Picking gear apart and putting it back together can be fun , but I ’ m always less inclined to do so when I love something the way it is . If you have a dream guitar , amp , or pedal , you may be wary about opening it up to swap pickups , speakers , or diodes , and justifiably so — why mess with a good thing ? However , when you score something off Craigslist for less than two bills , modding is just what the doctor ordered . You didn ’ t put that much into it initially , and you can make significant improvements without spending too much cash . As a general rule of thumb , when picking up a cheap piece of gear , I try not to exceed the actual amount for the item in aftermarket goods — otherwise
it defeats the purpose . If I score a guitar for $ 100 , I ’ m not going to spend more than that on new pickups . If I get a steal of a deal on an amp for $ 200 , I ’ m not dropping a $ 400 speaker in there . But that ’ s just me . However you approach it , have fun , and don ’ t worry about messing anything up , because there ’ s no wrong way to create your own little Frankenstein Monster .
Mod Madness
Picking gear apart and putting it back together can be fun , but I ’ m always less inclined to do so when I love something the way it is . If you have a dream guitar , amp , or pedal , you may be wary about opening it up to swap pickups , speakers , or diodes , and justifiably so — why mess with a good thing ? However , when you score something off Craigslist for less than two bills , modding is just what the doctor ordered . You didn ’ t put that much into it initially , and you can make significant improvements without spending too much cash . As a general rule of thumb , when picking up a cheap piece of gear , I try not to exceed the actual amount for the item in aftermarket goods — otherwise
36 TONE TALK // Recycling Rocks : Fun Ways to Reuse Cheap Gear
it defeats the purpose . If I score a guitar for $ 100 , I ’ m not going to spend more than that on new pickups . If I get a steal of a deal on an amp for $ 200 , I ’ m not dropping a $ 400 speaker in there . But that ’ s just me . However you approach it , have fun , and don ’ t worry about messing anything up , because there ’ s no wrong way to create your own little Frankenstein Monster .