I Bought The Cheapest Amazon Guitar And Made It Professional
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I liked the sound of the stock pickups on the first riff, they seemed to have a little more bite that fits that classic rock riff. But the second riff is where you can definitely hear the difference of how acutely they respond to Mike's picking.
If you’re doing an upgrade on an inexpensive guitar, and you’re doing the upgrade yourself because you don’t have the money to pay someone one or a friend to help, just remember to start real cheap on the guitar and pickups so you can practice. You need some experience to change pickups, wiring and hardware on a guitar, so don’t start with high end pickups on a cheap guitar. To learn, best to be cost effective and then stretch out and experiment with more expensive equipment on an inexpensive guitar. You’d be surprised at the quality you can produce.
i don't think using a cheap guitar with good pickups as a first experiment is a bad idea though. if you mess up you can always cut the wire a little shorter as long as you don't care about perfect resale value for them. i would just plan to buy extra pots either way. i burned a couple out when i first started soldering and that was definitely my biggest problem. i'd avoid going for push/pull pots or extra switches on a first go though
Another option. Uninstall and reinstall the original equipment a time or 2 just for the practice, then dive in to the deeper end.
Or even better buy an old Ibanez artist.
@@WeaponizedKarma ^ this is a really good tip :)
I put noiseless pickups on a 2004 Mx strat as my first project…was totally prepared for that thing to never work again…alas it worked and sounds beautiful. Thankfully there are so many good tutorials online that most projects are somewhat doable..famous last words
I put about $800 in parts and labor in a less than $200 brand new squire tele. I put in Fralin pickups, Hipshot locking tuners, all new puts and wiring, and a four way switch. I had a local shop do a setup, fret dress, and install a bone nut. It sounds amazing, plays amazing, and refuses to go out of tune...
I purchased a Harley Benton SC-450 P90 GT for its LP gold top style and two classic P90 soapbar ceramic single coil pickups. Overall, I have been so impressed with it out of the box that I have decided to keep it original and not upgrade it. It's amazing how good quality and value of a guitar you can get for $150 these days.
Did the same. The guitar is fun to play.
I've thought about buying one of these myself
I love P90’s. They’re so versatile. The stock pickups sounded harsh to me. The new pickups sound fuller & warmer. I found - with these cheap guitars - that they typically need new pickups, switch, & Pots, new tuners, and they need the nut cut lower for better action. They need a whole setup. After that, if the frets are level and no sharp fret ends, you’ve got a guitar that is actually gigable.
I put a set of Fender Tex/Mex pickups into a slightly older Squier Affinity, and I'm pretty happy with it. It plays great, it looks great, and it sounds great. It's a great guitar. The best thing about it is that Tex/Mex pickups aren't even expensive.
I did the same. Simple enough mod, and they sound great.
The funny thing about pickups, as long as they aren't noisy nor feed back, swapping the pickups doesn't do much. You can EQ (like the BOSS GE-7) any pickup to sound like any other pickup.
As an ageing rocker here, I tend to agree. As long as they are semi-decent pickups and not microphonic, once you start sending they down the signal chain and tweak a graphic EQ - I just have a cheap £50 Joyo 6 band EQ and it's great - then you suddenly find yourself getting the sounds out of your guitar you were always after. I just wish I had known this 30 odd years ago but hey, messing around with guitar mods and stuff is all part of the fun of being a guitar player. No regrets whatsoever :)
Sometimes a slightly microphonic pickup sounds pretty good
@@maxpeck4154 Hiya Max, not had any on any of my guitars - even some of the cheaper ones. I can see how when recording it could pick up the room ambience and frankly, no point in being super precious about stuff or it all ends up being and sounding sterile 😎
@@martin-1965 I think you'd be surprised. If you've had a guitar with p90s or PAF style humbuckers they're all a LITTLE bit microphonic - even the wax potted ones. I had a 2020 SG 61 with the 61 burstbuckers. I confirmed with Gibson that they were indeed wax potted and if I played a TH-cam video on my phone and held it within 6 inches of them I could hear it perfectly through the amp - and any bumping of the pickup itself or the body was very audible through the amp as well.
@@maxpeck4154 If I am not mistaken, any pickup will pick up a phone near it, since the membrane of the phone speaker interrupts the magnetic field. Tapping on nearly any pickup will also create some kind of sound. Now, if you sing into the pickup and it makes sound, or if it's picking up every knock on the body, then that's truly a microphonic pickup.
I could tell you were working for a different feel to the video, nice job 👏.. looks like a fun project
Dude, love your content. The positive attitude and the joy you get from playing and sharing, it really comes thru. You're one of my favorite YT stops.
Mike, I did this 3 years ago with a Grote 335 style guitar. I dremelled out the humbucker sized cavities and put a pair of Squier J. Mascis Jazzmaster pickups in it(which are actually more akin to P-90's than the Fender Jazzmaster pickups which are totally different than P-90s)and some locking tuners, a bone nut and a new wiring kit in it and saved myself a tone of money.
It was labor intensive, but hey we were all stuck at home then so time was the currency I was flush with.
I think my largest gap in upgrades is my collection was around $600 worth of upgrades to a $60 Squier. Dozens of hours of work on top of that. But it's the one I play the most because of the sound and the fun.
and if I knock it on something, it doesn't hurt.
@@incautious1 actually I beat the body up it's got dings and chips from hammers and rocks and other stuff that I tried as an experiment to see how hard it would be to do some relic-ing. Turns out it's pretty tough to do. But I toss it around all day and I get excited when it takes a spill and there might be a new cool ding to look at.
Hey man, great video! New wiring and new tuners would make this thing come to life! Had an SG that got new pickups, and once the 50s wiring was installed, it made a world of difference. Let's make this thing a beautiful monstrosity!
Love the production values lately… pulls you in and keeps your attention. Kudos
I prefer the stock pickups...
Right?? I feel like the stock pickups have a more satisfying attack
right?? Birghter and more bite to it; exactly what a P90 should be. The new ones are like humbuckers
I like single coils a lot so I thought the atock pups sounded good too
PRS SE Zach Myers 2016. ($750) Crema Pickups, ($300+) Ratio Tuners ($100) PRS lamshade knobs ($45) Custom Trus Rod Cover ($15) Headstock refinish + Repro logo ($100)
Been my workhorse Sunday in and Sunday out. Haven't gassed for another guitar in years.
Really enjoyed the concept and cinematic quality of this video Mike. This video has definitely challenged the gear snob in me and inspired me to upgrade my first guitar lol
Great video Mike I really enjoy your approach and love for the guitar. Makes me feel bad for people who don’t have guitar or music as a hobby. Peace
I dig the cinematic stuff Mike, it looks good on you and the channel, well done! Good vibes.
I have a Grote cherry red 335 type guitar in my guitar rack, bought it during the Pandemic. Haven't done anything but set it up and put some Slinkies on it. Love that guitar! BTW, If I was playing punk, gimme them stock pickups, any day.
As the nut wears out, have an eye out for a bone or graphite compensated nut.
Chances are the bridge is going to last... longer. The issue there has more to do with the soft wood under it than the hardware. I'm hesitant to suggest anything other than a lateral upgrade for this reason.
Tuners will likely come up, and fortunately, you will have a plethora of choices to make. From cheap and cheerful to blinged-out masterpieces. On occasion, you can find pre-owned sets that didn't fit the existing screw pattern of someone's upgrade project, and you can get a new set at a bargain.
Frets: there's a big push for stainless steel frets these days. While I do not advocate cheap frets (I can wear a set of those down in the store before taking it home), I can say there are nuances to pay attention to. Cost/worth, what shape you prefer, the harder the fret, the more shrill the tone, and so on.
Bear in mind, the more you do, the more you will be forced to keep the guitar. Presently, all you need to do is swap the old pickups back, and you can sell the guitar at a mild loss. I have a friend who has a German Stratocaster he's spent years perfecting. At most, he can get $400 for it. Yet there's close to $3k worth of work in it. It plays immaculately, so there's little chance he'll give it up.
Active pickups require a battery. Any pickup that doesn't require electricity is a passive pickup.
Any passive pickup that's wax potted is worthwhile. From there it becomes a matter of taste. Cheap pickups tend to be lightly wound but then Gibson PAFs, considered the holy grail of humbuckers to many, are very lightly wound so... The best you can do for a cheap guitar is a complete setup. The sound will likely be a matter of taste but how the guitar plays is not. Evening the frets, adjusting the truss rod, lowering the action and setting the intonation will do wonders. Add in replacing the nut with a good one, correcting any issues with the bridge and adding a good set of locking tuners and you've got a $1000 guitar in most cases.
Been wanting to do this lately so i can learn how to solder pickups myself AND learn how to install a nut myself. It’s the last 2 things I can’t do myself and all my guitars are too precious to try it on. Gonna go for it so I can finally be my own tech 100%.
I thought it sounded fine with the original pickups, obviously a little better with the new pickups. Not really a fair comparison passive vs active pickups. If Grote had dropped active pickups in as original pickups that would be a fairer assessment of how good or bad the passive P90's are. But I get the whole point of upgrading the pickups is to go where a Grote isn't going to go for $ 150. If the rest of the build is done well, the guitar will make the music in the hands of the accomplished player.
Mike, just wanted to say that I love your content. Please keep doing what you're doing!
Mom wake up, Mike's new vid dropped.
I find it funny people still think pickups change the sound of the guitar when it’s actually the speakers you use in whatever amp or recording set up is used
On a cheap guitar, my upgrade order is as follows:
1. Nut Usually I go graphtech
2. Tuners I like to upgrade to Grover
3. Wiring. Often times wires are thin and not shielded well in cheap guitars and solder is bad . During this I will upgrade pots and capacitors as well.
4. bridge: often the bridge on cheap guitars cause buzz.
5. Pickups rarely need to do this if all the other stuff is done first.
Cheap guitars since the invention of the C&C machine are really good. The problem really comes with the individual components. You'll have problems with tuning, pots, etc. But! These are perfect for starting or experimenting on. I have a super cheap epiphone that I have huge strings on because I tune it down to drop A. It's for fun. Don't let the hate get to you.
Another great video, Mike. I have to say, though, I really think you should take a swing at doing a mod like this yourself. Without phoning a friend, I mean. You've spent enough time with guitars to know what you want the reaults to be. You could easily find your way there with the help of youtube and forums. Phoning a friend would still be an option if you got truly stuck, but I think you might surprise yourself.
Mike needs to get the "burnt finger on the soldering iron" brand of passage that everyone gets when they first start messing around with the electronics on their guitars 😂
I do this all the time but, some do eventually go in the fire (after I strip the parts off): neck HAS to be straight and STAY straight.
I would love to see this with the works, with the upgraded bridge, upgraded bridge , locking tuners, and a professional set up. I’m sure this would not only make it sound amazing but also feel like a custom shop.
I've been through this multiple times, upgrading hardware won't make it feel like a custom build...it will most likely be a noticable improvement on something that cheap though
@@jasondorsey7110 I’ve always been curious about that, thanks for the insight. I have a couple of “cheap” guitars that were gifted and have sentimental value but they really don’t play or sound good, I always wondered it was worth upgrading everything.
@@RVRAMusic The best bang-for-buck upgrade is probably going to be a better nut, especially if you're going from plastic to bone...intonation and tuning stability will improve, and if there's currently alot of fret buzz the nut slots may be cut too low from the factory...find a local store to do that and set it up properly with your preferred strings and see if you like it better, if you do then it might be worthwhile to keep upgrading beyond that, and if not...then cut your losses before getting too deep
@@jasondorsey7110 this helps a lot brotha! I appreciate you, I’ll definitely go this route.
@@RVRAMusic Glad to help, I hope at least one of them turns out to be a winner for you
Crazy, I just picked up one of these from craigslist last weekend. Was going to put some toneriders in it. Its really starting to grow on me.
I love the idea.. stretch it further and get a cheap guitar and replace the pickups and electronics from a small independent pickup maker.. I did that with a strat and the results almost brought tears to my eyes. Still kept it under my original budget.
I actually bought one of those Grote guitars from Amazon a few months ago just cause it was so cheap and I figured why not. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it actually stays in tune pretty well and the fretwork is decent. I will no doubt be upgrading it, but it isn’t bad for a $150 guitar. IMO it’s actually much better than the squier bullet Strat I learned on years ago which was about the same price
The sound is definitely more pure, it lost a little of that bite, that sting, it's not quite as "bright", which I think is fine for Mike's style of play. Definitely cool how much different it does sound. Pretty sick little mod if you ask me. If you ever get lost for a content idea, this could be a great giveaway guitar.
the random SpongeBob episode conversion is way to relatable lol
This is the first video of yours that had hit my algorithm in months. Happy to see you again
This dude simply makes amazing videos
Done something similar with a sub 130 bucks strat copy that came with a roasted maple neck and Tusq nut (!) by dropping a Seymour Duncan set in it, which cost more than the guitar. But the base quality of a lot of cheap instruments is just so good these says, they make them almost risk-free modding platforms for those that can do it. If all you need is new pickups and electronics you effectively get a mid-price quality guitar for half the price.
BTW I like your editing and transitions!
Mike, you are 100% correct about Krusty Krab Pizza
Mike - trust me...apply Virtuoso polish and that guitar will have a NICE satin sheen approaching gloss.
That’s actually a cool brand. I’ve got their single p90 hollowbody and love it.
Great content! Who hasn't been here. I actually purchased a Fretlight Tele Thinline style guitar which actually plays like a dream! Had to do a few things like action adjustment and polishing the frets, however, it's actually remarkably playable - with a swamp ash body no less! I've been eyeballing Greg Koch's Gristlemaster tele style pickups... this vid confirms my thoughts on this matter... I really appreciate you and your friends' efforts!! Thanks kindly!! 🙏
Great fun video. Thanks for posting. You touched a chord in guitar lovers that we can all relate to. . .
If they're noiseless, they're not P90s... they're technically P100s which are humbuckers housed in P90 covers and that goes for those pricey Fishman pickups that would make any cheap guitar sound 'top tier'!
I have a used Epiphone special...that is getting updates with pickups, resetting and clean up....can't go wrong with P90s :) Thanks Mike
I love the story telling I’m your videos. Great job man!
I have the very same guitar, love the stock neck pickup. I was thinking about swap it with a dual layer noseless p90, in the end I kept the neck one stock.
Normally, I'd be very cautious about buying a guitar brand that rhymes with Scrote....but ultimately a great job on the upgrade, and as far as looks go, it's actually a really cool looking guitar
Nice work with the cinematic feel and overall video.
Grote is One of the manufacturers for other brands of guitars.
Firefly’s lp special has SS frets, rosewood finger board, and mahogany body/neck for $159. Respectfully it shits all over that grote.
I got mine a month ago it’s amazing, but unfortunately they’re sold out now.
Dope video as always!
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you were plugged into an actual amplifier. Do that, turn up a little gain, you'll get your 60 cycle hum.
Krusty Krab pizza is the best episode Ever! 😂💯
“The Krusty Krab pizza, for you and me!”
sounds like what i did with my $25 epiphone sg special that i replaced the wiring and put in seymour duncan phat cats.
The guitar looks way better with the black pickup covers and the sound is night and day better! 😎
Doing really good these days broo❤️
Been watching a few of your videos here and there. Finally got the subscribe, good stuff
Sounds like all/most of the electronics were swapped out, not just the pickups? The other stuff in the circuit can also have a big impact on the sound, and it's a lot cheaper to swap those out than the pickups.
i have the higher quality grote les paul style and im in love with it
Love the storytelling ❤
Set neck with an access carve, bound fingerboard, block inlays AND P90s for under $200, sorry but, that thing puts Epiphone to absolute shame. What a great time to be a beginner or a modder.
People talk about guitar snobs not being able to deal with these cheap alternatives, there is certainly some truth to that. It can be hard to admit that you have been pulled in by all the hype and marketing. When you boil it down to the basics however, there is no denying that past a certain price point you really are paying for a piece of art more so than an instrument (solid body guitar). The major point of contention is what that certain price point actually is. IMHO it depends on the individual, if you are looking for a good out of the box experience then that price point could be between $500 and $1000 but if you have no problem doing a little work and making a few upgrades, something as cheap as $150 could be all you need. A guitar is not a car or a watch, it's a slab of wood with frets, some electronics and strings. Provided the fretwork is solid and the action can be dialed in, everything else can be easily upgraded and fine tuned.
I would have something like this Grote hanging in my studio (to be used) quite happily. Your friend's "it feels like a $150 guitar" clearly shows he has dropped a lot of money on guitars and didn't want to see the guitar for what it was. I have been there, it's tough to admit that your $1500 Gibson LP special really isn't objectively better, particularly once you have put in the work to dial the cheap one in. So long as the "base" is solid, you can upgrade any guitar to play and sound like it cost thousands more than it did, without spending thousands on it. At the end of the day, all it needs to do is be great to play and bring a smile to your face.
Great video Mike, now you need to take it to a luthier and get the fretboard rolled, hardware replaced, frets checked/leveled and polished and maybe fit a bone nut. With all that done you should have a guitar that feels, sounds and plays like it cost $1500+. Sure, it doesn't have a stunning figured maple top or Brazilian Rosewood fretboard and a Honduran Mahogany body but these really are just aesthetic elements. IMHO, if you have the money, well worth paying for, looks do count for something, but not essential to a player.
3:38 the first bump on the headstock, even tho it is a “cheap” guitar I’ve cringed because it would be worth a minimum wage here in Brazil.
I put these pickups in an Epiphone TV Yellow Les Paul Special. The stock pickups were actually quite good but since it was a 350 dollar guitar i thought it would be a good one to experiment on. The Fishman picks sound great and do a lot more than typical p90s. Im very happy with the mod. The Epi TV Yellow LP Special is a sleeper guitar.
My guess is it would some very very similar to an ultra high end guitar with the same pickups
Jack pearson makes 150 dollar Squires sound epic. And they're stock.
I wanna know about intonation, bridge changes, tuners, nut cuts???
(also, the compression makes the before/after playing sound virtually the same, just more chime/clarity when you play above the 12th fret)
Wait, if these are active, where did you cram the battery? Wish you would have showed us that part. Really cool to do projects. I hope to try this someday!
Imagine there was a ton of room in the control cavity. Bit of velcro or something simpler and you're good to go. Managed to fit a battery on my tele with EMG 80/81s into that tiny control cavity okay, although it's in pretty tight, which is kinda good when you're playing and moving around :)
Did someone say soldering?? Sounds like this guy could build a drone!
I bought a white WestCreek DC with a P90 pickup on sale for $135.00 . I will be changing out the pickup with a Gibson P90 at $119.00 . . . lol ! . A very nice guitar made better .
My man, you are a great inspiration to me, thank you for this great content, peace
It didnt needed new pickups, crazy sounding stock guitar
That guitar is now a worthy contender.
Not diggin' the NPR "This American Life" style of this video.
Like the guitar, worth a try, I guess.
Cool vid. I like your content
you make some great looking videos with some interesting content. keep it up!
It's 2023 Sunburst should be illegal at this point.
I’m tempted to do this all the time… I think it’s a certain flavor of GAS. If the upgrades enhance my connection with the instrument, perhaps it’s worthwhile. But nearly each time I started with “cheap” I ended up wasting time.
Can you ask your friend where he got that Steely Dan shirt? I need it! (great video btw) 🙂
stock pickups wasn't that bad but new once holy shit best p90 sound i have ever heard (i think)
I would've preferred a telecaster for this scenario but still
surprising result!
You didn't use the same set of strings for before and after. You could have done a double blind test.
I have no interest in buying a cheap guitar on Amazon to find out how crappy it is. My faith is enough.
Put those old pick ups in an expensive guitar
are you now a believer of the fishman fluence?
Pickups are 85% of the sound if not more…
Strings are another 5-10%
The old ones sound better to my ears
The guitar didn't look as grote as I thought it would
I applied the buying cheap and upgrading concept to the women I was dating, but the results weren't impressive.
stock pickups sounds much much better.
Of course we can fix that
Sub $1000 guitars with great pickups and fretwork is the sweet spot where I’ve settled. Anything more expensive and you’re going after that extra one percent.
I’m proud to care about that 1% too
@@OttophilI'm glad I came along when I did, that 1% sure is pricey nowadays
Amazing video brother!!!
The cheap guitars of today are much better quality than yesteryear. I remember my first guitar back in the early 70s. What a peice of crap compared to today.
Bro, can you do a review/test of a Zoom G5n pedal?
very cool project!
why does it feels like i'm watching imax
Imagine my surprise watching one of my favorite channels, only to see Sean pop up! We used to work together at Gibson! He helped me out together a parts caster I was giving as a gift
I need to know where to get that steely Dan shirt
Did you have to do the voiceover narration without having to wake neighbors or housemates? Or secretly in a cupboard. Or at a library?