Customizing and Tuning .

 We d talk about customizing when we decide to change some parts or features of an instrument to make it look or sound different than a strandard one, make it very special to its owner. Just like in car or bike customizing, there are virtually no limits to what can be done to a guitar but the money you want to spend on it to do so and the inner limits of a fretted instruments. From a "new old stock" vintage look to the most outrageous paintjob it's all a matter of taste. I will always recommend and try and convince owners of original vintage instruments to not do any major modifications to them since it will dramatically make their value drop and forever change their sound, look and feel. Of course there is a lot we can do on a vintage guitar without drilling holes in it and refinishing it, but always try and keep em as close as the original as possible or to do some "reversible work".

Common Customizing

	Pick-ups : You are not satisfied  with the tone or the output level of your pick ups ? you  want a more versatile, punchy, brutal , bluesy , jazzy instrument, add a "piezo" pick up etc etc ? Changing the pick ups and/or the way they are wired is a way to get closer to what you d consider as a better sounding guitar. There are so many great pick-ups on the market, and so many options to wire them up that you may need the advices of an expert to make your choice. If you decide to chose something totally different from the original ones, we may have to do some extra rounting in the guitar body as well. Keep in mind tho that the sound of an electric guitar isn t only generated by the pick-ups but also by many other parametres such as the wood used for the neck, body and fingerboard, the amp and effects the frets etc etc and most of all...musician that plays it in the end ...
	Tuners : They are often blamed when the instrument doesn t stay in tune when the way the strings have been poorly installed should be !!! Sometimes tho , you do need to replace them or just want to have some "locking" tuners or just a different look .Some of the replacement tuners will fit in the old slots but most of the time you d need to have some work done to adjust em and install em in  properly .
	Instalation of a Tremolo: It s possible to equip virtually any instrument (yes even acoustic ones !) with a tremolo altho it will in most cases dramaticly change its  feel and tone so you better be warned before you take the step because there is usually no turning back once the holes and routings will be drilled !
	Replacing a tremolo: Add a lockin nut or rout the body to be able to have a floating tremolo are common work but in most cases there will be no turning back. It s a costy and delicate operation when rounting is involved.

Refinishing

Tired of that color or want to have the name of your fiancee inlaid on the neck ? well it s possible to do anything or almost anything you want from a solid color paint job to the most original colors, inlays, original and personnal paintings etc etc etc. As i said before tho, Before you decide to refinish an original "vintage" instrument (even in poor condition), you must be fully aware that its value will drop dramatically. Basically, a refinished vintage guitar is worth roughly 30 to 50% of an original one.

Custom made neck or body

It s possible to change the body or neck of your instrument. Eventually if we cannot find what you re looking for, or if you want something very exclusive, it s of course possible to build a custom neck or body from the scratch, using your very personnal selection of wood and shape specifications.

How much does it cost ?

In most cases less than you d think ! It all depends on the prices of the parts you've decided to change and the time it will take to install them. There might be a solution cheaper than you'd think, give me a call  or drop an email and we'd start looking into it together.

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Last modified: 08/26/06