To mod or not.

richardj · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2011 2:05 am

Hi, getting a brand new American Deluxe Strat. today, rosewood neck, in sunburst.

I have a wierd urge to make it 'mine' by fitting a lovely aged pearl pickguard and back plate I got from Warmoth and change the stock saddles for a set of KTS titanium I also already have. Really subjective question, does anybody think I should or shouldn't do this?

I know it will look better (to me) with the new plastics and definitely sound better (I have them on a another US Strat. and they really make it come alive) with the saddles, but is it a shame to mess with a brand new guitar?

Opinions?

mojjett · **Joined:** Sat Apr 02, 2011 9:49 am **Posts:** 441

Hi Richard, I understand the dilema. But if you don't want to void the warranty, you might want to reconsider.

Glenn Alves · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2011 3:02 am

I never quite understood the mod/frankenstein movement, not 2 say it's bad or anything just that Fender products have been used by the Majority of top Guitarist at one time or another and has been apart of the biggest hits in the modern history of music yet for some reason musicians think they can improve on the already proven :arrow:

Buxom · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2011 3:09 am

Mod it, but if you have a problem, put the other parts back on.

donnycraven · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2011 4:49 am

None of those are really modifications. They are all reverseable. Your not changing the electronics or anything. You can go back at anytime.
Aged pearl white is the best looking pickguard that and black pearl. I put an aged pearl white texas lonestar on my deluxe. Really adds class to an already top shelf guitar.

HWY1Strat · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2011 5:18 am

Glenn Alves wrote:

I never quite understood the mod/frankenstein movement, not 2 say it's bad or anything just that Fender products have been used by the Majority of top Guitarist at one time or another and has been apart of the biggest hits in the modern history of music yet for some reason musicians think they can improve on the already proven :arrow:

Plain and simple....FENDER is a business....who is in business for a profit.
To get a Stratocaster,American made,...(these days)...for under $1000.00.....there will be sacrifices made and corners cut. You WILL NOT get a set of PREMIUM pickups on there!
Especially Fender's humbuckers!! They SUCK!! They just CANNOT do a really good humbucker!!
I have many HSS formatted Strats and I've QUICKLY ditched all the crappy Enforcer and Atomic humbuckers and put in better ones!

While any of our favorite rock star's Fenders APPEAR to be stock....more than likely they're NOT!
These people have had guitar techs who , on many occasion, "altered" their boss's instrument to taste.
If you've read the book "The Wall of Fame: New York City's Legendary Manny's Music "....the owner at the time..Henry...clearly states that he changed/altered/tweaked Jimi Hendrix's Stratocasters when he bought them!

ALL my Fender Strats are proudly modded....to my exact taste!
They are like no other Strat out there........I'd have it no other way!

DetroitBlues · **Joined:** Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:58 am **Posts:** 2187

As long as you are not changing electronics, its not a big deal. Make it your own!

Retroverbial · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2011 2:20 pm

DetroitBlues wrote:

As long as you are not changing electronics, its not a big deal. Make it your own!

+1

Changing a pickguard is merely a cosmetic alteration -- nothing has been "modded". A different set of bridge saddles constitutes an upgrade -- not really a mod in the literal sense since the procedure is completely reversible and would leave no tell-tale evidence (should that event become necessary).

HTH

Arjay

donnycraven · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2011 2:48 pm

gflavion wrote:

In my view it should be left stock. If people have the need to customize or pesonalize their strat why not purchase parts on ebay or from the stratosphere or any one of a multitude of sellers you can find if you look. It might be less expensive, definitely no more than a stock guitar.

Good thing we all dont think like that poor Mr Gearhead would be shelved lol :lol:

Its just a guitar and unless your worried about it being valuable to your family after your dead make it perfect in your eyes

richardj · **Posted:** Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:49 am

Many thanks for all of your input. I spent the day looking at it, picking it up, playing it, puting it down and looking at it some more. I just felt it would be better if I messed with it a bit. See attached pics.

IMHO Fender really should put the pearly guards on their high end stuff again, it always made the Strat Plus and Deluxe look so much nicer. The saddles also help open up the tone and I seriously recommend trying them if you haven't already.

VladSoilerOfCarpets · **Posted:** Thu Sep 29, 2011 2:45 am

HWY1Strat wrote:

Glenn Alves wrote:

I never quite understood the mod/frankenstein movement, not 2 say it's bad or anything just that Fender products have been used by the Majority of top Guitarist at one time or another and has been apart of the biggest hits in the modern history of music yet for some reason musicians think they can improve on the already proven :arrow:

Plain and simple....FENDER is a business....who is in business for a profit.
To get a Stratocaster,American made,...(these days)...for under $1000.00.....there will be sacrifices made and corners cut. You WILL NOT get a set of PREMIUM pickups on there!
Especially Fender's humbuckers!! They SUCK!! They just CANNOT do a really good humbucker!!
I have many HSS formatted Strats and I've QUICKLY ditched all the crappy Enforcer and Atomic humbuckers and put in better ones!
ALL my Fender Strats are proudly modded....to my exact taste!
They are like no other Strat out there........I'd have it no other way!

Bang on.

I'd buy you a beer, but you're not ever here.

Heh, that rhymes.

Martian · **Posted:** Thu Sep 29, 2011 5:29 am

HWY1Strat wrote:

Plain and simple....FENDER is a business....who is in business for a profit.
To get a Stratocaster,American made,...(these days)...for under $1000.00.....there will be sacrifices made and corners cut. You WILL NOT get a set of PREMIUM pickups on there!
Especially Fender's humbuckers!! They SUCK!! They just CANNOT do a really good humbucker!!
I have many HSS formatted Strats and I've QUICKLY ditched all the crappy Enforcer and Atomic humbuckers and put in better ones!

While any of our favorite rock star's Fenders APPEAR to be stock....more than likely they're NOT!
These people have had guitar techs who , on many occasion, "altered" their boss's instrument to taste.
If you've read the book "The Wall of Fame: New York City's Legendary Manny's Music "....the owner at the time..Henry...clearly states that he changed/altered/tweaked Jimi Hendrix's Stratocasters when he bought them!

ALL my Fender Strats are proudly modded....to my exact taste!
They are like no other Strat out there........I'd have it no other way!

Ah, this is like a breath of fresh air! Bravo!!

Screamin' Armadillo · **Posted:** Thu Sep 29, 2011 7:00 am

Good job--that looks gorgeous...

Outside of some historical or rare instrument, modding/personalizing/tweaking/hot rodding an instrument is awesome and makes it "yours"...folks who think everything should stay stock are welcome to their opinion, but I think a modded Strat or Tele (or whatever) is cool.

Except when that douchebag from Journey put a Floyd Rose on a vintage Les Paul. Idiot.

Screamin' Armadillo · **Posted:** Thu Sep 29, 2011 7:05 am

richardj wrote:

IMHO Fender really should put the pearly guards on their high end stuff again, it always made the Strat Plus and Deluxe look so much nicer.

+1!
In the early 1990s, all the "cool guys" down in Austin started putting pearloid pickguards on their axes, and I thought that looked so cool (I still think that!)...it makes an average/nice guitar just "pop" cosmetically.

Retroverbial · **Posted:** Thu Sep 29, 2011 8:19 am

Screamin' Armadillo wrote:

it makes an average/nice guitar just "pop" cosmetically.

Indeed it does......

Arjay

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