A mid-range guitar with the right upgrades will outperform a more expensive stock guitar. Here's what's actually worth changing — and what isn't.
Upgrading has a logic to it. Done right, it's one of the best values in gear. Done wrong, it's an expensive way to end up with a guitar that's worth less than what you put into it.
The Philosophy
The core argument for upgrading over buying new: a mid-range guitar with a good setup and quality pickups will outperform a higher-priced guitar with stock electronics in most playing situations. The wood, the neck, the frets — those are hard to change. The pickups, the tuners, the bridge — those are easy to change. And they make a significant difference.
A Squier or a mid-range Epiphone with upgraded pickups and a proper setup is not a beginner guitar anymore. It's a working instrument. Players who understand this spend less money and end up with better gear than players who keep buying new guitars chasing a sound they could have found with a $150 pickup swap.
What's Worth Upgrading First
Pickups — the highest-impact upgrade on any electric guitar. Stock pickups on entry and mid-level guitars are where manufacturers cut costs. Swapping them is the single biggest tonal change you can make short of buying a different guitar. We stock and install Seymour Duncan pickups — options for every style from clean country to high-gain metal. For acoustic-electric players, Fishman makes the best undersaddle and soundhole pickup systems on the market.
Tuning machines — if your guitar won't stay in tune, this is often why. Locking tuners are a straightforward upgrade that makes a noticeable difference in tuning stability, especially for players who use a whammy bar or do a lot of bending.
Nut — a bone or synthetic bone nut is a cheap upgrade that improves tuning stability and sustain. Most stock nuts are plastic and cut inconsistently. This is often done as part of a setup.
Bridge and saddles — worth upgrading on acoustics especially. Bone saddles improve tone and sustain noticeably on most mid-range acoustics. On electrics, a better bridge can improve sustain and intonation stability.
Pots and wiring — lower priority but worth doing if you're already opening up the guitar for a pickup swap. Quality pots and a proper wiring job clean up the signal and make the controls feel better.
What's Not Worth Upgrading
Necks and bodies are expensive to swap and rarely produce the result players expect. If the neck doesn't feel right, the guitar probably isn't the right guitar — no amount of hardware swapping fixes a neck profile you don't like. Same with a body that's too heavy or a scale length that doesn't suit your hands.
If the fundamental feel of the guitar is wrong, sell it and find one that fits. Upgrade the one that fits.
The Partscaster Approach
A true partscaster — a guitar built from components rather than upgraded from a production model — is a different project. Bodies and necks from Warmoth, Allparts, or similar suppliers, combined with quality hardware and pickups, can produce an instrument that rivals guitars costing two or three times as much. If you're thinking about going this route, come in and talk it through before you start ordering parts.
We Do the Work
We install pickups, wire harnesses, tuning machines, nuts, and saddles at the shop in Glens Falls. Players bring guitars in from Queensbury, Lake George, Saratoga, and across the Capital Region for pickup swaps and upgrade work. Pricing on upgrade work depends on the job. Get in touch for a quote before you bring it in.
See what we do for repairs and upgrades.
Paul's Guitar Hideout is located at The Shirt Factory in Glens Falls, NY. Use the Cooper Street entrance and take the stairs up. If you need assistance, give us a call and we'll come down.
The Shirt Factory
71 Lawrence St., Suite 201B, 2nd Floor
Glens Falls, NY 12801
Wednesday–Sunday, 12–5pm
(518) 217-8695 · info@paulsguitarhideout.com