I doubt anyone reading this has a signature model and if they are then i'd say Jim Studios is going pretty damn well. Sadly, the chances of a guitar great following this blog are slim. All guitarists want a guitar tailored for them - the perfect neck, pickups, looks, EVERYTHING. Oh my. But you have to be realistic in life sometimes...or do you?
Alright its not actually going to be a signature as such but it is made exactly to your spec. What I'm talking about is 'modding' or 'customizing' or 'doing up' a guitar how you want it. I'm going to talk you through my experiences of doing all this (and believe you me it was an experience), tell you how to avoid a few pot holes and a few more tips.
Buying the guitar - 4 words. GO FOR SOMETHING CHEAP. You're going to end up throwing most of it away in the end. I bought my 'Tele' for £55-60 about 3 years ago. Brand new and it was just a starter electric. Unless you own a more expensive guitar that you want to modify DON'T go out buying an expensive one because if it goes wrong or you can't be bothered to finished it you haven't lost too much money.
Changing Appearance - Once you have the actual guitar you might well want to change how it looks. I'd strongly advice settling on something you want and then sticking with it. Also, something simple is a good idea don't go for any extravagant paint jobs unless you have the ability to pull it off - I speak from experience on this front as well. Altering the overall shape of the body is generally a bad idea as well. It can be done but can change the sound and the strength of the wood. Throughout the build try and be careful not damage the body. It's going to take a bit of abuse with sandings, resprays, possible routing etc etc.
Changing Parts (guitar geek time!!) - this is probably the reason you wanted to modify it. Lets start with the pickups. You have a wide variety of choices in brands and what they sell. The biggest choice is of course going to be humbuckers or single coils. For all parts of the guitar im not going to talk in huge depth because otherwise this post is going to be catastrophically long. The pickups are absolutely crucial. Listen to audio samples of the pickups before looking into actually buying them and check that they'll fit your guitar (if not you'll have to get holes routed - most guitar shops will do this). Do plenty of research into pickups and if you're not confident with wiring them in send them to a guitar shop or someone who trust who could do it. You then have the neck which you may already be satisfied with but if not they are rather expensive so again do lots of research. If you've got the money Warmoth necks are a great buy, if not you can pick up a decent one from between £30 - 80. However, be prepared for it needing a refret. Choose wisely, take into account the wood, the fretboard and how many frets it has. The bridge is the final big part. Again it is absolutely crucial because the bridge is at the heart of the guitar being in tune. There are a million and one bridges out there but some work best on certain guitar. I.E don't go wacking a tele bridge onto a Les Paul - bad idea. A few other little things like machineheads, (locking or standard - your choice but good machineheads are well worth the investment) electrics (you may want to upgrade to a higher quality of electrics. By this I mean better tone and volume pots etc) and possibly a new body (unlikely, and yes its not little, but if you're not satisfied with the one that then new ones will cost you a similar price to the neck)
Phew. Bare in mind that this will go wrong and its very very time consuming and you might not like it at the end. But this guitar will have your heart and sole in it and call me a romantic but thats the biggest part of an instrument. You have other options - guitar packs are also a possibility or if you're feeling very inventive building the neck and body yourself. Jim did this and it worked out quite nicely. If you're wanting to do this but want to know more leave a comment here and I'll get back to you on it right away. Its a great project and you learn an awful lot but it costs a lot as well. THINK IT THROUGH!!
Peace, Linus
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