Quality guitars are expensive, and sometimes it is better to fix a secondhand guitar than buy a brand-new one at the store. Adequately refurbished old guitars will often work as well as a brand-new one. By opting to refurbish than purchase new, you can save money and buy other essential equipment that you will need as a musician on the go.
Guitars are treasures that can be passed along from one generation to another. By properly taking care of your instrument, you will be able to pass it along to your children and even your grandchildren. If you have an old guitar that isn’t performing as well, you can still make it sound like new by replacing the individual guitar parts.
You can restore vintage guitars or an old favorite guitar you’ve had since you were young. Fixing a guitar from scratch can be quite challenging, especially if you aren’t an expert. If you can follow these simple steps, you can enjoy an almost brand-new electric or semi-acoustic guitar with just a bit of know-how and money on hand.
1. Break It Down
Open up your guitar and check out the internal electronics. Remove the guitar strings one by one by taking off the pegs and cut off the curly ends of the wires.
Unscrew everything that has screws to lay bare all the wires and other electronic parts like the pickups and potentiometers – these are the electronic parts underneath the tone and volume handle.
Do this carefully so you will not cause further damage. Pay attention to the wire that runs from the body of the guitar to its bridge; be sure not to rip it out as it will be difficult to put back on later.
2. Modify the tone
Change the pickups, the part of the guitar that produces the tone. The tone of an electric guitar is created when the vibration of the strings are converted into electric signals by the pickups. There are different pickup designs – a single coil composed of one coil wire with a bar magnet, and the double coil composed of two single coils put together. Pick out the volume and tone knobs that will complement your newly purchased pickups.
If you’re still searching for pickups, make sure to check out our shop. We specialize in rare guitar parts and will likely have exactly what you are looking for.
3. Connect the Wires
Once the instrument is disassembled, it’s time to put back everything along with all the specific replacements you purchased. It’s important to choose the correct parts in the right sizes for your guitar model, as some parts may be difficult to fit inside the guitar body.
Wire the pickup to the volume knob and thread the wires through the holes, then wire the volume knob to the tone knobs. Repeat the process on the other pickup. You can use a soldering gun to keep it in place, then wire them to the switch so you can use which pickup you prefer.
4. Paint the Guitar
Once the instrument is disassembled, it’s time to put back everything along with all the specific replacements you purchased. It’s important to choose the correct parts in the right sizes for your guitar model, as some parts may be difficult to fit inside the guitar body.
Wire the pickup to the volume knob and thread the wires through the holes, then wire the volume knob to the tone knobs. Repeat the process on the other pickup. You can use a soldering gun to keep it in place, then wire them to the switch so you can use which pickup you prefer.
You can refurbish old electric guitars by simply changing specific guitar parts.
Guitar and Amp Parts offers all types of guitar parts to help you refurbish your old guitars. Make sure to contact us if you are looking for rare guitar parts. Our online inventory is growing day by day with now more than 3,000 items available. If you are looking for a specific guitar part, contact us for more information on availability, specs, and pricing.