Gahr
Ambassador of Blues & Brews
I've said it before, but I can't help repeating it. Modding is part of the fun with guitars for me. Naturally, the best thing about guitars is playing them and making music, but modding spices things up for me. I have shown countless pics of my 2014 Gibson SG Derek Trucks signature model that I have turned into something resembling a 1964 Standard converted to a stoptail. I have swapped pickups in several of my axes, swapped TRCs, pickguards, bridges and whatnot, in some cases to tailor the guitar to my tastes, and in others to restore it to a more original state.
Some of you also probably know of my love for several of the guitarists of the Allman Brothers Band; Duane Allman, Dickey Betts and Derek Trucks in particular. What does this have to do with modding? Well, the thing is, because of Duane's '57 Les Paul, I have always wanted a goldtop. As you know, I have one, a 2011 LP "1960" Tradidtional. I have already modded it quite a bit; the pickups, bridge and pickup rings have all been changed, but I haven't gone "full Duane" on it. Until now. I know this is silly and pointless, really, but I just ordered a more period correct, wide bevelled TRC, an amber switch tip and a set of vintage looking "milk bottle" Grover tuners (yes, I got money back on my taxes...). It won't make the guitar any better, the Gibson green keys that are the stock tuners are great, and it most certainly won't make me play more like Duane, but these things just bring out the kid in me. Modding inspires me to pick up the guitar more often.
And, yeah, I have a set of 1969 Gibson T-Tops that I'll probably put in there too. It currently has a really lovely set of Throbak PG-102s in it. It sounds divine, and there is really no reason to swap. But after installing another set of late '60s T-Tops in my 2018 SG Standard, I got really excited about T-Tops. The question is if I want to risk a magnet flip in a set of vintage pups like this, because I NEED the Peter Green out-of-phase sound in the Les Paul...
Anyway, on a completely different tangent, just a few words from Bergen after eating a nice long breakfast. I'm lying on the sofa, Chubby Checker is twisting again on the radio, and I'm sipping to a nice cup of coffee from a roastery called "Cuba Life" in my hometown Kristiansand. The roaster himself is from Guatemala and the beans are grown in Guatemala, by the roaster's dad. Now the Aussies the Bee Gees are playing. My wife is sitting next to me, knitting a sweater with yarn made from Shetland wool. It's a small world, really. Have a nice day, guys. And have fun modding those guitars!
(Pics will follow when the new parts have arrived.)
Some of you also probably know of my love for several of the guitarists of the Allman Brothers Band; Duane Allman, Dickey Betts and Derek Trucks in particular. What does this have to do with modding? Well, the thing is, because of Duane's '57 Les Paul, I have always wanted a goldtop. As you know, I have one, a 2011 LP "1960" Tradidtional. I have already modded it quite a bit; the pickups, bridge and pickup rings have all been changed, but I haven't gone "full Duane" on it. Until now. I know this is silly and pointless, really, but I just ordered a more period correct, wide bevelled TRC, an amber switch tip and a set of vintage looking "milk bottle" Grover tuners (yes, I got money back on my taxes...). It won't make the guitar any better, the Gibson green keys that are the stock tuners are great, and it most certainly won't make me play more like Duane, but these things just bring out the kid in me. Modding inspires me to pick up the guitar more often.
And, yeah, I have a set of 1969 Gibson T-Tops that I'll probably put in there too. It currently has a really lovely set of Throbak PG-102s in it. It sounds divine, and there is really no reason to swap. But after installing another set of late '60s T-Tops in my 2018 SG Standard, I got really excited about T-Tops. The question is if I want to risk a magnet flip in a set of vintage pups like this, because I NEED the Peter Green out-of-phase sound in the Les Paul...
Anyway, on a completely different tangent, just a few words from Bergen after eating a nice long breakfast. I'm lying on the sofa, Chubby Checker is twisting again on the radio, and I'm sipping to a nice cup of coffee from a roastery called "Cuba Life" in my hometown Kristiansand. The roaster himself is from Guatemala and the beans are grown in Guatemala, by the roaster's dad. Now the Aussies the Bee Gees are playing. My wife is sitting next to me, knitting a sweater with yarn made from Shetland wool. It's a small world, really. Have a nice day, guys. And have fun modding those guitars!
(Pics will follow when the new parts have arrived.)
