It was so awesome to work with you on this video!!

As a lefty, this is incredibly common for me. The lack of options means we poor southpaws need to be creative and sometimes skillful with the soldering iron

It always blows my mind how quickly so many people decide to change out their pickups. It’s a legit choice for many players. It’s “just the thing to do” for many MORE players because they hear so many KZfaqrs saying it. As a novice, I just tweak the knobs on my guitar and make a couple amp adjustments. Good ‘nuff!

I did the same thing with my PRS Zach Myers years ago. I got it on sale for $600 and upgraded the pickups. Still one of my go to guitars to this day.

I put CTS pots, new wiring with switch craft everything, a custom bone nut and Seymour Duncan Whole Lotta Humbuckers in my $425 Epiphone Standard Les Paul. The difference was pretty significant. It was worth it as I plan to keep that guitar. It was the one fate chose for me and I bought it from my former guitar instructor when that shop was still open. Plus, I used the guitar on my first album with my garage band. Keep your guitars with sentimental value guys. Fix em up and play em as well.

I've been doing this for many, many years. I shake my head at how many KZfaqrs "upgrade" their guitar with new pickups, but leave the crappy pots, caps, wires,..... I always change out the harness before changing out the pickups. Yes, I regularly change out pickups as well, but I have a few budget guitars and basses with stock pickups , due to the fact they sound great and gained so much clarity when improving the other electronic components. And yes, I have a 7 lb 2oz, Les Paul!

Honestly, this pathway would be the perfect path for a person FINALLY able to afford a good guitar. Buy the PRS SE and play it stock. It sounds really good that way. When you have saved up some more money, do the pots and wiring upgrade. Play it until you earn the money to buy the new pickups. Unlike a lot of "upgrade cheap guitars" videos, every step of this build gives you a fine instrument that can be played and enjoyed that way until you're ready and able to move on to the next step.

Keith, you've got quite a team. This was excellent - concept, camera, audio, script and editing. Thanks to all at FWW.

I did a similar project with a Clasic Vibe Jazzmaster. I did a full upgrade. AVRI vibe, Staytrem bridge, Lollar pickups, CTS pots, Switchcraft switches, and (sorry) an Orange Drop cap. But the key upgrade was the Storm Guitar pick guard from South Korea! About $1k total. My dream guitar (for the moment).

I found Kinman Strat and Tele pickups while looking for "noiseless" single coil replacements. About the same time Phil McKnight reviewed EART guitars, as in a $270 guitar from Amazon, but with a fantastic neck and fretwork. I now have 4 EART Strats with various combinations of Kinman pickups, and they all sound better than any Fender Strat I ever played, including a vintage 1965 hard tail.

I've been playing 50 years, I was a professional for a decade. I play the hell out of a $200 single-cut with a pair of Warman P-90s in it, it looks, sounds and feels glorious. I play it far more often than the thousand dollar Gretsch over there in its case. Every guitar is an individual and you don't have to spend thousands to find a great one. In fact I'm not even sure the odds improve that much.

I have a Marlin guitar that I bought from a UK mail order catalogue in 1986 for around £100; it was a guitar for poor people. 10 years later I changed the bridge and replaced the pickups with good 90s Seymour Duncan humbuckers; one being a PAF equivalent and the other a high output bridge pickup. To this day the guitar is one of my best sounding instruments and I own multiple Strandbergs, Fenders, Gibsons and many more.

Great video! I did a similar mod to my 50's les paul standard, didn't swap the pots but did the 50's wiring with bumblebee caps, added Seymour Duncan antiquities, and the Faber abr post conversion kit. Couldn't be happier with the results.

Man I’ve been waiting so much on this video! Thanks for the great video! Really well explained and recorded

Those Zack Myers’s PRS SEs play so nice for the money! Great video Keith. Got my new 5WW shirt yesterday, guess I should wear it to the gig today 😊

Excellent! I really appreciate the commentary between stages, and the short, before & after sounds presented early on. There's an old tele deluxe with twin humbuckers hanging on the wall... perhaps I'll give similar upgrades a go :D

Thanks for the video Keith! A few years back I thought that I would finally buy the guitar I've been meaning to get and learn to play. I've always been a Telecaster fan ever since I'd spent a few years touring with a band doing sound mixing and stage lighting in the late 1970s. I had just enough money to get a 10 year old second-hand MiM Player series. It cost me NZ$1,000. It was a lot of money for me but I figured that, if I ended up not being able to play very well I could sell it and get my money back. I didn't notice when I picked it up but the frets were in need of levelling and, not being able to afford the services of a luthier I decided to learn how to fix it myself. I read and watched and bought a few bits and pieces but by then I'd not exactly become a 'guitar player' and I didn't want to risk damaging my investment. When I saw a second-hand Tele copy for NZ$100 I figured I could practice my skills on that neck before risking the Fender. Well I got that neck set up really well, the frets were perfect and the action was really low with no buzzing even when bending notes. However I still couldn't play worth a damn. So I sold the Fender and got back what I paid for it. The cheapie didn't sound so good and when I was researching some basic luthier skills I'd discovered a guy who winds his own pickups here in New Zealand (Mr. Glyn, he has a website) and sells them at a very good price. Most of the successful local bands here use his pickups. I like to support local manufacturers so I bought a set of his pickups (his 'Cruel Mistress' set). I also had heard of a NZ company (Obsidian Wire) who made replacement control electronics for Teles with a 4-way switch, treble-bleed and high quality pots so I ordered that as well. Then I became unhappy with the tuning stability so bought a set of Fender staggered tuners to replace the cheap things that were on the guitar and also bought a modern Fender 6 saddle bridge for good measure. By now I'd spent about half of what the Fender Tele had cost me originally but have ended up with a guitar that sounds sooo much better than that MIM guitar. Unfortunately I still can't play very well but hey, I really enjoy learning about guitars!

I bought a Zach Myers PRS once. Loved the way it felt to play , loved the way it looked, did not love the way it sounded. I wasn't in a position to swing the extra money for new pickups and, knew I wouldn't be for a while, so I disappointingly returned it. This video has made me consider getting another one and upgrading the pickups now that I'm stronger financially. Thanks five, what world for making me want more gear... ❤😂

The 2020 Epiphone LP Special is a great value at under $500, but it absolutely shines with two Kinman noiseless p90s, and the total is under a grand. Absolutely worth it.

I dig what you're doing here, keep up the great work

This is without a doubt the most helpful and effective guitar channel on KZfaq, love it

Thank you. I wanted to put that in print beside the "thumbs up" and long time sub because you're alway so gracious in providing a service to us, so again Thank You!

A 2016 Epi LP STD with SD59s has been my main guitar for about 5 years, nothing comes close - Sounds fantastic and plays very well indeed, all for 400€.

Great video! I know that guitar well, and the clarity and bite that you are getting out of the new pickups and hardware is incredible. Also fantastic playing and beautiful sounding amp.

Great question and discussion! I own a few high end guitars, starting with the 1968 Gibson LP Custom I bought 2nd hand in the early 70's, a Sadowsky NYC S Style in 1992 and a couple of others. These last few years I have seen (and heard) the proliferation of interesting boutique pick-ups / rigs and the Get Back film prompted me to buy a new Epiphone Casino. My guitar tech here in HK completely reworked it - Bone Nut, new PU selector, 50's wiring, Lollar P90's. It went from a nice guitar to something quite special for relatively little cost - well worth it IMO (and way less than the US made Casino Gibson are offering). I have since bought an Epi Cantrell Wino (aiming for similar mods w Monty's Bethnal Green PUs) and an oldish Epi Blonde DC (same deal but most likely Lollar Underspun Imperials). For me if the actual guitar is solid and feels right then why not upgrade and tailor the electronics to the sound you're after?

This is so relevant to my situation right, can’t wait for your take!

Wow, really fun and informative video. Five Watt World almost never disappoints. Due to my skill level, I typically buy the lowest tier made in US or Mexico guitars. I have replaced pickups and pots in some of these guitars with Seymour Duncan, Suhr and Dylan Talks Tone P90s (amazing!). In most cases, the pickups and pots have totally transformed the guitars and was worth the additional money (which as Keith pointed out, you will likely never get back).

THIS was REALLY interesting! You’re correct in telling folks to listen with headphones to catch the tone differences. Thank you for doing this video.The old guy/ nerd in me enjoyed this! I put a hot rails in the neck position of a Goodin Strat-copy some years back and it made a world of difference to the tone. Did not need an overdrive pedal at all when using my eBow! Please keep up the good work!

Thanks Keith. Great dissection of how electronics matter to overall tone shaping as well as the impact it has on player engagement. To make a guitar one that you bond with is an investment of time and dollars at any price-point, sometimes with zero changes, sometimes with several, but it has to start with a guitar you already like before any changes. Starting with a single-cut SE as a base for this project really drives that point home, an affordable guitar that already punches above its paygrade. You can do the same with lessor guitars and greater guitars, and countless tens of thousands of guitarists do. The rest of us chase their tone, trying to put it in our own hands through our guitars and amps. Its a crazy cycle ain't it???😂😂

Excellent video! This is exactly what I do. I play “affordable” guitars, and on all I instantly swap the electronics and pickups. That alone takes a good guitar to a whole other level. Thank you!!

This is a great video Keith. Thank you to you and your team for putting together something so powerful and so clearly presented. With some rare exceptions I find that I can improve any common guitar with 50s wiring and a pickup change. My most recent methodology is to buy Squiers and Epiphones that I play tested for the lowest weight and the best feel. Then do 50’s wiring and replace pots and switches where it makes sense. Some Chinese Epis come with proper CTS pots where the much more expensive Gibsons come with lower quality Alpha pots. It was good to learn about VIP, as I tend to source pots and switches from a local parts shop called Solo Guitars and I have had incredible success working with Tim Mills who runs Bare Knuckle Pickups. Whether standard products or custom winds, I always feel I am getting incredible value for my money. In fact, I did just this kind of work to an old PRS Core 245 which played great but did not have the openness that I expected. New wiring with higher value pots, a cap change to a BN paper and oil cap and some Bare Knuckle pickups took it from very good to great. Thanks again.

This looks like a hell of a good idea for a versatile build. Nice vid, Keith.

I recently upgraded my Ibanez RG370QM (a limited run model)to Dimarzio pickups from the stock Quantum pickups. I also upgraded the stock Edge 3 tremolo with a Gotoh. Some of the mods were quite difficult to install and a real headache. Then I finished and got to play the guitar with an amp. What a fantastic difference the pickups and new bridge made. I felt like I have sustain forever and the tones are just beautiful.

I have a Yamaha Pac302s from the early nineties. I have done soooo many upgrades on that guitar. In fact, it’s the guitar that taught me how to do guitar wiring! It’s not worth much but I love that guitar and play it all the time. Adding some blood sweat and tears to a guitar makes the playing experience even more enjoyable!

Very nicely thought out. I learned a lot, but it also confirmed my suspicions when the VIP Pickups and the upgraded pots sounded like a different guitar. I loved the upgrade.

Great info and demo!! Thank you!

The PRS ZM SE is my favorite project guitar. I have 4 different variants of the ZM and have modded them all myself with different pickups and electronics. My last project a 2017 in vintage sunburst got Kluson locking tuners, an Emerson 50s wiring harness and Gibson Greenybuckers. Guitar sounds and plays great.

I love the idea of using an "affordable" guitar as a platform. I have a Gibson ES333, pretty much the Les Paul Studio of the ES line, I've upgraded everything I could and it sounds like a Custom shop instrument. I'd say if the core of the guitar, (what you can't upgrade) is good, then you potentially have a killer instrument.

Awesome video. I just picked up a 2000 epiphone les paul and installed an obsidianwire solderless harness which has 50’s and 60’s wiring at a flip of a switch. I was in the market to buy some new pickups. I feel that this video was made specifically for me. Lol. Ill def check out the video on how to dial in a les paul. Love the content. Keep up the great work

Thanks Keith, this was very informative!!

Zack Myers in myers blue is a great playing a feeling guitar. I have the first version of this latest model based on the SC 245 scale length. Been wanting to try the 594 since the silently updated the model this year. I did the same thing, adjusting the pots to a standard layout, and opting for PRS 58/15s - their version of the PAF. I also have the coil taps which make the hollow body transform to something akin to a tele thinline in the middle position. All in all one of my favorite guitars to play out of my 15 guitars.

Great video. I got an Epiphone Wildkat, and upgraded the pickups to Lollar P90's. The guitar sounds really great now, and it was totally worth the money to upgrade it.

Excellent video; very educational.

I wanna get one again now. But with that set up. Sounds amazing.

Thx as always great info

I've had higher-end guitars, (original Hamer Sunburst, 2-LP's and 2-SG's. Still have an SG). Years ago I purchased a Dillion PRS knock-off. It's a semi-hollow body. I had a couple SD pickups put on it, upgraded the tuners, put a push-pull pot in it and had the frets leveled and dressed. I loved it! From then on, it's become a hobby to buy cheaper guitars and make them into players. I have 4 Harley Benton's. Two of them have Gibson 57 classics in them. I learned to level and dress frets, replace shoddy wiring, replace tuners/bridges/pots. My main guitar is a HB LP copy with a beautiful top. It has 57 Classic's in it, CTS pots, Grover Vintage tuners and a Gotoh bridge. I have it fine-tuned to where I have the action at 4/64ths on the low E and about 3/64th on the high E, at the 12th fret. In addition to have some nice sounding and playing guitars, I've learned a TON about working on my own guitars. I'm no longer afraid to level/crown/polish frets or completely strip the wiring and redo it from scratch with quality, shielded wire.

I got my blue Zach Myers in Oct 22 stripped everything out Installed 50s wiring orange drop caps. S.D. jazz p.u. in neck and S.D. 59 in bridge. with vintage locking tuners.

I had a green version of this guitar with EMG 57/60. I regret selling that guitar sooooo much. The clean tone with that instrument was unreal

I remember, back in the day, we used to try just about every aftermarket p'up we could find, so our guitars would set idle for months at a time. The last guitar I modified was/is a 2004 Epi Sheraton II. I put Seymour Duncan "Antiquities" in it, front and back, and swapped out the pots for good quality 500 K/ohm CTS. What I ended up with is a guitar that plays amazing and has that elderly ES335 tone. Still have it, don't need a G*****n one, already have an LP for that stuff. Hope I didn't miss the mark on this, love this and all the other guitars in the stable. Thanks Keith, another "home run" video.

Type of cap does make a difference. One of the things I learned in tech school many years ago is that each component is a mix of things. They all have resistance, inductance and capacitance even if they are only a resistor, inductor or capacitor. The length of leads and where they are routed changes things too. How much this affects things at audio frequencies, I am less sure but it is very important in RF frequencies. I remember trouble shooting analog video circuits where just putting my finger near a bad cap was enough added capacitance to "fix" the signal. Any capacitor has capacitance (of course) but even the lead length adds inductance and a cylinder style with the plates coiled up adds even more. Of course everything has some amount of resistance but in this case it is the smallest thing to worry about. Anyway, a cylinder style cap will have more inductance than a plate style cap. Of course the physical size (determined by the thickness of dielectric) makes a difference as well. As for pots, there are three main types: resistive coil (acts like a variable resister/inductor, mostly used in higher power applications), carbon track (known for noise) and plastic track (should be quieter and last longer). I don't know what early electric guitars use I would guess carbon track but I would have to take one apart to be sure. Physical size matters here too. A larger pot has a longer, wider track and will probably last longer.

Great video - thank you! The pots and wiring really seem to add to the clarity of the stock pick-ups. The VIP pick-ups seem to make the guitar sound more "immediate" (if that makes sense). Pots and wiring definitely seem like good value.

My ZM se was modded with Planet Tone Blues Heritage pups, Mad Hatter electronics. Setup and new nut. Now its great!!

That’s exactly what i did to my prs se zack myers but with the prs 57/08🤙🏼 awesome video!!

Well I’m not a PRS guy but wow you’ve definitely made a good guitar into a great guitar. That 50’s wiring makes such a big difference!

I did a similar job on my Zack Myers signature, Schaller locking tuners, HFS on the bridge and 57/08 on the neck, push pull knob and the result is amazing.

I got the Zach Myers guitar and ended up switching out the pickups for EMG PAFs. I also was so confident about the switch that I didn't bother to pot shaft size, so I had to buy the pots twice. You'd think I'd have learned my learn, but no. When I switched out the tuners, I didn't check the size, so the ones I got were slightly too big. Did I measure the tuners to get the right size then? Of course not. I just bought another set that was off by 1mm. One thirty-minute session with a reamer with everything in place, and I finally learned my lesson.

Im all about leaving a higher priced guitar exactly as it is. They will appreciate more this way, amd most have wonderful pickups in them today. The craze for pickup swaps was due todying pickups in older strats and Pauls, needing excellent replacements, or modders looking for stronger than stock offers for pickups. In a cheap guitar, it may actually save its tone.

A great insight into a guitar I’d not considered, never mind the pots and pickups. Nice one Keith! Off to watch Jeff…. 😜

I wanted a Tele with the same Seymour Duncan pickups as Mike Stern’s Yamaha, which was based on the guitar he got from Danny Gatton. Fender’s player series is routed for a neck humbucker so I played half a dozen and chose one. The wiring upgrade came from 920D and I added the split-coil resistors and treble bleed from the PRS DGT spec. All very quick and simple to do. I had a local luthier give the guitar a slight fret dress and it was done. Sounds wonderful, feels great and I use it for everything.

Great episode. Going to have to give the pots a try

I fully upgraded a Zack Myers SE before about 3 years ago, i picked up 2 reverse color zebra pickups custom wound by a guy in north jersey, that brass bridge is the biggest improvement you can do to the ZM SE’s as far as hardware goes. It really brings the shine to life those guitars can have, very awesome sound, crisp and bright

Hi, great show, i got one of the first PRS se ZM in Trampas Green. I put 2 Lace Gold Duallys, and RS Guitars did PP/CS switching gallore, love the Satin feel of the neck, nice and lite, the shorter scale was different at first. Thank you. be well.

Just did this w a new Squire JM 40th & a Curtis Novak 1958 Fat Bridge pickup. Haven't even put it in yet but I'm very excited!

I currently own four different electric guitars, all of them within the “budget“ range. The first one is my 1991 MIM Strat that I bought brand new as a sophomore in high school. It now has a homemade paint job, Bootstrap Golden Ale pups, and a push/pull tone that does the tele thing and all 3 pups, as well as a new neck with a rosewood fretboard. I have my ‘21 Epiphone LP Std 50s that has a modded set of SD 59s (A2 magnets and de-potted). I have my Ibanez Artcore AS73 to cover my 335 needs. That just received a new wiring harness with CTS pots and orange drops, and inherited the Epi Probucker 1 & 2 from my LP. It’s a formidable opponent to an Epi 335, especially with the Switchcraft switch and jack. Finally, I have customized my Tele partscaster, which has a USA body and MIJ Allparts maple/rosewood neck. It had Fender Vintage Noiseless pups, which I swapped out for 1st gen V-Mod pups. I didn’t like the neck, so it became an Esquire for a while, at least till I got me some Bootstrap Extra Crispy pickups, their take on ‘51s but a little hotter. I didn’t pay more than $600 for the most expensive guitar (the Epi brand new from Sweetwater). I’d put any of these up against far pricier models any day.

I did something similar with a Gretsch G2420T Streamliner. Played it stock for about two years, then over the course of the next three years changed the bridge to a Compton, upgraded the tuners, swapped out the pickups, and replaced the plastic knobs with metal. The stock guitar has excellent craftsmanship of fit and finish, just needs a few parts upgraded.

I did pretty much the exact same thing with my SE Zach Myers (which I bought 2nd hand but new condition). Locally hand wound vintage PAF style pickups, with the neck pickup underwound so it’s output balances much better with the bridge. It made the guitar so much more lively, airy and dynamic whilst not being hotter than most of my single coil guitars so I can swap on a gig without the gain structure changing. Lastly I found the reverse angle layout of the 4 pots impractical, so I wired the top front volume as a master volume for both pickups. Way more convenient for swells and quick adjustments to output level. It’s now a great LP alternative at only about 70% of the weight. It took me a little while to make friends with the neck profile but we’re well acquainted now. 😊

A student of mine replaced PRS USA 85/15 pups in his same Zach Meyers guitar and it remains one of his favorites among many way higher in value.

I do this with a lot of my own guitars, as a player looking for bang-for-the-buck options that sound and play great. I can't really justify spending the money on a Suhr, but I can put a decent set of pickups and better wiring in basically any old strat-style body and get killer results out of it. Jim Lill's videos have shown me just how much of electric guitar tone is in the electronics, and how little of electric guitar tone is in anything else- so that's where my money is going.

In 2020 I bought a PRS 35th anniversary SE Custom 24. It played nicely but, I didn't care for the pick-up and switches that turned the humbuckers into single poles. So, Vaughn Skow makes a pickup model that enhances the stock PRS pickup. I removed the micro switches, replaced the pots with Gibson 500k's, 50's wiring and installed the VS pickups. I also had a vintage Custom 22 core with Dragon pickups that was my "go to" at the time. The SE 24 with the new pickups, pots, and wiring sounded so good that I sold the Core to purchase a Fender Custom Shop. I agree you don't need to spend a fortune to get a premium sound. Thanks for all the great videos you do!

I have fallen in love with setting up and upgrading my own instruments… I was shocked as to how good my 70’s Classic Vibe sounded after I changed the bridge to a PW-29 Fender bridge, Vintera 60’s modified pickups, I gutted all the electronics in place of CTS pots and pushback cloth wiring, changed the switch, string guide, sanded the neck down to a silky smooth satin finish… I wouldn’t trade the guitar for any Player Series/Performer and pergaps even an AM Pro II Strat… it plays like a dream and I am very proud of the fact I upgraded to become the way it is. The joy I find in stringed instruments is endless!!!

This has been my go to strategy for many years. When I started playing guitar I could only afford basic, working man gear. I found that modding them to my tastes was the lowest cost way to get high performance gear. Now, its just the way I like to do it. Three best examples from my collection are: 1. MIM Strat with Custom Shop Fat 50’s pickups, Obsidian Wiring and locking tuners. 2. Guild Starfire I with Seymour Duncan Seth Lovers, CTS & Switchcraft electronics, Kluson Revolution tuners, Tone Pro bridge and bone nut. 3. Slick SL56 with Seymour Duncan P90s and CTS & Switchcraft electronics.

I'm a big fan of GFS pickups from Guitar Fetish. I've installed probably 40 or 50 in mine and other people's guitars over the years and they sound great. They aren't boutique but better than most stock pups even in USA Fenders and Gibson's. One of my clients didn't like a set but he said no big deal sold them on Kijiji ( our Craigslist) for what he paid and ordered a different variant of the pickup and loved them.

Haven't seen the Beano since I was a kid, my Dad read it when he was a kid, when we went home with him to Ireland in the 80s he'd grab a stack of issues for nostalgia to bring back with him.

i've been doing "it" for years...i think it'S well worth it....plus new nut, cts pots and new wiring, switchcraft jack and 3 way switch, new bridge and tailpiece...still cheaper....and more satisfying when you hear the difference from what you've done.....cheers.

My favorite electric is my Chinese Epiphone Casino Coupe and I have lots of guitars. It’s the right size and weight for me as I face my 70’s. I have changed all the parts and with a good setup it’s a fantastic guitar. Lollar P-90 underwound pickups are fantastic.

I got that same Zach Myers PRS on layaway recently. Specifically the 594 variant. It’s very nice for my first guitar.

I did a similar upgrade to an S2 594 Singlecut... I put Lollar Imperials, and an Emerson Harness... it is amazing!!!

We support you and your channel have a good weekend also what a fantastic video

My first guitar was in 2004. I got a squire standard series telecaster, that guitar I still have and still use to this day. Now when I first got it I was 12 or 13 year old I wanted to play guitar and my best friend's one played drums and the other one play guitar I don't know what made me want to get a telecaster but it looked very beautiful because it was a chrome edition So I had the chrome mirrored pickguard, well I got to use that guitar. Yours has passed by and then there was a time throughout my high school days where I wouldn't use it because I was playing sports a lot. Once I graduated the guitar came back into my life and I made a decision to clean it up, Put new pickups in it. New electronics as well. Hipshot Locking tuners, took it to a great guitar tech to get set up, and it's with me until this day. Usually I tried some of the boutiques or expensive telecasters out there and I just keep coming back to My trusty old tele 👍🏽

We were thinking surprisingly similar things! I have a Custom Shop Les Paul Access Standard Stoptail (7 lbs 6 oz), that I just recently rewired with 50s wiring and push/pull coil split & series/parallel. I also swapped the stock pickups for Lindy Fralin PAFs. I wouldn't say it's affordable though, but it's not expensive as you might think second hand because Gibson Customers hate innovation 😂 It even goes through an HX Stomp into a Fender Twin 2x12.

Great Video. I Modded a good Epiphone SG with pots, wiring and Custom wound Pickups and it made a fantastic job. Made a small video but very amateure.

I declare, one of the best guitar channels on the web!! Thanks dude!

Bought my ZM before the new McCarty SE came out. I had it upgraded with PRS 58/15 pickups, push/pull tone pots, McCarty wiring with treble bleed, cream pickup rings, McCarty locking tuners (cream), custom truss rod cover and cream selector knob. Cost me around 550 for the parts and labor. The guitar now looks more like a core than an SE. Not only does it sound great, it looks unique and is very personal. Wouldn't see myself parting with it.

I’ve done this with most of my guitars for various reasons, from a simple pickup swap on one to keeping nothing on my JMJM but the neck and building with a Vintera body and boutique parts from there.

I fell in love with the soft V neck my MIM Buddy Guy Strat, so I replaced the pickups with Fralin Vintage Hots. Now Its the best feeling and sounding Strat Ive ever played.

I put Custom Shop 51 Nocasters in my FSR MIM butterscotch Tele with the barrel saddle bridge. Completely transformed it. It sounds glorious.

Budget guitars/boutique pickups is my jam! I have a Gretch Electromatic Pro with McNelly Sparkletrons. A '95 MIM Tele with a Fralin Blues Special in the bridge and a Big Single MIni in the neck (four way series/parallel switch). A MIM Players Strat with Gemini gold foils in the mid and neck and the Suprocaster in the bridge (with a blender pot). A Shengze/Bad Cat Unicorn (the most budget of the bunch) with Seymour Duncan Phat Cats. I loved the way these guitars looked and felt, but came to find that I wasn't completely satisfied with the sound. The new pickups plus an amazing setup by a very talented luthier and guitar tech took these already inspiring guitars to a completely different tier of instrument. Super worth the cost. I got all the guitars used. Even some of the pickups were used. I love them.

my main guitar is a modded cort x6 (much better pickups, schaller floyd, the pots were changed too) and after several years it's still the one i'd never get rid of. sounds great, is fairly comfortable and refuses to go out of tune, all for less than 600 bucks. also covered in stickers for extra radness. so yes, totally worth it.

I've just started (gonna build something this summer) swapping PUs on a Classic 50's MIM strat. It was adequate with the vintage voiced PUs but I thought it would be fun to start swapping out parts. Dropped in a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in the bridge and a SD Antiquity neck. I thought I was done... nope. Now swapping the pick guard, wiring harness and replacing the middle PU. Great platform for experimenting and I am noticing a new (and it could be argued a much improved tone).

Another great SE modding platform is the now discontinued Bernie Marsden model. Great video, as always, Keith!

Just the pots change made a huge difference in tone, especially with the bridge pickup!! Wow!! Great video, as always.

I have done all these different levels of mods on various guitars. Some I added a master volume with treble bleed (typically on a semi-hollow lower horn. Yea, I drill holes too. No Fear!). 2 D'Angelico and a Eastwood done that way. But some guitars are good as they are and I feel no urge to mod, such as my Yamaha Revstar Standard P90 or Gretsch Jet. As you say, this is easy to do with simple skills. I really enjoy making my instruments uniquely my own. Even to configuring my own control circuits. Mixing pickups, different cap types and capacitances, resistor parallel or series on a bleed circuit, in or out of phase switching or wiring, lots of options to try. Own it. Make it yours! Have no fear, it is just some metal and wood.

Hey I saw you made it more obvious what artist works is, that's very nice! 😊

Did that with a Gretsch G5220, threw SD vintage filtertrons in and boom!

I put a set of Texas Specials in my MiM. Love it.

Interesting video. I did this with Seth Lovers, orange drop capacitors, and 50s wiring on a Sire L7. The stock pots were already 550k, so I kept them. The upgrade was fine, but I wasn't knocked out. Most of what is different for me is following McErlain's advice on how to use the tone and volume controls. I used to turn everything up to 11. Maybe, like the installation of Apple CarPlay in my car, the upgrade is allowing me to do something I never thought to do before, and I just don't appreciate it yet.

I had Tom Anderson pickups installed in my 64 Tele.with Ultrapots to my delight.

Its legitimately how much the wiring helped with clarity- the guitar sounded quite good stock, but the wiring just breathed life into it

Those PRS SE's are great value for what you get. I've got a single cut one and although it doesn't have the figured top, it played great straight from the shop. If anything, the action was too low and for me had to be brought up. And I liked the stock pickups it came with. Not for everyone's tastes, but nice for high gain playing. I generally buy a lot of budget guitars and mod them up. It's a great way of getting a guitar you want when you you don't want to spend the money. And there's plenty of options for after market parts that don't cost an arm and a leg either. There's also a lot of guitar companies now that put out some decent budget guitars which are a great base to start from. But as you said, don't expect to get your money back. On that note, you can still put the guitar back to stock before selling and keep the good parts - or sell those off separately.

I bought a 2020 Epiphone Firebird last year and proceeded to load it up with a Lollar in the bridge and a custom one-of-a-kind Rickenbacker toaster-with-Firebird-cover in the neck created by Gemini Pickups. I can tell you with how decked out it is now, it’s worth over a million bucks.