Little changes that have a big impact

[waltschwarzkopf]

Hello, World!

I have a guitar that I have been modding over the years. Although she is just a "Rocket Special" (Marshall starter pack) and I've had many better guitars over the years, I will always keep it since she was a Xmas present from my dad, and also my first electric guitar ever. I usually play classic rock, some Metallica and try to learn some DT/Petrucci songs.

Here are the mods done so far:

• Replace 21 fret maple/rosewood neck with a 22 fret single piece maple one
• Isolate pickup cavities
• Replace pickups and all electronics, by a single Gibson 498T and a single volume labeled "Tone"
• Remove tremolo springs and block bridge with a wooden block (Clapton style?)
• I installed the neck and calibrated her all by myself, so she is well intonated and the action is just right.

The body is basswood with a thick black coat, I will keep it as is as it has collected different scars over the years.

You can see her in the pics below. I have a few questions and ideas too. But the main one is in the title, since the guitar is almost finished, "What little changes can I do that will have a big impact on the sound and playability"?

• I think it sounds a bit too high for my taste. So I'm thinking about adding a tone control?
• I saw a used Dimarzio DP159 Evolution Bridge that I'm tempted to buy and install. Any knows how it compares to the 498T? I like Steve Vai's sound a lot.
• Some of the machine heads are a bit stiff, and since they are the original cheaper ones, I might replace them with some Wilkinson EZ-LOK ones for better tuning and stability.
• The neck is on bare wood and has a (strange to me) dry feel. I have a Gibson Care Kit (Low Abrasion Metal Cream, Premier Fretboard Conditioner, Pump Polish Finishing Cream). Can I use some of these products to clean and seal it?
• I think, that some of the fret edges are a bit sharp. How can I smooth them out?
• I like the all-black body look, but I'm tempted to swap the pickguard for a pearl-white one to make her look more elegant.
• In my opinion, it sounds well. Would she benefit from a Black TUSQ nut and/or bridge saddles? Anyone ever used Graph Tech products?
• Since the HB is wired in series it is a one sound guitar, which is fine by me, but sometimes I wish it would do a bit more. I thought about adding a switch to change the wiring from series to parallel and (maybe) out-of-phase too. Would this be a noticeable difference?
• Last, the third & fourth pics show a custom Halo guitar that I designed on their website. I understand that they make custom hand made guitars to each one's specification. This "copy" of mine would cost over 2k with almost identical specifications. What would be so different about them?

What do you think?

Any thoughts and ideas will be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
Walt

 

[alex1fly]

Awesome project! I like the black pickguard personally. Looks wise, the black tuners look off to me though. Chrome or nickel would blend in better with the maple think, I think. And if you're upgrading tuners, may as well get locking tuners for the extra $10 and for some added stability and faster string changes.

Fret ends - smooth ones make a big difference. I've done this on a couple beaters and it *worked* but definitely chipped the finish. Was not as easy for me as Youtube made it seem.

Pickup swaps are fun, not always an improvement but could definitely be an improvement. A tone control is very useful IMO. More switching options could be fun, but I'd start with the tone control and potential pickup swap and really dial that in first. You can get tons of tones from 1 pickup, 1 volume, 1 tone.

Replacing the nut or saddles isn't really worthwhile *just because* IMO. Replace these only if they are not functioning properly.

A yuuuuuuge improvement would be to polish the frets! This makes a massive difference in playability.

 

[waltschwarzkopf]

Awesome project! … And if you're upgrading tuners, may as well get locking tuners for the extra $10 and for some added stability and faster string changes.

Fret ends - smooth ones make a big difference. … Was not as easy for me as Youtube made it seem.

… I'd start with the tone control and potential pickup swap and really dial that in first. You can get tons of tones from 1 pickup, 1 volume, 1 tone.

Replacing the nut or saddles isn't really worthwhile *just because* IMO. …

A yuuuuuuge improvement would be to polish the frets! This makes a massive difference in playability.

Hi Alex,

I’m glad you like my project!

I’ll start with the tone before changing the pickup. I guess I never really learned to use the tone control, as I always had it on 10 and just changed the pickup position. But now I can really experiments with it and with capacitor value.

I guess I better be careful with the fret ends so I don’t mess anything up. Luckily the neck is still unfinished. And I’ll have a look at how to polish the frets too!

I’ll leave the nut and saddle as is for now, and upgrade the tuners because they are calling for it.

Thanks again and I’ll keep you all posted!

Cheers,
Walt


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[Benjy_26]

I'd get the frets polished, leveled, and trimmed, throw some gunstock wax on the neck, locking tuners for convenience, and maybe a pickup swap if you really aren't gelling with the 498.

 

[Mincer]

Graph Tech is good stuff. I use it on many guitars. As far as sealing the neck, you can clean it with Murphy's Oil Soap, and then seal it with Birchwood Casey gunstock wax, which is what Music Man uses on bare wood necks. I always think a tone knob is a good idea, and you are really hearing the tone of that pickup. If there are too many highs, you have other choices. I love the Custom Custom, which no one will ever say has too much high end.

 

[alex1fly]

I'd get the frets polished, leveled, and trimmed, throw some gunstock wax on the neck, locking tuners for convenience, and maybe a pickup swap if you really aren't gelling with the 498.

Yeah, no reason to toss the 498 unless you really dislike it or really want to try something else.

 

[AdrianSD]

Very nice project right there! For guitar upgrades, tone and playability there are other folks infinitely better qualified than me to come up with the right advice. What I've found in my experience is that the choice of amp, speaker and pedal(s) can have a serious impact on the tone. Speakers like WGS Veteran 30 or Eminence Swamp Thang are darker sounding and pair well with a bright sounding guitar. Also rolling back the presence makes a big difference. Enjoy your journey

 

[eclecticsynergy]

+1 on a tone control. Will make the 498T a lot more versatile.

And a BIG plus 1 on the gunstock wax. Absolutely love the feel of my MusicMan necks.

 

[waltschwarzkopf]

…As far as sealing the neck, you can clean it with Murphy's Oil Soap, and then seal it with Birchwood Casey gunstock wax, which is what Music Man uses on bare wood necks. ….

Excellent idea! It is exactly what MM use, I just looked it up under Neck Finish it says: “Gunstock oil and hand-rubbed special wax blend”.

I have not found that exact product locally (Switzerland) but I found a colorless antique wax, I guess that should work. Any components that I should look for or avoid?


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[waltschwarzkopf]

Yeah, no reason to toss the 498 unless you really dislike it or really want to try something else.

Okey dokey. I don’t dislike it at all, I was happy with it for a while. It is just that the other day I found it a bit too high. But I’ll try to fix that with a tone control!


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[NegativeEase]

Nice, ...that guitar is a true "Ship of Theseus"

I would definitely change the machine heads if you are dissatisfied. My faves for 6 inline are Sperzel and Schaller lockers

Have you tried lightly sanding your neck longways with 800/1000 grit steel wool scour pads? that gets rid of that feeling you describe. I personally hate finished tacky necks
You can knock fret edges with the pads too.

I prefer all black guitar to white pickguard.

I use graphtech saddles and nuts on travel guitars because the guitar stays in tune better, but it's not going to really "improve" you tone -just slightly warm/mellow it though

Lastly, If it were me -I'd make a graphic honoring my dad on a waterslide decal (just like the pros) for the headstock if it were me, whatever you got going on right now could be improved -is it tape?

Have fun!

 

[solspirit]

Somebody on the forum is selling locking tuners in the trading room.
. I've got a brand new set of Wilkinson EZ lock tuners that I do not like. My advice would be to use Sperzel, Schaller, or Hip Shot.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

I'd recommend Burt's Feed & Wax Beeswax as an alternative for the neck. I strip the poly finishes from all my maple necks, rub in a light coating of tung oil, then finish with the Burt's. Everybody says Tru-oil is superior to tung oil, but I'm using up an old can. I got an EBMM John Petrucci guitar recently, and the neck feels very similar to the ones I do with the oil & wax.

My PRS has Graph Tec saddle savers, no complaints.

 

[waltschwarzkopf]

Nice, ...that guitar is a true "Ship of Theseus" ...

Have you tried lightly sanding your neck longways with 800/1000 grit steel wool scour pads? ... You can knock fret edges with the pads too. ...

Lastly, If it were me -I'd make a graphic honoring my dad on a waterslide decal (just like the pros) for the headstock if it were me, whatever you got going on right now could be improved -is it tape?

Have fun!

I was not familiar with the "Ship of Theseus", but it fits perfectly. TBH, a while ago I was thinking about creating a philosophical post on how much you can change on a guitar and still call it the same guitar...

I'll try sanding the neck, but I also want something to seal and protect it once I finish. So I'll try a colorless oil and then some wax on top.

Great Idea about the waterslide decal. I used to have a picture of him playing guitar, I'll see if I can find it and make something cool of it. Yeah, it is just a piece of masking tape on which I wrote "Proto 01" as this is still a prototype and my first one.

 

[waltschwarzkopf]

Somebody on the forum is selling locking tuners in the trading room.
. I've got a brand new set of Wilkinson EZ lock tuners that I do not like. My advice would be to use Sperzel, Schaller, or Hip Shot.

Good to know, I just found out that the Wilkinsons are not really locking, but just a fancy 2-hole system to help you tie the string around the post, I've been doing that with the normal posts with no problems.

Locally, I can only find the normal Gotohs for around 40 bucks and then the D'Addario's Plane Waves locking for about 90-100 bucks, which is abig difference and makes me think if I really need them. I also saw the Graph Tech Ratios, which have different gear ratios for each string and claim to bea faster and easier to tune and retune, as a whole turn is about half a step, but are very pricey, ca. 120 bucks locally. Although they seem pretty cool, I only play on standard tuning, so detunign and changing tunings is not an issue for me. Has anybody used these ones?

 

[waltschwarzkopf]

I'd recommend Burt's Feed & Wax Beeswax as an alternative for the neck. I strip the poly finishes from all my maple necks, rub in a light coating of tung oil, then finish with the Burt's. Everybody says Tru-oil is superior to tung oil, but I'm using up an old can. I got an EBMM John Petrucci guitar recently, and the neck feels very similar to the ones I do with the oil & wax.

My PRS has Graph Tec saddle savers, no complaints.

Thanks for the tip! A former colleague of mine is into woodworking and makes his own furniture, I'lll see if he can let me borrow some oil and wax to finish the neck. Locally, I cannot find and the stuff that everyone is recommending, so I'll see if he has something equivalent.

A quick question on the tung oil. Does this mantain the natural tone to the wood? I saw on wikipedia and I was wondring if lineseedoil, which is the main component of tru-oil, would give a yellowish darker color to it. I would not like to change the color to much, so tung oil may be a better solution for me.

Another question. Can I askip the oiling process and apply the wax directly? This may mantain the tone of the wood as is, right? Or will I miss some important process that the oil is going to play?

 

[waltschwarzkopf]

Alright!

Thank you all for the great suggestions and valuable comments! I now have a clearer idea of what to do and in which order of priority. I guess I'll start by finishing the neck and then move onto the electronics. Since this is my only guitar at the moment, I may need to find a temporary one to be able to play in the meantime. Otherwise I'll get anxious and try to finish things too fast and cut some corners.

I've made a shopping list of all needed and ideal components and things seem to be within reach. I'll invest some time into how to do things in order to minimize the chances of messing up

Here is my plan, in order of priority.

1. Remove neck, hardware and electronics.
2. Level and polish frets.
3. Order and install new machine heads. Still undecided if go for locking or non-locking...
4. Fill up remaning holes in the wood, sand, apply oil and wax the neck.
5. Move pickup and volume to my experimental pickguard. Install tone pot with a temporary switching system to try different capacitor values.
6. Assemble guitar to try the feeling, tuning stability and sound.
7. Try it for at least a week to see what I like best and decide what stays and what goes.
8. Move electronics to the final pickguard (black pearl) and reinstall all components.
9. Enjoy the finished guitar!

I have some other ideas, that based on your comments and the current state of the guitar are not needed, but more optional if I want them. So I can leave them for later.

Here they are in no particular order:

• String trees
• New TUSQ nut, maybe compensated
• Stainless steel frets
• Matching black strap locks
• Graphtech saddles

What do you think?

Anything that I should do differently? Am I missing any important steps?

Stay tuned because I'll keep you posted as much as I can. Nothing is set in stone yet.

Cheers,
Walter

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Thanks for the tip! A former colleague of mine is into woodworking and makes his own furniture, I'lll see if he can let me borrow some oil and wax to finish the neck. Locally, I cannot find and the stuff that everyone is recommending, so I'll see if he has something equivalent.

A quick question on the tung oil. Does this mantain the natural tone to the wood? I saw on wikipedia and I was wondring if lineseedoil, which is the main component of tru-oil, would give a yellowish darker color to it. I would not like to change the color to much, so tung oil may be a better solution for me.

Another question. Can I askip the oiling process and apply the wax directly? This may mantain the tone of the wood as is, right? Or will I miss some important process that the oil is going to play?

None of my necks have darkened from tung oil.

I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t just wax it. The Burt’s stuff I mentioned is cheap, and available in any hardware store in the US, more common than the gunstock wax.

I’ll second the recommendation to sand, but I’d recommend leaving a little texture. If the neck is glassy smooth, there’s more surface contact with you hand, which means more surface tension.

 

[playas]

Excellent idea! It is exactly what MM use, I just looked it up under Neck Finish it says: “Gunstock oil and hand-rubbed special wax blend”.

I have not found that exact product locally (Switzerland) but I found a colorless antique wax, I guess that should work. Any components that I should look for or avoid?


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In Europe it's sold under the brand name Baretta.
Not especially cheap but it can be found. I had to get it online, although I can't remember exactly where - I wasn't able to buy it directly from Birchwood Casey's site.

 

[waltschwarzkopf]

In Europe it's sold under the brand name Baretta. …

Thanks for the tip. I guess it is this one:

https://estore.beretta.com/en-eu/tru-oil/ol4000010009im01/

I also found a forum where they discussed hot to apply oil and wax to a gunstock. Coincidentally, it is exactly the same process that everyone was recommending on this thread.


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