Your Most Satisfying Guitar Mod/Upgrade

[Brucebubs]

What is your most satisfying guitar modification/upgrade?

It might be something you did that improved playability or tone or just looks great.

[beatcomber]

Polishing a little gloss into the satin finish of my 000-15SM.

[fitness1]

The soundports in my instruments - those I've had put in custom guitars by the builder, and those I've installed.

They make the largest difference in tone and volume than any other modification by quite a margin.

[Slothead56]

I ordered a custom Pick guard From Holter for my 1978 Gurian. It is absolutely exquisite.

[Rev Roy]

My Taylor 317 Grand Pacific is a sweet guitar...except for the black plastic 300 series appointments - pickguard, TR cover, bridge pins. They had to go. So I had the pickguard removed to mirror the classy “naked” look of the Builder Editions. And installed a Madagascar ebony TR cover and ebony pins with abalone inlays.

I’m pretty happy with how she turned out.

Now:




Before:

[Brucebubs]

Perfect examples guys!

Here's a little mod I did on my Huss & Dalton - guitar was perfect but my eyes couldn't unsee how uneven the pins were sitting in the bridge.
I took them out and one by one did a little work on each pin with my Dremel lengthening the slots and the results were much nicer.

[M19]

Appearance: Replacing the heavy chrome tuner buttons with much lighter weight ebony buttons on my Taylor 562ce.

Sound: Putting a K&K Trinity in my McIlroy A30c.

Probably this: https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=551523 or having the zero fret on my 000-18MC converted to a regular bone nut.

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by M19

Appearance: Replacing the heavy chrome tuner buttons with much lighter weight ebony buttons on my Taylor 562ce.

I did a tuner swap on my Alvarez ABT-60 baritone from unbranded to genuine 18:1 Grover Rotomatics - easy swap but I think I should have gone with Gotoh's.
I later changed the Grover buttons for these ebony buttons.

[Dustinfurlow]

its Not a permanent upgrade, but it might as well be - my Ergoplay tapport support system. My elbows, wrists and shoulders love me for it.

[zoopeda]

Sloted bridge pin holes on all my guitars, reamed them for unslotted pins. Also polished my 15 series Martin body and headstock, which made a great difference.

[Bridgepin]

Making a new bone Saddle and installing these bone bridge pins

[vintage40s]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

What is your most satisfying guitar modification/upgrade?... something you did that improved playability...

Finally getting the action lowered on my D-35 so it's as easy to play without a capo as with. Nut slots down to the 1st fret, saddle down to 2mm at 12th fret.

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

My Taylor 317 Grand Pacific is a sweet guitar...except for the black plastic 300 series appointments - pickguard, TR cover, bridge pins. They had to go. So I had the pickguard removed to mirror the classy “naked” look of the Builder Editions. And installed a Madagascar ebony TR cover and ebony pins with abalone inlays.

I’m pretty happy with how she turned out.

Now:




Before:

Looks awesome! Great choices!

But what's up with Taylor losing the abalone inlay bridge pins for plain ones??? I have my opinion.

[Arthur Slowhand]

I often replace tuners with Grover Sta-tite Vintage tuners. On my latest acquisition, a Yamaha LS6, I'm leaving them stock, even though I'm not usually a 'gold' person. So on that, just ebony bridge pins and a bone saddle.

Simple mods that keep the integrity of the guitar, but 'make it mine'.