Favorite guitar mods and why

Hackmaster

Hackmaster

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I really like Gibsons vintage wiring as opposed to modern wiring.
Why? It decouples my volume pots in the middle switch position, for truly separate volume controls.

I also like a treble bleed mod on my volume pots.
A 100k ohm resistor in parallel with a .001 cap.
Seems to work as well on P90's as it does on humbuckers.
Why? It keeps the signal from losing highs when the volume is reduced.


What are some of the first things you do to a new guitar?
And why do you do it?
 
Depends what it is. prolly the wiring and or hardware on the lowered priced guitars.i actually like Epiphones pickups and some other cheapie pickups but the wiring and hardware has to go.
 
The first thing I do during/after the set up check my tuning stability...tuners, nut and bridge. I usually upgrade tuners and sometimes the nut on cheaper guitars. If I can get a guitar to stay in tune I'm off to very good start. If a guitar won't stay in tune it's worthless to me in that condition.
Second would be the pickups. I'm not like some, who change pickups as soon as they get a new or used guitar. They have to sound bad for me to replace them. Cheap Chinese pickups are the offenders. But many times I replace them with inexpensive Chinese replacements that sound better.
 
The very first thing I do is put on locking tuners...why? Because for some reason I find string changes difficult without them...

After that I let the guitar tell me what it needs...
 
jjudas said:
The first thing I do during/after the set up check my tuning stability...tuners, nut and bridge. I usually upgrade tuners and sometimes the nut on cheaper guitars. If I can get a guitar to stay in tune I'm off to very good start. If a guitar won't stay in tune it's worthless to me in that condition.
Second would be the pickups. I'm not like some, who change pickups as soon as they get a new or used guitar. They have to sound bad for me to replace them. Cheap Chinese pickups are the offenders. But many times I replace them with inexpensive Chinese replacements that sound better.
Click to expand...
All good points. The nut especially.
So many are just molded plastic.
 
Fret levels on less expensive guitars, because they make such a tremendous overall difference in playability. No ear for tone required to appreciate this mod!

I will say that this is more maintenance / construction than mod. If I have to pick an honest to goodness mod, then pickups swaps, of course!!
 
I don't have any automatic/cursory mods that I do. I try to buy guitars that I want to play and if they need some massaging I will do it.

I currently have 5 electrics and the extent of my mods are: The pickups that came in my PRS were a bit lifeless so they got replaced - all the others are completely stock. The nut on my Firebird was wonky and I figured it was easier to drop a Tusq in than have Gibson take care of it. I didn't like the gigantic top hat switch tip on my ASAT and got one of the barrel style ones instead. I didn't like the script on the trussrod cover of my Les Paul (damn I wish Gibson would go back to engraving them) so I put a plain one on.
 
The first thing I do is to change the strings and get it set up properly. I'm usually able to do it fairly well myself, but If need be I'll take it to a pro. Then I play the guitar stock for some time, typically at least half a year. I adjust the pickup height to see how that affects the tone and volume and try to figure out how to make the guitar sound as good as possible without messing with it.

The only things I have really felt the need to change in any of my guitars are the pickups, and in one instance the toggle switch. And quite frankly, only one of the pickup changes I have made has been done because I couldn't make the stock pup sound good to my ears (a 490T in my Faded Special SG was pulled out in favor of a '57 Classic+).

I've changed the pups in three of my guitars; The Derek Trucks SG, The aforementioned Special and in my Epi Dot. The DT got a Bare Knuckle PG Blues set that was really meant for a Les Paul Studio. I sold the Studio and put the pups in the DT for fun. I loved the result so much I decided to leave them in there. I dig the '57 Classics that were in there originally too, but decided to put them in my black SG instead. Now I have THREE awesome SGs... (Actually five, because the Epi '61 Special 50th Anniversary and the Gibson SG II both sound pretty nice as well.) The Dot was fine with the stock humbuckers, but I wanted some more p90-ish sounds, so it got a pair of Phat Cats.

When it comes to looks, I have added a pickguard to the DT and changed the trc and knobs on the Faded Special. Small things that don't matter when it comes to tone, but I like playing a guitar that I find visually pleasing.

I guess some guys here might find it sacrilegious to mod an already great guitar in a way that is irreversible (like the pickard on the DT, where the screw holes probably lowers the potential re-sale value). But quite frankly, I don't care about the value. I want guitars I can play, not sell. Now, I wouldn't mess with a perfectly functional 1961 SG or a 1959 Les Paul (as if I'll ever own a guitar like that), but modding can be fun. A lot of the time I suppose it really isn't necessary, but what the heck?
 
Gahr said:
The first thing I do is to change the strings and get it set up properly. I'm usually able to do it fairly well myself, but If need be I'll take it to a pro. Then I play the guitar stock for some time, typically at least half a year. I adjust the pickup height to see how that affects the tone and volume and try to figure out how to make the guitar sound as good as possible without messing with it.

The only things I have really felt the need to change in any of my guitars are the pickups, and in one instance the toggle switch. And quite frankly, only one of the pickup changes I have made has been done because I couldn't make the stock pup sound good to my ears (a 490T in my Faded Special SG was pulled out in favor of a '57 Classic+).
Click to expand...

Gahr,

Let me tell you about the Gibson 490's...

My 2016 Gibson SG 'T' Series has the unpotted 490T/490R and they sound great at low volumes, but onstage, at high volumes, they feedback and have a thin tone on the G/B/e strings...I am in the process of swapping in a pair of GFS Alinco II PAF Classics with 8.2k/7.7k impedance...double wax potted with nickel plated, German silver covers...

P.S. Don Felder had the open bobbin Ginson pickups in his EDS-1275 wax potted back in the 1970's...most people who want the "vintage Gibson tone" don't realize how poorly some of these pickups behave without wax potting...
 
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Robert Herndon said:
Gahr,

Let me tell you about the Gibson 490's...

My 2016 Gibson SG 'T' Series has the unpotted 490T/490R and they sound great at low volumes,,,but onstage, at high volumes, they feedback and have a thin tone on the G/B/e strings...I am in the process of swapping in a pair of GFS Alinco II PAF Classics with 8.2k/7.7k impedance...double wax potted with nickel plated, German silver covers...
Click to expand...

I'm pretty happy with the 490R, actually. But the 490T was just to "weak" sounding, for the lack of a better term. I'm sure others can get them to sound just fine, though. People seem to like the GFS stuff. Good luck on the swap!
 
Gahr said:
I'm pretty happy with the 490R, actually. But the 490T was just to "weak" sounding, for the lack of a better term. I'm sure others can get them to sound just fine, though. People seem to like the GFS stuff. Good luck on the swap!
Click to expand...

here is what they sound like at low volumes, straight into a Marshall DSL40C with no effects, other than reverb:

 
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Hackmaster said:
This is interesting. Tuners seem to be in the mod lead, followed closely by pickups.
Click to expand...

I have the Gibson Deluxe 'Green Keys' and I can wail on my 2016 SG for 90 minutes and it's still in tune....Matter of fact, stock tuners on all my guitars....
 
The only guitar I changed tuners on was my G400. The pot-lead boat anchor Grover "kidney beans" that were on there originally were fine for keeping it in tune, but they made the neck dive uncontrollable.
Before:

After:


The stock tuners on the Gibson SG Special and the Epiphone '61 SG are fine for what they are, and they don't cause the headstock to hit the floor if I let go of the neck...
 
Ya I'd say its more solid set up stuff and go from there if need be.
Good thorough cleaning and new strings on used acquisitions right away.
Old finger gunk, especially someone elses, really skeeves me. :eek:


Usually I'll play a new guitar with the strings that came with it just to go through the initial testing / initial observation.
Once I decide its a keeper new strings go on after a good fretboard mineral oil up if rosewood.

Seems with the real budget guitars the weakest links are the tuners and plastic nuts, sharp fret end tangs and bevels. I think sometimes people mistake bloodthirsty fret edges as being the end tang but also the bevels can bite too.

I like my G400 stock kidney beans. They are licensed Grover copies, I think. They are quite good and mine has a little neck dive tendency but not much. Weird - My Rondo SX Tele has the most neck dive of anything I own.

I use the rubber washer type strap retainer on all mine. I have used Dunlop strap locks but dont like the extra hardware or expense and the rubber washer does the job just fine.

Reminds me I gotta try the Grolsch ones....
 
Oh yes, the other types of strap locks are great, not doubt.
I'm not knocking it one bit; personal preference.

The rubber washer solution is "good enough" for me, I'm a simple man, and does the job 100%- well almost:
the only time I was / am let down is the neck plate strap button on my Epi SG Jr. It is small in diameter and too short and the rubber washer can pop off if I am not careful.

I have another more mushroom shaped, but have yet to drill out the hole to accept the larger neck screw.
 
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