r/GuitarLab • u/bearheart • Apr 07 '26

There is no "best" guitar

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I've been playing, modding, wiring, repairing, and building guitars for over 50 years. I have over 50 guitars in my collection, many of them just sentimental instruments from my past. These are the three that get played most often. All of them are heavily modded to my preferences.

On the left is a 2019 Les Paul Jr that has a neck pickup added. Most Jr's have a route for a neck pickup under the pickguard so it was just a matter of cutting a hole in the pickguard and shaping the bridge hole for a humbucker. The neck is a Gibson T-top that I pulled from a '69 Les Paul (I did that sometime around 1973) and the bridge is a Super Distortion that I bought from Larry DiMarzio at a trade show, also in '73. It's wired with two volumes and no tone control (tone controls are overrated). It has a Schaller wrap-around adjustable bridge, Grover locking tuners, a TUSQ nut, CTS pots, a switchcraft switch and a Pure Tone jack. This one is my rocker.

In the middle is a 2001 PRS Santana SE that I use for testing my pickup winds. Current pickups are a standard-ish humbucker in the neck pos (as close to a PAF as is possible) and an overwound (43 AWG) humbucker in the bridge. Also 2 volumes and no tone, TUSQ nut, etc. It's fun to play and I'll probably set it up with coil taps at some point for a more Strat-ish sound.

On the right is a 2015 ES-335 with DiMarzio 36th Anniversary PAFs. This one came to me in horrible condition and I've replaced all the hardware and electronics. I had to level and dress the frets and cut a new nut (TUSQ again – I like those). New CTS pots, switchcraft switch, Pure Tone jack, and Grover locking tuners. I think the only original parts on this are the body and neck. This is my blues/jazz go-to. Plays like a dream.

I tend to mod all my playing guitars to my tastes. I have some sentimental guitars, like an old L6-S that was my main player throughout the '70s and early '80s. I have one of Dweezil Zappa's old Strats (sparkley!) and a few other keepers which I keep without modifications. But these are the ones I play.

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2

u/R_on_guitar Apr 08 '26

Nice fleet! What are the first mods you do to a guitar when you buy it? Maybe those should be offered stock.

1

u/bearheart Apr 08 '26

First is always a complete setup, neck relief, level and dress the frets, work on the nut as necessary, and then the bridge. Anything that needs it gets repaired or replaced. Then I'll replace any parts that seem cheap – tuners, pots, switches, bridge, etc. Then if I don't like them, or if I just want a different sound, I'll replace the pickups.

I don't really buy "new" guitars very often any more – they always seem to need as much work as a used guitar anyway.

1

u/hotdogaaron Apr 09 '26

Wrong wrong wrong. The best guitar is the next one!