Parts swapping classic guitars.

[J.D.ROOST]

Been thinking about this as of late.
I have at this point replaced my neck, trem, tuners, neck pickup, pickguard/knobs, volume pot...on my one owner 1996 (50th anniversary) American Lonestar Strat. This all started out as a neck swap because of a bout of tendentious and steamrolled from there.
I have not gone the full build because I simply could not afford it all at once...and it was easier to upgrade a well known instrument over a completely new build (wanting to "fine tune" a known pleasurable feel and tone over a start from scratch deal).
So now I sort of feel bad for messing with a classic guitar. Looking on reverb...it seems like they are not at an over the moon price or anything...but I still feel it's sort of wrong to dismantle a USA Strat and have its guts sitting in storage.
Have any of you guys/gals had this experience?

Been looking at bodies this week...but I am so happy with my current guitar right now I don't want to bother.

 

[Rick]

Yes, done this. I took a tele, and replaced everything, then reassembled the parts and gave it to my nephew.  Process took three years.

 

[Sadie-f]

Not as deeply as you describe, still same idea.

The neck of my W-strat began as a 1.75" nut replacement for a Fender strat, on which I also replaced a Texas special middle p/u with a mini HB. That neck may go back on the Fender in which case that warmoth will get a mahogany or rosewood neck, or I'll eventually sell the strat .. tbd.

 

[mayfly]

My thoughts are:  It's an instrument - it's primary purpose is to make music.  If you need to make changes to it to better accomplish that primary purpose, then of course you do it!  It's nothing to get worked up about.

To demonstrate my point, let's look at Stradivarius violins.  These suckers are the definition of vintage instrument, and are worth a stupid amount of money.  But - they all have had their necks replaced because the original necks were a different scale to what's now considered to be the best.  Where are those original necks now?  Who knows / who cares.  The important part is that you can continue to make great music with those old strads, because that's their primary purpose.

 

[Sadie-f]

Good call, I've never understood the ridiculous value people put on period - correctness & e.g. on say a guitar being setup exactly as it was from factory. However with an eye to that being real, the above mentioned strat will be offered with its original single coil middle p/u, not the HB I prefer and played it with.

 

[Rick]

In 2005 I played a bass at Gage's in NYC that cost $250,000.  It was made before tempered music.  It had all sorts of things replaced.  And how did it sound --- like heaven.

 

[Cowbell Fever!]

If you like it and it inspires you to play, then it is the right thing. If you want to sell it, you would likely get more if it was stock.