# What are your favorite mods...



## M3CHK1LLA (Aug 21, 2013)

anything goes...guitars, basses, amps, pedals, etc. also, include any tricks or tips you have that may help others. maybe you've seen something awesome someone else has done...share it. when you get new gear, what is the first thing(s) you do?


as for myself, when i get a guitar i like to:


add schaller strap locks that match the color of the hardware.
get an appropriate strap depending on the guitar style.
for pedals or guitars that require a 9v...i get lithium batteries


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## JosephAOI (Aug 21, 2013)

Move volume knob to tone position, leave tone at 10 inside control cavity. Talking Ibby RG format controls.


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## that short guy (Aug 21, 2013)

Schaller Strap locks with a leather strap
Moving getting rid of the the tone knob and replacing both pots with 2 1mg volume pots
and for some reason I almost always switch the pups... stupid dream tone chasing lol


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## patata (Aug 21, 2013)

Making my every instrument satin.


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## toiletstand (Aug 21, 2013)

maxofmetal, randy, technomancer..

oh wait

strap locks and with matching straps.


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## AwDeOh (Aug 21, 2013)

Installing a Neutrik locking jack in place of the regular piece of shit socket that most guitars have.. that little bastard that needs tightening up every 8.5 minutes. As a soundie, I did it to a heap of guitars for bands I worked with, and noticed a dramatic drop-off in the amount of "Turn my goddamn monitor.. uhh.. oh wait - the lead fell out!" incidents.

That, and pre-emptively putting a couple of matchsticks into the strap peg holes and re-screwing them.


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## Hankey (Aug 21, 2013)

JosephAOI said:


> Move volume knob to tone position, leave tone at 10 inside control cavity. Talking Ibby RG format controls.



This, although I prefer removing the tone pot alltogether. I also install Schaller straplocks on all my guitars...


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## Underworld (Aug 21, 2013)

Straplocks in a no brainer

Pickup swap about 80% of the time

Neck refinish is my favorite "heavy modification" - I usually remove about 1-2 mm of wood, change the shape, and finish the neck with gunstock wax. I have done it twice, and I think of doing it on a couple more guitars.


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## HUGH JAYNUS (Aug 21, 2013)

Earvana nut


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## celticelk (Aug 21, 2013)

Heavier strings. Stock string gauges on virtually all production guitars are too light for my tastes. I prefer 11-49 on standard-scale/tuning 6s, and equivalent-tension gauges on my ERGs.


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## The Spanish Inquisition (Aug 21, 2013)

Locking tuners, straplocks, aftermarket pickups if there are stock pickups in a guitar, a roller nut for my Bigsby equipped guitar, heavier strings.


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## Hammer (Aug 21, 2013)

Removing the finish on the back of the neck, removing the D and G string tree on Strats and scallops, at least on the last frets.


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## larry (Aug 21, 2013)

let's see:

- add loxx strap lock system to m8m. it works so well and has such a low/compact overall profile that i'd been fitting it to every guitar I intend to keep.

-planet waves auto-trim locking tuners. i'm not sure why these haven't caught on, they're very solid, high-quality machines and they cut the excess string off. the post and main post housing are milled from what feels like 304 stainless or even carbide hardened steel. I crank them down tight and the thumb screws haven't stripped or over spun on me yet. i'm on my third set, only because I have to buy two to upgrade 8 strings. bought the third set to complete the left-overs to make another full 8 . I hate to say it, but these are superior to sperzels, imo.

-added a highly-liquid MSA-R midi relay to my 2:100 so I can trigger the 'modern' voicing over midi. the whole project cost under a $100 and I now have a midi controllable 2:100. the pcb is small enough to fit inside the 2:100 chassis. 

-added CUI Inc. AC-DC internal power supplies to my power conditioner (12vdc), axe fx ultra (9vdc) and 2:100 (5vdc). what they do is convert line ac to what ever voltage dc you need; their footprint is tiny, operation is efficient, low heat and have not failed.

one in the ultra to facilitate internal 9v phantom power over midi. no more stupid wall warts. another in my furman pl-8 as a dedicated internal 12vdc tap for my shure wireless receiver. again no stupid wall wart and believe me it fits. 80% of my furman pl-8 is empty space  and the last one installed in my 2:100 to power the midi relay with 5vdc. 

-binder USA: used their locking circular connectors (15 pin) to make a 15 conductor cable to handle midi, phantom power, 2 trs lines and an additional 9v out from my midi controller in case I mount something to the pedal board later.

-bought an aluminum enclosure from pedal-parts to make a break-out box for all the shit above. also bought UV (sweet akuma purple) leds from there to change the mfc-5 leds from green to the aforementioned, sweet violet glow of sex.

-use guitar-cable/best-tronics for all my conduit and audio connector needs. the place is a major data-comm supplier, but I think the owner must be a total gearhead since the other half of the site is dedicated to supplying guitarists!! call 'em, they will take care of you. anyway, bought a bunch of switch-craft and neutrik plugs to diy cables and add trs receptacles to my mfc-5 to send expression pedal data over that 15 conductor conduit I mentioned earlier..

all that electronic tinkering went towards this:






*TL;DR* - revived a YLOD launch date PS3 thanks to gilksy and discovered how fun it is to tinker with electronics, then modded all my gear weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!


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## MF_Kitten (Aug 21, 2013)

remove middle single coils, put in 3-way switch. New pickups, always.

Also, one constant is ALWAYS REMOVE TONE POT and REPLACE WITH VOLUME. I never use tone pots, and never have. I find more use in a 3-way and two volume knobs. on my upcoming guitars I will have a series/parallell switch too though.


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## larry (Aug 21, 2013)

yeah, I definitely find the tone pot useless. I've only recently grown to accept the volume pot as a necessary evil, in case i'm without my rig. one mod i'm eager to learn is to replace my volume pot with a push-pull pot; in the 'pushed' position all tone controls would be bypassed effectively hard wiring the bridge pickup straight to the output jack. the 'pulled' position would restore normal functionality of all tone controls.

hopefully push/pull pots are ubiquitously built so as to facilitate what I described above. otherwise it would suck to have my volume pot sticking out 99% of the time. 

edit:
this mod will also look a whole lot cleaner than simply removing the neck pup and tone controls altogether, should I buy a production guitar cluttered with the usual fare.


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## canuck brian (Aug 21, 2013)

1) Remove tone pot and have the controls be the pickup selector and a volume.
2) put the volume as far away from the bridge pickup as possible.
3) cliplock strap
4) graphite nut if possible
5) pretend i have skillz


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## XxJoshxX (Aug 21, 2013)

toiletstand said:


> maxofmetal, randy, technomancer..
> 
> oh wait
> 
> strap locks and with matching straps.


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## Ironbird (Aug 21, 2013)

I do most of the stuff you guys mentioned, but there is an additional step which I take. Something many of you would shudder to even think about - replacing Floyds with Kahlers.


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## M3CHK1LLA (Aug 21, 2013)

i have a few with them, but i would eventually like to get sperzel locking tuners on all my guitars...

...at least my favorite guitars or the ones i play regularly.


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## UV7BK4LIFE (Aug 22, 2013)

I just realised I have swapped the bridge pickups of 7 out of 10 guitars I own:

1x P90 superdistortion
1x Bill Lawrence L500XL
2x DiMarzio X2N7
2x DiMarzio Blaze Custom
1x EMG 81-7

And Schaller straplock buttons on all of them, with a toothpick and some glue in the screw hole.


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## Rojne (Aug 22, 2013)

&#8226; DiMarzio ClipLock strap
&#8226; New pickups and electronics
&#8226; Foam behind the nut
&#8226; Foam underneath the springs on a trem-equipped guitar
&#8226; Remove truss-rod cover (for easy access)

I don't really mod that much, always try to get what I want as close as possible when I buy instruments and then do minor mod's to make it perfect if I have to!


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## mili9152 (Aug 22, 2013)

The guitars I buy are mainly used so the first thing I do is clean the fretboard, polish the frets, restring, and setup. I consider this a mod because it totally changes the instrument!

It's surprising the condition of guitars I buy, mostly from Craigslist. Ew...at least they're good bargains


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## Suitable (Aug 22, 2013)

Dunlop strap-locks with fat strap
Fret level (sometimes glue them) and dress
Pups if it need them
Refinish sometimes
Bias Class A/B amp higher for more throat
Thick Queensland Maple highly OverKill bracing 412b cab (pointed towards neighbours house for better tone  and sometime towards NZ for AwDeOh but the f..king Islands in the way...  )
Celestion V30's G12k100s in X pattern
Diezel Mod Boss MT-2


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## Mordacain (Aug 22, 2013)

Guitars:

Graphtech nut
Shave or Rolled fretboard edges (try to buy models with this already)
New pickups (almost universally)
Schaller Straplocks
Higher mass sustain blocks (if trem'd)

Amps:

Experiment with preamp tubes (both different makes & types in various slots)
Experiment with different output tube makes


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## craigny (Aug 22, 2013)

Pickups and straplocks all day. Once I started soldering my own it was off to the races. When I first started I used to pay to do swaps but with a little practice you find out that as long as your neat and careful it's easy and fun. Pots, switches, and output jacks too. It may seem trivial to the more expirenced modders/builders here but it liberated me when I started. I've also just completed my first refinish base/clear with all new electronics also. There's a thread here. Next I'd love to set up a workshop for total ground up builds. 11's on all guitars. 

Also, although not a mod but. setups....setups...setups... Did I mention setups. Learn how to do the basics. Again this saved me tons of $ and got me better results than I was getting at some techs. It is so easy to do basic truss rod adjs..action settings and learn to intonate your guitar. A couple of screwdrivers /Allen wrenches/ sockets,A straightedge, ruler, and a set of feeler gauges and you're in business.i


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## Baelzebeard (Aug 22, 2013)

Tone pot out. Series/parallel switch in, for at least the neck pup.

Passive pickups as needed.


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## StupidDav (Aug 22, 2013)

I've done a load of stuff to my 7620 -

Schaller strap locks

Lined the cavities with sticky back copper

Rewired the electronics:
- BKP 550k volume pot
- Tone pot removed
- Sprung 3 way switch
- Neck pickup coils wired in parallel
- Bridge pickup changed to Aftermath

Covered tone knob hole with plastic plug

Took foam out from underneath neck pickup to sit it as far down in the route as possible

Sanded neck down and tung oiled

Took strap pin from end of horn and moved to back of horn

Changed whammy bar hole for schaller floyd version

Upgraded bridge block with brass block

Removed trem springs and claw, blocked trem with two mahogany blocks

Rubber underneath string retainer to stop string vibrations on headstock (got that from 
reading the Meshuggah guitar tech's blog)

"Ebonised" fretboard with black stain

Painted cavity covers, tone pot cover and switch tip silver for a more metallic tone

Removed trussrod cover and stained wood underneath black

I think that's it, only thing left to do is to replace the wood screws holding the neck on with threaded bolts, and the neck will need re-oiling at some point; it's starting to look a bit grubby.

EDIT: These are all my favourite mods.


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## yingmin (Aug 22, 2013)

Blower switch and Graphtech Ghost synth output.


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## DanakinSkywalker (Aug 22, 2013)

1. Get a Dimarzio Straplock
2. Install
3. ?
4. ?
5. Profit!!


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## ThePhilosopher (Aug 22, 2013)

Graphtech Nut
Locking Tuners
Sanding finished necks
Open Tuning
Pickups
Piezo


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## tyler_faith_08 (Aug 23, 2013)

-Floyd Upgrades heavy block, noiseless springs, brass spring claw
-Setting the Floyd to dive only
-tone knob elimination
-smoothing fret edges
-rounding fretboard edges
-smoothing the tip of the locking nut where I always hit my ....ing indes knuckle
-superglue the jack
-push on the side of the volume knob and turn repeatedly until it turns really easy
-then setup.


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## Malkav (Aug 23, 2013)

* New strings and a setup (Just because it's common sense doesn't seem to mean it's commonplace)
* Schaller Straplocks.
* New Pickups as need be.
* Wire up a 5 way selector (Really don't understand how anyone would be okay with a 3 way if it's a blade style selector)
* Tremol-no if it's not a fixed bridge.
* Add capacitor to fix treble bleed issue, so when I roll my volume down the top end is retained.
* Add a tone knob if there isn't one (Have done this before, find them really useful )


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## M3CHK1LLA (Aug 23, 2013)

im really enjoying the input you guys have added...

...anyone else?


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## M3CHK1LLA (Aug 23, 2013)

yingmin said:


> Blower switch and Graphtech Ghost synth output.



i remember reading about a blower switch...

...remind me again what it does.


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## Malkav (Aug 23, 2013)

M3CHK1LLA said:


> i remember reading about a blower switch...
> 
> ...remind me again what it does.


 
Basically hardwires the pickup to the output completely bypassing the volume and tone pots, great for if you're a manipulate the tone from the guitar kinda guy cause you can thin out the gain and get a cleanerish sound (Depending on amp really) and then at the touch of a button unleash hellbent rock n roll fury, then touch that button again and slink back into your funk clean or whatever you were going for.

Also useful to get a little more top end and volume out a pickup for leads.


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## capoeiraesp (Aug 23, 2013)

Building a guitar from scratch.


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## Given To Fly (Aug 23, 2013)

M3CHK1LLA said:


> ...i get lithium batteries


Me too! Lithium batteries are fantastic! In an EMG equipped guitar I don't think a lithium 9v will ever die.


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## M3CHK1LLA (Aug 23, 2013)

Given To Fly said:


> Me too! Lithium batteries are fantastic! In an EMG equipped guitar I don't think a lithium 9v will ever die.



as long as the cable is not plugged in when not in use im told...


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## Jake (Aug 23, 2013)

Strap locks
Dimarzio or bkp pickups mainly
block trems or make dive only
remove tone pot


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## glassmoon0fo (Aug 24, 2013)

Treble bleed capacitor, pickup cavity shielding/padding, 5 way switch with coil tap or phase switching, and I make lots of use if the tone pot actually so on this site, leaving it may be considered a mos  if there's a neck finish, I always work it over with 0000 steel wool, but beyond that I don't have to mod often. Got a 2228 galaxy white coming in that I'm going to town on soon though, so I'll make sure to make it special for you guys


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## tyler_faith_08 (Aug 24, 2013)

M3CHK1LLA said:


> as long as the cable is not plugged in when not in use im told...


 
True. My DKMG went unplayed for over a year and the batteries were still good. If I keep it plugged in all the time, it drains the piss out of them.

Oh, and if it has EMG's 18v series/parallel mod. Double output, double the lifespan. 4 batteries in total. And move the 85 to the bridge in 6 strings.

EDIT: For clarification, I meant running the batteries in series parallel. Sorry about that.


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## M3CHK1LLA (Aug 27, 2013)

some pretty good stuff so far...


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## Given To Fly (Aug 27, 2013)

M3CHK1LLA said:


> as long as the cable is not plugged in when not in use im told...



I know, I wasn't being literal but I also can't remember the last time I had to change a battery in either of my guitars. 

Another "mod" is foam underneath direct mounted pickups. Allows you to raise them a little more.


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## M3CHK1LLA (Aug 31, 2013)

seems quit a few of us share the same mindset when getting a guitar...

...scary, isnt it? lol


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## Hollowway (Aug 31, 2013)

EMG 18V mod. I don't know who first thought of it, but I love it.


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## M3CHK1LLA (Sep 2, 2013)

Hollowway said:


> EMG 18V mod. I don't know who first thought of it, but I love it.



...whats the advantage? 


btw - al gore invented it while creating the interwebz.


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## Pikka Bird (Sep 2, 2013)

^It increases the headroom and makes it sound less compressed. I made a diagram for a 9v/18v switch that allows you to go back and forth between having the batteries connected parallel and serial. This gives you 18v on one setting and double battery life with even drain on the other.


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## M3CHK1LLA (Sep 7, 2013)

Pikka Bird said:


> ^It increases the headroom and makes it sound less compressed. I made a diagram for a 9v/18v switch that allows you to go back and forth between having the batteries connected parallel and serial. This gives you 18v on one setting and double battery life with even drain on the other.



yeah...post up the diagram


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## TheWarAgainstTime (Sep 7, 2013)

Removing tone knob (almost always) and putting the volume in the tone spot

Tremol-no or similar stopper in trem'd guitars

Dimarzio ClipLock strap


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## Tope (Sep 7, 2013)

Depends on the individual guitar, but some of my commonly used are:

>Dunlop / Ernie Ball Strap Locks (can't stand Schallers!!)

>New Pickups (mostly BKP)

>Re-fret with jumbo SS

>Locking Tuners (whichever brand will retrofit without modification)

>Bone nut

>Tremol-no on trem equipped guitars


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## FireInside (Sep 7, 2013)

Dimarzio Cliplock.
Pickups (as needed).
Faux binding (if it doesn't have real binding).
Remove tone and replace it with another volume.


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## Pikka Bird (Sep 8, 2013)

M3CHK1LLA said:


> yeah...post up the diagram



There ya go (the square is a DPDT switch):


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## M3CHK1LLA (Sep 9, 2013)

^ thank you sir


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## M3CHK1LLA (Sep 15, 2013)

i also like to get a strap to match each guitar.


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## BIG ND SWEATY (Sep 15, 2013)

no tone knob

new pickups

giving the neck a satin finish if its glossed


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## M3CHK1LLA (Sep 22, 2013)

tape and or foam on the trem springs.


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## JohnIce (Sep 23, 2013)

The first thing I do is convert that ....er to HSS :






It's a good mod when the guitar is completely and utterly bereft of resale value. Then I'm happy  I currently own 4 7-strings and all of them are HSS or SSS


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## M3CHK1LLA (Sep 26, 2013)

JohnIce said:


> The first thing I do is convert that ....er to HSS :
> It's a good mod when the guitar is completely and utterly bereft of resale value. Then I'm happy  I currently own 4 7-strings and all of them are HSS or SSS



thats almost as bad as h-h-0...

...almost


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## dedsouth333 (Sep 26, 2013)

I have no clue. I've never modded one. All of the guitars I've ever owned were either already modded or completely stock. I've been wanting to get into it for the past couple of years but wouldn't really know where to begin other than pup swaps 

I've been checking some out on here but I'm not entirely sure what all of them do 
Like removing the tone pot. Does that leave it like middle of the road, all the way on 10 or all the on 0? It may make me seem pretty dumb but I don't have a clue lol.


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## tedtan (Sep 27, 2013)

Removing the tone pot is like having the tone knob on 10, but a bit brighter.


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## dedsouth333 (Sep 27, 2013)

tedtan said:


> Removing the tone pot is like having the tone knob on 10, but a bit brighter.



Ok, awesome. Thanks!


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## Pikka Bird (Sep 27, 2013)

tedtan said:


> Removing the tone pot is like having the tone knob on 10, but a bit brighter.



You can achieve the same with a no load pot (which you can make from a regular pot if you dare)


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## dedsouth333 (Sep 27, 2013)

Pikka Bird said:


> You can achieve the same with a no load pot (which you can make from a regular pot if you dare)


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## Pikka Bird (Sep 27, 2013)

dedsouth333 said:


>



Well, just rip the back off and put a little dab of nail polish on the conductive part at the far end of the arc. When it dries fully you can then turn the pot to 10 (or 0) and the wiper will no longer be touching the path and the pot will effectively be disconnected from the circuit. I personally prefer to have the cutoff at the 0-end because I don't like the sound of the darkest setting at all, so to have that be the all-go position makes sense to me.

edit: you can also just cut the path with an exacto knife, like this guy does. That seems a little less elegant to me, though.


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## dedsouth333 (Sep 27, 2013)

Pikka Bird said:


> Well, just rip the back off and put a little dab of nail polish on the conductive part at the far end of the arc. When it dries fully you can then turn the pot to 10 (or 0) and the wiper will no longer be touching the path and the pot will effectively be disconnected from the circuit. I personally prefer to have the cutoff at the 0-end because I don't like the sound of the darkest setting at all, so to have that be the all-go position makes sense to me.



Oh... well that doesn't sound so bad 

Thanks guys.

Edit: I'm not sure if I missed the second half of this post all together or what but I was thinking the exact same thing about using the 0 position for the "full throttle" position and when I came back to ask it was right there


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## tedtan (Sep 27, 2013)

Pikka Bird said:


> You can achieve the same with a no load pot (which you can make from a regular pot if you dare)


 
I actually like to have a tone knob on my guitars, I just find them almost unusable because they get too dull too quickly, so I'm about to go through some of my guitars and correct this.

I don't know how useful it will be because most guys here seem to not like them and simply remove them altogether, but I'll post up a tutorial on how to make your tone knob useful if anyone is interested.


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## Pikka Bird (Sep 27, 2013)

tedtan said:


> I actually like to have a tone knob on my guitars, I just find them almost unusable because they get too dull too quickly, so I'm about to go through some of my guitars and correct this.
> 
> I don't know how useful it will be because most guys here seem to not like them and simply remove them altogether, but I'll post up a tutorial on how to make your tone knob useful if anyone is interested.



It'll still act exactly like a regular tone knob, except that one position will not filter the signal, so it's like being having your cake _and_ eating it.

But I'd like to see that tutorial none the less.


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## dedsouth333 (Sep 27, 2013)

tedtan said:


> I actually like to have a tone knob on my guitars, I just find them almost unusable because they get too dull too quickly, so I'm about to go through some of my guitars and correct this.
> 
> I don't know how useful it will be because most guys here seem to not like them and simply remove them altogether, but I'll post up a tutorial on how to make your tone knob useful if anyone is interested.



That would be awesome. I have one guitar that I actually use the tone knob on but I have to just barely move it to get what I want and it seems if I sneeze too hard it's back on 10


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## Yo_Wattup (Sep 27, 2013)

AwDeOh said:


> Installing a Neutrik locking jack in place of the regular piece of shit socket that most guitars have.. that little bastard that needs tightening up every 8.5 minutes. As a soundie, I did it to a heap of guitars for bands I worked with, and noticed a dramatic drop-off in the amount of "Turn my goddamn monitor.. uhh.. oh wait - the lead fell out!" incidents.



I loctite the jack thread. For anyone that hasn't used Loctite before it basically thread glue, used to make sure bolts never come loose. It works.

I've installed a killswitch on a guitar, I'm about to install a pickup selector switch on a bass instead of the stupid blend knob, of course pickup swaps whenever necessary, also I use big rubber washers on my strap buttons (not unlike those grolsch rubber cap things but black); much more discreet than strap locks and a lot cheaper. Oh an I replace the tips of my cables with 90 degree tips


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## ASoC (Sep 28, 2013)

Removal of the tone pot is a must for me, along with blocking off the trem, if it has one.

Dunlop Straploks, yes


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## Pikka Bird (Sep 28, 2013)

Yo_Wattup said:


> Oh an I replace the tips of my cables with 90 degree tips



Yeah, me too... I hate having them poke right out into dangerous conditions when they can sit flush and safe.


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## tedtan (Sep 28, 2013)

dedsouth333 said:


> That would be awesome. I have one guitar that I actually use the tone knob on but I have to just barely move it to get what I want and it seems if I sneeze too hard it's back on 10


 
Alright. It will be at least a couple of weeks before I start because I am still ordering parts (and may have my main guitar re-fretted first), but I'll post a tutorial on it before too long.


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## M3CHK1LLA (Sep 29, 2013)

Yo_Wattup said:


> I loctite the jack thread. For anyone that hasn't used Loctite before it basically thread glue, used to make sure bolts never come loose. It works.
> 
> I've installed a killswitch on a guitar, I'm about to install a pickup selector switch on a bass instead of the stupid blend knob, of course pickup swaps whenever necessary, also I use big rubber washers on my strap buttons (not unlike those grolsch rubber cap things but black); much more discreet than strap locks and a lot cheaper. Oh an I replace the tips of my cables with 90 degree tips



good idea on the 90 deg tip, I'm gonna adopt that.

on the locktite, i would use the blue instead of red just incase you ever need to remove it. the red requires heat to loosen it back up.


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## dedsouth333 (Sep 29, 2013)

M3CHK1LLA said:


> good idea on the 90 deg tip, I'm gonna adopt that.
> 
> on the locktite, i would use the blue instead of red just incase you ever need to remove it. the red requires heat to loosen it back up.



Very true. I know from experience, always use blue


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## nugget666 (Oct 3, 2013)

round fret ends like high end ibanez prestige's


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## charlessalvacion (Oct 4, 2013)

- Always make the neck satin finish.

- change pickups

- change nut to Graptech Tusq XLs on fixed bridge guitars.

- add locking tuners (if there is spare cash)


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## K3V1N SHR3DZ (Oct 4, 2013)

I have fallen in love with the FU Tone Trem Stopper. I'm sad that I lose the flutter, but I can change tunings on the fly and still do dives and dips, so it's worth it to me.


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## Youne (Oct 4, 2013)

- I always change the PU or at least the bridge PU.
- Change the string for light/regular (for standard 6 strings) and heavy bottom for 7 strings
- Check up of the whole guitar (neck, frets...)
- I oil the fretboard every 4 mounths

The basics... but the hell usefull !


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## lookslikemeband (Oct 4, 2013)

I always re-wire for a toggle switching....

100% use of straplocks

Change out pickups about 50% of time to PRS Tremonti Pickups


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## Jake (Oct 8, 2013)

K3V1N SHR3DZ said:


> I have fallen in love with the FU Tone Trem Stopper. I'm sad that I lose the flutter, but I can change tunings on the fly and still do dives and dips, so it's worth it to me.


same way I have my trems blocked, my tech just makes them out of an L bracket and screws, works fantastically


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## M3CHK1LLA (Nov 12, 2013)

^ that set screw looks like it needs a lock nut so it will not vibrate loose.


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## RGM8 (Nov 13, 2013)

If the pickups are muddy or not up to standard ,rip them out, chuck in whatever I want them to be, Dimarzio cliplock strap, new strings, new tuners and I usually take it apart as much as I can to sus out whats going on underneath.


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## Pikka Bird (Nov 13, 2013)

K3V1N SHR3DZ said:


>



How about this instantly reversible one using a slide bolt? I would guess it has too much wiggle, but I am in love with the general idea.


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## Prophetable (Nov 13, 2013)

I like that slide bolt. With a little thinking it'd be too easy to get it tight.


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## Metaldestroyerdennis (Nov 13, 2013)

If you're one who leaves the back plate off, that could be wonderful for live use, switch between full range and blocked in a couple seconds per song requirement.


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## Pikka Bird (Nov 14, 2013)

The downside is that it would essentially be dive-only, but if you want the extra beef that you get from tightening the springs so the trem block presses against the stopper then you wouldn't be able to switch from full float to dive-only without readjusting the springs.


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## Prophetable (Nov 15, 2013)

It'd be dive only in one position and regular in the other.


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## M3CHK1LLA (Nov 30, 2013)

i need to start changing strings more often...


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## RevChristoph (Nov 30, 2013)

I always set up, add strap locks, and restring to heavier gauge on every new guitar I get. On my universe, I added a killswitch. On my cheaper ibanez, I replaced the pickups (now passive, stock ones were active and sucked) and added a coil tap. 

When I had more cheaper guitars, I experimented with different paint jobs, I also once made an ibanez fretless. Wasn't really worth it so I ended up refretting the whole thing which it needed anyways.


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## Given To Fly (Nov 30, 2013)

Hollowway said:


> EMG 18V mod. I don't know who first thought of it, but I love it.



EMG requires up to 27 volts for some of their bass preamp pickup systems. So in case you were still wondering, EMG came up with the 18V mod.


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## sage (Dec 1, 2013)

Most of the guitars I've owned have been subject to one or more of the following:
Pickup swap. Sometimes even if the guitar isn't stock... I'm not brand loyal, either. Hell, I have an Ibanez with a Duncan in the bridge and a DiMarzio in the neck. EMGs? Yes, please. Motor City, Fender, Lace, Kent Armstrong... If I don't think I like the pickups, I'm happy to blow $200 unrecoupable dollars on pickups, easy. It's a sickness.
Strap locks or Clip-Lock straps. Not so much anymore. Actually, of 7 guitars, only two have strap locking systems now... It used to be all of them. Weird. 
Tusq/Graphtec nuts. This happens a lot. I definitely notice the difference in feel. 
Paint. I see a lightning bolt and I want to paint it black. 
Body. Yup, I've replaced a couple of bodies. Telecaster got a Telemaster body. Skeels's 7620 swirl got a new 7620 body with a monkey grip and lion claw carve. An old Yamaha got a Strat body (that was a disaster, trying to get the neck to fit the body).
Electronics. I like messing with wiring. Push/pull pots to mess with phasing is probably my favourite. I'd really like to get another Les Paul or 335 so I can do the Jimmy Page wiring thing on it. That would be fun. I'd probably never use it, but it'd be interesting to do. I might actually do one of those 13 sound Strat mods to my main Strat over the Xmas break.


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## Fretless (Dec 2, 2013)

If active; remove volume pot for a switch, remove tone pot and place a LED as a battery meter. My signature mod that I've done for all my active guitars, and to several of my friends guitars


I also love putting XLR outs on my instruments. My 6 string bass is a great example.


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## Pikka Bird (Dec 2, 2013)

Fretless said:


> I also love putting XLR outs on my instruments. My 6 string bass is a great example.



I'd actually really like to do that to all of mine, and do a corresponding mod to the input on my rig, but I haven't gotten around to it. Any ideas where to start?


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## ikarus (Dec 2, 2013)

Fretless said:


> I also love putting XLR outs on my instruments. My 6 string bass is a great example.



What is the idea behind this?


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## Fretless (Dec 2, 2013)

ikarus said:


> What is the idea behind this?



I have a DI circuit built into my bass for recording. I sometimes take the circuit out though since it adds a bit of weight to an already very heavy guitar. I prefer to use XLR cables, because they just feel more stable in terms of build quality for me when I don't use the DI circuit. It also helps keep the cable clutter down.


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## Pikka Bird (Dec 2, 2013)

ikarus said:


> What is the idea behind this?



Balanced audio enables you to to use pretty much any length of cable without having to worry about the added noise. There's no good reason I can think of why they haven't relpaced basically all audio jacks in the world.

...and I guess you could also "phantom power" your active pickups, removing the need for on-board batteries, as long as you don't want to go wireless.


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## Fretless (Dec 2, 2013)

Pikka Bird said:


> Balanced audio enables you to to use pretty much any length of cable without having to worry about the added noise. There's no good reason I can think of why they haven't relpaced basically all audio jacks in the world.
> 
> ...and I guess you could also "phantom power" your active pickups, removing the need for on-board batteries, as long as you don't want to go wireless.



The wireless part is the only reason I really have the standard jack anymore.


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## Konfyouzd (Dec 2, 2013)

Kill switch
Blower switch
Coil tap
Tremol-no
New pickups (duh...)


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## Prophetable (Dec 2, 2013)

Dunlop Straplok on both guitars. Pickup swap on one guitar and waiting on the new pickups for the other. Considering the sliding bolt trem block a couple posts up on my VMNT.






Also, I'm replacing the knobs in my RG8 with an independent volume pot for each pickup.


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## VBCheeseGrater (Dec 2, 2013)

-Velcro tape on my strap to reinforce my wireless clip.
-Block off any trem.
-I'll consider adding some colored knobs vs stock to set it apart.
-Rubber washers as strap locks. They work just as well (i've never had one fail) but are less bulky. Also the guitar stays stock with these.


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## djentychvggs (Dec 2, 2013)

-Dimarzio Cliplok strap
-Dimarzio Pickups
-Hipshot Locking tuners
-Hipshot Saddles
-An Occasional refinish
-3-way switch
-Graphtech Nut
-D'addario 10-59 for 7s, EB Skinny tops heavy bottoms (10-52) on 6s
-Annihilate the tone knob


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## GenghisChron (Dec 2, 2013)

- File down lower rg horn (always in the way for stretching)
- tung oil job on neck if uncomfortable 
- remove tone pots, sometimes ill move the volume in place or put in a ...
- kill switch or coil split
- high pass filter on volume
- always wanted to do the phase trick yngwie does on the middle and neck pick up of his strat
- move strap pins off top horn somewhere back center. I feel this make the guitar hang in a better position for doing wide stretches.
- paraffin wax pick ups
- some guitars I direct mount the pick ups


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## M3CHK1LLA (Jun 14, 2014)

im gonna start replacing most of my knobs with metal knurl ones.

i just prefer them.


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## M3CHK1LLA (Apr 17, 2017)

just ran across this on reverb, it reminded me of this thread...

https://reverb.com/news/top-five-guitars-to-mod


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## KnightBrolaire (Apr 17, 2017)

Pickup swaps 
Replacing knobs depending on the aesthetic i want( i love hipshot o rings and there's a ton of cool wooden ones on etsy too).
Tuners/bridge if needed or want a different look
Refinish if it's a natural maple top (i hate natural maple tops)
5 way switches or 3 way with push pullpots depending on the pickups/how lazy i want to be
Repositioning strap pins (did this with my strandberg because i hate having the strap pin dig into my chest)


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