Am I the only one who has to f*** with their guitars just because?

[jackson1]

Dammit, why did I miss this refret job by dinkyguitar... would have asked for more pics. Looks like he has got the right equipment! Refret on a bound neck is difficult, I guess. I have a 475 neck that needs a refret as well. Must learn.

[*Jackson*]

I live by ONE RULE: If it Ain't Broke Don't to Fix it!

I have done my share of upgrades to guitars but if the thing sounds good then leave it. I had a Jackson with HZ3 in it and I swapped them out for Symour Duncan Dime and SH2 and redid the wire harness(cts pots orange drop and tone bleed) and added a 5 way super switch that helped a lot to my ears. But it also cost like $220 atleast 5 years ago and the guitar DXMG was only like 499.

[scabaway]

I do not own a guitar that has not been modded.......

[ps43203]

I can't help but fu@k with them. That's why I don't have any $$$ USA's or les Paulas. I go for functionality, not collectability. I have never sold a guitar, and only if life gets real bad, never will. My guitars have been 3 different colors, then veneered. All grow with me, as I get older the more I'm into pretty wood and shit. It's all good if it makes you HAPPY!

[vklobucar]

"Do I smell a Phil Collen there? 13 gauge strings, DiMarzio Super 3, Big Block...Phil?'

ya Phil was a mega influence growing up and after playing his guitar more than a few times his advice really stuck to me. That and having owned some 6-7 PC1's too!

[hairy-dude]

I love buying cheap guitars and messing with them. Standard mods for me are usually new pickups and wiring, tuners, Schaller strap locks, and sometimes nuts and saddles. I also do all my own setups, and refrets and fret levelling. I also recently put together a parts mutt to create a custom, which probably cost me between $500-$600, and is what I was after, rather than spending money on a Custom Shop guitar.

One thing I am hopeless at is making my own pickguards. None of my attempts have been anything more than ugliest pickup holders you could imagine. I leave that job to professionals, or purchase ready made ones when I can.

Soon I want to experiment with refinishing bodies and necks. I have sanded a strat copy back to bare wood, and will repaint it. I also have a neck or two here I want to refinish to improve how they feel.

This should all help to keep me poor!

[ps43203]

Just for fun, here's a couple of my intermediate attempts at refinishing. Not exactly pro quality but, that's how you learn. In the process of tuning them both up, finish wise. I've learned a ton and putting my updated skills into my model 6, which I started documenting here. Need to get a hold of a camera again, so I post more pics.

[kudogg]

Hi All,

No matter what I get, I always have to mess with it...I just can't leave it alone...

A few weeks ago I got a pair of 93 Dinky XL's..I've changed the humbucker on 1 to a SD Sreamin' Demon, then rewired both guitars using a heavier guage wire, replaced the pots with CTS ones, a CRL 5 way, switchcraft jack, orange drop cap, shielded both control cavities, both got 37mm brass blocks, all new screws, etc. Plus while all the electronics were out, I bought 3M scratch remover and poliched both guitars...the list goes on..

Is it just me? It seems like I'm doing all this and playing less..

I got to say....both guitars do sound better and practically play by themselves..

dinkyguitar

AS long as you finish that's cool... I've been starting, then getting lazy, then letting some of my projects sit forever!!!

[mjtripper]

Nope, never done that

Kramer2.jpg

Never thought, hmmm, this would play better if only . . . .

Kramer1.jpg

[vklobucar]

So here is a recent buy that just got pretty much completely overhauled in the last few weeks.

I scored a super clean 1987 Charvel Model 3 and right away got down to work. The original pups were all pulled and a Super 3 was installed at the bridge while two hum cancelling dual rails were installed in place of those shitty and noisy Jackson single coils.

The pots are now CTS and the 5-way and jack is a proper Switchcraft. Sound better? Damm right!

The POS Jackson JT-6 was dumped for an OFR and a 42mm Brass Big Block was installed from www.floydroseupgrades.com

Strung up with GHS 13-54 and tuned down 1/2 a step. Finally some black Dunlop straplocks were added.

I am considering having my tech convert the Kahler locknut to a proper Floyd type in the next few weeks.

Mind you I got the better of the Kahler types that were sometimes installed on the Mode series but my D string is a little low in the nut slot so chances are the conversion will indeed take place.

IMHO this is every bit as good a guitar as say the new Charvel reissues and has that 25+ year old mojo as well!

Now its not only loads better than stock but it feels like it was built for me at the Jackson Custom Shop minus the 3k pricetag!

[ps43203]

That is a killer Charvel, nice job! Keep the floyd! I have a plan for mine which I'll post, some freaking day. Kids/Issues make me slooowww. Lol Keep the DIY Jackson's alive!!

[JACKSONFREAK]

I've fukked with my guitars and loved it so much it became my career. Been a guitar tech at GC for over a year now and loving it. Ive doneeverything on my guitars from the simple pup swap to complete rewires. My most recent task was a refret and reradius of the board. I did this to my star. Went from a 7.25 radius to a 12-16 compound radius with fall away past the 12th. Stripped the back of the neck down to the wood. Now my next task is to decide what to do with the bridge pup i made. I noticed the first string pole is not lined up any where near the string. So its at half volume and has no sustain. So i have to either swap it out for a f spaced pup or try to enlarge the cavity and move it slightly down.
Gil

[Torment Leaves Scars]

Guilty as charged. I wasn't happy with the setup on my new JS32 Warrior, so I probably spent a grand total of nearly 8 hours tweaking things. The factory setup was absolute ass.

To start off with, I adjusted the claw, bringing the bridge down flush with the body like it should have been in the first place, instead of totally tilted forward.

I wasn't happy with the string tension. I ditched the .010s for .009s, like it should've had from the factory in the first place. This slightly helped my issue.

Lastly, I adjusted the truss rod, and this pretty much got me where I wanted to be with the setup.