player series Strats are routed for HSH so I have bought 4 and have an HSS, HSH, HH and one with two Gibson P90’s. The P90 guitar just has a 3 way switching with one vol and one tone. The HSH and HSS have a Freeway 10 position switch, and the HH has an 8 way push/pull switch option. Wiring, Nut, Stringtree, Tuners and Strings have all been upgraded. I have kept the original pickguards and pickups. I fully realise that second hand I will never recoup my costs but, as a lefty, how do you get something other than an SSS Strat? I love SSS Strats also, and have two - one with Abigail Ybarra, and one with Josefina Campos, pickups.