How To Customize Your Guitar

Customizing a guitar is a common trend in the music world.  Many guitar players try to find ways to make their tones different from other people, so they can stand out better.  Information to make these modifications and customizations is much more available with the internet.  I dug up some articles about custom guitar shops, the parts that make up a guitar, and make some of these changes yourself. 

Guitar in custom shop

Any guitar player can spend time building and customizing guitar gear.  In fact it's a great way to learn more about the equipment and what to do to change it and get a desired effect.  First it's important to familiarize yourself with the details of a guitar.  Find a good review here at http://www.learncountryguitartoday.com/2011/04/guitar-parts-one-by-one/.

In studying to play the guitar, the very first step is familiarizing yourself with the various parts that make up the instrument. This may make your next lessons simpler to understand, particularly when it gets to the technical parts of the lessons that indicate particular guitar parts for you to play. Realizing what you’re working with is really critical, much like anything else you might be attempting to be a master of.

At the extremely end of the guitar neck, furthest from your body, is the head of the guitar. This component is where the gears or tuning mechanisms are situated, that are adjusted for pitch. The instrument’s resonance also transmits by way of the head, and has an effect on sustaining the notes played. Various types of guitars have diverse designs and varieties of head. Some do not even have a head at all, and their tuning gears could be discovered somewhere else on the guitar.

The gears or tuning pegs located at the head of the guitar are loosened or tightened to control the pitch. Traditionally, their format is 3 tuners on every side of the head. But you will find other layouts as well, for example six on one side, or four and two on either side.
The head and the fretboard are joined together by the nut, which can be a strip of medium-hard material. It has tiny, carved-out grooves keeping the guitar strings in position and linked to the tuning pegs.

The fretboard, or also referred to as the fingerboard, is located at the top part of the neck of the guitar. You will see this part divided into sections by metal bars referred to as frets. Generally, the fretboard is flat on classical guitars, and curved crosswise on electric and acoustic guitars.

The frets are positioned on the fretboard at precise points that divide the scale length, and each fret’s pitch is equal to a half-step interval on the chromatic scale. Particular frets also have position markers which guide the guitarist to a lot more simply locate frets as he is playing the guitar.

The next component will be the soundhole for acoustic and classical guitars, and also the pickup for most electric guitars. The soundhole (or soundboard) on acoustic and classical guitars is an opening that projects or enhances the guitars’ sound. Pickups on electric guitars detect magnetic fluctuations from the vibrations of the strings, then amplified via cables as electrical signals.

Both the soundhole and the pickups are situated on the guitar’s body, also as the strings, bridge, guitar strap, and electric guitars’ tone and volume controls. The body can differ in shape, size, and design. Many musicians customize the body to create it a lot more comfortable or far more special from every person else. The wood top quality utilized within the body has a massive effect on the sound high quality and tone of the instrument, and thus has command of prices also.

The body also has a bridge that anchors or holds the strings in place. This part also transmits vibration from the strings to an acoustic guitar’s soundhole, and helps with amplification. Electric guitars also have adjustable bridges for right intonation of the strings.

This standard run-through of the various parts of the guitar should allow you to navigate by means of lessons greater, and also provide you with an understanding of how each parts are connected and assist out each and every other as you play.

Electric guitar on work bench

There are some obvious differences between acoustic and electric guitars.  Since most customization is done on electric guitars, I found a more detailed review of the parts of an electric guitar here at http://emediaguitarmethod.net/guitar/parts-that-make-an-electric-guitar/168/.

Neck of the Guitar First now we have the neck itself, in some electric guitars this is certainly one solid part (e.g. Fender Telecaster) where in others the neck comes with an inlay with the frets, this may often come with a different timber to the neck itself and the well-liked options are Rosewood, Ebony and Maple. Inside the guitar neck is the Truss Rod, these come in one or dual versions and are employed to change the straightness of your guitar neck to support towards bowing or perhaps bending. The Truss Rod could generally be tightened around the headstock. Next we have the head stock itself which happens to be where you will add the tune set up (device heads as well as tuning pegs).

Some guitars may also have string instructions to keep the guitar strings in position. Finally we need the nut that sits on top of the guitar neck and contains slots for the strings to sit in. These are typically made from bone or sometimes ivory.

The Entire Body The body is uncomplicated and it is characteristically a robust part of timber routed for the guitar hardware. The guitar neck either screws right on to the overall body or is glued depending upon the guitar kit you’ve selected. Neck thru styles are usually fixed however run the length of your guitar.

The Bridge This particular bridge stands out as the area to the backside of the guitar right behind the back pickup where the strings are connected to. The bridge is often suspended in the back of the guitar body. Usually the balance is attained by springs running counter towards the guitar string ends. Bridges can be classified into both Tremelo or Non-Tremelo versions.

Hardware Is where the bulk of the audio is produced after all. Should you wish to personalize more nevertheless this is likely the spot where you will begin as most guitar kits just carry entry level pickups. Pickups appear in many different types but to produce just a bare bones approach to this – pickups can be purchased as both one coil or humbucker. Individual coil is best recognized for clean bluesy tones while Humbuckers now have generally been employed for rock and roll as well as more heavy sounds.

Additionally, there are stacked Humbucker pickups, Active pickups and so the checklist goes on. We may cover pickups in a different article in more detail sometime soon because it is a subject which rationalizes more than a regular glance.

You then you now need your selector switches to choose which pickup is being used. Such frequently appear in three or 5 way selector switches permitting different mixtures of pickups to be in action at once. The main reason for this would be to let a guitar tonal variety. After that we now have Volume and Tone Potentiometers (better known as pots ) another place you may consider customizing to achieve better control as once more similar to tuning pegs possessing much better control will permit much more correctness using your distinct tone. Lastly you will find the key in jack to attach the lead which is fairly self explanatory. Most of these parts will come pre-wired in the majority of Guitar Kits on the market today nonetheless you may think about managing the wires yourself when you have a better knowledge of guitar components to provide you even more influence over your tone. Use it as a whole and you will have your typical guitar.

The most popular customization to electric guitars is changing out the pick ups.  A great explanation of the importance of pick ups on an electric guitar can be found here at http://emediaguitarmethod.net/guitar/pick-ups-heart-of-an-electric-guitar/159/.

Legendary guitarists have caught the attention of media. With their blazing guitar solos and bizarre outfits. Popular personalities have made their mark in the industry such as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen and Slash. People have been influenced with their artistic playing in one way or another.

Most people want to copy the way they play and they start having lessons and trading guitar licks. As a guitar player, it is vital to have a good and clear tone and the only way to produce that is having the best guitar pick up. Two choices are considered for your guitar: a single coil and a humbucker pick up.

If you want quality sounding guitar then you need to make sure you buy the best pick up that suits your personality and taste. For a clear and high end sound, a single coil like Fender Stratocaster is preferred. If you want to have a tone that is flat and round in sound, you need a humbucker like Gibson guitars.

A pick up is composed of wirings and magnets. Famous known magnets used are: Alnico 2, Alnico 5 and Ceramic. Through technology they have upgraded magnets and made Alnico 8 and Neodymium which have been a lot in the market now. Magnets have a great role in the pick up as it is the one that creates the absorption of the sound of the string.
The pick up industry has opened doors for brands to rise up and make the most of guitar player’s choice of sound. These brands: EMG, Seymour Duncan, DiMarzio, Bill Lawrence and Fishman have in deed made their own reputation and trademark. New developed ones such as Lace sensors are also widely bought by consumers. Whether for jazz, blues or rock music, these pick ups will definite serve its purpose.

You have now been pimped with these available pick ups you can now definitely have your signature sound. You can have a customize type of your own. Just follow the details above and you can never go wrong. It is wise to do your sound test before buying the pick up to make sure it is the one for you.

Bring out the best in your guitar, start upgrading your pick up and hear the difference. Best sounding pick ups are available in the web for you to check.

Closeup of pick ups on guitar

Changing the pick ups on an electric guitar is a process that you can do on your own.  Find a step-by-step guide to this customization here at http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Simple-Method-For-Installing-Pre-Wired-Guitar-Pickups&id=6439754.

Many of us ponder how to improve the tone of a less expensive electric guitar, or a kit guitar if you have decided to build your own. One of the best ways to achieve this is simply to fit a new pickup unit. It sounds intimidating and complex but in reality is actually quite straightforward if you choose a pre-wired pick ups. First you will need to select a new pick up assembly. When shopping for the best pre-wired pickup assembly, you'll want to consider quality within both the wiring and components being used.

Fitting new pickups only demands a small number of basic tools that many people will have around the house, a soldering iron and a little solder. This equipment will assist you to take out the old pickup system in addition to fitting a new one into your electric guitar.
First, you will need to take off the strings from the guitar so that they are not in the way and wont be damaged. You'll also want to remove the pick-guard on top of the guitar body. You should also remove the two screws that support the output jack plate. To ensure you don't lose any screws or parts of your pre-wired pickup, you will need some type of reservoir to place items until you require them, a bowl or cup will generally suffice.

You'll notice several electrical wires that will be securing the pick-guard assembly on to the guitar body. The initial one is the earth wire which will go out from the whammy bar to the casing ground. Trim this wire as close as you're able to your casing using diagonal cutters or pliers. The next set of wires you have to trim are placed under the output jack plate, this is why we suggested you undo the screws beforehand. Put the output jack plate to the side where you will not misplace it.

Next, take away the plastic hardware belonging to the older pick-guard assembly. Next use your wrench and loosen up and take off all of the control nuts on your new pickup assembly. Once you have completed this step use your screwdriver to undo all the screws that will secure the actual pickup selector switch. Be wary you put aside the nuts and anchoring screws where you won't lose them but keep them separate to the output jack plate screws to avoid confusion.

Undo each of the screws in which fasten the pickups upon the pick-guard plate and lift the pickup guard. Continue this course of action with the obsolete pickup system also. If you don't wish to make use of your older pick-guard, skip this step as you may have a complete pick up and scratch plate assembly.

The next step is to rewire the pre-wired pickup on to the body of the guitar. You should place down a sheet of fabric to guard the body of your guitar from scratches in the paint work. You will find three wires to join, the identical three which you trimmed previously. The wires to the output jack along with the wire out of your whammy bar for the ground casing. Solder the ground wire and fix the wires for the output jack.

The last step is to replace all of the screws and hardware and then re-string your guitar.

Congratulations! You've correctly fixed the guitar kit with a pre-wired pick-up.

Building a custom guitar on your own is another process that has been made easier with the internet.  I found an article that explains the online custom guitar process and suggestions for online resources to check out.  Find all this here at http://guitar.lovetoknow.com/customize-guitar-online.

If you want a custom-made guitar that is unlike any other on the market, you should consider the possibilities presented by the Internet. No longer do you have to hand make your parts or scour various guitar and junk shops looking for the right parts. Rather, you can execute your custom-designed guitar, from conception to execution, almost entirely on the Internet. While the Internet can't put a guitar together for you, it can do just about everything else, including locating someone who can assemble your guitar.

Customizing Guitars Online 

Customizing a guitar with the aid of the Internet starts with getting an idea in your head and ends with you enjoying the finished product of your imagination. In between there are some crucial steps to creating you own unique guitar.

Design 

Designing your customized guitar can be the hardest part. Players with a talent for illustration can draw their guitars and then look for people online who build custom guitars to put it together. People without the knack for freehand drawing should look into design programs to do it for them. Google SketchUp is free, three-dimensional parametric design software that is easy to learn and easy to use. While frequently used to craft buildings, it can be used to design anything. Further, the program makes it easy for you to share your design with others online.

Selecting Parts 

One of the biggest advantages of making your guitar online is that you don't have to hunt too hard for the parts you need. There are scores of stores online that specialize in parts for custom and home-brewed guitars.

• Warmouth Custom Guitar Parts: This guitar parts shop has everything that you need from bodies and necks to pickups and pickguards for your custom guitar. You can also design a custom guitar using parts on the company's website. 

• USA Custom Guitars: This company can provide you with just about anything that you need to build your custom-designed guitar, although they specialize in bodies and necks. Hardware and finishing materials are also available, as are raw materials for making the guitar yourself. 

• Greasy Grove: The online guitar shop with the crazy-sounding name, Greasy Grove offers everything that you want and need to customize your guitar. The parts that your purchase here can go on your custom-designed guitar or just make your stock guitar take on a character and a life of its own. 

Construction 

There are two main ways that you can construct your guitar once you have it designed and have all the proper materials in hand. If you have ordered custom parts that are ready to be made into a complete guitar, you can simply assemble the pieces yourself. The other way you can construct your custom-designed guitar is to actually cut the wood to shape and size, plane it, sand it, paint it and finish it. While this option provides you with the opportunity to be far more creative, particularly as the body design is concerned, it's no small feat. People study for many hours to learn the craft of luthier and you can't simply "wing it," even if you do have extensive experience with wood working.

Getting Started 

To get started, all you need is a vague notion and a piece of paper. Doodling different guitar designs can help you to get your ideas down, even if you don't have a great deal of skill as an artist. Once you have a clearer idea of what it is that you want, you can always contact a friend or professional with a little more experience in the field of guitar design than you. Further, enthusiasts who lack mechanical aptitude can always bring the constituent parts of their guitar to a guitar tech who will assemble the parts for you for a fee. Once your guitar is designed, delivered and assembled, you'll be the envy of every guitar player you meet because you have a one-of-a-kind guitar.

Guitars hanging in shop

One of the most important artists to have built his own custom guitar is Brian May from the band Queen.  Take a look at how May's custom guitar was built here at http://ezinearticles.com/?Brian-Mays-Handmade-Electric-Guitar---All-the-Facts&id=6437866.

I have always admired the electric guitar that has been owned and played by Brian May since the 60's. It has a different look compared to the bulk of Strat or Les Paul style guitars presently around, and it sounds fantastic too. So I thought I'd dig a bit deeper to understand more about this fascinating electric guitar.

Frequently known as The Red Special, the majority of keen guitarists will at least know that this unique was hand-built by May and his father Harold from an ancient fire place structure - 18th century to be exact. The guitar was formed from this sizable slab of old oak into the stunning shape we know so well. In my honest opinion this was an extremely balanced and appealing shape, superior to a lot of production guitars that can be spotted in High St music shops.

It appears that the guitar's fretboard was also made of oak as opposed to the ebony, maple or rosewood repeatedly used. The body has a thin mahogany top which covers routed areas, giving this unique instrument's construction a positively semi-acoustic feel. As a contrast, a Les Paul model would have utilised a maple top over a solid mahogany body. A few extra nice touches are the individual positioning of the fretboard's pearl dot markers (created from buttons) and the headstock shape which is closer to the design of a Gibson Flying V headstock than anything on the market today.

Together with the design as well as the construction materials used, utilising three Burns single coil pickups helps give this guitar that 'Brian May' sound (the Vox AC30 also plays a part). The guitar pickups were re-wound by May himself and wax potted in epoxy. Wax potting is the procedure of sealing the pickup's coils to avoid any uninvited microphonic feedback but regularly a mix of beeswax and paraffin does the trick, so this was an interesting and more long term option.

The final area to be given a custom solution was the tremolo system. This was produced out of a hard steel knife and a couple of motorbike springs. Custom made rollers were included to make it possible for the strings to move freely.

If you ever needed confirmation that this electric guitar has a unique sound, just listen to the guitar solo in 'Killer Queen'. Not only was this solo a dream but also you'd recognize that tone anywhere.

The original guitar is still alive and kicking though for safety reasons May often chooses to utilise one of the duplicate versions that his company now make. They might not be the real thing but they are seriously close.

Building a custom guitar is a journey that will surely increase your appreciation of the instrument and all the elements of its' customization.  Find a way to make your guitar tone different from anyone else by customizing it on your own or at a custom shop. 

Have fun and stay tuned!

Mike