Custom Guitars

Just like custom and hot-rodded cars, guitars are ripe for customization. There are hundreds of modifications that can be done to guitars to improve their performance.

There are two routes to go when customizing a guitar: customize and modify and existing guitar, or have a custom guitar specially built. No one option is better than the other. However, if you know exactly what you want and have very exacting requirements, a fine custom instrument may be the way to go. If you're a bit of a basement tinkerer, than you may want to discover how to customize your own instrument.

Here are several of the most-customized parts of a guitar:

1. Tuners - tuning heads can be upgraded to provide more stability and ease when tuning a guitar. Different sizes, shapes and colors are all available.

2. Pickups and electronics - different types of pickups elicit different tones from a guitar. For a thick, overdriven sound, typically players will choose humbucking pickups. For a cleaner, more "knopfleresque" tone, most players will choose single-coil pickups. Different configurations of both types can be placed in an electric guitar, and electronics can be specially modified to allow for combinations of pickups that are not typically available.

3. Pickguards and paint - this is where your visually creative side really emerges. Pickguards can be switched out for more colorful or striking ones. Paint jobs can also be modified quite easily on most guitars. (Don't try to do this job at home, however.)

Whatever you decide to do, online guitar stores & resources can point you in the right direction. Many fine books are available on this subject and much instruction is available online. Don't wait - build the guitar of your dreams today!