I've done some unusual but quite simple modifications to some of my gear that have improved greatly either the sound or the ease of use of it and I'd like to share them with the community here. (Keep in mind that what worked for me may not work for everyone).

1. Steel trem block in my strat
   I replaced the stock block with a steel, pre-CBS specced one. I did it out of necessity and I didn't expect to hear a difference. But I can't deny there's a significant improvement in the tone of the guitar, both plugged and unplugged.

2. Short trem arm in the strat
   Wow, now I can pick (even close to the bridge) and whammy at the same time. I can't find any reason for the stock, long arm. Vast improvement in playability.

3. Lubricating the nut
   Using ground (grinded?) graphite from a pencil and some lemon oil, I lubricate the nut and the string tree. No detuning issues any longer, even with extreme use of the tremolo arm. People go chasing tuner keys and nuts and saddles and use lock systems while it's mainly a nut lubrication thing.

4. 12AT7 instead of 12AX7 as a V1 or V2 in Super Reverb
   Now with the vol on 10 it's as if the knob was on 6 (I didn't use any higher settings anyway). I had the problem that around 3 on the dial, with the slightest turns of the knob came great volume changes. Now the volume knob is way more useable and precise in the areas I need it (2 to 6 on the dial with 12AX7). I guess this would also work in similar amps (twins are a good example).

5. Put rubber feet under the reverb unit
   Now I can carry it around, lift and put it down without feeling I'm carrying eggs. The friction of rubber with the floor (vs round metal with the floor) holds the unit in place and you can kick or wobble it much better. Plus it can stay on top of a fender xxxx reverb amp since the feet are higer than the handle.

(6. A slightly more advanced mod I did was to change the wiring in the strat to master volume, master tone, blender pot. Now I get to use the previously unuseably thin bridge pickup, and I get the neck/bridge jazzmastery tone, but one must know how to solder and get a no-load pot or make one.)

What are your strange but effective gear mods???

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Last edited: Jun 11, 2013 15:19:34

psychonaut wrote: Changed the capacitor on my start to a old style paper and oil .1 microfarad cap,

That sounds interesting. What brand or where can I get the same thing? I would like to try that.

Later,
Norm

i ended up refinishing and cutting a new pick guard for this guitar but i really like moving the bridge pickup toward the neck about an inch and a half, it gets rid of the brittle highs while still leaving you with that responsive bridge punch

image

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Simple but not so weird - On a few of my Bigsby or Teisco Vibrato equipped guitars I've wedged a piece of foam under the strings behind the bridge after the vibrato. Not to deaden the behind the bridge overtones, which I really dig sometimes on some guitars, but it gives the string a stronger, bolder fundamental frequency, less metallic.

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If you're using pickups with threaded polepieces (P90, PAF-style, WRHB and probably some other types I can't think of right now) then do yourself a huge favor and take a moment to adjust each polepiece. Last year I bought a semi-hollowbody Aria on eBay, but I was very disappointed with it. It sounded very muddy and overly boomy. Totally useless tone. I spent some time fiddling with the tone controls of both the guitar and the amp to no avail. Then I remembered about those adjustable polepieces and spent a few minutes on each one with a screwdriver, and now the Aria really sings! It has become my favorite non-surf guitar in my collection.

Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers.

I added a 1/4" switching jack onto the back of my Mustang 1v2. When connected the signal shunts from the Mustang's speaker to my 15" Emi closed-back cab. Of course it also voids whatever warranty existed. As good as that little 8" speaker previously sounded, I'm in no hurry to go back there.

One thing I've done to a couple of guitars that have a good length of strings between the bridge and the tail piece (in my case an old Harmony archtop and a modded Yamaha SA-40) is wrap those strings with a single layer of masking tape. This keeps the strings/pickups focused on getting the sound of the strings between the nut and bridge, and prevents any unwanted harmonics/feedback from the bridge/tail area. I haven't tried this with my Jazzmaster, (it's never been an issue) but if you're one who's bothered by all that "Sonic Youth" racket coming from the arse end of your surf axe, it might help.

--Crispy

Last edited: Jun 12, 2013 11:50:03

Yea I use Nut Sauce, used to use graphite which works, just the sauce is easier to apply. Amazing how my guitars stay in tune forever. Also, on regular tuners that have a hole through the pole (not the vintage strat ones), if you tie the string a certain way before winding it, it keeps it from slipping. And tilting the amp is another good one.

And putting the instrument cable through the strap near the button, as everyone knows, keeps you from stepping on it and unplugging it while doing stage dives ha

Last edited: Oct 09, 2013 00:31:30

TONZ4DAYZ. Get it right.

IMO.

cambeezy wrote:

© Homer J Simpson, 1998

© Thomas A Edison, 1882

Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers.