Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

[ImmortalSix]

Whenever I hear about a guitar that has had the body swapped out for another, I think, "Are you serious???"

Not that swapping a body is difficult or a wild and crazy idea, but rather the notion of the resultant guitar being "the same guitar, just with a new body" is crazy to me.

I say the body is the guitar, and if you swap your neck and electronics over to a new body, you've done a neck and pup swap onto Guitar 2, not a body swap on guitar 1.

What's the dealio?

 

[sosomething]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

semantics?

 

[kjrocks]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

I completely agree. If you get a new body you get a new guitar.

 

[dilney]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

I completely agree. If you get a new body you get a new guitar.

Why?

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

Why?

The body IS the guitar, the neck and electronics seem like accessories compared to the body.

 

[B2D]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

I feel similarly, but I include the neck as well. The neck and the body and how they work together are the core of the instrument, to me. The neck can change the whole feel and sound of the instrument as well, yannow.

 

[Tor]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

I feel similarly, but I include the neck as well.

Agreed.

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

I agree. A guitar is the sum of it's parts. You go changing the parts, you change the sum. There for, you end up w/ an entirely different guitar.

Prime example of this would be Clapton's Blackie Strat. He swapped parts on something like 5 Strats to get what he wanted out of his guitar.

 

[dilney]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

I agree. A guitar is the sum of it's parts. You go changing the parts, you change the sum. There for, you end up w/ an entirely different guitar.

Prime example of this would be Clapton's Blackie Strat. He swapped parts on something like 5 Strats to get what he wanted out of his guitar.

I tend to agree with this...

 

[dilney]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

What if somehow a piece of the body breaks (e.g. you hit the guitar against a wall by accident) and you change for another body that looks the same. Would you still consider it another guitar? Just curious...

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

Dunno, but to me, the neck is what keeps the identity of the guitar.

For example, if you swap your Fender neck and parts onto a Warmoth hollow strat body, do you have a Warmoth with Fender parts, or a Fender with a Warmoth body?

 

[sosomething]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

I agree. A guitar is the sum of it's parts. You go changing the parts, you change the sum. There for, you end up w/ an entirely different guitar.

Prime example of this would be Clapton's Blackie Strat. He swapped parts on something like 5 Strats to get what he wanted out of his guitar.

+1 for what I've been too lazy to type all day long.

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

What if somehow a piece of the body breaks (e.g. you hit the guitar against a wall by accident) and you change for another body that looks the same. Would you still consider it another guitar? Just curious...

It would still be a different guitar. To me anyways. Different body = different plank of wood. Especially since no 2 pcs. of wood are the same in weight or tone.

 

[kjrocks]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

I tend to agree with this...

Why?

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

I feel similarly, but I include the neck as well. The neck and the body and how they work together are the core of the instrument, to me. The neck can change the whole feel and sound of the instrument as well, yannow.

Big +1 to that.

To me a specific guitar is its' wooden parts simply because that's where the biggest variation from one piece to the next will be.
Sure, same model tuners or bridge or, even more pots and pickups can sound or feel a tad different from one specific part to the next but not nearly as much as an individual neck and body to the next one.

To me, if you chance EITHER the body OR neck, it's another guitar with some of the older guitar's parts.

What if somehow a piece of the body breaks (e.g. you hit the guitar against a wall by accident) and you change for another body that looks the same. Would you still consider it another guitar? Just curious...

If it's worth it then try to repair the body.
If that's not possible (or monetary sensible) then that guitar is gone forever and all you can do is build another guitar from this guitar's other parts (including the neck).

The new guitar can be made to sound very close to the old one but mark my words, it will NEVER be EXACTLY like the old one
(which isn't necessarily a bad thing as it may even be better!)

 

[dilney]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

Why?

Probably because I think the "guitar is the body+neck (woods?)" The rest are necessary parts, but which don't give the guitar its identity...

Since people here in general think that EVERYTHING influences tone, then if you change the tremolo block, is it still the same guitar with different tone or a new guitar?

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

Probably because I think the "guitar is the body+neck (woods?)" The rest are necessary parts, but which don't give the guitar its identity...

Since people here in general think that EVERYTHING influences tone, then if you change the tremolo block, is it still the same guitar with different tone or a new guitar?

Now we are getting into semantics here. Yes a guitar is the sum of a # of parts. OTOH, most builders or assemblers look at a guitar sorta like building a house. IE, the neck and body being the foundation of the house, and all the other stuff being rooms. So in essence, changing the block on your trem, or swapping pickups, etc... would be like remodeling a room. You can change the look and feel of the "room" but you're still in the same house.

Didn't read your post close enough, but we basically agree.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

I swapped the body of my Strat Plus with another ody I got on ebay. Much more resonant and toneful. Previously I had swapped pickups and pickguard. So I have a guitar + a body, set of Sensors and a pickguard. Is it a new guitar? I think no, the neck is the same and the body feels the same, just looks different and sounds better.

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

It's a different guitar with old and familiar parts.
Not a "new" guitar per se but a different one.

But, in essence it's how everyone feels about it that matters really

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Body Swap: Are You Kidding?

You guys just keep saying the same thing over and over again.

"Guitar" is a symbol for the parts that make it up...it's "MY GUITAR" regardless of what it's made out of...what difference does it make if a body or neck was swapped?

This is as silly as the people saying a guitar that's shaped like a Telecaster and is built like a Telecaster but has different pickups is somehow not a telecaster...haha

words are just symbols and it's best not to get too caught up in definitions like this. now go play your guitars...:smokin: