What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

DisplacedHokie

DisplacedHokie

New member
Hi all, new member here. I wonder if anyone else has ever bought a "beater" only to find that it plays so good you want to show it some love. But, you feel bad spending $$$ on mods worth more than the whole guitar! Or, will excessive modding goof up the mojo?

Case in point, found this at Guitar Center one day for $20. Figured my kid could just bang on it. Got it home and it plays great! Really resonates, good neck, even the pickup is decent. I also really like the shape. Fret ends aren't great, and the knobs and pots suck, but otherwise very solid guitar. I've got it hung near my work desk so I can just grab it when the urge strikes. So, what should I do now? Thinking new electronics, maybe aluminum tread plate pickguard, and repaint/reshape the headstock to remove the name. I need another trem guitar...Kahler?

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And my other two guitars since everyone likes guitar picks...black is an Ibanez GAX70 my wife gave. Me in 2002 and my first guitar, a 1990 (bought new in 1991) restored/modded Ibanez EX170.

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Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

Personally, I wouldn't bother modding that guitar. Just keep it for a good beater guitar, or give it to your son like you said
 
Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

Keep it as is and use it to show off your chops.

Nothing embarrasses a cork sniffer worse than when his $5000 custom shop guitar gets beaten by a First Act starter kit guitar.
 
Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

I use guitars like that for wiring experiments. I bought a couple Melody Makers for that reason. The only reason to keep a beater stock is if you think it has some rarity/auction value - possibly years down the road. (Even Melody Makers from the 1960s that have been messed with can break $1000 when sold now. Stock ones sell even higher.)
 
Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

Swap the pickup and pots. Install new tuners and a new nut. Make whatever cosmetic changes you want.

Enjoy.
 
Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

Now there is the ideal situation. Good tone and not much $$$
 
Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

i'd at least mess with the pickup and pots, you can always change it back
 
Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

Actually I would give it to the kid... nothing like a decent playing instrument to keep a kid interested in playing guitar. I had many friends that quit trying to learn cause they had acoustics with barb wire fret end and mile high action... and if he decides to beat it up some your out nothing.
 
Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

Put a Mighty Mite Motherbucker in it and severely embarrass your friends by how good it sounds.
 
Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

Don't let the it's "a $20 guitar" stop you from making some small improvements to make it better. You can always remove any better parts at a future date. I got a Johnson sunburst strat at Goodwill for $15. The body is light & resonant, it's got a round fat neck, good frets. Plays & sounds great straight to amp & takes the pedals well. Ugly Vox lookin' headstoke other than that. It's a fun beater.
 
Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

dont change it unless you gotta... or just personal preference of liking something more then go for it!!! cant beat these great deals
 
Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

Personally I'd first work on the frets, nut, fretboard and back of neck (if necessary of course), then swap out electronics and pickup.
I also wouldn't shy away from minor, reversible cosmetic mods.

Other than that, depends on how much I'd like it though I doubt I'd swap the bridge for a trem, once drilled those holes/routes would always be there.
I also wouldn't swap the tuners unless they slipped, going out of tune.
Shaping the headstock, nah, too much work with no real return...
 
Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

Thats funny, a friend of mine just got that same guitar in a trade & said he cant believe how well it plays. First act also makes high end guitars, so they definitely know how to build a good guitar. :)
 
Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

Man you gotta great deal there. You couldn't buy 1/10th of the PARTS of a guitar for $20, let alone something you dig playing. I say leave it stock and just rock out.

ANd sorry to take your post OT but how do you like the green strings on your Ibby? I kind of want a set of those cause they look kool, but I don't wanna spend the $ if they stink.
 
Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

I had an Epiphone LP Jr. that I kept around cause it had that weird mojo you speak of. One day I put my old Gibson Burstbucker Pro in it and replaced the pots and caps with CTS and orange drops, and after that it wasn't as much fun. That crappy stock pickup had a chunky low end and more output that the BB Pro, and apparently it just worked for me. I say, don't fix what ain't broke. You and your kid can have fun playing around on it as is.
 
Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

dominus said:
Swap the pickup and pots. Install new tuners and a new nut. Make whatever cosmetic changes you want.

Enjoy.
Click to expand...

+1

... and no trem please. That will ruin the mojo. My 2 cents.
 
Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

Hold. I have the perfect compromise. Give the guitar to your son, let him play and get better on it, let him learn about guitaring and gear, work to earn enough money to mod it, and with your advice, let him upgrade it as he chooses. When he is proficient enough with guitars, then you can let him buy a better one, and know you have benefited as much as you could with that $20 guitar.
 
Re: What to do with a $20 guitar (when it plays TOO good).

Letus said:
Hold. I have the perfect compromise. Give the guitar to your son, let him play and get better on it, let him learn about guitaring and gear, work to earn enough money to mod it, and with your advice, let him upgrade it as he chooses. When he is proficient enough with guitars, then you can let him buy a better one, and know you have benefited as much as you could with that $20 guitar.
Click to expand...

I hope his son first focuses on getting better at his Englishing and his spelling, before he focuses on his guitaring.
 
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