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Ten Easy ways to Upgrade your Electric Guitar
There'll come a time when you will want to upgrade your electric guitar. It might be that you are dissatisfied with the sound, the performance or simply the look of the thing. One way out is to buy a new guitar and consign your old favourite to the loft. But before you do that consider these ten ways to put some spice back into your guitar life. Bear in mind if your guitar is under warranty most of these suggestions will void it.
Guitar Strings - The easiest way to boost your guitar's performance is to change the strings. There's nothing to beat the tone and clarity of brand new strings. If your strings are old, corroded or dirty this might be the only thing you need to rekindle the flames of guitar-love. If you're having trouble with the playability of the guitar try stepping down a string gauge, if you want more tone and volume try stepping up a string gauge. Surprise yourself and buy a completely new brand and see what difference it makes to you and the instrument. Browse iMuso for Guitar Strings
Pickguard or Scratchplate - One of the easiest ways to radically alter the appearance of your guitar is to replace the scratchplate. I don't think I own a guitar which doesn't have a custom scratchplate. Imagine a new pearloid or mirrored plate to replace that cheapo white one on your Strat copy!
Find a website or a company that specialising in doing this and talk to them about the possibilities. The safest way is to remove the scratchplate from your guitar and draw around it to provide a template. Always follow the instructions of the supplier in this regard. If you're buying off-the-shelf then take your plate along to compare directly, or if you're buying standard plates online ask if you can post your template for them to check against their stock. Never photocopy, scan or fax a template as this will distort the dimensions.Knobs and Switches - Again this is an easy way to alter the look of your guitar without messing with the way it plays. Check out the spindle width on your control pots and make sure your intended replacements will fit correctly. Some people with Les Paul type guitars change the pickup selector switch for a heavy duty replacement to increase future reliability. If you are not proficient in soldering ask a guitar technician to do this for you.
Strap Buttons or Strap Locks - If your strap buttons are a touch on the small side and your old leather strap is getting a bit worn you could very soon find yourself watching your beloved axe swallow-dive head-first towards the ground. Fitting larger strap buttons is an excellent quick fix upgrade. Simply unscrew the old ones and screw in the new ones. Add a sliver of matchstick to the screwhole if necessary to give the new screws an added bite. A more expensive but ultimately safer addition are straplocks. Some models lock over existing strap buttons and some are designed to completely replace them.
Decal Kits - One way to transform your guitar quickly and simply is to use stickers or decal kits. These kits provide a cost-effective, affordable and reversible alternative to a full respray.
Respray - This is slightly more complicated and expensive as it requires a complete dismantling of your instrument and the transport of the body to the paint shop. Only consider this for guitars you truly love and want to keep forever.
Pickups - The heart and soul of any electric guitar lies in the pickups and this is where most guitars get upgraded. Typically a guitar that is wonderful to play can be improved by a pickup upgrade. Many companies do nothing except produce replacement pickups for other people's guitars and user reviews can be found for these on many forum sites. However another good option is to upgrade your Epiphone with original Gibson pickups or your Squier with original Fender pickups. Again be sure that you understand the principles of wiring and soldering fully before you take on a pickup refit. Also make sure the pickup is the right size for the cut-outs in your guitar body or scratchplate.
Tuning Machines - The tuners or machine-heads of a guitar are susceptible to wear and may need replacing on older guitars. On cheaper guitar models you may want to upgrade them to overcome tuning problems or the change may be part of a complete hardware upgrade changing chrome to gold or black. Unless you replace with the exact same size you will probably have redundant screw holes that will be visible at the rear of the headstock. On older versions of guitars with vibrato arms the tuning stability will be enhanced by fitting special locking tuners.
Nut - Adjustment or replacement of the nut is probably best left to a qualified guitar technician as errors here can drastically affect the playability of your instrument. Even so a properly adjusted or upgraded nut can bring many benefits. A harder material than standard plastic, for instance brass or graphite, can have a appreciable affect on tone and sustain. Installation of a lower nut can improve your ability to set a low action along the neck.
Neck Replacement - Only available as a DIY option for owners of bolt-on models this can be a great way to improve playability or extend the playing life of a worn guitar or one that has suffered neck, fret or fretboard damage. Although pricey, it is possible to get startlingly beautiful replacement necks in exotic woods with exceptional grain configurations, the ultimate upgrade for your trusty Strat or Telecaster!
Electronics - There have been many books written about the electronic maintenance and upgrade of electric guitar innards. Tone and volume response can be improved at the basic level, custom switching formats and coil-tapping can be achieved at the advanced level. Just be sure to have the technical confidence to back up that soldering iron. For most of us the easiest solution is to have the electronic upgrade off-board in the shape of an effects pedal on the ground or mounted in a rack. Sometimes a simple graphic equaliser, overdrive or treble boost is all you need to set your guitar free.
Well that's it, the top ten upgrades for your electric guitar (except this one goes up to eleven!). Remember don't mess with a vintage, historic or otherwise valuable guitar because it will lose value as a result. Other than that, if the guitar belongs to you, you should have some fun with it...!
The Man in the Jar (The guitar world's equivalent of Dr Nick Riviera).
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