Do You Customize Your Guitars?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ต.ค. 2024
- When do you customize your guitar? Let's talk about it.
Join The Newsletter: eepurl.com/iUA6Es
Find Me:
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Mixed By Spotify Playlist | spoti.fi/3Gofpoj
Instagram | / riffsandbeards
TikTok | / riffsandbeards
Facebook | / riffsandbeards
Discord | / discord
Website | www.riffsandbe...
Merch | teespring.com/...
Content Creation Course: bit.ly/Content...
Gear I Use:
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
M2 Ultra Mac Studio: sweetwater.sjv...
Apple Studio Display: sweetwater.sjv...
Apple Keyboard: sweetwater.sjv...
Warm WA76: sweetwater.sjv...
Ernie Ball Strings | sweetwater.sjv...
Genelec 8010A | sweetwater.sjv...
RODE NTG-5 | sweetwater.sjv...
Sony FX3 | amzn.to/3RKBdBj
Sony FX30 | amzn.to/3TomRYk
Three Legged Thing Tripod | amzn.to/3RGjUBk
Support This Channel
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
My Sweetwater Store: sweetwater.sjv...
My Reverb Shop: tidd.ly/3Y0A3V7
All Links Are Affiliate Links
![เปิดใจ "อาจารย์เบียร์ คนตื่นธรรม" อดีตเคยสุดทุกทาง ถ้าใช้หนี้หมดไปบวชแน่ l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IxeE0xVhy08/mqdefault.jpg)
Nothing that will structurally change the guitar. But everything else goes 😂
Yeah, me too. It all goes so it can be made new and better.
I actually got a full headstock replacement on a guitar 😂 (the green guitar I play on my videos)
@@mtus647 I actually just squeeze out a couple thick slugs into the output jack and call it a day. You can see this in some of my videos
IMO, they are tools, not sacred relics. They are meant to be used however the owner sees fit, which to me includes any modifications required. The line to me, on an instrument I didn't make at least, is that I won't do any woodworking. Not going to re-radius the fretboard or re-profile the neck, or add a tummy-cut if it doesn't have one.
As a general rule, on instruments under 1k, I expect to eventually replace the tuning machines, maybe the bridge, and possibly the pickup(s).
In my opinion , tools are sacred relics 🤷🏻♂️
I change pickups (and sometimes hardware) on every single guitar I buy.
Why? It makes it MINE. That goes for Gibson’s too. “BUT THE RESALE VALUE” I never plan on selling it. But I always keep the OG hardware / pickups.
The burst on that 80s Les Paul is perfect
I literally said wow when I saw it
@@cjlv I think I may have out loud as well lol
I mod all my guitars. It’s something I enjoy doing and I feel it gives each guitar a unique flavour to me. My Dean has had everything but the body and neck swapped, my PRS has new pickups, mounting hardware and tuner buttons, my Mustang is now a musicmaster, it’s fun! 😺👍
I bought an ‘87 Les Paul Custom Lite a few months ago and intended to keep it stock, but the 300k volume and 100k tone pots just made it sound too dark. Also did away with the coil split switch so I could have 50’s style wiring. It made me a little nauseous dropping it off for that because other than a warped neck pickup ring (which I also replaced) it was 100% stock and in amazing condition. In the end I decided it’s my guitar and I didn’t buy it to sell or display as a museum piece, I bought it to play. Now it sounds as great as it plays.
Every single guitar I buy, no matter how expensive gets strap locks installed immediately. Locking tuners is another common add for me. Pickup swaps...kinda. If the guitar is over 30yrs old, I usually dont swap them. I do like to order custom pick-guards for my Vs and Explorers as well. Lots of options out there to dress up a V or Explorer.
I have a 1966 Jaguar. The very last run before the CBS changeover. It killed me to re-fret it (bound neck), but I did it anyway. Now it plays like a dream. It’s about breathing life back into it and giving it another 58 years (hopefully) of life. Sometimes maintenance is maintenance 🤷♂️
I like to make wiring and pickup mods and add straplocks and locking tuners, but I like it to still look stock.
My 70s Telecaster bass got a new, more adjustable bridge, added a Jazz bass bridge pickup to add some clarity and stacked volume/tone pots.
I got a cheap Jackson 7 string, got locking tuners, 9's with a good setup, put it in dropped A and got pick holder that sits next to the tone control! Sounds and plays better than when I got it 🤘🏽
1. Rad shirt! Way to support a small business. 2. I just got Squier Contemporary Tele RH and did my first mods to it: put on a Dimarzio ClipLock strap, changed the basic string tree to a Reverend Triple Tree, added a CTS push-pull pot to coil split the neck, put on EB Skinny Beefys since this thing will live below standard tuning. We'll see if I need more, but I think it comes down to a cost-value proposition for any guitar.
I've just upgraded my Epiphone Les Paul Modern with new electronics, SD Jazz on neck, SD Distortion on bridge, it has Grover lockers so no change there, but next upgrade will be a Gotoh bridge and then sanding the back of the neck to less sticky feel and then Im set. It's all about making it mine and feeling it has some personal love on it.
I did! I grow up poor and my parents weren't capable of buying me an electric guitar. So at 11old i made that with my first pay check ever i would buy one. 19 years old i got my first pay check. (440€) and i ran directly to the local music store and bought an Ibanez art 125. I love that guitar but with time i realised that the pick up are not good so i instaled myself the James Hetfield signature pick-ups. The nobs start falling so instaled new chrome ones to match the pick ups. To me, my guitar grow up with me. ❤ It's my first love. If she doesn't need to change something i don't cause if i do it will stop being...my guitar.
I have a Telecaster that I’m upgrading the components on. So far I’ve swapped the stock barrel tuners for some compensated brass barrels from Gotoh. The brass is more “period-correct” to a vintage Telecaster than chrome-plating, and it modernizes the design.
I also want to change my black plastic pick guard to an anodized metal one just because I think it looks and feels cool. The last thing I plan to do, which will end up being the most expensive thing, is getting the frets professionally leveled.
I never upgrade pickups anymore, unless they’re absolute buzzy trash. Most I’ll do with electronics is change the pots, connectors, or wiring if they’re faulty.
I’ve completely changed my Les Paul from custom pickguard to custom pickups. And I love it. It’s my beat up guitar. But it plays amazing.
Depends on the guitar. I have a Schecter E1 in the exclusive purple Sweetwater got, that is my favorite guitar. That being said with it being my favorite appearance wise guitar I'll do anything to make it my favorite sounding and playing. I've plek'd it, put in 2 Joe Duplatier signature pickups in the bridge and neck. Stripped out and threw away the sustaniac system. Used the holes for the sustainiac toggles for mini switches to coil tap. Replaced all the tuners with the barrel style knobs like Keith Marrow used to use. Replaced the floyd block with a brass upgrade. Installed a Tremel-no to lock the bridge when not drinking with the floyd. The last step is to ship it to evertune to have them replace the floyd with a evertune. Why?... because it was still cheaper in the end than paying schecter for a custom in this color with those options.
Electronics and hardware.
I changed pick ups in my PRS Wood Library, changed the knobs and added a Big Brass Block to the Floyd Rose.
I have however modded two guitars:
-my first electric- to replace parts that were broken, to upgrade parts, and cosmetic changes, as I had a theme in mind. The new pickups work great, love the other changes, it is now what I wanted.
- A used guitar that was previously modded, I modded it some more to suit me. It was a great deal
I love both of them, including every ding and scratch.
As a lefty, I have no choice but to either mod the hell out of something to get what I want or just entirely build it myself from scratch. I wanted a Jaguar, so I built one. I wanted a Mustang, so I built one. I wanted a double cut LP Junior, so I built one. I wanted a Tom Delonge style Strat....so I built one.
I'd rather just save myself the trouble and buy them. But they don't really exist, and when they do show up, they are outrageously expensive.
As a lefty you can basically forget about signatures, you can forget about color options, forget about bells and whistles.
You get the basics. And the best sellers. That's it.
If I would've known that 30 years ago, maybe I would've started playing right handed. I don't know.
Long time ago, i was customizing my bass guitars but now, i know that i love my bass guitars for what they are and not for what they could be.
There are ways you can mod to be sympathetic of the guitars origin I guess. I mod pretty much most of my guitars. From buying two brand new fenders, swapping the bodies, upgrading the tuners, having custom made pickguards made with custom control layouts and new pickups, to my 83 Gibson Custom I bought to blackout the hardware and install EMG's, but when I got it I found the hardware was all Schaller and a very rare spec so I couldn't bring myself to do it. I did install the EMG's and change the wiring but I covered the EMG's and made them look like the stock pick ups so the guitar looks completely stock but sounds how I want it too.
I've modifed every electric guitar I own. Tuners, pickups, wiring, fret leveling, etc. I make adjustments until it feels and sounds "right".
The only guitar I've never modified ANYTHING on, is my 2003 PRS Custom 22 Artist. It was perfect right out of the box.
If i love it enough and am somewhat sure i won't get rid of it, I'll sand down the back of the neck on anything gloss. I'll even go so far as you removing the finish on the back of an unpainted neck and tung oiling it for the best feel ever. I actually have a schecter black jack that i carved and repainted, refret in stainless, fill the neck pickup, only on off switch no knobs, thing is the best.
Do what you want, they're yours... i love all mine so much more because of it
swapped the tuners on my Reaper for a set of hipshots - got some plans for Black Winter pups in one of them one day
I have been modifying forever. And now that I buy expensive guitars, i still don’t keep things stock. Don’t care about resale value, I’m hard on my stage instruments
My 20056 Les Paul has Hip shot tuners now Seymour Duncan hot rod set and a Duesenberg Les trem. My ES 335 got a Bigsby a roller bridge and hipshot tuners. my SG got hip shot tuners an roller bridge and a Bigsby. and I still have most of the original parts.
Why yes!, yes i do customise my axes...I got a Tokai recently a chinese Love rock, i put whole lotta humbuckers in it, a jimmy page wiring harness from 6 string supplies, switch craft jack and switch, grover rotomatics. Gibson knobs..
I would put it up against any les paul standard....(its all on my channel if anyone is interested to check it out)
Most of my changes were just pickups, mainly to learn how so solder and find out how guitars work after I got shafted $80 for a volume pot fix. Most of my guitars are Epiphones, One 56 Reissue which has been my favorite since 2011, '06 Standard LP. I swapped out their pickups because I always thought the stock ceramics were too muddy, set in new humbuckers and P90s from StewMac that I really like. The other two are a 335 Inspired by Gibson (not with Gibson Custombuckers unfortunately) and a P93 Riviera. I've thought about swapping out mainly out of curiosity and need to tinker but they already sound great. If you watch That Pedal Show's Mick Taylor switch out his electronics from his ES models, it's a great learning experience to just leave it alone due too overwhelming frustration. Lastly is a 2018 Fender FSR Strat my wife bought for my 30th birthday. It's black so of course I Gilmourized it because I have no imagination. Used Seymour Duncan's SSL-6 at the bridge and SSL-2 at the neck and middle, and added that neck pickup on/off switch for 2 more pickup positions. Other than that I've left everything else alone, they stay in tune just fine and find no desire to ever artificially relic any of them (nor should anyone).
I routed cavity for floyd rose and installed it to my Tokai Les Paul Custom. It works and plays great!
Locking Tuners if needed, if theres a huge knob right under the bridge pick up I change it (side eye to ESP) and if I buy new PUs then usually with a guitar around it
I have and will upgrade pickups, electronics and hardware (saddles, bridge, tuners, etc.). I have also removed a pick guard (LP). About the only thing I will not do is sand the neck or mess with the finish. I do save all original parts, just in case. That said I do not have a custom shop or vintage instrument, where I might have second thoughts. BTW, I consider frets and nuts to be consumables, similar to tires on a car.
I bought the guitar that felt in my hands like no other before or after did. It cost about 1.000 € and is a signature guitar of a musician I usually would not like to be associated with. So, I changed everything but the frets and the color, and now I really have the perfect guitar for me! Well, let's see where this color thing goes...
I play mostly Fender stuff so it’s fun and easy to swap things out and generally everything fits. I prefer MIM because they always need some help but a couple hundred bucks goes a long way.
Modding is fun!
For me, it’s more about value of the guitar. My expensive guitars I keep as stock as possible in case I need to offload them. Cheap guitars, I have no problem drilling holes for more pots and switches and get crazy with it. That’s also why I like Strat style guitars because it takes almost nothing to swap out a pickguard back to stock.
hey Ryan...I replaced the original 12:1 ratio klusons on both my Les Paul standards with direct drop kluson revolution 19:1 ratio tuners...the cool thing is that they have the metal keystone buttons which I like much better than the plastics...I have no problem modding my guitars, I just make sure I save and label all original parts...cheers!!!
I know some people that automatically upgrade tuners, pickups, etc without even giving the stock configuration a chance. Other friends are so picky about condition, they will sell the guitar if it shows any dings/wear (at a premium price too). I’ve modified some guitars because I like locking tuners. I’ve backed away from pickup swaps unless they are noisy. Did fully update a 76 Strat. Tuners were replaced prior, stock bridge was cheap. Pickups were not original and frets were worn. By the time I finished, only the body, neck, input jack plate, and guitar strap pins were original. Repro tuners, new nut, new bridge, Lindy Fralin pickups.
My Heritage H150 I bought last year sounds great out of the box. Sounds fine as is.
Did also put a 70’s NOS Gibson Les Paul Special pickguard on a brand new Heritage H137.
I'm somewhere in the middle, I keep them clean, try not to beat them up but don't lose sleep over it. As far as mods, I typically buy a guitar based on the overall appearance, neck profile, hardware quality, etc so I rarely customize anything except the pickups... I love EMG's and Duncan Distortions.
I bought a brand new Murphy lab LP custom and I changed out the bridge, tuners, pickups and capacitors. I almost have no line I’ll cross lol.
For Metal, pickups are a must but I like adding locking tuners. Locking tuners have made my life so much easier and simpler when it comes to maintaining my instruments. Everything else I don't really pay any mind to.
I think the attitude of keeping an instrument as close to mint as possible is perpetuated by the vintage market, I’m a guy that likes to keep his guitars well kept but at a certain point it’s important to remember that they’re intended as musical tools and not objects of desire
Bc Rich Speedloader: to upgrade or not to upgrade? For me YES, including making the holes on the headstock for tuners.
My 2001 Ebony Les Paul Standard has DiMarzio double-creams in it. That is as far as I have ever gone.
Great video and I was thinking what to answer…and then I remembered back in 1983 (yes, I am much older than you), I bought a new USA Fender Strat. They had just started making USA models again. But it was a hardtail (today I love hardtail guitars)… and I wanted a trem. So I got JD Guitars to put a Khaler flyer in. So, I customized my first Fender right out of the gate.
These days, it’s mostly just pickups, electrics or a bridge (if structural issues with it)… the Tremonti looks really cool, so does the 1980 Lester. I couldn’t afford a birth Lester, but I like the idea.
Well, I just replaced the fretboards on my first two guitar builds. I built them in 2010 & 2011 and at the time I had little to no tools. Also, I replaced everything else on them, from tuners to pickups. In the end, whatever makes us happy, right?
for me, i just do whatever seems fun. i have a couple vintage guitars that i’ve done some pretty hefty mods on, one being an early 90’s shredder guitar from a polish luthier that i bought out of some guy’s basement from $100. all of the electronics were super finicky, and when it did work, it sounded like ass through my setup. so i swapped the pickups for dimarzios, which required some routing. i also have an ‘88 peavey t-40 that i put an aluminum neck on because the original wood neck was quite warped.
Every guitar I have is modded. My teles have hotrail HBs with coil splits and custom pickguards and control panels. My strats are now hsh with custom pickguards, 2 outputs, and hardtail bridges. All my other guitars have treble bleeds, coil splits and kill switches. On is now fretless. Lol. I'm drillin, fillin, cuttin, wiring, refinishing...you name it I do it.
As long as I don't need to remove any of the wood other than like a new screw hole.
I am good with pickups,bridges,tuners, wiring, pick guards, and all that type of stuff I am fine with.
Guitars are for playing, and experimenting is part of that chase we have to find our own sound. I have about 30 guitars and my daily players, I modify. I do have a few very nice guitars (mostly acoustics) that I will never change, but that is for value reasons. Great vid Fluff! love your stuff, keep it coming.
My first guitar an Ibanez mikro back in 2015-2016. I had modded with emgs.
Then my first real guitar a schecter Damien 6. Had stock emg hz. That I had later swapped out for bare knuckle juggernauts. Then tried fishman moderns.
Then I just decided to get a high end Ibanez rgd axion label with dimarzio fusion edge pickups. Was the first guitar I felt no need to swap pickups.
Same with my fairly new Jackson dk ht6 ms with fishman moderns
Awesome show
The first "customization" (if it could be called that) I ever did was on my first electric was when I (with help from the guys at my local guitar store) attempted to turn its stock whammy bar into a floating trem so I could do dive bombs and stuff like Steve Van, Joe Satriani and Dimebag Darrell, so I kinda ruined the guitar in that regard, but I was like 13 at the time and didn't really know what I was doing. But the first legit customization I've ever done to my guitar has been changing the pickguard (again, help from the guys at my store) on my black 1997 Fender Strat Pro Deluxe (which had this really cool yellow-y pearl pick guard, which I still keep) to a black one during the summer of last year just because I wanted to make it look like David Gilmour's Black Strat, I did it mainly because Gilmour is one of my biggest influences after George Harrison (Number one for me) and Eddie Van Halen plus my guitar already had Lace Sensor pickups in them (the same ones Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck had in their Strats) so the off-white pickups and knobs already make it look like Gilmour's guitar, but also because I wanted to change up part of it to pay homage to one of my favourite guitarists and biggest influences, and generally one of the GOATs of rock guitar
I’m with you. If I spend a large amount of money on a guitar I want it to be good to go out the gate. If it’s not that’s a return.
Usually I don’t, but my Les Paul Studio was all black (pickups, pickup mounts, knobs, pickguard, switch tip, finish).
Wasn’t a fan of the all black look, so I got a cream pickguard and tip and gold knobs. All aesthetic changes, but now it looks much better and less monotone!
Me too, not a fan of black plastics. Cream is so much better looking!
It’s interesting to see how various guitar communities online react to mods. The PRS pages freak out on people for modding any PRS. In Fender community, it’s open season on mods. Gibson is somewhere in the middle.
I like modding guitars to make them more my own, but I will absolutely customize or upgrade for practical purposes. I got one of the purple Epiphone Les Paul Moderns. I had an issue with the knobs because I couldn't see the number against the finish. I want to upgrade the pickups to zebra pickups at some point, thinking Pearly Gates.
The most common customization I've done is widening them nut slots for thicker springs (68 in an drop A# Les Paul) and String Butlers.
I recently customized a Nick Johnston PT. I put SD Quarter Pound Tele, and a Phat Cat silencer in the neck, and then I put mint colored knobs on to match the pickguard.
I'll customize anything, except refinishing.
The bridge has been upgraded on most of my basses. Inexpensive basses are good mod platforms, so anything goes. I tend to draw the line at vintage gear, depending on the condition. My 1981 Ibanez RS924 is perfect as-is, and will never be modded. A 40 year old fixer-upper is fair game.
I totally agree, a guitar is meant to be played, but not abused. Also I think the only modding I’d do is swap the pickups or just upgrade any hardware on the guitar like the bridge or something.
I had a Peavey Predator when I was a teenager that I took a router to and replaced the pickguard with a wooden one that set into the body.
I have my buddy who passed away BC Rich Eagle. It’s my main guitar even though I have a few others. I won’t change anything unless it breaks and I’m forced too. Still rocking baby!!🔥🎸🔥🤘🔥🇨🇦🎸🔥🇨🇦🎸🔥🇨🇦🎸🔥🇨🇦1985 Fluff! 90’s were the best!!!🤘🤘🤘
The line depends on the price and age of the guitar. The cheaper and older (but not vimtage) the instrument, the easier it is for me to take risks. I've changed the pickups and/or electronics on multiple guitars, added strap locks, mostly minor reversible mods. Only ever drilled into 1 and that was my Epiphone that I've had since high school.
Most of my guitars ive put together myself from bits got a couple of Kramernez 80's Kramer V body with Ibanez necks original floyd vintage dimarzios, a kramer neck ended up on a telecaster body .
I always put humbuckers in strats. Some I even had to route out to fit them. Unless the guitar was too nice, then I’d get the mini humbuckers.
Make the guitar yours, I have 7 guitars and 1 Bass, I've worked/ Hot Rodded allow them. 5 of them with Floyd Rose tremolos all got Brass big blocks and Titanium saddle blocks and screws, noiseless springs. Cooper shield electronics and pickup cavities. My Spector bass is only a Performer4 and the tuning keys need to be replaced, I've had 2 have issues already and I absolutely love that Bass for the money.
When you were talking about the work on your 80' Les Paul, that was more maintaining then Hot Rod work, to me anyway.
If the guitar ask for it, I change knobs, nut, pickguards, and other parts. Sometimes that include electronics and pickups too. I’ve had guitars I’ve used way too much money on «upgrading», without any success.
The lead guitar player in my band put Willie Adler Fishmans in his R9.
A lot of guitars sound great, but nothing is better than a good sounding guitar that just feels right in your hands when you play. I'm willing to change out hardware for tuning stability and different pickup sound. But, carving out large holes in the body or adding hardware that would leave additional holes if ever removed would be my limit.
I tend to flip guitars after a while so I tend to buy guitars spec’d to what I like instead of modding a guitar. I have swapped pickups though on a rare occasion.
I have a Manson. I swapped all hardware (other than knobs, they already came wi try premium stuff) to GOTOH 510. I swapped the humbucker for an open coil, same pickup just an open coil version. Then I’m throwing some labels for the sustainer as well. I do want to refret it with stainless steel frets though.
For guitars, anything that doesn't have locking tuners I'll add them to, and I might change pickups if I don't like the stock ones. For basses I leave them stock
There isn't a guitar on the market that is 100% what I want, so usually it's pickups, bridge, nut, strap locks, tuners, and different colour pickgaurd or adding one if I can. Plus it's my guitar and I don't want the guitars I play to be the same as anyone else's. 🤷♂️ With that being said I do all my own work so It builds a bond with the instrument!
Man awesome timing and thank you. Just picked up my “birth year” 1978 LPC (tobacco burst) and was wary about doing anything because it’s all stock and in amazing shape-but it doesn’t play the way I’d like for all the reasons you mentioned. Less anxious about a re-fret and pickup swap now. Did you swap pots and add a bridge ground or is that overboard/ unnecessary for a basement dweller?
When I was new I bought a EC256 and put more money in pickups, tuners, electronics and the bridge than the cost of the guitar. Now I just buy the one I want with the specs I want. And at most swap pickups.
All of my guitars go through some level of customization. At a minimum anything HH is switched over to Fishman Fluence pickups. Not for any tonal reason just versitility and the soundless nature. I don’t primarily play metal so I like options. Locking tuners on everything. Locking straps on everything. Elixer strings on everything. One guitar has a Fishman triple play on it for some fun live use. A piezo on the guitars I can get it into easy enough. Right now we’re trying to work on one guitar with a Fishman Fluence in the bridge. A Sustaniac in the neck. A Piezo bridge. A killswitch. And if possible some lights in the neck like Dany from The Warning has on one of her guitars since I like the asthetic. Things’ going to need enough juice to power a small town. And my tech has openly admitted it may be out of his range to do it. But we’re seeing if it is possible because why not? I don’t care about resale on my instruments. They are mine. I use them to make as much money as I can. So why not make them do exactly what i need them to do to make as much money as possible? And if I can have some fun along the way then lets go!!!
I have in the past, like I had a Fender USA strat which I got a custom single humbucker pickguard for, changed the pickup and wiring for just a volume pot. I have a Kramer Baretta Special now which is basically the same thing but it's tenth of the cost and has a nicer neck, the tuners are junk but other than that I don't feel like I need to change anything.I could put in a bigger trem block but I doubt it'll do much the way mine is set up the trem screwed all the way down.
I have a 77 Univox Deluxe (lawsuit er les paul copy), and I had to repot the pickups. Also the previous owner replaced the factory pickups with older Epiphone 335 PAF style pickups.
I kind of have a similar mindset. They are tools and if a high end guitar plays wells but not sounding up to your expectations change it to your liking. Now… What if you had a guitar custom shop / made to mesure built to your specs and once you received it, it lacked something, would you change it?
Of course, I modify my guitars to suit my personal taste and style! It's like a race car driver and his cars, they always modify cars to suit the race course, driver, etc. Same with guitars.
I am open to upgrades and changes on all of my guitars until my most recent purchase of a 50' Les Paul Standard. All my guitars have been used for gigging, but the LP was a dream of mine to own, and I just feel I need to keep it stock. Once the honeymoon faze goes away then maybe, but dropping 3k on a guitar makes me nervous, and I bought the Gibson for a Gibson.
Strap locks. Recut the nut/replace the nut with bone. I like to play with the wiring; I prefer parallel-ed humbuckers to series, they don’t compress as much. I’ll roll the edges of the board if I don’t think it has enough. Same for fret ends.
Probably not on a vintage instrument, but everything else is fair game.
I am all for customizations, My favorite thing to do is to get old beat-up guitars and make them my own. I don't really care how much value the guitars will gain or loss as i do not intend to sell them, but have them for me with all their different tones and playability.
it definitely depends on how much i've spent on it, for example, my harley bentons (i have two) i am not afraid to customise anything, my 7 string has had a body repaint, new tuners and i'm planning to upgrade the pickups, i'll also be doing this to my 8 string too.... my LTD eclipse was a quite a bit more expensive, i've only changed the pickups because it came with EMGs and i wanted seymour duncans. if i've spent close to 1k on a guitar i kinda want it to already feel/sound good when i get it. but i will also add if the guitar is vintage, i'm expecting everything to be changed eventually, unless i've literally bought it as a collectors item and dont plan on playing it, which i've as of yet never done
I shave the finish off of every neck I use and apply a gunstock wax finish. EBMM basses and guitars have ruined me ever being comfortable on a gloss finish neck again. On basses, I always install a high mass bridge (I don't think it does much for the sustain as claimed, but I like the feel under my hand) and generally new pickups. On guitar, it's locking tuners and Bare Knuckle pickups, for consistency.
I customize most of my guitars, but if they already have everything spot on then no, because why would I then? :D
For cheaper guitars I might change tuners, pickups, saddles, nut. But only if I don’t like how they sound, feel, or look. For more expensive guitars I usually only swap aesthetic parts, like pickguards and knobs. Because they already have the hardware / electronics that work / sound nice. I also do partscasters if I find used bodies / necks I like and the price is good.
I have several MIK guitars - all of which have either SD or DiMarzio pickups installed. Also I change all the guts to CTS and SwitchCraft and new wiring. I also have bone nuts or String Butlers on a couple of them (Les Pauls), so there is no tuning issues. I know these are sunk costs, but if the upgrades make me enjoy playing them more, that's all that matters. As my dad always said, "let your wallet be your guide!".
I would go straight up to refinishing the guitar to make it unique. I've been wanting to put a brass block, with a Brass nut in modded out weight relieved Gibson studio husk for a while and kit it out.
Always strap locks, almost always locking tuners, sometimes pickups.
for me, it depends. For example, i have a Fender Jim Root Telecaster, and i just love it the way it is. But im looking to get a Fender Kurt Cobain Jagstang, and id ofc change the pickups, but also i would put locking tuners, change color, and pickguard.
It all depends on what you're going for.
For example the KC Jaguar, it was crazy cuz back in the day, it was heavily modified, which made it very interesting, at the point that now Fender is selling that guitar will all those crazy mods.
Anything I can do possibly get on ridiculous reverb listings when I ultimately decide to sell the guitar… 😂
Graptech Ratio tuners come with adapter plates and metal ends, as do Hipshot.
my ltd viper50 is now being modded by one of the local custom shops here to make look like a gibson sg-x with bridge pickup only and a pickguard
but i ditched the TOM bridge with a hardtail gold bridge, gold locking tuners repainted the body white and 1 red volume knob
can't wait for them to finish it :) lols
Change to Fishman pickups and black nut and black keys. All my Les Paul's go to that setup.
I usually disable the treble pot and go direct to volume. On some of my jems I move the volume to the treble position and put in a micro kill switch in the volume position.
The Rg’s get Dimarzio tone zone and air Norton in neck.
I generally try to make any and all mods reversible, but my willingness varies widely from guitar to guitar.
At the higher end, both my expensive guitars (Music Man and Keisel, both about $3,000) sound and feel just about perfect, and the only things I've done to them are install old-pattern Schaller type strap locks and decked the vibratos on both.
At the lower end, I've done the same to my current gigging guitars, a pair of Ibanez JEM jrs (to minimize risk exposure at lower-paying gigs, and honestly, the current era Jem Jrs are surprisingly great espeically at their price).
In the middle of my pack, though, I tend to replace the pickups -- especially single coils -- and other electronics. My Fender MIM strat and tele, as well as my E type and baritone, all have Fishman Fluences of one type or another.
I tend to not modify as much as I imagine I would when I buy a guitar, I go in fully expecting to customise it to my taste and end up just leaving everything stock, modifications only come when something goes wrong, like, for example when my SG’s pickup died I just swapped it out and left everything else alone
I generally replace the pickups and tuners.😊
I only change things that I don't like, that are inferior quality, or that need replacement. I currently have two that are getting taken down to husks and completely rebuilt. It's like building your own signature guitar, or modifying your car to me.
Some Vintage Guitars are best left alone, but on the whole I have never had any limits to what improvements and upgrades I might consider or try, but most of my guitars are rescues or Created from Specific parts and pieces. Most of the guitars I build or assemble/upgrade are Mahogany Bodies, Birdseye maple neck with Ebony Fretboards , I lean towards Babicz Bridges but about to try a Vega Trem, Love the Older Wilkinson Roller Nut like Jeff Beck used and if an inline I opt for Staggered Locking Tuners most times. Fret size depends on Neck Profile, preferring Wolfgang Profile, and if Tele or Strat style. Strat Pickups of Choice are Klein 63 and Montys Danish Pete DP 51 set for Tele although a I have a HH with JBE Two Tone Pickups I Love
All my basses have Di'Marzio clip lock straps. My very first bass is getting a paint job and all new hardware. It's a Yamaha starter bass, nothing fancy.
i recently put a Bigsby on my Gibson Les Paul Standard 2008 using the Vibramate. I wouldn't have done it if I had to drill holes. Not a chance.