52/57 conversion

[brandtkronholm]

Nearly all (really, just about each and every) violins, violas, etc, made by Stradivarius have new necks. There might be a handful remaining that are fully original.
They were all built with sorter necks intended for gut strings. Despite the new necks, they retain their original headstocks/peg boxes! Could you imagine doing that with a '50s Gibson?
Even the Messiah, a mint and nearly unplayed Stradivarius has a modern neck.
To encounter an old Martin flat-top without a neck reset is unusual.
If resetting the necks on the early trapeze-style Les Pauls improves the playability and sound, then maybe it's not al that terrible.

ALSO - Strads have new bass bars. The bass bar is a piece of wood that is glued to the inside of the top of the instrument. The only way to replace a bass bar is to completely remove the top of the instrument! If the bass bar was not replace then the tension of the modern steel strings on the violin would shatter the wood and completely destroy the instrument.

So, again, on some old classic electric guitars, swapping out parts or even resetting necks might actually be a good thing even in spite of alternative fixes.

 

[rockabilly69]

Hence the why of converting it back to '52 Spec. P90's are about as ballsy and edge of the seat rock and roll as it gets.

I've got plenty of unpotted humbucker guitars that are as equally as ballsy as P90s guitar (which I also have a ton of). But the big issue is the crappy '52 tailpiece bridge layout. Yes I know, people use the glaser and mojoaxe replacement bar bridges, but really, those things are nowhere as stable as a stoptail and ABR, or even a good wraptail. I hate having to worry if a bridge is going to slide around on a top. The guitar has already been taken past stock, originality is gone, love it for what it is. The guy that did the work is pretty well regarded for doing great work, so I say let the OP enjoy his guitar.

 

[Mark]

I've got plenty of unpotted humbucker guitars that are as equally as ballsy as P90s guitar (which I also have a ton of). But the big issue is the crappy '52 tailpiece bridge layout. Yes I know, people use the glaser and mojoaxe replacement bar bridges, but really, those things are nowhere as stable as a stoptail and ABR, or even a good wraptail. I hate having to worry if a bridge is going to slide around on a top. The guitar has already been taken past stock, originality is gone, love it for what it is. The guy that did the work is pretty well regarded for doing great work, so I say let the OP enjoy his guitar.

It’s a really good one. It’s all in the wood.

 

[JazzMuzak]

Nearly all (really, just about each and every) violins, violas, etc, made by Stradivarius have new necks. There might be a handful remaining that are fully original.
They were all built with sorter necks intended for gut strings. Despite the new necks, they retain their original headstocks/peg boxes! Could you imagine doing that with a '50s Gibson?
Even the Messiah, a mint and nearly unplayed Stradivarius has a modern neck.
To encounter an old Martin flat-top without a neck reset is unusual.
If resetting the necks on the early trapeze-style Les Pauls improves the playability and sound, then maybe it's not al that terrible.

ALSO - Strads have new bass bars. The bass bar is a piece of wood that is glued to the inside of the top of the instrument. The only way to replace a bass bar is to completely remove the top of the instrument! If the bass bar was not replace then the tension of the modern steel strings on the violin would shatter the wood and completely destroy the instrument.

So, again, on some old classic electric guitars, swapping out parts or even resetting necks might actually be a good thing even in spite of alternative fixes.

I think that over time people will be forced away from some of the snobbery regarding original parts. Iirc we're due for a lot of the early fender pickups to start failing en masse as the lacquer on the coils deteriorates. That said, personally I prefer not to completely change the character of a nice p90 guitar, but I can understand why other people would. Hopefully we'll hit a homeostasis where there are enough conversions on the market to satisfy people who want them, and the remaining original guitars can be left as original as possible.

 

[Mark]

Well, it was converted before I bought it.

 

[MapleFlame]

If it were mine, I'd restore it back to a '52.

Here's the problem with that, it's pretty impossible to replug the Humbucker routs, matching the gold paint to the original paint with touch up. The plugs over time will settle/shrink and show the lines. With PAF's its worth more Converted. I'm a P90 guy at heart, but love my Conversion. Mark plays out a lot in his band, he uses his gear and needs the versatility of a Conversion.