How can I customize my guitar?

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Andy

I bought a Epiphone LP Special I from guitar center for $89. It is my most comfortable and one of my best sounding guitars. It's the one with the p90s. I was planning on upgrading the tuners, putting on a Bigsby, and installing a pickguard. Would I be able to do all these? I'm pretty sure I can put on some Grovers. But I don't know if can change the bridge or add a guard. The bridge is a wrap a round and is a little high up the body and the volume knobs look like they're in the way to add a pick guard. Does anyone know if I can do these? I'm alright if the tail piece isn't a Bigsby, as long as it looks similar. Thanks for the help!

Answer
I researched the issue of a pickguard for the LP special for another question. You can use a LP pickguard, but you need to cut off a little bit of it so the volume knob will fit.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/4841562611_f9c6e9f286_b.jpg

The tuners should not be an issue.
The tremolo is another story.
With your stop bar tail piece, you would need another bridge as well. Plus there are lot of things you have to modify to get a Bigsby on it.

I don't think it would be worthwhile to do. Plus you need a lot of skills to install it.

The easiest would be a "Stetsbar" trem that mounts on the original bridge holes, BUT, they don't make one for fitting where a wraparound bridge does.
So a trem is pretty much too complicated to install on your guitar.

You would be better off getting one of these:
http://www.musicexpresscanada.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=3&products_id=397

A "fishbone" Les Paul axcess copy. I believe it has EMG pickups, too. They look pretty nice.
for all the work you would have to do, it would probably be cheaper just to buy another guitar, and this is a good choice for a Les Paul guitar with Trem.


You might want to just replace the tuners, though, so you get really good quality machine heads.

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Can you put electric guitar pickups on an acoustic guitar?

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blacksockb

I'd like to mount a humbucker to an old acoustic to see what it sounds like. I haven't been able to find any evidence online of anyone doing this sort of thing, and I know I'm not that original. Any ideas? Is there some obvious reason why I shouldn't do it?

Answer
Yes, it can be done. You have to know a little bit about wiring, a little bit about woodworking, and have the realization that it will be a lot of fiddling about til it comes out 'right'.

Here are th pit falls:
1) it will never sound as clean when played unplugged again.
2) The acoustic, not having the same sort of bracing as even a hollow body electric will mean that it is LIKELY to feedback often and uncontrollably.

Other than that - have at it!

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What is the difference between a dreadnought and folk style guitar?

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Grey Ham

I am looking to buy my first guitar and i have seen that there are these two styles. I was just wondering what is the difference, what is cheaper and what is better.

I have also heard that there are nylon and steel-stringed guitar.... what's the difference there?

Answer
Acoustic guitars can be divided into nylon string, steel string flat top, and steel string arch top.

Nylon string guitars generally come in two types, flamenco and classical. Flamenco guitars have violin style tuning pegs instead of machine heads and have a plastic tap-plate over the soundboard to protect the surface and allow percussive tapping with the fingernails. Classical guitars have slotted headstocks with machine heads.

Flat top guitars come in five different sizes: O, or Concert is the smallest, about the same size as a classical guitar. OO, or Grand Concert is the next size up and OOO, or Auditorium is the next size up from that with the Jumbo and the Dreadnought being the largest. All these guitars except the Dreadnought have pronounced waists, the waist on the Dreadnought being just a slight indentation of the sides.

Archtops are in between Auditorium and Jumbo size.

Nylon strings give the mellow sound generally associated with classical or European folk playing, but some artists, most notably Willie Nelson, use Nylon in contemporary music.

Flat tops are by far the most common acoustic guitars. Concert sized guitars are the most trebly, giving a sound associated with English folk music, and as the guitars get larger the voice gets deeper until with the Dreadnoughts you get the thumping bass sound associated with Bluegrass.

Archtops are used primarily in Jazz. Most are electrified these days, usually with on pickup mounted to the fingerboard.

Putting steel strings on a nylon string guitar will damage the instrument; Putting nylon strings on a steel string guitar will result in a weak, Mickey Mouse sound.

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Can you put electric guitar pickups on an acoustic guitar?

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blacksockb

I'd like to mount a humbucker to an old acoustic to see what it sounds like. I haven't been able to find any evidence online of anyone doing this sort of thing, and I know I'm not that original. Any ideas? Is there some obvious reason why I shouldn't do it?

Answer
Yes, it can be done. You have to know a little bit about wiring, a little bit about woodworking, and have the realization that it will be a lot of fiddling about til it comes out 'right'.

Here are th pit falls:
1) it will never sound as clean when played unplugged again.
2) The acoustic, not having the same sort of bracing as even a hollow body electric will mean that it is LIKELY to feedback often and uncontrollably.

Other than that - have at it!

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What can I make using an old guitar neck?

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Erin

How can I recycle this special guitar neck into something that might be a little bit useful? I would like to keep it, so if I can build something useful out of it instead of just setting it somewhere, that would be great.

Answer
I think it would make a great hat, key, or even coat rack. This isn't that dissimilar that the other person's idea, I would just go bigger. Use larger hooks and mount it on a bord to support the weight of the hanging objects.

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What is the best kind of electric guitar to buy?

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Mac

I'm starting guitar lessons soon, and I need an awesome guitar. I'm asking if I should buy a Fender, a Gibson, a Rickenbacker, a Epiphone, etc. . . Also, if you could, could you give me a website that has 1 for a low price. Thanks. :)

Answer
The cheapest one!! :-) Squire or Epiphone are very good...
In fact when you are at the beginning you already don't know what is your particular way of playing, what is your personal style, and then what are your specific needs...
When you buy your first guitar, you already have to think that you'll change it in a couple of years...

In my opinion, Gibson is the best because I prefer the fixed bridge, single coils, and type of wood like mahogany, that produce a deeper sound. Furthermore, the strings of Gibson guitars are always mounted on the top of the guitar body, rather than through the guitar body, as seen in competitor Fender's designs and I think it's better... Even Gibson design is irresistible for me :-)
So, my suggestion is: Epiphone, that is a great Gibson subbrand!!
Bye!
Sorry for bad English

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What all would i need in order to completly rebuild a vintage electric guitar with only the body and neck?

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Richard Th

I found an old electric guitar from the 70's in my guest room closet, the electronics are completely corroded out. so I have completely dissembled the guitar.(including the knobs and wires and everything all i have left is the body and the neck.) I need a complete list of all the things I will need to rebuild it if i want to have two active pickups and a switch for them.

Answer
Hello there,

A complete list of all the things you need? Experience in guitar rebuilding and repair.

No one can help you with the information you gave. An old electric guitar from the 70s. That tells me nothing. What brand is it? What model. What pickps are on it. What type of bridge. What is the wiring configuration that came on it. How is the body routed?

Without knowing how the body is routed for pickups, I could not even tell you whether you can use a single coil or a humbucker or a P-90 on that guitar.

If you have one of those old funky Japanese imports from the 70s, those are very challenging to work on. They are not cut to accept regular pickup mounts and you have to be rather creative to find a way to put different pickups on it.

You may well need a plunge router to cut new pickup cavities or enlarge the present ones. If you need to add a new cavity for electronics or a battery, you will definitely need a router.

The first rule for working on any unusual (to you) guitar is to make a good diagram of how the wiring was run stock. Did you do that?

EMG active pickups run $120 each. Is that guitar worth investing that much into it? I rather doubt it unless you found a 70s vintage Les Paul or a 70s vintage Fender Stratocaster. If you did, you should not be altering those.

Later,

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What is the difference between a dreadnought and folk style guitar?

guitar mount image

Grey Ham

I am looking to buy my first guitar and i have seen that there are these two styles. I was just wondering what is the difference, what is cheaper and what is better.

I have also heard that there are nylon and steel-stringed guitar.... what's the difference there?

Answer
Acoustic guitars can be divided into nylon string, steel string flat top, and steel string arch top.

Nylon string guitars generally come in two types, flamenco and classical. Flamenco guitars have violin style tuning pegs instead of machine heads and have a plastic tap-plate over the soundboard to protect the surface and allow percussive tapping with the fingernails. Classical guitars have slotted headstocks with machine heads.

Flat top guitars come in five different sizes: O, or Concert is the smallest, about the same size as a classical guitar. OO, or Grand Concert is the next size up and OOO, or Auditorium is the next size up from that with the Jumbo and the Dreadnought being the largest. All these guitars except the Dreadnought have pronounced waists, the waist on the Dreadnought being just a slight indentation of the sides.

Archtops are in between Auditorium and Jumbo size.

Nylon strings give the mellow sound generally associated with classical or European folk playing, but some artists, most notably Willie Nelson, use Nylon in contemporary music.

Flat tops are by far the most common acoustic guitars. Concert sized guitars are the most trebly, giving a sound associated with English folk music, and as the guitars get larger the voice gets deeper until with the Dreadnoughts you get the thumping bass sound associated with Bluegrass.

Archtops are used primarily in Jazz. Most are electrified these days, usually with on pickup mounted to the fingerboard.

Putting steel strings on a nylon string guitar will damage the instrument; Putting nylon strings on a steel string guitar will result in a weak, Mickey Mouse sound.

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Can you put electric guitar pickups on an acoustic guitar?

guitar mount image

blacksockb

I'd like to mount a humbucker to an old acoustic to see what it sounds like. I haven't been able to find any evidence online of anyone doing this sort of thing, and I know I'm not that original. Any ideas? Is there some obvious reason why I shouldn't do it?

Answer
Yes, it can be done. You have to know a little bit about wiring, a little bit about woodworking, and have the realization that it will be a lot of fiddling about til it comes out 'right'.

Here are th pit falls:
1) it will never sound as clean when played unplugged again.
2) The acoustic, not having the same sort of bracing as even a hollow body electric will mean that it is LIKELY to feedback often and uncontrollably.

Other than that - have at it!

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What is the best kind of electric guitar to buy?

guitar mount image

Mac

I'm starting guitar lessons soon, and I need an awesome guitar. I'm asking if I should buy a Fender, a Gibson, a Rickenbacker, a Epiphone, etc. . . Also, if you could, could you give me a website that has 1 for a low price. Thanks. :)

Answer
The cheapest one!! :-) Squire or Epiphone are very good...
In fact when you are at the beginning you already don't know what is your particular way of playing, what is your personal style, and then what are your specific needs...
When you buy your first guitar, you already have to think that you'll change it in a couple of years...

In my opinion, Gibson is the best because I prefer the fixed bridge, single coils, and type of wood like mahogany, that produce a deeper sound. Furthermore, the strings of Gibson guitars are always mounted on the top of the guitar body, rather than through the guitar body, as seen in competitor Fender's designs and I think it's better... Even Gibson design is irresistible for me :-)
So, my suggestion is: Epiphone, that is a great Gibson subbrand!!
Bye!
Sorry for bad English

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Can a guitar wall mount support a bass?

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Vidal Soto

I play bass and I want to mount it on my wall just wondering if all guitar mounts will mount my bass?

Answer
Yes, if it is properly secured. They use them for bass in guitar stores all of the time.

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What can guitar effects switchers be used for?

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scuderia_f

I understand that a guitar effects switcher can help to better organize your pedals and your use of them. What else can they do?

I am running under the impression that they can also:

1) Be used to run pedals in different combos without having to unplug and replug pedals from one combo to another

2) Turn pedals on and off without having to stomp on each pedal individually

What else are they used for?

Answer
There are several features that these units offer. They usually have a universal power supply that can power several different pedals. They allow you to select any or all pedals with one switch. Each switch (patch) has an independent volume control allowing you to have one patch be louder or softer than another (great for having a lead boost). The ability to run to more than one amp so you can set up a stereo image. The ability to set up an external loop for rack mounted gear. Some have MIDI capability. Most have a buffered input and output to normalize the signal to match your amps input and effects send and returns.
Remember that some units are very basic and only offer a few of these features, whereas some are more complex and offer all this and more. Do your home work, decide what you need, and make your decision accordingly

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Guitar Wall Mount/Home Improvement Question?

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Oliver Twi

So I've had a guitar wall mount in my wall for over 2 years for a couple years and recently I've noticed the top screw (only two screws) coming out a bit and recently it's come out even more. I'm concerned that my guitar will fall so I'm wondering if I can buy something like dry wall or something in that category to fix this. I also have two other guitar wall mounts as well, one of which is completely out of the wall. How can i patch up the holes the screws made?

Answer
You should have the screws in the studs. If they aren't, move them. If you can't get them in the studs, get a piece of plywood, paint it and screw it to the studs. Then mount your guitar mount to the plywood. You can make it look decorative if you choose the right colors.

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