GuitArcher

It's Friday! How about a few shots of the family?   First, the Fenders. Should the Tele been in the front? Can't see myself parting with any of these, but never say never.  The Blacktop ( second from right) will be getting a makeover sometime in September.  The Les Paul inspired assembly will be going into the cupboard upon the arrival of a White/Black/White, H/S/S guard. Should look something like this, I hope: EMG pickups seem to be getting a ton of flak since about 1996, but I still think they're great.  the necessity of a battery in the guitar is a bit annoying, but the sound is consistent, noise free, and different than anything else. The other thing I like is the clean look.  I've found the mint green guard on Sonic Blue makes the guitar look near white (when not sitting beside anything white).  Alternatively, a red tortoise pickguard might give it a cool vintage vibe, while the pearloid gives it a bit of a Strat Plus vibe. Next up

Time for Modifications? Despite not being convinced that the Squier 51 is a keeper, the charm and general good looks of the thing, combined with the happy accident of a pair of  GFS Nashville pickups being available locally for $20, meant I was was committed to modifying it. The presence of the chrome control plate and bridge made the all black pickups an odd, if financially understandable choice. How much better though, would this look with a chrome covered humbucker in the bridge and a lipstick single in the neck? A couple of things were standing in the way though. First, I was without a workspace, having sacrificed it to the needs of a certain 4 year old and her lego. Second, while I wanted to make the mods, I couldn't be bothered. Not sure why, but there it is. This weekend though, both kids sleeping with nothing to do meant there was a window open, and I was going to take it. There are a couple of things worth noting before I get into how I'm a moron. The

It never fails. Every time I spend more than pocket change on a guitar, I say to myself "I'll never change a thing. It was designed this way for a reason, and I shall therefore keep it that way." The Eric Johnson Stratocaster took this credo to a new level.  I mean, Eric Johnson is considered THE tone nut, and the entire guitar was designed by him (apparently).  Heck, you can't even buy these pickups separately, and when they show up on the used market, they fetch ridiculous prices. Here's the thing though - I am not Eric Johnson, and "it" never fails. "Don't hurt me!"

If there is a "lesson" that you're going to get tired of reading about, it's this: After-market modifications to stock guitars yield negligible value increase on the secondary market. Modifications are fun though, and are a great way to make you "fall in love" with a guitar that you don't want to sell but can't seem to enjoy anymore.  Just so happens that I have just such a guitar.  Imagine that. You'd think I was trying to write an introduction or something... Fenders Babies? About 4 years ago, again visiting family, I went out to the local music store with my wife to see what was in.  I knew the owner, and for once he was there on a weekend afternoon, so we had a nice chat as I checked out what was on the wall.  I pulled a Sonic Blue Stratocaster off the wall that caught my eye, a Blacktop Stratocaster.  A new model at the time that was getting some positive reviews from trusted sources. Plugged into a DRRI, I liked what I heard

Modifying guitars can be a great way to turn the guitar you have into the guitar you want.  Be careful though, because the definition of "the guitar you want" changes from week to week.  Last week's Tobacco Burst Les Paul quickly turns into this week's Pepto Bismol Pink Kramer. Because Hair. Pickups are normally where most people start, and with options at every point on the price scale, there are a ton of great options out there.  Here are some important things to keep in mind: Learn How to Solder If you can't install your own pickups, you're either shutting the door on a world of great tone or demonstrating that you have more money than brains (because you'll pay someone 50 bucks an hour to do it for you instead of learning yourself).  For $30 you can get yourself basic soldering iron, some rosin core solder and some wire.  With tons of resources online to teach you how to do it properly, and Seymour Duncan's excellent collection of

Quick Update:  Restringing the Stratocaster with the System III requires the patience of a saint.  I'm not going to go through the many stages of anger, frustration, denial, acceptance, and final victory, but suffice to say there might have been a bit of crying.  Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar I bought this guitar on a whim.  Over some holiday gathering, I went to a music store with my brother.  This caught my eye, and the price was right (Less than $300 out the door).  Sure it had issues right off the bat, but it was soooo cool. Let's get something out of the way - I have no idea why this is part of the "Vintage Modified" series and not the "Classic Vibe" series. You see, the Vintage Modified series is supposed to be a collection of classic designs with a few modern popular updates. This definitely isn't that. WTF is modified here? As Lee Anderton rightly pointed out (see video below), this is pretty much a spot on recreation of the orig