Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

[Artie]

I love the neck and action on both my Peavey's, but I was a bit dismayed to see that it had a laminate body. I think I possess the skill, shop, and tools to make a duplicate out of a nice piece of USACG Swamp Ash or Mahogany. I'm also not too crazy about the bridge, and would probably replace it with a nice Hipshot. Since I've already replaced the entire electronics and pickguard, that would pretty much leave me with a complete Peavey Patriot guitar, minus neck, in a closet.

The only part of the "new" guitar that was still Peavey would be the neck.
Which means, of course, I could put the neck back on the Peavey, and sell it for enough to buy a custom neck - thus having a whole new custom guitar.

See what I'm getting at. When do you stop "modding"?
When is enough enough.

I imagine that several forum folks have run into this situation before.
What do you think?

(But I like that dang Peavey neck soooo much.) :smack:

 

[Curly]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

I probably like building new ones better than modding old ones.

but the feel of the neck is maybe the most critical part, IMHO ... if you like the neck on a guitar, you're likely to spend more time playing it, and if you need to, you'll find a way to get your tone

 

[beandip]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

I think I stop when the guitar falls apart. LOL

 

[Sequanselar]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

I only mod when I know it will work out and be a billion times better, or if it is reversible. If I can take back what was done if I don't like it.

And, just so everyone knows, Laminate bodies aren't bad, sometimes. Take Alder/Mahogany laminate bodies, for example. if it is just a mutt guitar a little crap wood here, a little crap wood there, all glued together, I can understand hating it. BUT there's some really good sounding laminates out there.

 

[Artie]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

. . . BUT there's some really good sounding laminates out there.

Yeah, I like both my Peavey's a lot. I'ld love to take a little drive down to Tampa and see what someone like John, (Stratdeluxer97), thinks.
Trouble is - he's a "lefty".

 

[\m/(00)\m/]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

well is the body plywood?

is it colored natyrally like brown, whit, brown, white, etc. then it's plywood

and there is no line on modding.

 

[Metalman_666]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

for me I don't think I would do anything else that changing the pickups on a guitar. The more holes you put it in, the crappier it will sound.

 

[beandip]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

not really. I know a guy here locally who's strat weighed too much, so he drilled huge holes (about half an inch in diameter) in the body, and IMHO it sounded alot better. A bit more "airy" LOL

 

[Artie]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

well is the body plywood?

is it colored natyrally like brown, whit, brown, white, etc. then it's plywood

and there is no line on modding.

You can't really tell. I'll try to post some pic's next week when I take it back apart again.

You know how, with a "normal" hardwood body, you can see the "swirls" from the routing tool cutter? With this body, there are none of those markings. It looks like the individual layers had the control and pickup cavity "stamped" out of each layer, except the bottom. Then they put all the layers together, and dipped it in paint. You can see the individual layers, in the control cavity, underneath the paint. But the bottom of the control cavity is perfectly smooth - and completely painted.

Even the el-cheapo Johnson Strat that I have, shows the router swirls at the bottom of the control cavity.

 

[telerifik]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

Theres a line? shew who knew

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

The number of steps leading to I want gets smaller and smaller. I feel somewhat not that good about it sometimes. Experimenting is fun! Anyway, when I was doing my walnut hardtail H/x/H strat, I nailed it the first time. It has timbuckers and sounds soo good.

Now I am thinking of modding it. Not because it sounds bad, but because (1) My R7 with rolphs is killing my R8 with burstbuckers (2) Tim's pickups now have insane prices, on the LPF I saw somebody getting them at $500! VOW!!! I am sure in a year the price of these pickups in the warmoth will exceed the worth of the guitar! :saeek:

So tims will go into the R8, and that walnut will welcome a double cream 8.72/7.70K a5/a3 ant set. Should be great!

B

 

[kill your scene]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

This is usually a good time to admit you've done enough damage:

Billy Sheehan's extremely modified Fender. "The Wife".

 

[Dirtyking]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

The line for modding is when the mods cost more than a new guitar. To me neck and body feel are everything. Anything else can be replaced or upgraded. I have a Fender Squire that has an unreal maple neck and a basswood body. I'm gonna get a Swamp ash body "unfinished" so I can contour it to my design and just build a jammin strat. Everthing else on the old strat is in great shape. I bought it from some guy that had fender texas special pups put in it for $200. Not a bad deal, and I'm an SG guy.

 

[Dirtyking]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

This is usually a good time to admit you've done enough damage:

Billy Sheehan's extremely modified Fender. "The Wife".

Dude that thing is done. :laugh2:

 

[Artie]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

The line for modding is when the mods cost more than a new guitar.

As in-experienced as I am . . . you couldn't be more wrong.

You've left out "karma".

 

[BluesNRock87]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

i think its when either the neck or body is replaced, than its a new guitar, built from parts (assuming everytthing is aftermarket as well)

 

[tone4days]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

for me, the line is the neck and body ... everything else can be modded ad infinitum

cheers,
t4d

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

I don't do finish. I don't do the big stuff like replacing necks. But I can do a decent setup and I can wire a guitar, or replace pickups or strings.

I think where I draw the line is a guitar with a locking bridge. The only mod I have for them is to throw the P.O.S. out a window. I hate those damn things.

 

[Hellion]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

I stop modifying when the guitar feels right to me. Of course, that means, frets, pups, electronics, tuning heads, hardware, whatever...gets changed out. It's a hobby.

 

[beandip]

Re: Where do you "draw the line" on modding a guitar?

duuuuuuuude. I want that bass soooooo bad. Thats sooo fukkin sweet.