Customizing

Vacant

Have you ever customized a guitar? If so, what/how?

I've been thinking about completely re-doing a strat I got at a yard sale for $40. I've already made a custom logo to go on the headstock and applied it to my strat copy (the gloss is drying right now...and I'll post pics when its done). It's red and I'm going to go with a red-black-gold theme, if I don't feel like painting it.

I'd love to see your custom jobs, or at least hear about them. No jobs too big or small.

mccreadyisgod

Me? Customize? Hardly.

Took a 1998 Mexican Standard Tele and removed the neck pup, put an Esquire pickguard on it, and put a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder in the bridge. It was one hot little Esquire. Almost miss it... sold it a couple years ago.

My best current custom job is my Tele Deluxe. Took out the humbuckers, got a new pickguard, and put Fralin P-90's in it. It's a subtle tribute to Ed, or rather Ed's tone:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/mccreadyisgod/DeluxeBody.jpg

My other current custom is a Cort Explorer. I just swapped the pups, Epi Classic 57 in the neck and Hot 57 in the bridge. It's a very dark-sounding guitar, love it to death. It's a guilty pleasure:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/mccreadyisgod/Explorer.jpg

I have two currently awaiting surgery. The first is a Nashville Tele, I'm putting Fralin Hot-for-Strat pups in the neck and middle, and a Harmonic Design S90 in the bridge. New pickguard from Warmoth to finish it off. I have the Fralins and the pguard, just waiting on the S90:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/mccreadyisgod/Nashville2.jpg

And a goldtop Tele that's getting a Classic 57 in the neck and a Seymour Duncan '59 (open-coil zebra) in the bridge:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/mccreadyisgod/Goldtop2.jpg

I also recently picked up a Series 10 Tele that I'm going to turn into a plain hotrod Tele. Probably Seymour Duncan Hot Lead Stack in the bridge and a Vintage Stack in the neck. No pics yet, sorry. It's a surprisingly great guitar, I only paid $100 for it, but it's got a really strong body and a fabulous neck. Spent four hours cleaning the thing, an hour on the fretboard alone, but it's worth it. It's a beater, but it fills the one gap I had: a plain ol' Tele.

enharmonic

My customization takes the form of an entire custom design these days...from tone woods to pickups.

Then there's the things I like to do to all "stock" guitars tha need a little something...hardware upgrades, electronics...fun stuff

Vacant

So yesterday, I went a bit crazy and decided to start sanding that Squier to refinish it (to a natural finish). This is kinda pathetic, but I was too lazy to remove the wiring so I just duct taped it (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/whispere/guitar_day1.jpg).

I don't own a sander either, so I just went out and got sandpaper. And I bet you know how much fun THAT is!

Two days worth of sanding and the back is ALMOST clean:

Day1: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/whispere/guitar_day1_sanding.jpg

Day2: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/whispere/guitar_day2.jpg

Guess on that first day I got a little excited when I FINALLY got past the gloss and hit wood. Now THAT was a moment.

enharmonic

leave it like that...soooo indie

Vacant

enharmonic wrote:

leave it like that...soooo indie

but OF COURSE.


I think I've decided to finally dish out the dough for an electric sander. My arms hurts.