Guitar modification thread...

[gainsucker]

modded my Fernandes FR last year, by retrofitting LED's in a single coil pickup cover, and...

Ayos ah. Is there any way you can modify it so the individual led's will only light up when the corresponding string is plucked? 

[maxi_musikero]

Not "metullz and brutally aggressive". Haha. Yun ang aim ko ngayon sa PRS eh. Pang mabigatan talagang tugtugan.

ah gets! nagulat din kasi ako when i saw your P90s for sale. may bigger plan ka pala. 

[xelalien]

Ayos ah. Is there any way you can modify it so the individual led's will only light up when the corresponding string is plucked? 

parang mahirap sir, lahat kasi ng bridge saddles naka-common contact sa ground via bridge plate. (well, probably unless pag naka-individual saddles like this...)

btw, I also did that mod to my Ibanez RG 380:

[gainsucker]

parang mahirap sir, lahat kasi ng bridge saddles naka-common contact sa ground via bridge plate. (well, probably unless pag naka-individual saddles like this...)

btw, I also did that mod to my Ibanez RG 380:

nice. i suddenly remembered Vai's guitar, sa dot inlays naman yung led's 

[gainsucker]

To raw vintage springs users, any review?

[ryechua]

To raw vintage springs users, any review?

not much difference. a bit of improvement in sustain and resonance. pero to me it's subtle or not easily noticeable.

[bryvincent]

To raw vintage springs users, any review?

i put back the stock springs on mine coz i prefer 3 springs. the raw vintage springs doesn't have enough tension if i use 3.

Raw Vintage Springs will enable you to use 5 Springs with the same tension as 3 of the regular springs thus adding a bit of mass without adding tension. in my experience, the number of springs affects the tone not the composition(pareho lang silang steel) or tension. if you go from 3 to 5 springs you will notice a diffrence. pero pag 5 to 5 din, the difference is not noticeable or no difference at all.

anyway, heres my latest mod to my Strat:


early '54 style Mini-Skirt Knobs from RetroSpec.
super-duper expensive but i think they look cool and they're not common. my best ever strat deserves it

[gainsucker]

not much difference. a bit of improvement in sustain and resonance. pero to me it's subtle or not easily noticeable.

Thanks for the info. I guess overrated lang yung mga testimonials online.

i put back the stock springs on mine coz i prefer 3 springs. the raw vintage springs doesn't have enough tension if i use 3.

Raw Vintage Springs will enable you to use 5 Springs with the same tension as 3 of the regular springs thus adding a bit of mass without adding tension. in my experience, the number of springs affects the tone not the composition(pareho lang silang steel) or tension. if you go from 3 to 5 springs you will notice a diffrence. pero pag 5 to 5 din, the difference is not noticeable or no difference at all.

Thanks. A stock strat comes with 3 springs, and putting higher gauge strings needs more springs or maybe it just needs more tension sa 3 strings, nevertheless i'll give both a try and hear if there's a difference.

Congrats on the new knobs. Those knobs look great in your strat

[ryechua]

Ibanez RG680
- changed volume and tone pot (worn out)
- installed orange drop cap
- changed neck pickup to air norton
- changed bridge pickup to SD screamin demon
- got an Ibanez case



Fender ST-57 (CIJ)
- changed volume pot to 500k
- installed orange drop cap
- installed raw vintage springs
- changed 2nd  tone pot wiring to bridge only (mid wide open)
- changed pickups to area 58/67/61 combination
- got a gator case for it



Fender TL52-TX (MIJ)
- changed the 3 way switch to a sturdier one (DM-30)
- installed orange drop cap
- changed the bridge pup rubber grommet to springs
- just got a Fender molded case

[tweenty-seven]

post ko din sa kabilang thread

its my 1st electric guitar, at gift sakin ng mama ko.so may value sakin to..di pwede ibenta..

from year 2005 up to  2012

eto ang guitar modification ko... di ko alam magkano na nagastos ko.. share ko lang..

*******
floyd rose : DAME from everymusic

neck pick up  is actually, BRIDGE pickup  (artec rails)
middle pick up is still stock
bridge pick up is GFS crunchy rails from guitar fetish ata to..

repaint job on pick guard and headstock

custom decals pinagawa ko sa pagawaan ng sticker ng kotse.. (salamat kay firewaterjem for lending me his template)

[gainsucker]

NGD strat
Changed springs to raw vintage, replaced plastic nut with bone

[markcasq]

NGD strat
Changed springs to raw vintage, replaced plastic nut with bone

nice strat!  what is NGD?

[giftmones]

NGD strat
Changed springs to raw vintage, replaced plastic nut with bone


http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l189/jents81/IMG_0545.jpg

nice strat.

[gainsucker]

nice strat!  what is NGD?

New Guitar Day 

nice strat.

thanks

[kasoy777]

pede po to?





bone nut for fender lead iii. it makes my ash fender sounds a bit warmer and balanced. IMO and sa research ash sounds bright lalo na sa single coil. palagay ko nakatulong ung nut. 

nashville bridge and stainless steel TP posts for greco custom lp



SS posts helps brighten ung dark sounding lp and sustains longer. natry ko na ri SS saddles before pero matalim sa pandinig ko tumunog.
Nashville bridge (di kasama nashville pots, stainless din balak ko ipalit pero pang abr1) for better intonation. balak ko rin palitan ng zamak plated ng chrome or platinum ung tailpiece.

[gainsucker]

must talaga yung bone nut... plastic lang yung stock sa fenders and corian sa gibsons... it really made a big difference on my guitars...

as for the solid steel studs, i read that it'll improve sustain, add more mass, and brightness to your tone... i'm might try this soon... 

[kasoy777]

BTW sir diba nasa singapore ka kamo? dyan daw maraming na ss 6/32 X 2" machine screw for maple flame like mod. baka pedeng pasabay na rin kung balak nyo sa gtr nyo? 1 pair lang. tnx!

[kernelsalonpas]

in my experience, the number of springs affects the tone not the composition(pareho lang silang steel) or tension. if you go from 3 to 5 springs you will notice a diffrence. pero pag 5 to 5 din, the difference is not noticeable or no difference at all.

i agree on this one. it makes the tone meatier when i placed 5 springs on my strat. for the bone nut, i think a more appropriate upgrade for me would be to skin my fingers to bone since you fret with it  all the time.

[gainsucker]

BTW sir diba nasa singapore ka kamo? dyan daw maraming na ss 6/32 X 2" machine screw for maple flame like mod. baka pedeng pasabay na rin kung balak nyo sa gtr nyo? 1 pair lang. tnx!

Naka mapleflame na lp ko bro but let me check, sa ty musicmeron though it comes with the thumbwheels, 18 sgd ata.

[gainsucker]

i agree on this one. it makes the tone meatier when i placed 5 springs on my strat. for the bone nut, i think a more appropriate upgrade for me would be to skin my fingers to bone since you fret with it  all the time.

You'll hear the difference sa open strings...

[gainsucker]

share ko lang, para sa mga adik sa pagmo mod 

1. Take care of all the screws on your guitar. They should be fastened very tight for a better sound, but don't break them! Critical locations are the screws for the neck, the bridge and the tuners. Check them regularly. Loose screws can also be the reason for penetrating, rattling noises on electric guitars.

2. A Stratocaster typically has a rear-routed tremolo cavity that is covered with a plastic cover and some screws. Take the cover away. It's amazing how the overall sound of a guitar can change by simply taking away this cover. I know it sounds like voodoo, but it's true -- give it a try and hear the difference yourself.

3. If you don't use the tremolo, get it blocked professionally with a piece of wood. This will increase sustain and response dramatically.

4. Take care of your neck cavity. Uninstall the neck and check the cavity; it should be absolutely free of any paint, dirt and other things. Over the years I've found a lot of funny things there -- credit cards, paper, cardboard, etc.

Also, The bottom and sides of the neck cavity should be absolutely plain and free of any paint. If they're not, take a piece of sandpaper and rework your cavity until you see the plain wood. If you feel that the neck does not fit the cavity because the cavity is too wide or too low, get your guitar to an experienced luthier who will "shim" it. Bad work at this critical point can ruin your guitar's tone!

5. Check the corresponding part of the neck (the so-called "neck heel") that is attached to the neck cavity. Often you can find stickers there -- scrape them away. I also highly recommend sanding away all the paint until you can see and feel the plain wood. You donīt need any paint there, and a strong and even "wood to wood" connection will enhance the tone transfer dramatically. Bolt on the neck screws very tight, but don't overdo it.

6. Let your guitar breath. For this, you should take away the paint at any location that canīt be seen. One critical location is the surface underneath the bridge of a Strat. Eric Johnson knows what he's doing when he does this to all of his guitars. You can also completely remove the paint of the inside of the pickup cavities and the entire surface underneath the pickguard.

7. Fender has an interesting little detail on the Eric Johnson Strat. They sand away the paint on top of the inertia bar (a.k.a "tremolo block") that is attached to the bottom of the tremolo bottom plate for a better tone transfer. At first I thought that it was voodoo and marketing, but later I had to take out the inertia bar on one of my own Strats, and since it was out anyway, I gave it a try and the result was stunning. The tone is stronger -- it was like "freeing" my guitar. So give it a try and listen to see if it makes a difference on your guitars.

8. Different materials can really make a difference. I'm sure you all know the discussion about the Les Paul aluminum stop tailpiece, right? So here are different materials I've tried that made a big difference to the tone:

- Nut Material: This is a wide field to experiment in, which I've discussed at length in a previous column, but for me nothing beats a good bone nut. Others prefer brass, wood, stainless steel, plastic, etc. You have to try it on your own what you like best, but changing the nut material really makes a big difference in tone

- Bridge Saddles: You should think about replacing the standard diecast saddles with the original sheet metal ones that were used during the fifties and sixties when you want a vintage tone. Brass or stainless steel saddles are also a good choice for a Strat.

- Tuners: Different tuners will make a difference in your tone; heavier tuners like most Grover products will give you more sustain and a stronger and louder primary tone. The old Kluson tuners will make your Strat more open and transparent sounding with a faster attack.

- Bridges: If you have a cheap diescast bridge, you should think about replacing it with a metal one.

- Tremolo Bar: The material of the inertia bar is crucical for a Stratocaster's tone. Even here diecast is the standard today; historically correct and awesome sounding is steel. This mod is highly recommendable for all Strats!

In general you can say that particularly diecast tends to dampen your guitar's primary tone and should be replaced with more vibrant and resonant materials for a better and faster tone transfer.

9. Increasing the mass of your guitar will have a noticeable influence on the tone and can help to get rid of certain dead spots on the fretboard. A classic trick is to clamp or screw some metal to the headstock of the guitar. I recommend checking out the "Fat Finger" clamp from Groove Tubes. The difference is subtle but audible and I can only recommend trying it. For a quick test, you can also use a metal capo from your acoustic guitar; the Kyser "quick change" model works great for this.

10. It makes a big difference to the tone of a Strat if you use string trees or not, and where you place them. Using string trees changes the pressure that comes from the strings to the nut, and the higher the pressure, the stronger the tone. I use "butterfly" metal string trees for the D,G,B and high E string and I place them not too close to the nut, because I do a lot of "behind the nut" bendings.

source: http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2008/Aug/10_Easy_Strat_Mods_to_Improve_Primary_Tone.aspx

[r_chino18]

2. A Stratocaster typically has a rear-routed tremolo cavity that is covered with a plastic cover and some screws. Take the cover away. It's amazing how the overall sound of a guitar can change by simply taking away this cover. I know it sounds like voodoo, but it's true -- give it a try and hear the difference yourself.

I honestly do not agree with this.

What I know is, with the back plate off, it's amazing how you can set-up your spring tension on the go as well as change strings without the hassle of trying to shoot them on the back cover holes.

4. Take care of your neck cavity. Uninstall the neck and check the cavity; it should be absolutely free of any paint, dirt and other things. Over the years I've found a lot of funny things there -- credit cards, paper, cardboard, etc.

Credit cards, paper, and cardboard are not "funny things"... they're stuff you use to shim the neck, maybe that's why those stuff are there in the first place. 

Lastly, if most of the stuff written there were said by Eric Johnson........I would not give it too much thought.

[gainsucker]

agree... i wouldn't hassle myself doing all these stuff, though some are quite helpful, especially when it comes to hardware material...

scraping the paint off would make sense though i don't have Eric Johnson's ears 

mods won't necessarily improve your guitar's tone, not unless you understand what your guitar really needs 

[kasoy777]

Naka mapleflame na lp ko bro but let me check, sa ty musicmeron though it comes with the thumbwheels, 18 sgd ata.

saan ung ty music bro? wala kasi ko mahanap. tnx! 

[kernelsalonpas]

I honestly do not agree with this.

What I know is, with the back plate off, it's amazing how you can set-up your spring tension on the go as well as change strings without the hassle of trying to shoot them on the back cover holes.

Credit cards, paper, and cardboard are not "funny things"... they're stuff you use to shim the neck, maybe that's why those stuff are there in the first place. 

Lastly, if most of the stuff written there were said by Eric Johnson........I would not give it too much thought.

there's just a lot of rumor on EJ being too anal. like the chuck norris of the guitar world...

i keep my backplate cover on purposely because of those things since wala naman. pwede mo pa mawala ung screws hehe.