So here you go, you buy this POS (piece o' shite) strat copy, and you want to upgrade it. and you say:
"Trashed, why not upgrade it?"
"I say because it is putting lip-stick on a pig. It just ain't right."
but Trashed, "I love this guitar, and I can make it sound better, I will replace the pickups, hardware, etc. etc."
I respond "I guess you are the type to not heed quality advice and have to mess something up yourself to learn, Good luck!"
So.....
$150 in pickups, sounds a little nicer. but not amazing. $50 on tuners, however, you will most likely drill for them to fit. In case you didn't notice, third world countries don't follow standard sizes as us civilized folk do (to a degree). $200 into a $100 guitar (running total of $300).
There are a couple of points to make to clear the last paragraph up. Tuners are typically not what causes a guitar to go out of tune, normally it is the string binding on somethin. However really junky, shitty tuners can slip and mess up your gig. Ya get whatcha' pay for sometimes. Also if you have a $100 guitar the other electronics are shit too, plan on new pots, jacks, switches, caps, etc.
"Oh shit, Trashed, I am into this guitar three times it is worth, but I love it."
The plot thickens: You develop as a guitarist, you play a nice guitar, and wish your guitar felt like that. $150 on a level and crown, you are getting close!!! Nope.
Now... you are in a running total of $450 into this piece of junk. It isn't worth anything, as YOU DO NOT GET YOUR CASH OUT OF UPGRADES. so there you are. That could have bought yourself something very nice.
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Disclaimer...
Not all $100 guitars are junk. Pretty much any current produced guitar @ $100 is junk, just in general. Some people love modding, I do, but its about the journey as opposed to the destination, but that doesn't mean that the destination is where you wanted to go. One thing is that you can find $1000 guitars that will need a fret level and crown, but generally they are much more playable that of the guitars we are talking.
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Disclaimer #2...
I am gearing this specific blog to newer or less gear savvy guitarists who don't have as much experience.
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Cheers Fellow Axemen, Merry Christmas.
Trashed
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