Mods to personalize your axe?

[Oscar]

I'm into keeping guitars looking stock while doing some minor beneath-the-surface mods.

 

On Telecasters I convert the tone control to a separate volume control, so that I can vary the mix between pickups in the dual position.

 

On Strats I do the same, essentially: convert both tone knobs so that each pickup has its own volume control.

 

On Gibson-type instruments (like the ones I own now) with dual pickups and corresponding dual volume controls, I change the way the pickups are wired to the volume pots. This allows me to completely roll down a pickup's volume in the dual-pickup setting without the guitar becoming silent. So I never even use the toggle switch - I can go from 100% bridge to 100% neck (and every shade in between) in the dual pickup position by just varying the volume knobs.

 

On all guitars, I do some set-up work on the nut and saddles to accommodate a set of .011's with a wound G. I also polish the frets with some steel wool, which can also be used to even up slight irregularities in fret height (local buzzes). I don't file the frets down to height - let the store worry 'bout that before I buy the damn thing.

 

I adjust neck relief (myself) and nut height (by a pro) so that string height near the nut is minimal. This greatly improves intonation, especially on chords that combine fretted notes with open strings. Near the nut, string tension is higher. More string tension equals out-of-tune-ness.

 

When stringing up, I lube the nut and saddles with a mixture of graphite (in the form of a very fine powder) and silicon gel. No pinging noises for me when tuning up, please.

 

That's it, basically. How 'bout y'all? Any good tips?

[jlh]

Oscar,

I don't mod my guitars, but I am interested in players that use woung G strings on electrics. I have a Guild T-100D that I like a wound G on. I usually use D'Addario XL's because that is all I can find. Are there some other brands you use and like?

JLH

[stanner]

i mod my strats by removing all pots and replacing the 5way switch w/3way.

and i dont know if this is a mod but i play leftee guitars rightee and strung rightee.

[Nollykin]

a lefty, strung and played righty? So... you play an upside down guitar? ahahah cool Original... definately.

 

What got you doing that?

 

Nolly

[rog951]

I do crazy shit all the time. I've got a couple "test-mule" guitars that I mess with. Most of my nicer guitars I just leave stock. My latest wacky project was to wire up a dual-ganged audio-taper pot so that when I turned up one pickup, the other was turned down and vice versa...kind of a "pickup balance" control. Dumb idea, really, when I could've just had two seperate volumes like you. What can I say; I had an evening to kill...

[PBBPaul]

I used to have this old Rickenbacker 481 slant-fret that used for the same purpose, kind of a "Frankenstein" guitar. I did the same mod with the dual-ganged pot and really liked it. When I finally sold that ax it had a Gibson PAF in the bridge position, a Bill Lawrence Blade single coil in the neck position, a master volume and the pan pot. It was a strange and funky guitar but sounded really cool. Here's a pic (I was much younger and skinnier then...). http://my.execpc.com/~wpwmew/paulric1.jpg

[stanner]

Originally posted by Nollykin:

a lefty, strung and played righty? So... you play an upside down guitar? ahahah cool Original... definately.

 

What got you doing that?

 

Nolly

bein a surf guitarer i done stole that idea from dickdale-king of the surf guitar,after hearing 'miserlou' a long time ago. wow what a sound!

that *long* low E and the reverse bridge p/u

changes everything-tension,tone and it gets wet and deep w/ reverb,big strings,fender dual showmans and 15" spkrs

s

[Oscar]

I am interested in players that use woung G strings on electrics. I have a Guild T-100D that I like a wound G on. I usually use D'Addario XL's because that is all I can find. Are there some other brands you use and like?

I use a set of .011-.050 SIT's myself that comes with both a plain .018 G and a wound .020 G. Needless to say, the wound G is the way to go . I find the SIT's to hold on to their brightness longer than most other sets. Plus, they're reasonably priced. I haven't been able to find a set of .010's with a wound G, nor have I been able to find a suitable replacement wound G to use in a standard set of .010's.

When I finally sold that ax it had a Gibson PAF in the bridge position, a Bill Lawrence Blade single coil in the neck position...

I'm a big fan of dual-blade Bill Lawrence humbuckers-in-single-coil-format. I use one myself in the bridge position of my Alleykat. When used with some classic overdrive, they have more bells in 'em than the Big Ben .

that *long* low E and the reverse bridge p/u changes everything...

Oh, it does! Fender issued a Hendrix strat: a right-handed model with reversed headstock and bridge pickup. One of the coolest Strats I ever played.

[gtrmac]

I have two Strats that have just a volume and a tone control. I found the original configuration useless. I also have the controls on my Tele turned around so the switch is away from the neck end of the guitar. Then the volume and tone controls are reversed so that the volume control is closer to the neck. This is an old Nashville trick I believe and it makes it easier to do volume swells. It also makes it harder to hit the switch while you're playing.

[Nollykin]

My only modification is the Tone knob which fell off. I still need to get around to fixing that.

 

Sort of off topic - does anyone else HATE it when you see guitars with about 2 foot of extra string coming out of each of the tuners? I HATE THAT! It looks like you're playing some sort of impotent porcupine...

 

...dont mind me.

 

Nolly

[fiveways]

I wire a on/off switch into every guitar I own. I love the ability to kill the volume to my guitar as quick as possible.

 

Any guitar with a bar has it set to float.

 

That is about it. Usually I change the pick-up to a lace sensor for a strat, or a Dimarrzio Super Distortion for a Gibson style guitar.

 

All none bar guitars usually end up with a bigsby trem. I love bigsby's.

[doc taz]

Originally posted by Nollykin:

Sort of off topic - does anyone else HATE it when you see guitars with about 2 foot of extra string coming out of each of the tuners? I HATE THAT! It looks like you're playing some sort of impotent porcupine...

 

...dont mind me.

 

Nolly

I leave about an inch or two of the ball ends (at the headstock) sticking out when I string on my Ibanez. I use D'Addarios, so it looks colorful.

[Chip McDonald]

Originally posted by Nollykin:

does anyone else HATE it when you see guitars with about 2 foot of extra string coming out of each of the tuners?

I do that, because A) I don't like getting the "inadvertant blood test", and B) if I'm in the middle of a guitar lesson and I break a string I can unclamp the nut and pull more string through and be back in action in under 2 minutes.

 

MY FAVORITE MOD TO PERSONALIZE MY AXE involves usually colliding with a piece of furniture or a mic stand, thereby rendering my instrument unique in it's appearance.