Upgrading your guitar? Don't make the same mistakes I have.

Before you upgrade your guitar, there's a few things you should do and also think about. In today's video I give some advice to people interested in modifying their instruments to save some time, money, and buyers remorse! Let me know what your favorite upgrades are and why in the comments below?

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[GabrielNacu]

Great video and really direct to the point!
After years of heavily modifying many of my guitars (switching pickups, hardware, necks, etc.), I have found myself recently calming down and trying to mod as less as possible.

The problem with me was simple ; I was modding guitars because I didn't want to admit I actually bought the wrong instrument.
As my tastes changed throughout the years, I thought modding could help rectify what I wanted but it honestly took a long time to realise I was going in circles - especially with pickups!

Looking back now, I probably wouldn't change a thing as it has been a journey - I have learnt a lot from my own mistakes and from having guitar technicians as colleagues to set me straight.

The advice I have for anyone is to be sure with yourself on why you want to mod ; if you have doubts already with something that you can't easily change (like the shape of the neck, or the weight of the guitar) then stop there - no amount of modding will make you happy and you might regret the decision to mod if the procedure is too invasive.

"If it ain't broken - don't fix it."
Just get it setup once in a while... :)

[MHChang]

Great vid Jim! Lot of practical advice on here for us overzealous guitar players that want to mod our stuff just for the sake of it! The one upgrade I always put on my guitars are locking tuners

[Gene_Cali]

I just went to a different string size on an old tele, and it's like a positive upgrade. I also built my first DIY guitar kit. Hard to describe how enjoyable the experience was. My friend says it's like a Jedi making their own Lightsaber. Due to the kit's basic components, I did pre order locking tuners and knobs, and shielding paint. Thanks Jim for your time and experience.

[thess]

If everything works the first thing I Change out is the tone pot's and input jack then work from their

[IanNorsworthy]

Great, balanced and level headed approach as ever mate - fantastic stuff and great advice for people to look at to help make sensible and well thought out decisions (and just appreciate what they have too!)

[jasonm]

Thanks, Jim - all sound and helpful advice.

[geemac]

That style of guitar (335) is a headache to mod. You were smart to change everything as long as you were in there for the pickup change.

[Barbarapape]

All excellent advice Jim, most of us can plead guilty to watching all the Youtube reviews that say with a few mods
this will be a great guitar, so you buy the guitar and all the upgrade parts before you have even played it!
Some guitars are better with a few upgrades, but not all of them, i have changed pickups only to put the original
ones back again.
The big question is why buy a guitar only to try to improve it?
Why not save a bit more and buy a guitar that is good enough with stock parts and a setup.

[pedroeguren]

One thing I do in my guitars is put paper in oil caps

[staleyexplores]

great video. very wise words about modding the guitar, how did you know I was looking at lollar pickups yesterday for the new parts guitar ibanez gio that is now playing quite well! right now I'm seeing the benefit of switching guitar necks bc the old original neck on the ibanez gio kind of sucked. but this new one is chunkier and more bluesy feeling/sounding. now to think about a solder kit and whether I wanna replace all the wiring and pots/etc.

[valueofnothing]

I put GFS solderless pickups in my guitars - well, I left my Squire CV alone. I think I just like Alnico pickups regardless.

And absolutely get the guitar first. I would buy GFS pickups and like them and then buy guitars with the idea of putting those pickups in those guitars, and then the guitars turned out to be fantastic.

[armyofchris]

I always sand the finish off my necks and refinish with tru oil. Yesterday I doing that to my new Harley benton fusion III and decided to reshape the neck a bit. Strangely it did not smell like maple syrup like all my others. It smelled exactly like BBQ sauce. Really. Like mesquite or something. I'm not a woodworker so I have no idea if that means it's not roasted maple or not. But I am curious if anyone does. Or if they found the same thing. I'm not bummed either way. It still feels and plays well. Just thought it was funny.

[jonathanpeden]

So...is 15 years too long to get around to changing the tuners on my Squier Strat?? Lol but they are the weakest link so it's about time I guess...

[richthetrashpicker-upper]

Library it's a great place to meet girls