Most Overrated Modification

[Duncan]

Re: Most Overrated Modification

Out of Phase switches...Worthless tone, IMO.

Lew

I'd agree. Did my Custom with split wiring, phase push=pull pots, coil taps the whole works...

What was the outcome?

After not using any of that stuff, I stripped it all, put the RS kit with CTS audio taper 500k pots and Hoveland caps. Simple, great sound.

I agree with a previousn poster. After the first few days you practically never use that stuff again...

 

[Panzer]

Re: Most Overrated Modification

Active pickups. I hate those things, yet everyone else seems to praise them. My brother has a customized DWB2 Bass that he uses for gigs with his band, I sat there for 2 hours watching my bro's tech guy mess around with the amp because he thought it was blown. The battery in the Active pickup was just dead....Just imagine if it were to die onstage. WTH do active pickups do anyway? I have a 1982 Yamaha custom shop Bass, and I cant really tell the difference between mine without active pickups and my brothers with active pickups.

 

[rspst14]

Re: Most Overrated Modification

Monster cables...George L's and the high-end Planet Waves cables are every bit as good, without the ridiculous price tag.

Ryan

 

[southadc]

Re: Most Overrated Modification

Active pickups. I hate those things, yet everyone else seems to praise them. My brother has a customized DWB2 Bass that he uses for gigs with his band, I sat there for 2 hours watching my bro's tech guy mess around with the amp because he thought it was blown. The battery in the Active pickup was just dead....Just imagine if it were to die onstage. WTH do active pickups do anyway? I have a 1982 Yamaha custom shop Bass, and I cant really tell the difference between mine without active pickups and my brothers with active pickups.

The batteries take forever to die unless you leave the lead in when you're not playing

And then you can always carry spare batteries. I've got a bunch of batteries in my gig bag that have been taped up with insulating tape just for this purpose.

To address your question about what they do, I'm not sure about all the technical stuff, but they are quiet and to me they sound good. Some people don't like them though. I don't always like them; of the 2 guitars I use most, one is active, and one is passive with an active tone circuit in in case I ever feel the need to spend money on batteries for it Having a passive guitar as backup could be handy

 

[Hellion]

Re: Most Overrated Modification

Fretboard scalloping. A lot of my favorite players do it and I think if it works for you, then go for it. Personally, however, I don't find that it helps as much as some people would have you believe. You either have a light touch or you don't.

Scalloped necks aren't about a light touch. It requires more of an ear to play them, because it's too easy to go out of tune. I personally like scalloped boards, but I don't own any myself, because I think it weakens the neck to a terrifying degree.
My favorite peeve are brass nuts. They're totally awful with stainless steel strings and bind up horribly with same. Every guitar I've ever bought that had been cursed with a brass nut was promptly switched to a bone one.

 

[joelap]

Re: Most Overrated Modification

KILL SWITCHES! Unless you have a strat or tele type guitar and want to do Tom Morello type stuff (as in my case), just turn the volume knob to zero!

 

[Mincer]

Re: Most Overrated Modification

Scalloping is not the same as big frets! I hate big frets, yet love scalloping. It feels different.
That said, I think the Monster Cable scam is the biggest lie aimed at getting guitarist's money. George L's sound better and are cheaper, anyway. Almost all cables have lifetime warrantees these days- and there are *many* good choices. All that money spent on cables could have gone eleswhere in the chain.

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: Most Overrated Modification

Killswitches kick ass, It's much easier than turning your volume down to '0.' I prefer to have 1 volume for each pickup, set the neck to '0' when I'm not going to use it for a song, and kill it that way. Silence with the flip of my pickup selector.

 

[beandip]

Re: Most Overrated Modification

Hey, on my sunburst strat I have a stainless steal nut, balances out nicely between my slide and open strings, and I dont hear a drop in volume. The most aggrivating mod that I see at the local shop is a refret with big frets when the same size frets they have are just fine. Need one sweep w/ the fret leveler, a little buff and polish, and they wouldnt know they difference. But they insist on a refret because their frets are worn out.

 

[fusion101]

Re: Most Overrated Modification

scalloping is the best thing i ever did to my guitars, it helps everything: why are so many people saying its worthless