Music Lessons – How To Make A Cheap Guitar Sound Great
January 12th, 2011
The majority of beginning guitar players begin with a somewhat low-cost instrument. They usually have a mass production clone of a Fender Stratocaster or a Gibson Les Paul. The most widely used clones are created overseas by Gibson and Fender themselves through the Epiphone and Squier lines. These are built to a similar specs as the American made models. They are decent instruments in their own right but they can be enhanced greatly with just a pickup replacement. As long as the neck is straight and the tuning pegs are fairly tight, this is frequently all you need to upgrade to a pro sound.
I have modified a number of Mexican made Stratocasters and I will guide you through the process. The first thing you would like to choose is what type of sound you’re looking for. Replacement pickups are available with a lot of variety in sound output. I like to make use of Seymour Duncan pickups simply because they have shown to be of high quality and reliability. They as well have a good selection and have a CD of sound samples you can listen to. The majority of dealers have the CD’s and you can also listen to the samples online. Select your replacement pickups and you are prepared to upgrade.
You will need several things for the task. A good stable workbench or table, with a lot of room to place your tools out, makes things much easier. Here is a list of what you need: 1.screwdriver set, both flat head and philips 2.soldering iron 3.solder 4.new set of strings 5.wire cutters/strippers
The first thing you have to do is remove your guitar strings. I usually leave the low E-string on to have a bit of tension on the neck. Next, remove the pickguard cover. Make certain you save all the screws in a cup as they’re tiny and get lost very easily. After you remove the screws, you should be ready to lift up on it and slide it off under the E-string. You ought to right now see your three pickups and the wiring that’s attached to them.
The new pickups come with a wiring diagram that’s color coded but take a good look at each pickup before you replace it in case something isn’t quite appropriate with the colour code. It’s important that you replace one pickup at a time in order not to mix up the bridge, middle and neck pickups.
Heat up your soldering iron. Remove the first pickup. I usually start with the neck pickup. Cut and strip the wires as outlined by the instructions and solder the wires to the new ones. Repeat the process for the other two. Not too bad, right?
When you replace the cover/pickguard, be cautious to not overtighten the screws or they may get stripped. Now would be a good time to clean the guitar before you put the new strings on.
Replace and tune the strings and plug in. You will be pleased with the outcome. I have several of these upgraded strats for the price of one expensive one and more versatilty with different pickup sounds. You can do exactly the same thing with an Epiphone Les Paul to create a sound that rivals the Gibson for about a third of the price. Now you can spend more money on all the cool effects gadgets. Have fun and keep practicing.
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