I use my own guitars that I built for playing. I build les Paul and strat style guitars and put boutique pickups in them and I get the sound I want at a price I can afford.
As a lefty, this is incredibly common for me. The lack of options means we poor southpaws need to be creative and sometimes skillful with the soldering iron
Feel your pain… very hard to find the guitar and parts you want - this week I wanted locking Fender tuners for my strat, with vintage buttons - ended up buying one left handed set (with the regular buttons - the only option) and one right handed set (with the vintage buttons). Will then swap the buttons over. Some manufacturers are better than others at catering to the minority though.
and we never get to enter to win giveaways ... ahhh being backwards .. you stand looking at the 3 lefty guitars in the shop .. 2 are broke .. but hey let me try that one ..
It always blows my mind how quickly so many people decide to change out their pickups. It’s a legit choice for many players. It’s “just the thing to do” for many MORE players because they hear so many UA-camrs saying it. As a novice, I just tweak the knobs on my guitar and make a couple amp adjustments. Good ‘nuff!
Theres a mental satisfaction you gain by upgrading your guitar yourself, its really not about how great it sounds its about how you emotionally feel when you play it, if you have spent the time to change it and upgrade it your closer to it then someone just buying it off the rack and playing it so yeah your rite, there is no perfect sound, its all subjective and playing music is a deeply emotional experience so getting more emotionally involved into your instrument will breed more creative playing, thats my opinion anyways, its not my guitar until i totally break it down to nothing and rebuild it back up to what I feel it needs, only then does it become mine
@@franklinkz2451”it’s really not about how great it sounds it’s about how you emotionally feel when you play it”. Wow, that is really absurd advice, but also insightful and honest. I’m a retired guitar repair shop owner, and I made a good chunk of change over the years swapping stock pickups for expensive/aftermarket pickups for customers. I never encouraged people to swap pups, as I knew they’d almost never be able to actually tell the difference, but I did what they asked me to do. For someone like yourself, I’d recommend just disassembling your guitar, desoldering and removing your pups, then reinstalling them. Then you can feel spiritually connected to the guitar or whatever it was you were saying. No need to actually waste money on different pups since you already said it’s not about the sound. A similar thing often applies, I think, to people that pay others to swap their pups. They feel good knowing that they instigated this custom change to the guitar that makes it theirs, and then they just imagine (for the most part) how much better it now sounds. I swear, there were countless times I could have turned the tone know 1/8 of a turn and they would’ve been convinced their stock pups were new boutique ones, THRILLED with the amazing new tones! I feel that, for the most part, we musicians don’t actually even come close to pushing the boundaries of what our instruments and equipment can do as they already exist. Oftentimes, it’s just a matter of wringing out the sound we want with what we have, rather than chasing some dream tone by throwing money at it. Soooo many players don’t want to hear that, though. I always tried telling people “just sit down and practice more, develop your tone from there”. They don’t often like to hear that because it’s not as flashy, I guess.
I put CTS pots, new wiring with switch craft everything, a custom bone nut and Seymour Duncan Whole Lotta Humbuckers in my $425 Epiphone Standard Les Paul. The difference was pretty significant. It was worth it as I plan to keep that guitar. It was the one fate chose for me and I bought it from my former guitar instructor when that shop was still open. Plus, I used the guitar on my first album with my garage band. Keep your guitars with sentimental value guys. Fix em up and play em as well.
I did something similar to my Epiphone Les Paul Custom: - Fretboard level (removing the common kick-up after 12th fret) - Jescar stainless steel frets - Graphtech nut - Seymour Duncan Whole Lotta Humbuckers (zebra) - Bridge cut improved for better string seating - Treble bleed mod It has become such a good guitar that I've stopped looking at Gibson Les Paul Standards etc.! It holds up really well to my friend's "real" Gibson Les Paul Custom.
@@kevinvandenberg5548 I upgraded my Epiphone Standard 50s Les Paul with Seymour Duncan Seth Lover PUs. It is really worth the money! Now I want to upgrade it with a better harness, but in traditional 50s wiring. Do you have any recommendations? Btw the Guitar now can compete with any Gibson LP I have played so far.
@@larsfocken3456 The Seth Lovers are a great pick-up set, good choice! I don't have any recommendations for a harness though. If I were in your position, I would just buy quality pots, wires, etc. and use an online scheme to solder it according to 50s wiring. Have you ever considered Jimmy Page's wiring? Check it out, could be fun! If, after a few years, you still connect with the guitar and you want to upgrade it further, then I can highly recommend bringing it to a luthier and see whether you can profit from a new nut and stainless steel frets in combination with a fretboard level. In my opinion, that made the biggest difference in terms of playability (levelled fretboard and frets) and durability (stainless steel frets). Good luck!
Honestly, this pathway would be the perfect path for a person FINALLY able to afford a good guitar. Buy the PRS SE and play it stock. It sounds really good that way. When you have saved up some more money, do the pots and wiring upgrade. Play it until you earn the money to buy the new pickups. Unlike a lot of "upgrade cheap guitars" videos, every step of this build gives you a fine instrument that can be played and enjoyed that way until you're ready and able to move on to the next step.
@@MikJames Exactly! Tonewood isn't tone. Pickups aren't tone. *Speakers, cabinets, and mics* are tone. A cheap Harley Benton guitar will sound EXACTLY the same as an expensive PRS when played through the same amp, same speakers, same cab, and same mic with the same mic position, especially in recording and live environments.
@@dionr1168a similar spec pickup will, but almost any difference in design will change the tone, whether that be number of windings, Humbucking or not and the shape and size of the pole pieces and magnet. Quality of the parts won’t affect sound but the design will
I have a PRS SE, very nice guitar, feels great though the standard 24 I own is on the heavy side it’s very comfy with a thick strap. I have made a lot of modifications. Main ones I can list off are 1. Repot the pickups and add a cover 2. Locking tuners and strap locks for convenience 3. Proper control cavity shielding 4. Replace the bridge (nothing wrong with the original other than the fact it was rusty and tarnished by poor storage by the previous owner) All in all it’s an excellent guitar now, you don’t even have to replace the pickups
@@MikJames it doesn’t matter if it’s positive or negative there’s still a pretty decent difference in tone between different pickups, if in a live mix I had to tell the difference between an LP with PAFs or run of the mill unpotted covered humbuckers i never could, but if it was the difference between a strat and an LP it’d be easy. I think it’s really stupid to big up the magnet at the end of the signal chain while simultaneously saying the one at the start makes no difference even though there’s just as much variety in construction between pickups and speakers. I mean how can they design a speaker for a specific tone it’s such a small part of the signal chain?
I did a similar project with a Clasic Vibe Jazzmaster. I did a full upgrade. AVRI vibe, Staytrem bridge, Lollar pickups, CTS pots, Switchcraft switches, and (sorry) an Orange Drop cap. But the key upgrade was the Storm Guitar pick guard from South Korea! About $1k total. My dream guitar (for the moment).
I found Kinman Strat and Tele pickups while looking for "noiseless" single coil replacements. About the same time Phil McKnight reviewed EART guitars, as in a $270 guitar from Amazon, but with a fantastic neck and fretwork. I now have 4 EART Strats with various combinations of Kinman pickups, and they all sound better than any Fender Strat I ever played, including a vintage 1965 hard tail.
Yeah, And the stainless steel Eart uses is softer than regular nickel frets! If you don't believe me level some like I did! Also, the bridge Eart uses is garbage.
I've been playing 50 years, I was a professional for a decade. I play the hell out of a $200 single-cut with a pair of Warman P-90s in it, it looks, sounds and feels glorious. I play it far more often than the thousand dollar Gretsch over there in its case. Every guitar is an individual and you don't have to spend thousands to find a great one. In fact I'm not even sure the odds improve that much.
I'm real fond of modding up inexpensive guitars, and here's why: they're custom, you can have exactly what you want. Yeah, I could spend twice as much on the instrument in the first place, but then I don't get to hand-pick the pickups for exactly what I want this one to do, I don't get to add that cool little series/parallel mod I've been wanting to try out, it doesn't come with those awesome spade-shaped knobs I saw and liked, whatever the case might be. I'm real fond of customizing my guitars, I like them all to be unique, from each other and from any others. It just gives the whole affair more personality, imo.
I have a Marlin guitar that I bought from a UK mail order catalogue in 1986 for around £100; it was a guitar for poor people. 10 years later I changed the bridge and replaced the pickups with good 90s Seymour Duncan humbuckers; one being a PAF equivalent and the other a high output bridge pickup. To this day the guitar is one of my best sounding instruments and I own multiple Strandbergs, Fenders, Gibsons and many more.
I've been doing this for many, many years. I shake my head at how many UA-camrs "upgrade" their guitar with new pickups, but leave the crappy pots, caps, wires,..... I always change out the harness before changing out the pickups. Yes, I regularly change out pickups as well, but I have a few budget guitars and basses with stock pickups , due to the fact they sound great and gained so much clarity when improving the other electronic components. And yes, I have a 7 lb 2oz, Les Paul!
I'm a electrician. You are wrong. Only the pot values make a difference in sound, not the build quality. The wires are not important because their length is only a few centimeters. Same with the capacitors . Good caps doesn't make a better sound or produce more clarity. A cap comes into play when you roll down the tone pot. And then it's supposed to make the sound muffled. If the pot is open the cap has no influence in sound. But if you can sleep better after upgrading and spending money than make it 👍
@@rosslunato8111 CTS pots, Switchcraft jacks and switches, ....I have a stash of caps, so I usually switch out a few and leave what sounds best to me, though I tend to end up with either yellow Mallory or NOS Russian mil spec paper in oil.
@@musikus7092 Even Leo Fender knew that taking the tone pot out of the circuit made the sound brighter and Fender and Gibson have done this for years as an option on some models. Yes, a cap is a cap but upgrading a wiring harness also brings higher quality switches and pots, durable switchcraft jacks etc. and choice of pot and cap values, which change the playing experience.
I have fallen in love with setting up and upgrading my own instruments… I was shocked as to how good my 70’s Classic Vibe sounded after I changed the bridge to a PW-29 Fender bridge, Vintera 60’s modified pickups, I gutted all the electronics in place of CTS pots and pushback cloth wiring, changed the switch, string guide, sanded the neck down to a silky smooth satin finish… I wouldn’t trade the guitar for any Player Series/Performer and pergaps even an AM Pro II Strat… it plays like a dream and I am very proud of the fact I upgraded to become the way it is. The joy I find in stringed instruments is endless!!!
Thanks for the video Keith! A few years back I thought that I would finally buy the guitar I've been meaning to get and learn to play. I've always been a Telecaster fan ever since I'd spent a few years touring with a band doing sound mixing and stage lighting in the late 1970s. I had just enough money to get a 10 year old second-hand MiM Player series. It cost me NZ$1,000. It was a lot of money for me but I figured that, if I ended up not being able to play very well I could sell it and get my money back. I didn't notice when I picked it up but the frets were in need of levelling and, not being able to afford the services of a luthier I decided to learn how to fix it myself. I read and watched and bought a few bits and pieces but by then I'd not exactly become a 'guitar player' and I didn't want to risk damaging my investment. When I saw a second-hand Tele copy for NZ$100 I figured I could practice my skills on that neck before risking the Fender. Well I got that neck set up really well, the frets were perfect and the action was really low with no buzzing even when bending notes. However I still couldn't play worth a damn. So I sold the Fender and got back what I paid for it. The cheapie didn't sound so good and when I was researching some basic luthier skills I'd discovered a guy who winds his own pickups here in New Zealand (Mr. Glyn, he has a website) and sells them at a very good price. Most of the successful local bands here use his pickups. I like to support local manufacturers so I bought a set of his pickups (his 'Cruel Mistress' set). I also had heard of a NZ company (Obsidian Wire) who made replacement control electronics for Teles with a 4-way switch, treble-bleed and high quality pots so I ordered that as well. Then I became unhappy with the tuning stability so bought a set of Fender staggered tuners to replace the cheap things that were on the guitar and also bought a modern Fender 6 saddle bridge for good measure. By now I'd spent about half of what the Fender Tele had cost me originally but have ended up with a guitar that sounds sooo much better than that MIM guitar. Unfortunately I still can't play very well but hey, I really enjoy learning about guitars!
I am in the same boat as you. I have been working on my own guitars for about five years. Bought a realy good guitar repair book by Dan Earlywine, and must have watched 100 YoouTube guitar repair videos. After buying a few not sso good working guitars at yard sales, and pawn shops to practise repairing I found that once I got these guitars to play good I could sell them for a profit, and buy what I wanted. I am pretty good at fixing and upgrading guitars, but unfortunatly I am a ok player at best. Guess it is time to put down the tools and pick up the guitar more. :)
Hang in there man. I’m an amateur luthier and player (still have day job) from Louisiana and mid 50’s dude into Americana and anything good. I’ve been playing since my late teens and have been pretty comfortable playing in a jam setting for 20 years or so but took awhile to get there. We all need an artistic outlet. Hang in there!! D
@@daviswall3319 Thanks! I've picked up a guitar for a short period twice before in my life and both times learned quite well. This time though not so much and I think the difference is the previous times I had other players around me to play with and learn from. I'm not in that position now but I'm not about to give up. All the best.
I bought a Zach Myers PRS once. Loved the way it felt to play , loved the way it looked, did not love the way it sounded. I wasn't in a position to swing the extra money for new pickups and, knew I wouldn't be for a while, so I disappointingly returned it. This video has made me consider getting another one and upgrading the pickups now that I'm stronger financially. Thanks five, what world for making me want more gear... ❤😂
Great video! I did a similar mod to my 50's les paul standard, didn't swap the pots but did the 50's wiring with bumblebee caps, added Seymour Duncan antiquities, and the Faber abr post conversion kit. Couldn't be happier with the results.
Great question and discussion! I own a few high end guitars, starting with the 1968 Gibson LP Custom I bought 2nd hand in the early 70's, a Sadowsky NYC S Style in 1992 and a couple of others. These last few years I have seen (and heard) the proliferation of interesting boutique pick-ups / rigs and the Get Back film prompted me to buy a new Epiphone Casino. My guitar tech here in HK completely reworked it - Bone Nut, new PU selector, 50's wiring, Lollar P90's. It went from a nice guitar to something quite special for relatively little cost - well worth it IMO (and way less than the US made Casino Gibson are offering). I have since bought an Epi Cantrell Wino (aiming for similar mods w Monty's Bethnal Green PUs) and an oldish Epi Blonde DC (same deal but most likely Lollar Underspun Imperials). For me if the actual guitar is solid and feels right then why not upgrade and tailor the electronics to the sound you're after?
Wow, really fun and informative video. Five Watt World almost never disappoints. Due to my skill level, I typically buy the lowest tier made in US or Mexico guitars. I have replaced pickups and pots in some of these guitars with Seymour Duncan, Suhr and Dylan Talks Tone P90s (amazing!). In most cases, the pickups and pots have totally transformed the guitars and was worth the additional money (which as Keith pointed out, you will likely never get back).
Excellent video! This is exactly what I do. I play “affordable” guitars, and on all I instantly swap the electronics and pickups. That alone takes a good guitar to a whole other level. Thank you!!
The 2020 Epiphone LP Special is a great value at under $500, but it absolutely shines with two Kinman noiseless p90s, and the total is under a grand. Absolutely worth it.
I got the Zach Myers guitar and ended up switching out the pickups for EMG PAFs. I also was so confident about the switch that I didn't bother to pot shaft size, so I had to buy the pots twice. You'd think I'd have learned my learn, but no. When I switched out the tuners, I didn't check the size, so the ones I got were slightly too big. Did I measure the tuners to get the right size then? Of course not. I just bought another set that was off by 1mm. One thirty-minute session with a reamer with everything in place, and I finally learned my lesson.
A 2016 Epi LP STD with SD59s has been my main guitar for about 5 years, nothing comes close - Sounds fantastic and plays very well indeed, all for 400€.
I recently upgraded my Ibanez RG370QM (a limited run model)to Dimarzio pickups from the stock Quantum pickups. I also upgraded the stock Edge 3 tremolo with a Gotoh. Some of the mods were quite difficult to install and a real headache. Then I finished and got to play the guitar with an amp. What a fantastic difference the pickups and new bridge made. I felt like I have sustain forever and the tones are just beautiful.
I have a Yamaha Pac302s from the early nineties. I have done soooo many upgrades on that guitar. In fact, it’s the guitar that taught me how to do guitar wiring! It’s not worth much but I love that guitar and play it all the time. Adding some blood sweat and tears to a guitar makes the playing experience even more enjoyable!
The PRS ZM SE is my favorite project guitar. I have 4 different variants of the ZM and have modded them all myself with different pickups and electronics. My last project a 2017 in vintage sunburst got Kluson locking tuners, an Emerson 50s wiring harness and Gibson Greenybuckers. Guitar sounds and plays great.
I bought a lefty Zack Myers last fall for the basically the same reasons and replaced the pots, fixed the wiring on the bridge pickup, and put Gotoh locking tuners that look like the originals. It was definitely worth the upgrades. The bridge pickup needed the wiring fixed. The split-coil wires were not soldered together, just taped together and would cut out. It's a nice guitar now and is beautiful to look at. Great video.
I currently own four different electric guitars, all of them within the “budget“ range. The first one is my 1991 MIM Strat that I bought brand new as a sophomore in high school. It now has a homemade paint job, Bootstrap Golden Ale pups, and a push/pull tone that does the tele thing and all 3 pups, as well as a new neck with a rosewood fretboard. I have my ‘21 Epiphone LP Std 50s that has a modded set of SD 59s (A2 magnets and de-potted). I have my Ibanez Artcore AS73 to cover my 335 needs. That just received a new wiring harness with CTS pots and orange drops, and inherited the Epi Probucker 1 & 2 from my LP. It’s a formidable opponent to an Epi 335, especially with the Switchcraft switch and jack. Finally, I have customized my Tele partscaster, which has a USA body and MIJ Allparts maple/rosewood neck. It had Fender Vintage Noiseless pups, which I swapped out for 1st gen V-Mod pups. I didn’t like the neck, so it became an Esquire for a while, at least till I got me some Bootstrap Extra Crispy pickups, their take on ‘51s but a little hotter. I didn’t pay more than $600 for the most expensive guitar (the Epi brand new from Sweetwater). I’d put any of these up against far pricier models any day.
From Leo: Good show, we do have a lot of great guitars in the value prices these days. I am one of those guys that actually owns an oscilloscope and if I cannot see any difference on the 'scope, to me the difference does not exist. That said, if a customer wants an oil/paper, orange drop, bumble bee, Russian or any other capacitor, I gladly warm up my soldering iron and do a fine job installing the part they like. Want '50's wiring, no problem. CTS pots, no problem. Happy is happy, I do not stand in their way. One of my guitars is a Telecaster that is totally assembled of parts taken off of other people's guitars, including the neck and body. All the customers were happy, and I am happy.
Very nicely thought out. I learned a lot, but it also confirmed my suspicions when the VIP Pickups and the upgraded pots sounded like a different guitar. I loved the upgrade.
I love the idea of using an "affordable" guitar as a platform. I have a Gibson ES333, pretty much the Les Paul Studio of the ES line, I've upgraded everything I could and it sounds like a Custom shop instrument. I'd say if the core of the guitar, (what you can't upgrade) is good, then you potentially have a killer instrument.
THIS was REALLY interesting! You’re correct in telling folks to listen with headphones to catch the tone differences. Thank you for doing this video.The old guy/ nerd in me enjoyed this! I put a hot rails in the neck position of a Goodin Strat-copy some years back and it made a world of difference to the tone. Did not need an overdrive pedal at all when using my eBow! Please keep up the good work!
My favorite "modified" guitar I own is my Gibson Les Paul Tribute. When I got it, I LOVED the feel and the playability, but not the tone. I gutted it and put all quality electronics in it with 50s wiring. Then I added a DiMarzio 36th Anniversary PAF in the . a DiMarzio AT in the bridge. It is now the best sounding and playing Les Paul I've ever had! And I've had several Standards over the years. Best of all, I have less than $1,000 in the whole thing.
Excellent! I really appreciate the commentary between stages, and the short, before & after sounds presented early on. There's an old tele deluxe with twin humbuckers hanging on the wall... perhaps I'll give similar upgrades a go :D
Thank you. I wanted to put that in print beside the "thumbs up" and long time sub because you're alway so gracious in providing a service to us, so again Thank You!
I do this with a lot of my own guitars, as a player looking for bang-for-the-buck options that sound and play great. I can't really justify spending the money on a Suhr, but I can put a decent set of pickups and better wiring in basically any old strat-style body and get killer results out of it. Jim Lill's videos have shown me just how much of electric guitar tone is in the electronics, and how little of electric guitar tone is in anything else- so that's where my money is going.
This has been my go to strategy for many years. When I started playing guitar I could only afford basic, working man gear. I found that modding them to my tastes was the lowest cost way to get high performance gear. Now, its just the way I like to do it. Three best examples from my collection are: 1. MIM Strat with Custom Shop Fat 50’s pickups, Obsidian Wiring and locking tuners. 2. Guild Starfire I with Seymour Duncan Seth Lovers, CTS & Switchcraft electronics, Kluson Revolution tuners, Tone Pro bridge and bone nut. 3. Slick SL56 with Seymour Duncan P90s and CTS & Switchcraft electronics.
i've been doing "it" for years...i think it'S well worth it....plus new nut, cts pots and new wiring, switchcraft jack and 3 way switch, new bridge and tailpiece...still cheaper....and more satisfying when you hear the difference from what you've done.....cheers.
I'm a big fan of GFS pickups from Guitar Fetish. I've installed probably 40 or 50 in mine and other people's guitars over the years and they sound great. They aren't boutique but better than most stock pups even in USA Fenders and Gibson's. One of my clients didn't like a set but he said no big deal sold them on Kijiji ( our Craigslist) for what he paid and ordered a different variant of the pickup and loved them.
Another vote for GFS. I have a set of their Redactive humbuckers, and I like them a fair bit. They have THAT growl that made me stop and reconsider what a sound my budget guitar is capable of.
In 2020 I bought a PRS 35th anniversary SE Custom 24. It played nicely but, I didn't care for the pick-up and switches that turned the humbuckers into single poles. So, Vaughn Skow makes a pickup model that enhances the stock PRS pickup. I removed the micro switches, replaced the pots with Gibson 500k's, 50's wiring and installed the VS pickups. I also had a vintage Custom 22 core with Dragon pickups that was my "go to" at the time. The SE 24 with the new pickups, pots, and wiring sounded so good that I sold the Core to purchase a Fender Custom Shop. I agree you don't need to spend a fortune to get a premium sound. Thanks for all the great videos you do!
I've had great luck with budget pickups. Some even sound identical to the higher end versions. At the end of the day it's just magnets and copper wire. There isn't anything that high end manufacturers can get that small shops cant.
Well said. I about fell out of my chair when he said VIP charges $250 for wiring two pickups and 4 pots. There are EE's with degrees that don't make that kind of money.
@@scottmacphee35 Highly skilled work is done by EE's with degree in Electrical Engineering. Soldering a few wires is FAR from highly skilled work. You insult everyone with a degree, who IS high skilled in EE, and could do that job in minutes, with ease...drunk.
@NolanVoid-dr1ch Quite well said, sir. High School shop class level work ain't $400 a hour. EE's at Boeing don't make that much. Also, 52 Gibson jazz box! VERY NICE.
@@kennethc2466get off your high horse. That $250 goes towards rent, insurances, shop costs, staff holiday pay, sick leave all the other things employed people never have to think about. Clearly you have never run a small business
Another great video Keith! I have modded my share of inexpensive guitars with new pickups, wiring, switches, even a new bridge in one case. The only thing is to remember you are modding this guitar for yourself. I never expect to get my money back out of that guitar if/when I go to sell it. Unless I find that person looking for a guitar who wants all the same mods as me. Not likely. Thanks gain.
I fully upgraded a Zack Myers SE before about 3 years ago, i picked up 2 reverse color zebra pickups custom wound by a guy in north jersey, that brass bridge is the biggest improvement you can do to the ZM SE’s as far as hardware goes. It really brings the shine to life those guitars can have, very awesome sound, crisp and bright
Great video. I got an Epiphone Wildkat, and upgraded the pickups to Lollar P90's. The guitar sounds really great now, and it was totally worth the money to upgrade it.
Thanks Keith. Great dissection of how electronics matter to overall tone shaping as well as the impact it has on player engagement. To make a guitar one that you bond with is an investment of time and dollars at any price-point, sometimes with zero changes, sometimes with several, but it has to start with a guitar you already like before any changes. Starting with a single-cut SE as a base for this project really drives that point home, an affordable guitar that already punches above its paygrade. You can do the same with lessor guitars and greater guitars, and countless tens of thousands of guitarists do. The rest of us chase their tone, trying to put it in our own hands through our guitars and amps. Its a crazy cycle ain't it???😂😂
Those PRS SE's are great value for what you get. I've got a single cut one and although it doesn't have the figured top, it played great straight from the shop. If anything, the action was too low and for me had to be brought up. And I liked the stock pickups it came with. Not for everyone's tastes, but nice for high gain playing. I generally buy a lot of budget guitars and mod them up. It's a great way of getting a guitar you want when you you don't want to spend the money. And there's plenty of options for after market parts that don't cost an arm and a leg either. There's also a lot of guitar companies now that put out some decent budget guitars which are a great base to start from. But as you said, don't expect to get your money back. On that note, you can still put the guitar back to stock before selling and keep the good parts - or sell those off separately.
Yeah, good parts depreciate very little and people are always looking to buy them. Like pickups. If you buy Seymour Duncan pickups you can always resell them for 80-90% of what you paid new for them. Same with good locking tuners.
Installing SD Sliencers in my PRS SE Standard has transformed it into a great guitar. Used the stock pots and just added a .047 cap on tone. Since minimal trade in value with good neck and frets, the upgraded pups made sense. Sounds great.
I also enjoy your videos. As is this video they are informative as well as entertaining. I would call the PRS SE guitars affordable profesional grade instruments rather than budget. Bur rhat's just me. This is the first "upgrade your pickups" video that I've seen that you can hear a dramatic differnce in the tone and sound. I'll have to try the 50's wiring on my LP sryle guitar. Thanks for the video.
my main guitar is a modded cort x6 (much better pickups, schaller floyd, the pots were changed too) and after several years it's still the one i'd never get rid of. sounds great, is fairly comfortable and refuses to go out of tune, all for less than 600 bucks. also covered in stickers for extra radness. so yes, totally worth it.
I remember, back in the day, we used to try just about every aftermarket p'up we could find, so our guitars would set idle for months at a time. The last guitar I modified was/is a 2004 Epi Sheraton II. I put Seymour Duncan "Antiquities" in it, front and back, and swapped out the pots for good quality 500 K/ohm CTS. What I ended up with is a guitar that plays amazing and has that elderly ES335 tone. Still have it, don't need a G*****n one, already have an LP for that stuff. Hope I didn't miss the mark on this, love this and all the other guitars in the stable. Thanks Keith, another "home run" video.
I've had higher-end guitars, (original Hamer Sunburst, 2-LP's and 2-SG's. Still have an SG). Years ago I purchased a Dillion PRS knock-off. It's a semi-hollow body. I had a couple SD pickups put on it, upgraded the tuners, put a push-pull pot in it and had the frets leveled and dressed. I loved it! From then on, it's become a hobby to buy cheaper guitars and make them into players. I have 4 Harley Benton's. Two of them have Gibson 57 classics in them. I learned to level and dress frets, replace shoddy wiring, replace tuners/bridges/pots. My main guitar is a HB LP copy with a beautiful top. It has 57 Classic's in it, CTS pots, Grover Vintage tuners and a Gotoh bridge. I have it fine-tuned to where I have the action at 4/64ths on the low E and about 3/64th on the high E, at the 12th fret. In addition to have some nice sounding and playing guitars, I've learned a TON about working on my own guitars. I'm no longer afraid to level/crown/polish frets or completely strip the wiring and redo it from scratch with quality, shielded wire.
Im all about leaving a higher priced guitar exactly as it is. They will appreciate more this way, amd most have wonderful pickups in them today. The craze for pickup swaps was due todying pickups in older strats and Pauls, needing excellent replacements, or modders looking for stronger than stock offers for pickups. In a cheap guitar, it may actually save its tone.
Great video! I know that guitar well, and the clarity and bite that you are getting out of the new pickups and hardware is incredible. Also fantastic playing and beautiful sounding amp.
I had the same problem as you. Been a Les Paul player since the '80s, but they just started getting too heavy. So I dug out my 7lb Strat that I barely used and put Seymour Duncan Little 59s fore and aft, and removed the middle pickup. It sounds so good, I sold my Les Paul! And no, it doesn't sound the same, but to me it sounds better. Fender scale length with humbucking pickups is a truly magical combination. So no new guitar needed, just a couple of (used) 'new' pickups ... and it's now it's my only electric six string. How's that for getting the most music out of the least gear? ;)
Zack Myers in myers blue is a great playing a feeling guitar. I have the first version of this latest model based on the SC 245 scale length. Been wanting to try the 594 since the silently updated the model this year. I did the same thing, adjusting the pots to a standard layout, and opting for PRS 58/15s - their version of the PAF. I also have the coil taps which make the hollow body transform to something akin to a tele thinline in the middle position. All in all one of my favorite guitars to play out of my 15 guitars.
Upgrading a cheap body over time is a terrific substitute to a custom shop guitar. Being able to spread out the cost opens up more opportunities for higher end components. Especially when you can get a really good neck with upgraded electronics and bridge/nut/tuners.
A friend, in need of money, sold me a cheap Korean Strat. It was junk.... but the neck... the neck... wow... it felt so good in my hands. I kept the neck, tossed the rest, proceeded to spend a lot of money on pickups and hardware, another body... it turned out remarkably well... I was chasing Knopfler clean... nailed it... Was it worth it? Yes.
I always wanted a 50’s style Les Paul with p90’s but didn’t want to live on a Top Ramen budget so finding an affordable option was my next best thing. A couple years ago, I purchased the Epiphone inspired by Gibson 50’s standard Les Paul. The guitar was great as it was but it was my platform to build what I wanted. I had my friend at Goldman Guitars build humbucker sized P90 pickups, upgraded to 50’s wiring, 550 pots, bumblebee capacitors, switch craft switch, and treble bleed. My buddy did all the work and setup to make my Epiphone the 50’s Les Paul I wanted. I’m in this guitar about $1100, but there are more times than not that I reach for my 50’s Epiphone before my Gibson Studio. I love how you said it, ‘is the $850 guitar worth the $650 in upgrades? That’s up to you.’ Too often we are told as players we need a certain name on the headstock or we aren’t serious. It’s what makes you happy not anyone else.
I got my blue Zach Myers in Oct 22 stripped everything out Installed 50s wiring orange drop caps. S.D. jazz p.u. in neck and S.D. 59 in bridge. with vintage locking tuners.
My favorite electric is my Chinese Epiphone Casino Coupe and I have lots of guitars. It’s the right size and weight for me as I face my 70’s. I have changed all the parts and with a good setup it’s a fantastic guitar. Lollar P-90 underwound pickups are fantastic.
I have done all these different levels of mods on various guitars. Some I added a master volume with treble bleed (typically on a semi-hollow lower horn. Yea, I drill holes too. No Fear!). 2 D'Angelico and a Eastwood done that way. But some guitars are good as they are and I feel no urge to mod, such as my Yamaha Revstar Standard P90 or Gretsch Jet. As you say, this is easy to do with simple skills. I really enjoy making my instruments uniquely my own. Even to configuring my own control circuits. Mixing pickups, different cap types and capacitances, resistor parallel or series on a bleed circuit, in or out of phase switching or wiring, lots of options to try. Own it. Make it yours! Have no fear, it is just some metal and wood.
This is a great video Keith. Thank you to you and your team for putting together something so powerful and so clearly presented. With some rare exceptions I find that I can improve any common guitar with 50s wiring and a pickup change. My most recent methodology is to buy Squiers and Epiphones that I play tested for the lowest weight and the best feel. Then do 50’s wiring and replace pots and switches where it makes sense. Some Chinese Epis come with proper CTS pots where the much more expensive Gibsons come with lower quality Alpha pots. It was good to learn about VIP, as I tend to source pots and switches from a local parts shop called Solo Guitars and I have had incredible success working with Tim Mills who runs Bare Knuckle Pickups. Whether standard products or custom winds, I always feel I am getting incredible value for my money. In fact, I did just this kind of work to an old PRS Core 245 which played great but did not have the openness that I expected. New wiring with higher value pots, a cap change to a BN paper and oil cap and some Bare Knuckle pickups took it from very good to great. Thanks again.
Modding pickups on budget guitars (or even higher end guitars) is perfectly legit. I love adding PRS core pickups to SE guitars, Gibson pickups to Epiphone guitars, or even those pickups in lower quality/smaller brand guitars. The whole point of guitar is the tone, whatever gets you to that idyllic sound you hear in your head is all good. It’s a long argument the forums will have for forever. But pickup swaps are the most common thing I do. But I always do research and listen to guitars with those pickups to determine if they are what I am looking for or not.
To my surprise it sounds quite a lot better. It obviously sounds louder and more even as the amp gets pushed harder, but also a nice mid hump and less harsh high end fizz.
I did pretty much the exact same thing with my SE Zach Myers (which I bought 2nd hand but new condition). Locally hand wound vintage PAF style pickups, with the neck pickup underwound so it’s output balances much better with the bridge. It made the guitar so much more lively, airy and dynamic whilst not being hotter than most of my single coil guitars so I can swap on a gig without the gain structure changing. Lastly I found the reverse angle layout of the 4 pots impractical, so I wired the top front volume as a master volume for both pickups. Way more convenient for swells and quick adjustments to output level. It’s now a great LP alternative at only about 70% of the weight. It took me a little while to make friends with the neck profile but we’re well acquainted now. 😊
Awesome video. I just picked up a 2000 epiphone les paul and installed an obsidianwire solderless harness which has 50’s and 60’s wiring at a flip of a switch. I was in the market to buy some new pickups. I feel that this video was made specifically for me. Lol. Ill def check out the video on how to dial in a les paul. Love the content. Keep up the great work
I did something similar with a Gretsch G2420T Streamliner. Played it stock for about two years, then over the course of the next three years changed the bridge to a Compton, upgraded the tuners, swapped out the pickups, and replaced the plastic knobs with metal. The stock guitar has excellent craftsmanship of fit and finish, just needs a few parts upgraded.
I wanted a Tele with the same Seymour Duncan pickups as Mike Stern’s Yamaha, which was based on the guitar he got from Danny Gatton. Fender’s player series is routed for a neck humbucker so I played half a dozen and chose one. The wiring upgrade came from 920D and I added the split-coil resistors and treble bleed from the PRS DGT spec. All very quick and simple to do. I had a local luthier give the guitar a slight fret dress and it was done. Sounds wonderful, feels great and I use it for everything.
I run Rio Grandes in everything. I worked for the largest Robin Guitars dealer back in the day and got turned on to them at that point. They have some of the issues that vintage pickups have, namely tendency to microphonics. Through my Boogie MkIV there is very little difference in the high gain regions between my strat-style and single cutaway Robins or my Les Paul (which is one of the late 70s Artists so it weighs 12.8lbs LMAO). At least to the point where I don't have to fiddle with anything on the amp switching back and forth. My loaner guitar (that I keep for when a buddy's kid wants to try guitar) is some kind of cheap Epiphone LP style and when it comes back my way I'm going to be giving it some TLC including copper foil lining, redoing the electronics, and swapping in a BBQ Bucker set from Rio Grande. Good video.
Haven't seen the Beano since I was a kid, my Dad read it when he was a kid, when we went home with him to Ireland in the 80s he'd grab a stack of issues for nostalgia to bring back with him.
Bought my ZM before the new McCarty SE came out. I had it upgraded with PRS 58/15 pickups, push/pull tone pots, McCarty wiring with treble bleed, cream pickup rings, McCarty locking tuners (cream), custom truss rod cover and cream selector knob. Cost me around 550 for the parts and labor. The guitar now looks more like a core than an SE. Not only does it sound great, it looks unique and is very personal. Wouldn't see myself parting with it.
I shouldn't have to say this but....I like the fact that he's playing the same thing each time for the comparison. What i hate the most is when people do a compare this to that video and they play 2 completely different riffs. That "compares" nothing. Another great 5 watt video
I have watched a lot of these types of videos. I have seen so many blind comparisons where people can't tell the expensive pickups from the cheap ones. I bought a Harley Benton Tele put-in Fender Tex Mex pickups, all new wiring and pots from Guitar Fetish and new tuners and brass saddles with a good setup. I reshaped the headstock and put my own logo on it. It sounds and plays great for me. I don't think I spent $400 on the project. I have really nice guitars too but find myself playing my inexpensive mods because they are out and handy. It's all fun and you don't have to spend a fortune.
Made a huge (great) difference. I have a late 80s MIJ Strat. Gutted the electronics and put in some Curtis Novak 59 spec pups. Definitely worth it. Now I want to do a tele with VIPs.
Budget guitars/boutique pickups is my jam! I have a Gretch Electromatic Pro with McNelly Sparkletrons. A '95 MIM Tele with a Fralin Blues Special in the bridge and a Big Single MIni in the neck (four way series/parallel switch). A MIM Players Strat with Gemini gold foils in the mid and neck and the Suprocaster in the bridge (with a blender pot). A Shengze/Bad Cat Unicorn (the most budget of the bunch) with Seymour Duncan Phat Cats. I loved the way these guitars looked and felt, but came to find that I wasn't completely satisfied with the sound. The new pickups plus an amazing setup by a very talented luthier and guitar tech took these already inspiring guitars to a completely different tier of instrument. Super worth the cost. I got all the guitars used. Even some of the pickups were used. I love them.
It was so awesome to work with you on this video!!
Definitely let Jay know his playing was really enjoyable! Consummate pro!
Did you sell this guitar as is or just return to stock? I'm legit curious.
I use my own guitars that I built for playing. I build les Paul and strat style guitars and put boutique pickups in them and I get the sound I want at a price I can afford.
Sold. I’d bought it and then the guys sold it for me.
@@fivewattworld that’s awesome! That’s a nice axe for someone else, lucky them.
As a lefty, this is incredibly common for me. The lack of options means we poor southpaws need to be creative and sometimes skillful with the soldering iron
At least you got a leg up when it comes to hand to hand combat. If I was a lefty I woulda studied the sweet science.
Feel your pain… very hard to find the guitar and parts you want - this week I wanted locking Fender tuners for my strat, with vintage buttons - ended up buying one left handed set (with the regular buttons - the only option) and one right handed set (with the vintage buttons). Will then swap the buttons over. Some manufacturers are better than others at catering to the minority though.
and we never get to enter to win giveaways ... ahhh being backwards .. you stand looking at the 3 lefty guitars in the shop .. 2 are broke .. but hey let me try that one ..
Yip I feel your pain bro, Lefties unite!
Pure Salem, check em out. Lefty owned, and have a plenty of models, to fit multiple styles. Cool colors and shapes and headstocks too.
It always blows my mind how quickly so many people decide to change out their pickups. It’s a legit choice for many players. It’s “just the thing to do” for many MORE players because they hear so many UA-camrs saying it. As a novice, I just tweak the knobs on my guitar and make a couple amp adjustments. Good ‘nuff!
A lot of times it's just that the pickups don't have the dynamics and "EQ" response and we can't simply move the knobs because it won't do the trick 😅
Theres a mental satisfaction you gain by upgrading your guitar yourself, its really not about how great it sounds its about how you emotionally feel when you play it, if you have spent the time to change it and upgrade it your closer to it then someone just buying it off the rack and playing it so yeah your rite, there is no perfect sound, its all subjective and playing music is a deeply emotional experience so getting more emotionally involved into your instrument will breed more creative playing, thats my opinion anyways, its not my guitar until i totally break it down to nothing and rebuild it back up to what I feel it needs, only then does it become mine
@@franklinkz2451 Good points!
For me it just depends. Like I don't care for a rwrp middle on a strat but if I like all the other specs sometimes it's just easier to swap them
@@franklinkz2451”it’s really not about how great it sounds it’s about how you emotionally feel when you play it”. Wow, that is really absurd advice, but also insightful and honest.
I’m a retired guitar repair shop owner, and I made a good chunk of change over the years swapping stock pickups for expensive/aftermarket pickups for customers. I never encouraged people to swap pups, as I knew they’d almost never be able to actually tell the difference, but I did what they asked me to do.
For someone like yourself, I’d recommend just disassembling your guitar, desoldering and removing your pups, then reinstalling them. Then you can feel spiritually connected to the guitar or whatever it was you were saying. No need to actually waste money on different pups since you already said it’s not about the sound.
A similar thing often applies, I think, to people that pay others to swap their pups. They feel good knowing that they instigated this custom change to the guitar that makes it theirs, and then they just imagine (for the most part) how much better it now sounds.
I swear, there were countless times I could have turned the tone know 1/8 of a turn and they would’ve been convinced their stock pups were new boutique ones, THRILLED with the amazing new tones!
I feel that, for the most part, we musicians don’t actually even come close to pushing the boundaries of what our instruments and equipment can do as they already exist. Oftentimes, it’s just a matter of wringing out the sound we want with what we have, rather than chasing some dream tone by throwing money at it. Soooo many players don’t want to hear that, though. I always tried telling people “just sit down and practice more, develop your tone from there”. They don’t often like to hear that because it’s not as flashy, I guess.
I put CTS pots, new wiring with switch craft everything, a custom bone nut and Seymour Duncan Whole Lotta Humbuckers in my $425 Epiphone Standard Les Paul. The difference was pretty significant. It was worth it as I plan to keep that guitar. It was the one fate chose for me and I bought it from my former guitar instructor when that shop was still open. Plus, I used the guitar on my first album with my garage band. Keep your guitars with sentimental value guys. Fix em up and play em as well.
Which wiring did you choose?
I did something similar to my Epiphone Les Paul Custom:
- Fretboard level (removing the common kick-up after 12th fret)
- Jescar stainless steel frets
- Graphtech nut
- Seymour Duncan Whole Lotta Humbuckers (zebra)
- Bridge cut improved for better string seating
- Treble bleed mod
It has become such a good guitar that I've stopped looking at Gibson Les Paul Standards etc.! It holds up really well to my friend's "real" Gibson Les Paul Custom.
@@kevinvandenberg5548 I upgraded my Epiphone Standard 50s Les Paul with Seymour Duncan Seth Lover PUs. It is really worth the money! Now I want to upgrade it with a better harness, but in traditional 50s wiring. Do you have any recommendations?
Btw the Guitar now can compete with any Gibson LP I have played so far.
@@larsfocken3456 The Seth Lovers are a great pick-up set, good choice! I don't have any recommendations for a harness though. If I were in your position, I would just buy quality pots, wires, etc. and use an online scheme to solder it according to 50s wiring. Have you ever considered Jimmy Page's wiring? Check it out, could be fun!
If, after a few years, you still connect with the guitar and you want to upgrade it further, then I can highly recommend bringing it to a luthier and see whether you can profit from a new nut and stainless steel frets in combination with a fretboard level. In my opinion, that made the biggest difference in terms of playability (levelled fretboard and frets) and durability (stainless steel frets).
Good luck!
I did the same thing with my PRS Zach Myers years ago. I got it on sale for $600 and upgraded the pickups. Still one of my go to guitars to this day.
Keith, you've got quite a team. This was excellent - concept, camera, audio, script and editing. Thanks to all at FWW.
Honestly, this pathway would be the perfect path for a person FINALLY able to afford a good guitar. Buy the PRS SE and play it stock. It sounds really good that way. When you have saved up some more money, do the pots and wiring upgrade. Play it until you earn the money to buy the new pickups. Unlike a lot of "upgrade cheap guitars" videos, every step of this build gives you a fine instrument that can be played and enjoyed that way until you're ready and able to move on to the next step.
^^^^THIS!
@@MikJames Exactly! Tonewood isn't tone. Pickups aren't tone. *Speakers, cabinets, and mics* are tone. A cheap Harley Benton guitar will sound EXACTLY the same as an expensive PRS when played through the same amp, same speakers, same cab, and same mic with the same mic position, especially in recording and live environments.
@@dionr1168a similar spec pickup will, but almost any difference in design will change the tone, whether that be number of windings, Humbucking or not and the shape and size of the pole pieces and magnet. Quality of the parts won’t affect sound but the design will
I have a PRS SE, very nice guitar, feels great though the standard 24 I own is on the heavy side it’s very comfy with a thick strap. I have made a lot of modifications. Main ones I can list off are
1. Repot the pickups and add a cover
2. Locking tuners and strap locks for convenience
3. Proper control cavity shielding
4. Replace the bridge (nothing wrong with the original other than the fact it was rusty and tarnished by poor storage by the previous owner)
All in all it’s an excellent guitar now, you don’t even have to replace the pickups
@@MikJames it doesn’t matter if it’s positive or negative there’s still a pretty decent difference in tone between different pickups, if in a live mix I had to tell the difference between an LP with PAFs or run of the mill unpotted covered humbuckers i never could, but if it was the difference between a strat and an LP it’d be easy. I think it’s really stupid to big up the magnet at the end of the signal chain while simultaneously saying the one at the start makes no difference even though there’s just as much variety in construction between pickups and speakers. I mean how can they design a speaker for a specific tone it’s such a small part of the signal chain?
I did a similar project with a Clasic Vibe Jazzmaster. I did a full upgrade. AVRI vibe, Staytrem bridge, Lollar pickups, CTS pots, Switchcraft switches, and (sorry) an Orange Drop cap. But the key upgrade was the Storm Guitar pick guard from South Korea! About $1k total. My dream guitar (for the moment).
I found Kinman Strat and Tele pickups while looking for "noiseless" single coil replacements. About the same time Phil McKnight reviewed EART guitars, as in a $270 guitar from Amazon, but with a fantastic neck and fretwork. I now have 4 EART Strats with various combinations of Kinman pickups, and they all sound better than any Fender Strat I ever played, including a vintage 1965 hard tail.
Yeah, And the stainless steel Eart uses is softer than regular nickel frets! If you don't believe me level some like I did! Also, the bridge Eart uses is garbage.
I've been playing 50 years, I was a professional for a decade. I play the hell out of a $200 single-cut with a pair of Warman P-90s in it, it looks, sounds and feels glorious. I play it far more often than the thousand dollar Gretsch over there in its case. Every guitar is an individual and you don't have to spend thousands to find a great one. In fact I'm not even sure the odds improve that much.
I'm real fond of modding up inexpensive guitars, and here's why: they're custom, you can have exactly what you want. Yeah, I could spend twice as much on the instrument in the first place, but then I don't get to hand-pick the pickups for exactly what I want this one to do, I don't get to add that cool little series/parallel mod I've been wanting to try out, it doesn't come with those awesome spade-shaped knobs I saw and liked, whatever the case might be. I'm real fond of customizing my guitars, I like them all to be unique, from each other and from any others. It just gives the whole affair more personality, imo.
I have a Marlin guitar that I bought from a UK mail order catalogue in 1986 for around £100; it was a guitar for poor people.
10 years later I changed the bridge and replaced the pickups with good 90s Seymour Duncan humbuckers; one being a PAF equivalent and the other a high output bridge pickup.
To this day the guitar is one of my best sounding instruments and I own multiple Strandbergs, Fenders, Gibsons and many more.
I've been doing this for many, many years. I shake my head at how many UA-camrs "upgrade" their guitar with new pickups, but leave the crappy pots, caps, wires,..... I always change out the harness before changing out the pickups. Yes, I regularly change out pickups as well, but I have a few budget guitars and basses with stock pickups , due to the fact they sound great and gained so much clarity when improving the other electronic components. And yes, I have a 7 lb 2oz, Les Paul!
Awesome contribution! What brand of components do you like in regards to pots, wire, caps and switches? Thanks!
I'm a electrician. You are wrong. Only the pot values make a difference in sound, not the build quality. The wires are not important because their length is only a few centimeters. Same with the capacitors . Good caps doesn't make a better sound or produce more clarity. A cap comes into play when you roll down the tone pot. And then it's supposed to make the sound muffled. If the pot is open the cap has no influence in sound.
But if you can sleep better after upgrading and spending money than make it 👍
@@rosslunato8111 CTS pots, Switchcraft jacks and switches, ....I have a stash of caps, so I usually switch out a few and leave what sounds best to me, though I tend to end up with either yellow Mallory or NOS Russian mil spec paper in oil.
@@musikus7092 Even Leo Fender knew that taking the tone pot out of the circuit made the sound brighter and Fender and Gibson have done this for years as an option on some models. Yes, a cap is a cap but upgrading a wiring harness also brings higher quality switches and pots, durable switchcraft jacks etc. and choice of pot and cap values, which change the playing experience.
You should try an Esquire.
I have fallen in love with setting up and upgrading my own instruments… I was shocked as to how good my 70’s Classic Vibe sounded after I changed the bridge to a PW-29 Fender bridge, Vintera 60’s modified pickups, I gutted all the electronics in place of CTS pots and pushback cloth wiring, changed the switch, string guide, sanded the neck down to a silky smooth satin finish… I wouldn’t trade the guitar for any Player Series/Performer and pergaps even an AM Pro II Strat… it plays like a dream and I am very proud of the fact I upgraded to become the way it is. The joy I find in stringed instruments is endless!!!
Those Zack Myers’s PRS SEs play so nice for the money! Great video Keith. Got my new 5WW shirt yesterday, guess I should wear it to the gig today 😊
Thanks for the video Keith!
A few years back I thought that I would finally buy the guitar I've been meaning to get and learn to play. I've always been a Telecaster fan ever since I'd spent a few years touring with a band doing sound mixing and stage lighting in the late 1970s. I had just enough money to get a 10 year old second-hand MiM Player series. It cost me NZ$1,000. It was a lot of money for me but I figured that, if I ended up not being able to play very well I could sell it and get my money back.
I didn't notice when I picked it up but the frets were in need of levelling and, not being able to afford the services of a luthier I decided to learn how to fix it myself. I read and watched and bought a few bits and pieces but by then I'd not exactly become a 'guitar player' and I didn't want to risk damaging my investment. When I saw a second-hand Tele copy for NZ$100 I figured I could practice my skills on that neck before risking the Fender.
Well I got that neck set up really well, the frets were perfect and the action was really low with no buzzing even when bending notes. However I still couldn't play worth a damn. So I sold the Fender and got back what I paid for it. The cheapie didn't sound so good and when I was researching some basic luthier skills I'd discovered a guy who winds his own pickups here in New Zealand (Mr. Glyn, he has a website) and sells them at a very good price. Most of the successful local bands here use his pickups. I like to support local manufacturers so I bought a set of his pickups (his 'Cruel Mistress' set).
I also had heard of a NZ company (Obsidian Wire) who made replacement control electronics for Teles with a 4-way switch, treble-bleed and high quality pots so I ordered that as well. Then I became unhappy with the tuning stability so bought a set of Fender staggered tuners to replace the cheap things that were on the guitar and also bought a modern Fender 6 saddle bridge for good measure. By now I'd spent about half of what the Fender Tele had cost me originally but have ended up with a guitar that sounds sooo much better than that MIM guitar.
Unfortunately I still can't play very well but hey, I really enjoy learning about guitars!
I am in the same boat as you. I have been working on my own guitars for about five years. Bought a realy good guitar repair book by Dan Earlywine, and must have watched 100 YoouTube guitar repair videos. After buying a few not sso good working guitars at yard sales, and pawn shops to practise repairing I found that once I got these guitars to play good I could sell them for a profit, and buy what I wanted. I am pretty good at fixing and upgrading guitars, but unfortunatly I am a ok player at best. Guess it is time to put down the tools and pick up the guitar more. :)
Hang in there man. I’m an amateur luthier and player (still have day job) from Louisiana and mid 50’s dude into Americana and anything good. I’ve been playing since my late teens and have been pretty comfortable playing in a jam setting for 20 years or so but took awhile to get there. We all need an artistic outlet. Hang in there!! D
@@daviswall3319 Thanks! I've picked up a guitar for a short period twice before in my life and both times learned quite well. This time though not so much and I think the difference is the previous times I had other players around me to play with and learn from. I'm not in that position now but I'm not about to give up. All the best.
I bought a Zach Myers PRS once. Loved the way it felt to play , loved the way it looked, did not love the way it sounded. I wasn't in a position to swing the extra money for new pickups and, knew I wouldn't be for a while, so I disappointingly returned it. This video has made me consider getting another one and upgrading the pickups now that I'm stronger financially. Thanks five, what world for making me want more gear... ❤😂
I own one and love it. It's an amazing value. A true instrument. Looks beautiful, plays beautiful and it comes with a good gig bag. ❤
Great video! I did a similar mod to my 50's les paul standard, didn't swap the pots but did the 50's wiring with bumblebee caps, added Seymour Duncan antiquities, and the Faber abr post conversion kit. Couldn't be happier with the results.
Great question and discussion! I own a few high end guitars, starting with the 1968 Gibson LP Custom I bought 2nd hand in the early 70's, a Sadowsky NYC S Style in 1992 and a couple of others. These last few years I have seen (and heard) the proliferation of interesting boutique pick-ups / rigs and the Get Back film prompted me to buy a new Epiphone Casino. My guitar tech here in HK completely reworked it - Bone Nut, new PU selector, 50's wiring, Lollar P90's. It went from a nice guitar to something quite special for relatively little cost - well worth it IMO (and way less than the US made Casino Gibson are offering). I have since bought an Epi Cantrell Wino (aiming for similar mods w Monty's Bethnal Green PUs) and an oldish Epi Blonde DC (same deal but most likely Lollar Underspun Imperials). For me if the actual guitar is solid and feels right then why not upgrade and tailor the electronics to the sound you're after?
Wow, really fun and informative video. Five Watt World almost never disappoints. Due to my skill level, I typically buy the lowest tier made in US or Mexico guitars. I have replaced pickups and pots in some of these guitars with Seymour Duncan, Suhr and Dylan Talks Tone P90s (amazing!). In most cases, the pickups and pots have totally transformed the guitars and was worth the additional money (which as Keith pointed out, you will likely never get back).
Excellent video!
This is exactly what I do. I play “affordable” guitars, and on all I instantly swap the electronics and pickups.
That alone takes a good guitar to a whole other level.
Thank you!!
The 2020 Epiphone LP Special is a great value at under $500, but it absolutely shines with two Kinman noiseless p90s, and the total is under a grand. Absolutely worth it.
I got the Zach Myers guitar and ended up switching out the pickups for EMG PAFs. I also was so confident about the switch that I didn't bother to pot shaft size, so I had to buy the pots twice. You'd think I'd have learned my learn, but no. When I switched out the tuners, I didn't check the size, so the ones I got were slightly too big. Did I measure the tuners to get the right size then? Of course not. I just bought another set that was off by 1mm. One thirty-minute session with a reamer with everything in place, and I finally learned my lesson.
This is without a doubt the most helpful and effective guitar channel on UA-cam, love it
A 2016 Epi LP STD with SD59s has been my main guitar for about 5 years, nothing comes close - Sounds fantastic and plays very well indeed, all for 400€.
I recently upgraded my Ibanez RG370QM (a limited run model)to Dimarzio pickups from the stock Quantum pickups. I also upgraded the stock Edge 3 tremolo with a Gotoh. Some of the mods were quite difficult to install and a real headache. Then I finished and got to play the guitar with an amp. What a fantastic difference the pickups and new bridge made. I felt like I have sustain forever and the tones are just beautiful.
I have a Yamaha Pac302s from the early nineties. I have done soooo many upgrades on that guitar. In fact, it’s the guitar that taught me how to do guitar wiring! It’s not worth much but I love that guitar and play it all the time. Adding some blood sweat and tears to a guitar makes the playing experience even more enjoyable!
The PRS ZM SE is my favorite project guitar. I have 4 different variants of the ZM and have modded them all myself with different pickups and electronics. My last project a 2017 in vintage sunburst got Kluson locking tuners, an Emerson 50s wiring harness and Gibson Greenybuckers. Guitar sounds and plays great.
I bought a lefty Zack Myers last fall for the basically the same reasons and replaced the pots, fixed the wiring on the bridge pickup, and put Gotoh locking tuners that look like the originals. It was definitely worth the upgrades. The bridge pickup needed the wiring fixed. The split-coil wires were not soldered together, just taped together and would cut out. It's a nice guitar now and is beautiful to look at. Great video.
This is so relevant to my situation right, can’t wait for your take!
I currently own four different electric guitars, all of them within the “budget“ range. The first one is my 1991 MIM Strat that I bought brand new as a sophomore in high school. It now has a homemade paint job, Bootstrap Golden Ale pups, and a push/pull tone that does the tele thing and all 3 pups, as well as a new neck with a rosewood fretboard. I have my ‘21 Epiphone LP Std 50s that has a modded set of SD 59s (A2 magnets and de-potted). I have my Ibanez Artcore AS73 to cover my 335 needs. That just received a new wiring harness with CTS pots and orange drops, and inherited the Epi Probucker 1 & 2 from my LP. It’s a formidable opponent to an Epi 335, especially with the Switchcraft switch and jack. Finally, I have customized my Tele partscaster, which has a USA body and MIJ Allparts maple/rosewood neck. It had Fender Vintage Noiseless pups, which I swapped out for 1st gen V-Mod pups. I didn’t like the neck, so it became an Esquire for a while, at least till I got me some Bootstrap Extra Crispy pickups, their take on ‘51s but a little hotter. I didn’t pay more than $600 for the most expensive guitar (the Epi brand new from Sweetwater). I’d put any of these up against far pricier models any day.
From Leo: Good show, we do have a lot of great guitars in the value prices these days. I am one of those guys that actually owns an oscilloscope and if I cannot see any difference on the 'scope, to me the difference does not exist. That said, if a customer wants an oil/paper, orange drop, bumble bee, Russian or any other capacitor, I gladly warm up my soldering iron and do a fine job installing the part they like. Want '50's wiring, no problem. CTS pots, no problem. Happy is happy, I do not stand in their way. One of my guitars is a Telecaster that is totally assembled of parts taken off of other people's guitars, including the neck and body. All the customers were happy, and I am happy.
Very nicely thought out. I learned a lot, but it also confirmed my suspicions when the VIP Pickups and the upgraded pots sounded like a different guitar. I loved the upgrade.
Stock vs 50's wiring vs VIP pickups:
- neck - 6:57 vs 8:49 vs 13:04
- middle - 7:13 vs 8:56 vs 13:12
- bridge - 7:28 vs 9:12 vs 13:27
Well I’m not a PRS guy but wow you’ve definitely made a good guitar into a great guitar. That 50’s wiring makes such a big difference!
I love the idea of using an "affordable" guitar as a platform. I have a Gibson ES333, pretty much the Les Paul Studio of the ES line, I've upgraded everything I could and it sounds like a Custom shop instrument.
I'd say if the core of the guitar, (what you can't upgrade) is good, then you potentially have a killer instrument.
My bet it sounds as good as any $6k Custom Shop guitar. All you need to do now is to find the special fairy dust they sprinkle on it! ;)
THIS was REALLY interesting! You’re correct in telling folks to listen with headphones to catch the tone differences. Thank you for doing this video.The old guy/ nerd in me enjoyed this!
I put a hot rails in the neck position of a Goodin Strat-copy some years back and it made a world of difference to the tone. Did not need an overdrive pedal at all when using my eBow! Please keep up the good work!
Well a Hot Rails is over wound to like 17k ohms. That will definitely make a difference!
Just the pots change made a huge difference in tone, especially with the bridge pickup!! Wow!!
Great video, as always.
Man I’ve been waiting so much on this video! Thanks for the great video! Really well explained and recorded
My favorite "modified" guitar I own is my Gibson Les Paul Tribute. When I got it, I LOVED the feel and the playability, but not the tone. I gutted it and put all quality electronics in it with 50s wiring. Then I added a DiMarzio 36th Anniversary PAF in the . a DiMarzio AT in the bridge. It is now the best sounding and playing Les Paul I've ever had! And I've had several Standards over the years. Best of all, I have less than $1,000 in the whole thing.
Excellent! I really appreciate the commentary between stages, and the short, before & after sounds presented early on. There's an old tele deluxe with twin humbuckers hanging on the wall... perhaps I'll give similar upgrades a go :D
Thank you. I wanted to put that in print beside the "thumbs up" and long time sub because you're alway so gracious in providing a service to us, so again Thank You!
I do this with a lot of my own guitars, as a player looking for bang-for-the-buck options that sound and play great. I can't really justify spending the money on a Suhr, but I can put a decent set of pickups and better wiring in basically any old strat-style body and get killer results out of it. Jim Lill's videos have shown me just how much of electric guitar tone is in the electronics, and how little of electric guitar tone is in anything else- so that's where my money is going.
Did that with a Gretsch G5220, threw SD vintage filtertrons in and boom!
I had a green version of this guitar with EMG 57/60. I regret selling that guitar sooooo much. The clean tone with that instrument was unreal
I dig what you're doing here, keep up the great work
This has been my go to strategy for many years. When I started playing guitar I could only afford basic, working man gear. I found that modding them to my tastes was the lowest cost way to get high performance gear. Now, its just the way I like to do it. Three best examples from my collection are:
1. MIM Strat with Custom Shop Fat 50’s pickups, Obsidian Wiring and locking tuners.
2. Guild Starfire I with Seymour Duncan Seth Lovers, CTS & Switchcraft electronics, Kluson Revolution tuners, Tone Pro bridge and bone nut.
3. Slick SL56 with Seymour Duncan P90s and CTS & Switchcraft electronics.
A student of mine replaced PRS USA 85/15 pups in his same Zach Meyers guitar and it remains one of his favorites among many way higher in value.
i've been doing "it" for years...i think it'S well worth it....plus new nut, cts pots and new wiring, switchcraft jack and 3 way switch, new bridge and tailpiece...still cheaper....and more satisfying when you hear the difference from what you've done.....cheers.
I'm a big fan of GFS pickups from Guitar Fetish. I've installed probably 40 or 50 in mine and other people's guitars over the years and they sound great. They aren't boutique but better than most stock pups even in USA Fenders and Gibson's. One of my clients didn't like a set but he said no big deal sold them on Kijiji ( our Craigslist) for what he paid and ordered a different variant of the pickup and loved them.
@danpugatch I've got one in the bridge of the archtop in my profile pic. Sounds fabulous.
@danpugatch I haven't tried the surf 90s yet but they are on my list.
I like their pickups too, but I dunno about that weird easy wire system they have now. I just want to solder them in.
Another vote for GFS. I have a set of their Redactive humbuckers, and I like them a fair bit. They have THAT growl that made me stop and reconsider what a sound my budget guitar is capable of.
In 2020 I bought a PRS 35th anniversary SE Custom 24. It played nicely but, I didn't care for the pick-up and switches that turned the humbuckers into single poles. So, Vaughn Skow makes a pickup model that enhances the stock PRS pickup. I removed the micro switches, replaced the pots with Gibson 500k's, 50's wiring and installed the VS pickups. I also had a vintage Custom 22 core with Dragon pickups that was my "go to" at the time. The SE 24 with the new pickups, pots, and wiring sounded so good that I sold the Core to purchase a Fender Custom Shop. I agree you don't need to spend a fortune to get a premium sound. Thanks for all the great videos you do!
I've had great luck with budget pickups. Some even sound identical to the higher end versions. At the end of the day it's just magnets and copper wire. There isn't anything that high end manufacturers can get that small shops cant.
Well said. I about fell out of my chair when he said VIP charges $250 for wiring two pickups and 4 pots. There are EE's with degrees that don't make that kind of money.
@@kennethc2466 Maybe that includes all the filming. $250 is not too much for highly skilled work.
@@scottmacphee35 Highly skilled work is done by EE's with degree in Electrical Engineering. Soldering a few wires is FAR from highly skilled work. You insult everyone with a degree, who IS high skilled in EE, and could do that job in minutes, with ease...drunk.
@NolanVoid-dr1ch Quite well said, sir. High School shop class level work ain't $400 a hour. EE's at Boeing don't make that much.
Also, 52 Gibson jazz box! VERY NICE.
@@kennethc2466get off your high horse. That $250 goes towards rent, insurances, shop costs, staff holiday pay, sick leave all the other things employed people never have to think about. Clearly you have never run a small business
Another great video Keith! I have modded my share of inexpensive guitars with new pickups, wiring, switches, even a new bridge in one case. The only thing is to remember you are modding this guitar for yourself. I never expect to get my money back out of that guitar if/when I go to sell it. Unless I find that person looking for a guitar who wants all the same mods as me. Not likely. Thanks gain.
I fully upgraded a Zack Myers SE before about 3 years ago, i picked up 2 reverse color zebra pickups custom wound by a guy in north jersey, that brass bridge is the biggest improvement you can do to the ZM SE’s as far as hardware goes. It really brings the shine to life those guitars can have, very awesome sound, crisp and bright
I declare, one of the best guitar channels on the web!! Thanks dude!
Great video. I got an Epiphone Wildkat, and upgraded the pickups to Lollar P90's. The guitar sounds really great now, and it was totally worth the money to upgrade it.
Thanks Keith. Great dissection of how electronics matter to overall tone shaping as well as the impact it has on player engagement.
To make a guitar one that you bond with is an investment of time and dollars at any price-point, sometimes with zero changes, sometimes with several, but it has to start with a guitar you already like before any changes. Starting with a single-cut SE as a base for this project really drives that point home, an affordable guitar that already punches above its paygrade.
You can do the same with lessor guitars and greater guitars, and countless tens of thousands of guitarists do. The rest of us chase their tone, trying to put it in our own hands through our guitars and amps. Its a crazy cycle ain't it???😂😂
Those PRS SE's are great value for what you get. I've got a single cut one and although it doesn't have the figured top, it played great straight from the shop. If anything, the action was too low and for me had to be brought up. And I liked the stock pickups it came with. Not for everyone's tastes, but nice for high gain playing.
I generally buy a lot of budget guitars and mod them up. It's a great way of getting a guitar you want when you you don't want to spend the money. And there's plenty of options for after market parts that don't cost an arm and a leg either. There's also a lot of guitar companies now that put out some decent budget guitars which are a great base to start from.
But as you said, don't expect to get your money back. On that note, you can still put the guitar back to stock before selling and keep the good parts - or sell those off separately.
Yeah, good parts depreciate very little and people are always looking to buy them. Like pickups. If you buy Seymour Duncan pickups you can always resell them for 80-90% of what you paid new for them. Same with good locking tuners.
Installing SD Sliencers in my PRS SE Standard has transformed it into a great guitar. Used the stock pots and just added a .047 cap on tone. Since minimal trade in value with good neck and frets, the upgraded pups made sense. Sounds great.
Another great SE modding platform is the now discontinued Bernie Marsden model. Great video, as always, Keith!
I also enjoy your videos. As is this video they are informative as well as entertaining. I would call the PRS SE guitars affordable profesional grade instruments rather than budget. Bur rhat's just me. This is the first "upgrade your pickups" video that I've seen that you can hear a dramatic differnce in the tone and sound. I'll have to try the 50's wiring on my LP sryle guitar. Thanks for the video.
my main guitar is a modded cort x6 (much better pickups, schaller floyd, the pots were changed too) and after several years it's still the one i'd never get rid of. sounds great, is fairly comfortable and refuses to go out of tune, all for less than 600 bucks. also covered in stickers for extra radness. so yes, totally worth it.
I've been playing a Cort flying V since 1986. The stock pups in that one are glorious.
I remember, back in the day, we used to try just about every aftermarket p'up we could find, so our guitars would set idle for months at a time. The last guitar I modified was/is a 2004 Epi Sheraton II. I put Seymour Duncan "Antiquities" in it, front and back, and swapped out the pots for good quality 500 K/ohm CTS. What I ended up with is a guitar that plays amazing and has that elderly ES335 tone. Still have it, don't need a G*****n one, already have an LP for that stuff. Hope I didn't miss the mark on this, love this and all the other guitars in the stable. Thanks Keith, another "home run" video.
I've had higher-end guitars, (original Hamer Sunburst, 2-LP's and 2-SG's. Still have an SG). Years ago I purchased a Dillion PRS knock-off. It's a semi-hollow body. I had a couple SD pickups put on it, upgraded the tuners, put a push-pull pot in it and had the frets leveled and dressed. I loved it! From then on, it's become a hobby to buy cheaper guitars and make them into players. I have 4 Harley Benton's. Two of them have Gibson 57 classics in them. I learned to level and dress frets, replace shoddy wiring, replace tuners/bridges/pots. My main guitar is a HB LP copy with a beautiful top. It has 57 Classic's in it, CTS pots, Grover Vintage tuners and a Gotoh bridge. I have it fine-tuned to where I have the action at 4/64ths on the low E and about 3/64th on the high E, at the 12th fret.
In addition to have some nice sounding and playing guitars, I've learned a TON about working on my own guitars. I'm no longer afraid to level/crown/polish frets or completely strip the wiring and redo it from scratch with quality, shielded wire.
This looks like a hell of a good idea for a versatile build. Nice vid, Keith.
Im all about leaving a higher priced guitar exactly as it is. They will appreciate more this way, amd most have wonderful pickups in them today. The craze for pickup swaps was due todying pickups in older strats and Pauls, needing excellent replacements, or modders looking for stronger than stock offers for pickups. In a cheap guitar, it may actually save its tone.
I agree, don’t see the point in paying top dollar for a guitar that you then need to upgrade!!
Great video! I know that guitar well, and the clarity and bite that you are getting out of the new pickups and hardware is incredible. Also fantastic playing and beautiful sounding amp.
I had the same problem as you. Been a Les Paul player since the '80s, but they just started getting too heavy. So I dug out my 7lb Strat that I barely used and put Seymour Duncan Little 59s fore and aft, and removed the middle pickup. It sounds so good, I sold my Les Paul! And no, it doesn't sound the same, but to me it sounds better. Fender scale length with humbucking pickups is a truly magical combination. So no new guitar needed, just a couple of (used) 'new' pickups ... and it's now it's my only electric six string. How's that for getting the most music out of the least gear? ;)
Zack Myers in myers blue is a great playing a feeling guitar. I have the first version of this latest model based on the SC 245 scale length. Been wanting to try the 594 since the silently updated the model this year. I did the same thing, adjusting the pots to a standard layout, and opting for PRS 58/15s - their version of the PAF. I also have the coil taps which make the hollow body transform to something akin to a tele thinline in the middle position. All in all one of my favorite guitars to play out of my 15 guitars.
Upgrading a cheap body over time is a terrific substitute to a custom shop guitar.
Being able to spread out the cost opens up more opportunities for higher end components.
Especially when you can get a really good neck with upgraded electronics and bridge/nut/tuners.
Spreading that cost over time also helps get it past the wife 😅
A friend, in need of money, sold me a cheap Korean Strat. It was junk.... but the neck... the neck... wow... it felt so good in my hands.
I kept the neck, tossed the rest, proceeded to spend a lot of money on pickups and hardware, another body... it turned out remarkably well... I was chasing Knopfler clean... nailed it...
Was it worth it? Yes.
Props to talking about Ford. That guy is awesome. Seems like quite a humble guy as well.
I always wanted a 50’s style Les Paul with p90’s but didn’t want to live on a Top Ramen budget so finding an affordable option was my next best thing. A couple years ago, I purchased the Epiphone inspired by Gibson 50’s standard Les Paul. The guitar was great as it was but it was my platform to build what I wanted. I had my friend at Goldman Guitars build humbucker sized P90 pickups, upgraded to 50’s wiring, 550 pots, bumblebee capacitors, switch craft switch, and treble bleed. My buddy did all the work and setup to make my Epiphone the 50’s Les Paul I wanted. I’m in this guitar about $1100, but there are more times than not that I reach for my 50’s Epiphone before my Gibson Studio.
I love how you said it, ‘is the $850 guitar worth the $650 in upgrades? That’s up to you.’ Too often we are told as players we need a certain name on the headstock or we aren’t serious. It’s what makes you happy not anyone else.
I got my blue Zach Myers in Oct 22 stripped everything out Installed 50s wiring orange drop caps. S.D. jazz p.u. in neck and S.D. 59 in bridge. with vintage locking tuners.
My favorite electric is my Chinese Epiphone Casino Coupe and I have lots of guitars. It’s the right size and weight for me as I face my 70’s. I have changed all the parts and with a good setup it’s a fantastic guitar. Lollar P-90 underwound pickups are fantastic.
I have done all these different levels of mods on various guitars. Some I added a master volume with treble bleed (typically on a semi-hollow lower horn. Yea, I drill holes too. No Fear!). 2 D'Angelico and a Eastwood done that way. But some guitars are good as they are and I feel no urge to mod, such as my Yamaha Revstar Standard P90 or Gretsch Jet.
As you say, this is easy to do with simple skills. I really enjoy making my instruments uniquely my own. Even to configuring my own control circuits.
Mixing pickups, different cap types and capacitances, resistor parallel or series on a bleed circuit, in or out of phase switching or wiring, lots of options to try.
Own it. Make it yours! Have no fear, it is just some metal and wood.
This is a great video Keith. Thank you to you and your team for putting together something so powerful and so clearly presented. With some rare exceptions I find that I can improve any common guitar with 50s wiring and a pickup change. My most recent methodology is to buy Squiers and Epiphones that I play tested for the lowest weight and the best feel. Then do 50’s wiring and replace pots and switches where it makes sense. Some Chinese Epis come with proper CTS pots where the much more expensive Gibsons come with lower quality Alpha pots. It was good to learn about VIP, as I tend to source pots and switches from a local parts shop called Solo Guitars and I have had incredible success working with Tim Mills who runs Bare Knuckle Pickups. Whether standard products or custom winds, I always feel I am getting incredible value for my money. In fact, I did just this kind of work to an old PRS Core 245 which played great but did not have the openness that I expected. New wiring with higher value pots, a cap change to a BN paper and oil cap and some Bare Knuckle pickups took it from very good to great. Thanks again.
Good Info !!!!! Another good reason to have a beater guitar is when you travel with a guitar but are not sure about hotel security.
Didnt realize the wiring and pots could make a bigger tonal change than the pickups. Thats crazy!
Modding pickups on budget guitars (or even higher end guitars) is perfectly legit. I love adding PRS core pickups to SE guitars, Gibson pickups to Epiphone guitars, or even those pickups in lower quality/smaller brand guitars. The whole point of guitar is the tone, whatever gets you to that idyllic sound you hear in your head is all good. It’s a long argument the forums will have for forever. But pickup swaps are the most common thing I do. But I always do research and listen to guitars with those pickups to determine if they are what I am looking for or not.
To my surprise it sounds quite a lot better. It obviously sounds louder and more even as the amp gets pushed harder, but also a nice mid hump and less harsh high end fizz.
I did pretty much the exact same thing with my SE Zach Myers (which I bought 2nd hand but new condition). Locally hand wound vintage PAF style pickups, with the neck pickup underwound so it’s output balances much better with the bridge. It made the guitar so much more lively, airy and dynamic whilst not being hotter than most of my single coil guitars so I can swap on a gig without the gain structure changing. Lastly I found the reverse angle layout of the 4 pots impractical, so I wired the top front volume as a master volume for both pickups. Way more convenient for swells and quick adjustments to output level. It’s now a great LP alternative at only about 70% of the weight. It took me a little while to make friends with the neck profile but we’re well acquainted now. 😊
I placed a set of HFS & Vintage Bass and it really opened it up for me
Awesome video. I just picked up a 2000 epiphone les paul and installed an obsidianwire solderless harness which has 50’s and 60’s wiring at a flip of a switch. I was in the market to buy some new pickups. I feel that this video was made specifically for me. Lol.
Ill def check out the video on how to dial in a les paul.
Love the content. Keep up the great work
Just did this w a new Squire JM 40th & a Curtis Novak 1958 Fat Bridge pickup. Haven't even put it in yet but I'm very excited!
I did something similar with a Gretsch G2420T Streamliner. Played it stock for about two years, then over the course of the next three years changed the bridge to a Compton, upgraded the tuners, swapped out the pickups, and replaced the plastic knobs with metal. The stock guitar has excellent craftsmanship of fit and finish, just needs a few parts upgraded.
Its legitimately how much the wiring helped with clarity- the guitar sounded quite good stock, but the wiring just breathed life into it
I wanted a Tele with the same Seymour Duncan pickups as Mike Stern’s Yamaha, which was based on the guitar he got from Danny Gatton. Fender’s player series is routed for a neck humbucker so I played half a dozen and chose one. The wiring upgrade came from 920D and I added the split-coil resistors and treble bleed from the PRS DGT spec. All very quick and simple to do. I had a local luthier give the guitar a slight fret dress and it was done. Sounds wonderful, feels great and I use it for everything.
I run Rio Grandes in everything. I worked for the largest Robin Guitars dealer back in the day and got turned on to them at that point. They have some of the issues that vintage pickups have, namely tendency to microphonics. Through my Boogie MkIV there is very little difference in the high gain regions between my strat-style and single cutaway Robins or my Les Paul (which is one of the late 70s Artists so it weighs 12.8lbs LMAO). At least to the point where I don't have to fiddle with anything on the amp switching back and forth. My loaner guitar (that I keep for when a buddy's kid wants to try guitar) is some kind of cheap Epiphone LP style and when it comes back my way I'm going to be giving it some TLC including copper foil lining, redoing the electronics, and swapping in a BBQ Bucker set from Rio Grande. Good video.
Haven't seen the Beano since I was a kid, my Dad read it when he was a kid, when we went home with him to Ireland in the 80s he'd grab a stack of issues for nostalgia to bring back with him.
Bought my ZM before the new McCarty SE came out. I had it upgraded with PRS 58/15 pickups, push/pull tone pots, McCarty wiring with treble bleed, cream pickup rings, McCarty locking tuners (cream), custom truss rod cover and cream selector knob. Cost me around 550 for the parts and labor. The guitar now looks more like a core than an SE. Not only does it sound great, it looks unique and is very personal. Wouldn't see myself parting with it.
I shouldn't have to say this but....I like the fact that he's playing the same thing each time for the comparison. What i hate the most is when people do a compare this to that video and they play 2 completely different riffs. That "compares" nothing. Another great 5 watt video
I have watched a lot of these types of videos. I have seen so many blind comparisons where people can't tell the expensive pickups from the cheap ones. I bought a Harley Benton Tele put-in Fender Tex Mex pickups, all new wiring and pots from Guitar Fetish and new tuners and brass saddles with a good setup. I reshaped the headstock and put my own logo on it. It sounds and plays great for me. I don't think I spent $400 on the project. I have really nice guitars too but find myself playing my inexpensive mods because they are out and handy. It's all fun and you don't have to spend a fortune.
That’s exactly what i did to my prs se zack myers but with the prs 57/08🤙🏼 awesome video!!
My ZM se was modded with Planet Tone Blues Heritage pups, Mad Hatter electronics. Setup and new nut. Now its great!!
16:12 which guitar is that?
Made a huge (great) difference. I have a late 80s MIJ Strat. Gutted the electronics and put in some Curtis Novak 59 spec pups. Definitely worth it. Now I want to do a tele with VIPs.
Budget guitars/boutique pickups is my jam! I have a Gretch Electromatic Pro with McNelly Sparkletrons. A '95 MIM Tele with a Fralin Blues Special in the bridge and a Big Single MIni in the neck (four way series/parallel switch). A MIM Players Strat with Gemini gold foils in the mid and neck and the Suprocaster in the bridge (with a blender pot). A Shengze/Bad Cat Unicorn (the most budget of the bunch) with Seymour Duncan Phat Cats.
I loved the way these guitars looked and felt, but came to find that I wasn't completely satisfied with the sound. The new pickups plus an amazing setup by a very talented luthier and guitar tech took these already inspiring guitars to a completely different tier of instrument. Super worth the cost. I got all the guitars used. Even some of the pickups were used. I love them.
Hey I saw you made it more obvious what artist works is, that's very nice! 😊
A great insight into a guitar I’d not considered, never mind the pots and pickups. Nice one Keith! Off to watch Jeff…. 😜