What Would You Do? Modding advice.

[sergiodeblanc]

So I have a few SE’s I’m not crazy in love with, but one in particular sounds really really good, great maybe even. I do hate the neck carve (the flattest W/T ever) and what seem like smaller than usual frets.

Then I have that SE semi hollow Custom 22 with the Bigsby I bought earlier this year, which I love, but electronically wise... doesn’t sound that great (still stock). I had planned to put these lipstick pickups I have in there, or try to find a set of US Starla pickups (good luck on that, right?) to make it be a little different than the rest of the huge pile of dual humbucker PRSi I have but....

Should I just try yanking the pickups and electronics outta the sh!tty playing but great sounding SE semi hollow custom and throw them in the Bangin’! playing but less inspirational sounding Se semi hollow custom and forget about making it a drastically different sounding guitar than what I already have?

What would you do?

 

[bodia]

I’d get some of that sticky paper my mom used to put on the kitchen shelves when I was a kid and try and build up your W/T neck to a W/F with it

 

[bodia]

Seriously, I’d try something different, electronics wise. I vote for the lipstick pickups.

 

[jxe]

Seriously, I’d try something different, electronics wise. I vote for the lipstick pickups.

lipsticks gonna give that a real charvette look. i’d keep the prs bridge pickup out of the good harness tho, because mismatched pickups are one of my many turn-ons.

 

[John Beef]

Tone isn't just in the electronics. What sounds great in one guitar may not sound good at all in another. Once I put a DGT treble in a Les Paul Traditional Pro I briefly owned and I liked the sound of my then stock 2nd gen SE Santana better. I did a comparison of sound clips and sent it to my friends and they all liked the Santana better too. At the time, my tonal standard to which I compared all others was my CU22 with DGT pickups.

Approach each guitar individually, think about what the sound is either lacking or has too much of, and go from there.

Sadly, if a guitar sounds great but I can't get on with the neck carve, it's on the chopping block.

 

[Ovibos]

Take the good player and put a Sustainiac in the neck and a P-Rails in the bridge.

 

[DISTORT6]

I would leave the really, really good sounding one alone. It might not be the same if you mess with it.
Open season on the SE Cu22. Let ‘er rip!

Or

Off all the SEs - Core Santana.

 

[toothace]

Don't touch the one you love. ( Maybe a refret? Add some "thickness" to the neck?)


Definitely new electronics on the semi-hollow...P90 bridge with a lipstick in the neck?

 

[Iceman101]

If I had the cash lying around I would go for the duncan psyclone pu's

 

[veinbuster]

I would start by moving the electronics from the nice sounding one into the nice feeling one. If that doesn’t do the trick, move the electronics back and pop in a lipstick.

If that doesn’t do it, I would throw a hissy fit, drink half a bottle of red, pitch a cat vomit taco at the wall, realize how childish I was being and take Paco for a walk around the block.

 

[John Beef]

If I had the cash lying around I would go for the duncan psyclone pu's

I've wanted to have a filtertron type guitar for a while, though I wasn't familiar with this set. The Chris Cornell sig 335 I played once had Lollartrons and sounded absolutely amazing. Man, I kick myself every time I think about how I should have bought that guitar ($3k new) on my credit card or something. I could sell it and order a PS now given how their value increased ridiculously.

 

[pac90]

sell a couple of SEs and get an S2 starla?

you'll get old waiting for the S2 Santana to come out

 

[Alnus Rubra]

How about just a pickup swap to begin with, easier to reverse.

If that gives you what you hope for sonically, job done. If not, reverse, reverse!

You can always try to lipsticks first, or after.

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

Wish I would have held onto my set of Starla pickups for you. They were in great shape. Sold them when I got my Starla last year.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Tone isn't just in the electronics. What sounds great in one guitar may not sound good at all in another. Once I put a DGT treble in a Les Paul Traditional Pro I briefly owned and I liked the sound of my then stock 2nd gen SE Santana better. I did a comparison of sound clips and sent it to my friends and they all liked the Santana better too. At the time, my tonal standard to which I compared all others was my CU22 with DGT pickups.

Approach each guitar individually, think about what the sound is either lacking or has too much of, and go from there.

Sadly, if a guitar sounds great but I can't get on with the neck carve, it's on the chopping block.

I know... that’s what I’m afraid of. Honestly, the one with the Bigsby sounds way better acoustically than the newer stoptail one does, but it also has an ebony board, so it may not have the same “magic”.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Off all the SEs - Core Santana.

Because I need more of those.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Crap. I gotta start batch replying or I’m gonna up my post count.

Don't touch the one you love. ( Maybe a refret? Add some "thickness" to the neck?)


Definitely new electronics on the semi-hollow...P90 bridge with a lipstick in the neck?

I already don’t touch the one I love (the sound of) the W/T neck on this one is criminal, the back of the neck is so flat it’s unlike any other W/T I’ve ever held.

I would start by moving the electronics from the nice sounding one into the nice feeling one. If that doesn’t do the trick, move the electronics back and pop in a lipstick.

If that doesn’t do it, I would throw a hissy fit, drink half a bottle of red, pitch a cat vomit taco at the wall, realize how childish I was being and take Paco for a walk around the block.

I can always count on you for sound advice!

sell a couple of SEs and get an S2 starla?

you'll get old waiting for the S2 Santana to come out

I honestly don’t want any S2’s. They’re good guitars but I’ve already got almost all the guitars I want.

How about just a pickup swap to begin with, easier to reverse.

If that gives you what you hope for sonically, job done. If not, reverse, reverse!

You can always try to lipsticks first, or after.

Yeah... I’d have to grab the whole harness from the other one because it’s a particularly awesome set of DII’s with a rotary. If I do the lipsticks I’ll need to figure something else out for the taps/splits, I could maybe do some cross comparison of the wire colors, but I’m not sure if a rotary would work with them.

Wish I would have held onto my set of Starla pickups for you. They were in great shape. Sold them when I got my Starla last year.

OMG, me too!!!

 

[Tony M.]

I honestly don’t want any S2’s. They’re good guitars but I’ve already got almost all the guitars I want.

The key word in this statement is almost.

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

I was holding onto them for a Vela but that didn’t happen. I’ll keep my eyes peeled in the event they come up again.

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

The key word in this statement is almost.

he’s only 3 Westies and Santanas shy of being “nearly done”