Is it worth putting good pickups on a low quality body?

J

Jeremiah

New member
I seem to have acquired an ultra-cheap plywood Strat body. I think that if I put a reasonable quality neck on it I could end up with a playable guitar, (assuming the neck pocket dimensions are correct and the neck + body match up.)

I'm just wondering if it would be worth putting good pickups on it or will it always sound terrible with such a cheap body?
 
Re: Is it worth putting good pickups on a low quality body?

Go for some quality pickups. I've done this before and the results can only get you better tone than the stock cheapo stuff. I would recommend something richer sounding since the wood might be lacking in acoustics.
 
In two words...NOT REALLY...

In two words...NOT REALLY...

I guess it's entirely possible you might end up with something you can live with, but in my experience I didn't. I put a real vintage Charvel replacement neck on a substandard Strat body (I know, blasphemy), put a real Floyd and first top of the line Duncans, then EMGs in the thing...was never satisfied with it...sure, it played well and stayed in tune due to the other parts and hardware, but there was always something tonally lacking about it. It actually played better than a couple of guitars I'd reach for over it due to its lackluster tone.

I'm currently resurrecting/reusing all of those choice parts (well, slightly different Duncan set this time) on a top-notch new Ash Musikraft Charvel copy body. It's finally going to be everything it was supposed to be in the first place.
 I got sick of hearing what could have been, not to mention that neck is amazing!! :naughty:
When it comes down to it, you have to decide for yourself whether it's something you can salvage, and possibly make and improvement on - or a situation where you're turd-polishing. I recommend against the latter. ;)
 
Re: Is it worth putting good pickups on a low quality body?

It can be, to an extent. You will get a better sound out of quality pickups than you will with cheap junkers, but if the guitar itself it a junker, good pickups will only do so much. I'm sure you've heard all the analogies, lipstick on a pig, polishing a turd, etc. Well, there's an element of truth to them. They wouldn't be around otherwise.

My main axe is an Ibenez RG5EX1 with JB8 in the bridge, a FiveTwo in the middle and Jazz in the neck. I am mostly happy with the sounds I'm getting, but I know they could be better. The RG5EX1 is a lower end model, not bottom of the barrel as far as Ibanezes go, but far from the top of the line. Every time I've had a chance to pick up and play a really nice axe when at Guitar Center or another store, it has become rather evident quickly that my RG is missing something. But until I have the coin to drop on a new, better axe that I can swap my favorite pickups into, I'll have to live with how close I can get with my RG.

The point I'm trying to make here is that yes, new pickups may be useful on a cheap body, but don't expect magic.
 
Re: Is it worth putting good pickups on a low quality body?

The only real test is to wire everything up and try it out.

Sometimes, things just happen to turn out good even though, on paper, they should not. Usually, the overall result sucks but, of course, you will have been half expecting this.

I recently modified a budget Ibanez RG321MHBK by installing EMG-81 and -H pickups. At the time of this posting, these are running through an EMG SPC midrange booster. Sonically speaking, the guitar is unrecognisable from its former self. Through expensive valve amplification, it sounds like something costing four or five times what I paid for the entire project.
 
Re: Is it worth putting good pickups on a low quality body?

I was thinking that since I probably won't get classic Strat tones from it, maybe I should put something like Hot Rails/Cool Rails in it and use it to play trashy punk rock.
 
Re: Is it worth putting good pickups on a low quality body?

One area where a plywood guitar body has been known to excel is for slide. One or two pickups could be enough.
 
Re: Is it worth putting good pickups on a low quality body?

I find that that smokin hot pups with more 'personality' work better for this:
Distortion
Invader
Custom
X2N
etc...

A pair of Seths will just advertise that they are in plywood more than anything.
 
Re: Is it worth putting good pickups on a low quality body?

It depends entirely on how good the finished instrument sounds and resonates.

If it´s dead acoustically, better pickups won´t defibrillate it. But if it´s one of those somewhat rare plywood bodies that really sings, better pickups can make it excellent.

Unfortunately, you have to assemble the guitar (i.e. purchase and install a neck and hardware) first to find out.
 
Re: In two words...NOT REALLY...

Re: In two words...NOT REALLY...

jhale667 said:
I guess it's entirely possible you might end up with something you can live with, but in my experience I didn't. I put a real vintage Charvel replacement neck on a substandard Strat body (I know, blasphemy), put a real Floyd and first top of the line Duncans, then EMGs in the thing...was never satisfied with it...sure, it played well and stayed in tune due to the other parts and hardware, but there was always something tonally lacking about it. It actually played better than a couple of guitars I'd reach for over it due to its lackluster tone.

I'm currently resurrecting/reusing all of those choice parts (well, slightly different Duncan set this time) on a top-notch new Ash Musikraft Charvel copy body. It's finally going to be everything it was supposed to be in the first place.
 I got sick of hearing what could have been, not to mention that neck is amazing!! :naughty:
When it comes down to it, you have to decide for yourself whether it's something you can salvage, and possibly make and improvement on - or a situation where you're turd-polishing. I recommend against the latter. ;)
Click to expand...

sounds like you need to get a body
 
Re: Is it worth putting good pickups on a low quality body?

Is it worth putting a low-quality body around good pickups?
 
Re: Is it worth putting good pickups on a low quality body?

I've put good pickups in cheap guitars pretty much with every guitar I've ever had. JBs, Tonezones, Hotrails, Megadrives, PATB2s ... all good fun.

I find that that smokin hot pups with more 'personality' work better for this:
Click to expand...
Probably a lot of truth in that.
 
Re: Is it worth putting good pickups on a low quality body?

Why polish a turd? If you seriously think you want to play around and make this guitar sound as good as it can then I am all for it. But why not spend the money on a player and keep the turd for a basher, something to experiment on and gain knowledge of the instruments workings. Just my .03.

Peace,

Darrin
 
Re: Is it worth putting good pickups on a low quality body?

But why not spend the money on a player and keep the turd for a basher, something to experiment on and gain knowledge of the instruments workings. Just my .03.
Click to expand...
Usually, the plan is to find a cheap player to put the decent pickups in. No point putting them in a junker.
 
Re: Is it worth putting good pickups on a low quality body?

Jeremiah said:
I seem to have acquired an ultra-cheap plywood Strat body. I think that if I put a reasonable quality neck on it I could end up with a playable guitar, (assuming the neck pocket dimensions are correct and the neck + body match up.)

I'm just wondering if it would be worth putting good pickups on it or will it always sound terrible with such a cheap body?
Click to expand...

It's a crap shoot... in my case, I've lost almost three years, a full refret, dressing and crowning, new tuning pegs and a set of SSL-1s trying to get a Agathis-made Squier Strat to sound GOOD... it sounded GOOD ENOUGH for most people but NEVER GOOD ENOUGH for me... it didn't matter what I did, it ALWAYS HAD that annoying PLASTiC-Y sound quality... and it was I the one that did all the work and hand-selected the hardware!

The same hardware sounds AWESOME in the PRS SE EG I've recently bought, a guitar made from REAL mahogany. That's when I've learned the difference between GOOD and GREAT.

My two cents...
 
Re: Is it worth putting good pickups on a low quality body?

I think in a way of upgrading like a friend did with his LP. First he bought an Epi LP. Over the years it got SD pickups, new CTS vol pots and orange drops, then Faber hardware (alu tailpiece and steel Abr). Now he purchased a great used Gibson LP and put all the upgrades into the Gibson. The Epi was brought into the stock shape, but with the Gibson pups and sold thru fleabay.
He always had a guitar as good as he could afford and he did not loose money.
 
Re: Is it worth putting good pickups on a low quality body?

again...do you really think an X2N going into a Dual Rectofier on 10 sounds any different if it is in a PRS or a twby four?????

Maybe a few more highs in the PRS. But not enough to justify the cost.
 
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