Nuts...Totally Nuts!

Once upon a time we just used to fix guitars when we needed to, remembers Dave burrluck. Now we’re modding perfectly good guitars. are we nuts?

- Dave burrluck

Many of our long-time readers will remember, back in the 70s, we didn’t exactly ‘mod’ guitars – we fixed ’em. There was very little in the parts ‘aftermarket’, especially if you were a penniless teenager. My parents bought me an all-mahogany Dan Armstrong with a sliding pickup. State of the art. After some considerable playing, I asked my dad if the neck was supposed to, not exactly slide, but move as well as the pickup? We took the guitar into his workshop and, yes, the neck joint had failed and was only held in place by the tenon… just. My father carried out an invisible repair that included adding a couple of brass rods to the neck joint. I sincerely hope that neck is still on the guitar wherever it might be.

Fast forward to today, however, and many of us are modding perfectly good guitars almost as soon as they get them. Why?

Now while pickups are the easiest way to change the sound of your guitar, I’ve noticed from reader emails and checking forums that putting in new tuners, nuts, bridges and electronics parts is just as popular. Back in the day these parts were rarely changed, unless there was a problem.