Have you ever bought a guitar just to take apart and mess with?
 

I'd like to turn my Yamaha FG-160 into a modded frankenstein.:D

I wanna take off the neck (frets are shot) and put on a new neck, don't even know if this is even possible, replace the tuners (they really do suck) and replace the bridge.

Seems like a total waste of money. Just get a guitar you're happy with in the first place and be done with it.

Sure. Great way to learn repairs and other aspects of guitar building.

But the neck exchange is "advanced." I'd start with the tuners. A refret would be easier than a new neck.

Absolutely not.

Messing with guitars, doing mods, is one of the most satisfying things imaginable.

Even if the end result doesn't turn out as expected, the experience is worth it.

My sub-$50 (brand new) Rogue acoustic is my guinea pig.

yep, just doing it to have a project. I can always BUY a new guitar.

Yes. I bought a used Epiphone from a pawn shop for $10. I took off the neck, shimmed it and set it, pulled off the bridge and replaced it then when I was done gave it to a friend to learn guitar on.

eh, I have a feeling replacing the entire neck may get too costly. But the fretboard and frets are so shot.

I converted a cheap acoustic into a "dobro" of sorts:

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/...1?context=user

The original guitar was really ratty, but the resonator turned out to sound rather nice.

I did !! I bought an electric guitar and defretted it.

I buy basket cases all the time. I patch em up and re-home them to those less fortunate or the troops. I've learned how to repair and maintain my own fleet by doing this.

mess with it
 

Absolutely, go for it. I've been tearing apart broke or cheap guitars for years. It's amazing how you can turn a throw away into a player ! Experiment with trimming bracing, thinning the top in various places, filing frets, setting action, all of it. Just suggest doing 1 alter at a time to see what it does and go from there. You will wind up with your own thing. Although I started messing with $100 or less guitars now I don't mind adjusting $1000 units. Enjoy....

Yes and I learned alot, I feel it is a good way to start

I tried this once with a guitar just to mess with and ended up with - - - - a mess.

Testbeds for Tinkering
 

Great way to begin to understand the physics of the acoustic guitar, and to learn some of its tipping - or as I call them: oops! - points.

Years ago snagged two low-cost Sigmas off eBay, still use them as beaters but also as testbeds for tinkering.

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/k.../IMG_3266a.jpg

So far have slotted, reamed, enlarged soundholes, shaved braces, scalloped braces, added braces, filed frets, refinished headstocks, and cut a soundport into one of them. Never thought I'd be able to work inside a guitar just by feel - but I did.

If you have the itch to tinker and learn and make things different (maybe even better?!), then by all means have at it. Those Sigmas will never sound like their Martin counterparts, but they now sound a heck of a lot better than they did when they first came to me.

I have two Harmonys that I bought specifically to practice neck resets before I attempted them on customer guitars. I highly recommend www.frets.com and Dan Erlewine's guitar repair book to get started. Refretting can be challenging, a new nut and saddle are fun, neck resets are pretty difficult. But go for it - what do you have to lose?

+1

When I decided to try my hand at building, I went to a local shop that had been around since 1926. I have been going there since 1964 or so with my dad. I asked and was allowed into the junk acoustic room and picked out a dozen boxes. I payed around $25 or $30 for the bunch. I removed necks, replaced bridges, replaced truss rods, swapped tuners, retopped one, etc. If nothing else, it gave me enough understanding to know there are some things that are best handled by people who do it everyday. (grin)

Ed

I have done several chepaer model guitars this way and some with very good results.

I just built my first guitar so I guess that's "tinkering" in a way but yeah, I'm currently looking for a cheapo because I want to do a sunburst.

Just couldnt get myself to try it on my new build.

I think experimenting on cheapies is a good way to learn and try stuff.

No.
The worst sacrilege I ever saw was at a Boston Guitar Show. Somebody had purchased an old Stromberg -- must have cost him $15k to $25k -- and sawn it in half in cross-section, just to see why it sounded like it did!
Incredible waste of money -- to say nothing of a great guitar! :mad:

Two. One was a way-cheap steel string that I converted into a resonator guitar, and the other was one of those "Squier" Strats I used for bits for an full-electric cigar-box guitar.

Yep. I learned how to do set up work and modifications on cheap, used Yamaha acoustics and Squier electrics. Educational, fun, and saves me money doing set ups on my good guitars.

I've done it to turn fairly useless guitars into art projects.

A friend and very skilled builder told me taking instruments apart and putting them back together again was a great way to learn how to build instruments.

I have never done it. About 20 years ago , Bob Benedetto told me he did that when he was a young man. Took it apart and put it back together because he wanted learn to build guitars. I think I had asked him how he got started in the business.

I've got nothing against buying a cheap guitar and taking it apart to learn how to build or repair a good guitar -- in fact, it's a good idea.
However, over the years, you see all kinds of guitar abuse by the ignorant. I have a cousin who once turned an old, vintage Washburn (the Lyon & Healy type) into a plant hanger because she didn't know its value. I tried to buy it from her, but she wouldn't part with it. What are you going to do?