Hey guys. I just finished a mod to my Sterling by MusicMan Silo30 that I started in February. I just thought I would share a little bit of the process and the finished product with ya!
I bought the guitar back in the summer of last year, traded my Schecter Stargazer for it. I played it stock up until I took it all apart in February, and until then I loved it and became my main guitar. But, I wasn't really diggin' the middle single coil, so I had decided to mod it, somehow. I wasn't planning to go H/H with it, (started with a HB in the bridge, then 2 single coils) but I wanted both of my Q-Tuner pickups in there. They were in a guitar I wasnt playing, and they are unreal pickups and they needed to be used. Once that was decided, I got to work getting materials and parts.
So, I had to cut my own pickguard. Traced it onto acetate, taped that to the plastic material (w/b/w), and cut the guard on a bandsaw. Then, brought the edges in with a spindle sander. Then, I beveled the edge with the spindle sander cranked to its sharpest angle. Then, cut the pick up holes, screw holes, etc.
I had to rout the neck pickup cavity to fit the humbucker, and I had to use a Dremel sanding bit on some areas to create a bit more clearance.
I ended up going with only one volume, no tone. I bought 2 pots and two knobs, but honestly didn't end up having the room. I don't use a tone knob when I'm playing anyway, so I decided to keep this one simple. Changed the 5 way switch to a 3 way toggle, and added a killswitch. Used a Switchcraft 3 way toggle, Switchcraft input jack, CTS 500k pot, and the killswitch was purchased on eBay by someone who makes them. Got my new knob from GreasyGroove. The pickups are Q-Tuners: a Super High Z in the bridge, and a High Z in the neck.
Took me a while to wire it correctly, and did have a little help from a friend because I'm not experienced with that. But, in the end, I learned a lot and I am very happy with the way my first mod turned out. It sounds amazing and I dig the way it looks. Modern, clean and simple.
A before and after for ya. No refinishing work, just different lighting.
I bought the guitar back in the summer of last year, traded my Schecter Stargazer for it. I played it stock up until I took it all apart in February, and until then I loved it and became my main guitar. But, I wasn't really diggin' the middle single coil, so I had decided to mod it, somehow. I wasn't planning to go H/H with it, (started with a HB in the bridge, then 2 single coils) but I wanted both of my Q-Tuner pickups in there. They were in a guitar I wasnt playing, and they are unreal pickups and they needed to be used. Once that was decided, I got to work getting materials and parts.
So, I had to cut my own pickguard. Traced it onto acetate, taped that to the plastic material (w/b/w), and cut the guard on a bandsaw. Then, brought the edges in with a spindle sander. Then, I beveled the edge with the spindle sander cranked to its sharpest angle. Then, cut the pick up holes, screw holes, etc.
I had to rout the neck pickup cavity to fit the humbucker, and I had to use a Dremel sanding bit on some areas to create a bit more clearance.
I ended up going with only one volume, no tone. I bought 2 pots and two knobs, but honestly didn't end up having the room. I don't use a tone knob when I'm playing anyway, so I decided to keep this one simple. Changed the 5 way switch to a 3 way toggle, and added a killswitch. Used a Switchcraft 3 way toggle, Switchcraft input jack, CTS 500k pot, and the killswitch was purchased on eBay by someone who makes them. Got my new knob from GreasyGroove. The pickups are Q-Tuners: a Super High Z in the bridge, and a High Z in the neck.
Took me a while to wire it correctly, and did have a little help from a friend because I'm not experienced with that. But, in the end, I learned a lot and I am very happy with the way my first mod turned out. It sounds amazing and I dig the way it looks. Modern, clean and simple.
A before and after for ya. No refinishing work, just different lighting.
