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If there were fewer hack mods, there would be less of a need for unmolested examples serving as museum pieces.Fuck a sacred cow, yes but also fuck ruining a beautiful instrument for the next person who will have the misfortune of playing it.

My 73 SG Special originally had the cool looking mini humbuckers and it looks like it was routed out with a hand drill for full size humbuckers. Cant tell too bad with a pickup in it, and it has humbicker sized p90s now, so it ain't that bad. Still bummed me out.

Haha. This is the thread for my Guild Starfire. Somebody put an old Gretsch pickup in the bridge and cut a hole in the back of it. They missed with the bridge, too, as the high E comes off the fret board a little up past the 12th fret. I found an expensive Guild HB-1 to put back in the bridge position, but it sounds so gnarly with the right amp that I'm afraid to do anything that will change the sound. I've heard that old Gretsch parts could be real hit or miss, and I haven't heard a Filtertron that's sounded like this one. The Bigsby feels a lot better than the B-5 on my Telecaster, too. I had plans to send it to FM Chris Jury after he built me the Thinline Tele, but I've never gotten around to it. It's probably about time though, as I'm worried about the thing falling apart.I'm telling you, this guitar through an old tweed Gibson combo sounds like hell on Earth. It doesn't get used much since I got the EGC, but it's special enough to where I've never really considered getting rid of it.

Steve V. wrote:Image search: Sonic Youth liveI just tell myself "They were probably in rough shape before they bought them."

I think whether you see an instrument as a tool, as a work of art, an investment, or some combination of the three is in the eye of the beholder. Sure it's gross to needlessly hack up an instrument, but it's also gross to hoard classic gear in order to turn a profit in 20 years. Much as we like to think hacking up guitars like the photos above is tantamount to destruction of art, in reality it's more just someone who made a bad financial decision.

It's a tool? No, it's not a tool. It's a musical instrument, more like a work of art than a wrench or hammer. If it was a tool, then why change it? As they come from the factory, they get the job done just as they are. But they're not tools, and especially with certain guitars I'd be happy for some rich clod to stick a vintage Gibson or something with P90s in a case rather than have some troglodyte shove in Super Distortion Humbuckers, coil tap and phase switches, and cover it with stickers. Down the line it will be intact and beautiful for someone to play again.

Well, okay if you think of a musical performance or recording as a job that needs to be done, then enjoy your Workman-like Rock Music, I guess. I'll be over here creating art.

Eh, I guess I hoarded the Veleno for over twenty years to turn a profit. And turn a profit I did. I have some other gear that I've held onto for the same reason.