It seems to me sometimes that people might be a little too quick to mod their gear for some sort of benefit whether real or imagined. For example, there is a fairly popular mod for the Boss Blues Driver BD-2 pedal, and on You \tube I saw a video of a guy doing a side by side comparison between a stock and a modded BD-2, playing the same riffs on similar settings and such - once clean, once modded, and once stock. After about ten minutes of this the guy started to rave about how much better the pedal was with the mod. I personally noticed little difference in tone other than the stock was a little brighter and slightly quieter. It really seems to me the mod was likely not worth the cost and effort for such a small change. Of course that is a rather subjective conclusion on my part, but when I see how quick some folk are wanting to mod their gear, sometimes before they even get ahold of it, how much of this desire is generated by popular opinion rather than an actual benefit? Like swapping out pickups on a MIM Fender or the tubes or speakers on an amp seems like almost a given to some people before they even buy the damn thing. What do you think?

The speaker change is the one I hear the most. If you don't like the sound of the stock amp, why did you buy it?

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Don't worry, Be happy.

I think it's because a lot of people just like to tinker and piddle, then profess their own expertise in the printed word. IMHO, a bunch of good guitars and gear have been unjustly molested for this reason. Or maybe they bought their gear at Guitar Center after it had been abused and drooled upon by the Saturday Morning Shredders..................pity.
"DUDE.......STAIRWAY!!!!!!"

I agree with you Bathead. I'm an anti-modder myself. What burns me the most is when I read posts from people who have ordered a guitar or amp mail order and then start asking about mods before they even have the object in hand. Sheesh!

I'm in the anti modding club! I think that Fender has been doing this alot longer than I have and when I plug anyone of my beautiful Teles or my Strat into my SCXD...tone magic!!! Life is good! My only mod...Grolsch seals for guitar strap locks...

Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-mod by any means. It just seems silly to me that some seem to think that modding is what you need to do when you get musical gear. I just got a brand new MIM Strat and SCXD amp, and (for the moment, at least) I'm quite satisfied with them, as is. The thing is I've seen,in these forums alone, people who plan on getting these and similar pieces of gear, and are talking about how they're gonna change the pups and tremelo blocks in the MIM , or the tubes and speakers in the SCXD,as if that will somehow magically make them perfect. The impression I get is that these mods are what is "in" and unless you get them, then somehow your gear is not as good. I guess, just like anything else, musical gear is as subject to "trendiness" and what's fashionable as anyhting else, and that any supposed benefits are higly subjective and quite possibly imaginary.

I'm a confirmed anti-modder,if a guitar's or amp's tone doesn't suit you leave it in the store and keep looking,the next person may just love it.I see no valid reason for buying something you're not satisfied with and then going through the expense of getting it to sound like you want it to.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

So, I guess pro guitarists and techs around the world that mod their gear are jumping the gun???

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10-4 good buddy, over and out!

I've changed the pickups in every guitar I've purchased and in some instances, I've ordered the replacement pickups at the same time I ordered the guitar.

To me, changing pickups is not a mod. If I could only buy guitars that had the pickups I wanted in them, I would own fewer guitars and the ones I did own would all have to be custom made which is just crazy. I've been playing for long enough that I know what I like for pickups and I rarely find stock guitars that have pickup I like.

I also feel the same way about guitar finishes, though less so because that's a mod that's not easy to reverse, unlike changing pickups. I recently had my barely played American Deluxe Ash Strat refinished because I decided that 1 cherry sunburst guitar was enough and I wasn't going to refinish my LP Standard. The fact is I don't like a lot of the finishes that are available for guitars and even then, I like to personalize the look of my guitars. For the most part I don't like having guitars that looking like everyone elses.

I also just bought a NOS Deluxe American Tele and after restringing it once, I decided to order a set of Fender/Schaller locking tuners for it. I've been spoiled by having those on my Deluxe American Strat so I decided to get them for the Tele too. I was going to leave the tuners stock but locking tuners making restringing so much faster for me. I also may change the pickups in the Tele but I need to wait and see about those. If I do, I might try out a set of Bardens because I'm a big fan of Danny Gatton's tone and I wasn't going to shell the money for signature model. I also don't like vintage frets (like the Gatton signature model has) and I don't like 6 saddle bridges.

Modifying gear is a way to personalize it to suit your specific needs and I see nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately for some folks, they modify their gear when they really don't know what they're doing or why they're doing it. They sometimes buy into the hype of "I need the latest and greatest".

It may not be accurate to say that anyone who mods their equipment are "jumping the gun." But, there is without a doubt validity to much of what I've read in this thread so far.

I am definetly pro-mod. At this point I only have one guitar (out of 5) that remains stock, and even it is destined to be refit with a set of burstbucker pups. I have also bought a guitar and ordered mod parts for it before actually taking possesion of said guitar, but not before having demo'd the guitar extensively to define its weak points or areas where for whatever reason some aspect didnt perform to my needs. In fact I have yet to wrap my hands around a guitar that i was totally content with in its stock form. I believe the question of, "to mod or not to mod" is a personal choice to which there is no "right" answer. Mods can take the bones of an already good guitar and hone it to its owners specific needs.

Now having said that, I must agree that there are and will always be "popular" mod trends that some people jump on just for the sake of keeping up with the jones'. But I still dont think it my place to judge those who do so. My take on it is, if i'm not paying for it or having to play on it, more power to them!

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"I started out with nothing, and still have most of it"

I am one of those that does things to every single guitar I buy to personalize it. Sometimes it is as little as putting on straplocks and sometimes as much as replacing everything except the body and neck. It all depends on what I see in the guitar.

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Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

I will never fault someone for wanting to mod their equipment. I am a firm believer in making one's intrument their own.

Honestly I do not know anyone who hasn't done some sort of modification to their guitar. Changing a pick guard, using other than Fender strings recommended for that guitar, installing strap locks, changing pickups, blocking a tremolo, not having the slight float on the Trem, lowering or raising the action, or even just adjusting the pickup heights. EVERYONE TINKERS.

And it is easy to see potential in a piece of equipment when you know what you want and how to achieve it.

RK

I dont think the OP was against modding all together. I think the problem lies in the fact that some people mod the gear before they have even played it stock. If you reaaaaly like hotrails in a tele and you buy a tele looking to put hotrails in it that makes sense, but ordering an amp along with 12 different transformer mods speaker swaps etc. seems silly. Play it first.

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-Fender 92' Telecaster unknown
- 2007 Gretsch 6118T
- Ibanez 02' AF85 Artcore hollowbody, modded
- Epiphone Firebird
- Line 6 Variaxe 300
- Squire strat (refinished)
- 2008 Fender Supersonic
- Fender Blues Junior (original)

I bought My Highway 1 Stratocaster knowing that I would probably change the SC bridge pickup in the future (which I did). I bought this guitar because of how it played. I liked the way it played, the finish, and the neck and middle pickups. I played other Highway 1's, MIM Standards, Lone Star Strats, American Standards, Road House, and Classic Player models when I was in the 3 different different guitar shops, and none of them called to me to buy them. This one called to me when I started playing. I played it for almost an hour before taking it up to the register to buy it.

I did try to leave it unmodified for almost 6 months before I modified it. All I can say is I have the guitar of my dreams and do not regret changing anything. Again if you know how to get the sound you want and have the money to do it, then do it. And this was an answer to the OP's comment:





RK

I have specific speakers I want in my amps, so they get changed right away.

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Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
Authorized WD Music Products Dealer
F/A Official Southpaw Compliance Certification Tester http://faamps.com/

http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.