Modding my Ibanez Gio and Hagstrom Swede. Am I crazy?

GeorgeHutchinson · January 4

Hi!

I have never modded a guitar before so would probably attempt to mod the GIO before anything else. I play a lot of grunge and death metal in my spare time as a hobby and want to put both of these to use as I have an attatchment to them.

Firstly the GIO:

I have this model: https://reverb.com/uk/item/21041316-ibanez-grg250dx-black-and-red

I want to put seymour-duncan and nazgul/sentient humbuckers in and ideally swap out the neck to something higher grade. Take out the middle pick up.

As for the Hagstrom Swede just a pick up change: seymour duncan sh-4 JB and sh-2 jazz hot rodded in the neck.

Is it worth it or should I just invest in a brand new guitar. All opinions welcome.

Sporky · January 4

It's not worth it financially.

It is worth it if you enjoy the process, and/or like the instruments that result.

Jalapeno · January 4

Sporky said:

It's not worth it financially.

It is worth it if you enjoy the process, and/or like the instruments that result.

This, keep the old'uns for potential resale (I don't mean parting) with guitars

Funkfingers · January 4

GeorgeHutchinson said:

… swap out the neck …

If, by this, you mean change the actual neck (as opposed to the pickup nearest the fingerboard), you are ditching more than half of the instrument. The economics of this are unwise.

This is the preserve of sad, old blokes who attempt to refurbish elderly cars, motorcycles or steam locomotives. So long as there is one original part left in the project, they delude themselves that its provenance is sound.

It would be far wiser to sell the Ibanez GIO and purchase something
a) further up the Ibanez range
b) with more of the features you desire.

GeorgeHutchinson said:

As for the Hagstrom Swede, just a pick up change: seymour duncan sh-4 JB and sh-2 jazz hot rodded in the neck.

How old is the Hagstrom? I am going to assume the fairly recent Asian-made examples.

TBH, unless you require scorching Metal guitar sounds, I would probably leave the neck/Rhythm position humbucker stock and concentrate on replacing the bridge/Treble unit.

The Duncan SH-4 JB would work but it is a clichéed choice. I suggest something a little less peaky. e.g. The George Lynch Screamin' Demon or the Jason Becker Perpetual Burn models.

The stock pickups seem to be aiming for Slash territory. Hence, the path to that sort of sound might be better amplification rather than pickup upgrades.

•

Whichever guitar you eventually decide to work on, I wish to direct your attention to the pair of Duncan Designed HB-103 "Distortion" humbuckers listed in the Parts £ section. I am not affiliated with the seller.

ICBM · January 4

Funkfingers said:

GeorgeHutchinson said:

… swap out the neck …

If, by this, you mean change the actual neck (as opposed to the pickup nearest the fingerboard), you are ditching more than half of the instrument.

More than that - if I remember rightly the GIO neck is not compatible with other RG-style guitars. I almost bought a GIO body as a project a couple of years ago but fortunately checked first.

Funkfingers said:

It would be far wiser to sell the Ibanez GIO and purchase something
a) further up the Ibanez range
b) with more of the features you desire.

This. The cheapest RGs aren't that much more expensive than replacing most the GIO will be, and are definitely cross-compatible and more upgradeable.

Funkfingers said:

GeorgeHutchinson said:

As for the Hagstrom Swede, just a pick up change: seymour duncan sh-4 JB and sh-2 jazz hot rodded in the neck.

The Duncan SH-4 JB would work but it is a clichéed choice. I suggest something a little less peaky. e.g. The George Lynch Screamin' Demon or the Jason Becker Perpetual Burn models.

For the Hagstrom, there are an almost infinite number of pickups and swapping them is straightforward. Personally, unless they are particular special favourites, I would not put a Jazz and a JB in a Les Paul-style guitar - like Funkfingers I would go for something a bit clearer and more open-sounding.

Funkfingers · January 5

IMO, a lot of the power of a Les Paul type guitar lies in the slab of mahogany rather than the pickups.

@GeorgeHutchinson Two quick questions about your Hagstrom.
a) Is it a Swede or a Super Swede?
b) What colour is the finish?

Your answers will affect my next suggestions.

ICBM · January 5

Funkfingers said:

IMO, a lot of the power of a Les Paul type guitar lies in the slab of mahogany rather than the pickups.

Exactly - and although I love the JB in a Strat-type guitar (unsurprisingly as it was designed for that) in a Les Paul the combination of the very thick tone of the guitar itself with the huge midrange focus of the pickup creates a congested, unresponsive 'megaphone tone' in my opinion. Of course, in the 90s it was common to then put it through V30s! Mids to the max, no subtlety.

The Jazz isn't as badly affected, although I still find it quite flat-sounding unless the guitar is more lively. I much prefer the '59 or Pearly Gates in the neck with a thick-sounding guitar.

GeorgeHutchinson · January 5

How old is the Hagstrom? I am going to assume the fairly recent Asian-made examples.

It's a 1976 Hagstrom Swede in Red. Will look into the pickups.

The rhythm pick up is super muddy to my ears so would probably change both. Looking for more clarity really on the bottom end. It plays beautifully but I want something a little more grungy that also has some heat. Jerry cantrell - Mastodon range would be ideal. Would be cool to be able to dial in cleans too. Would definitely play it more.

I play through a 50W orange rockerverb but am looking to upgrade my set up completely this year.

Will check the pickups you've recommended. Looking for something that's going to be worth the effort so will probs steer away from the seymour duncans. Thanks for that.

Definitely given up on modding the ibanez. I love it though so will probably keep it in my garage haha

ICBM · January 5

GeorgeHutchinson said:

It's a 1976 Hagstrom Swede in Red. Will look into the pickups.

The rhythm pick up is super muddy to my ears so would probably change both. Looking for more clarity really on the bottom end. It plays beautifully but I want something a little more grungy that also has some heat.

If it's an old one I would probably not change the pickups - they won't be overly high-output, and the muddiness is probably not from the pickup. You can roll off the bottom end by adding a cap in series with the pickup, which is easy and non-invasive - you just need to undo the pickup hot wire from the volume pot and fit the cap in between.

You may need some experimentation with values, but the same as a standard tone cap (.022uF or .047uF) is a good place to start.

If that is the case, and it's not the pickups making it muddy, you really don't want a high-output pickup at all, that will make it worse.

OilCityPickups · January 26

The Geo I have modded has worked out rather well and is being used as a pickup demo guitar. Nothing wrong with the neck at all it's comfortable (moderately chunky), stable and two octave. ... If it's incompatible with RGs? Who cares.
Full upgrade story post here

CampbellH · January 26

I have modded my Gio in every way, and few others along the way.

Does it make financial sense? I could not care one toffee if it does or doesnt.

I have this guitar the way I want and enjoyed learning how to research parts, the modding techinques and got on an done it all myself.

The Gio has custom pickups, neon pink paint, hardware from higher spec RGs, a neck with a reverse headstock, rewired to a three way switch and coil split both pickups with the volume and tone pots. Now it truely is a custom, my custom and not something I bought off a rack or paid someone else to do it.

If you want to mod any guitar, Then only you can decide that.

What is the worst that can happen if you make a hash of it? You have a piece of wood with some wires nailed to it.

OilCityPickups · January 26

CampbellH said:

I have modded my Gio in every way, and few others along the way.
Does it make financial sense? I could not care one toffee if it does or doesnt.

I have this guitar the way I want and enjoyed learning how to research parts, the modding techinques and got on an done it all myself.

The Gio has custom pickups, neon pink paint, hardware from higher spec RGs, a neck with a reverse headstock, rewired to a three way switch and coil split both pickups with the volume and tone pots. Now it truely is a custom, my custom and not something I bought off a rack or paid someone else to do it.

If you want to mod any guitar, Then only you can decide that.
What is the worst that can happen if you make a hash of it? You have a piece of wood with some wires nailed to it.

My own Geo 7 suffered from frets that I don't think had been levelled at all ... causing all sorts of choking and rubbish up the top end. Were I a beginner I'd see it as a bloody good opportunity to learn how to fret level myself.

There's far too much looking down the collective snoots at cheaper gear on here at the moment. There are those who struggle to maintain their music in the face of a buggered economy and not much to spend. To them a Geo might be all they can get their hands on at the right price.
Personally I will continue to champion cheaper gear and stamp my foot and say it's not what instrument you play ... it's the creativity with which you play that makes you a musician. Do what you want with your Geo ... what you can afford ... put your stamp on it and have fun.

CampbellH · January 29

OilCityPickups said:

There's far too much looking down the collective snoots at cheaper gear on here at the moment. There are those who struggle to maintain their music in the face of a buggered economy and not much to spend. To them a Geo might be all they can get their hands on at the right price.
Personally I will continue to champion cheaper gear and stamp my foot and say it's not what instrument you play ... it's the creativity with which you play that makes you a musician. Do what you want with your Geo ... what you can afford ... put your stamp on it and have fun.

The reason I bought the Gio in the first place was because it was 'affordable' and I knew tech had came a long way so wasnt going to be 'cheap' . I wanted a hard-tail player I could thrash about on and thought, if I dont like something I will change it. It was an evolution over time, spur of the moment stuff, not a project plan to do everything at once.

Funkfingers · January 30

CampbellH said:

OilCityPickups said:

There's far too much looking down the collective snoots at cheaper gear on here at the moment.

I am intrigued by this redacted comment. It seems only a few characters away from being an ad hominem attack. I wonder whether it was aimed at me?

It has taken me decades to amass a daft number of stringed musical instruments. These range in value from over a grand, through fifty quid car boot sale bargains to things given to me for nothing because they were in bits.

Some of my rescue dawgs sport professional quality pickups and other modifications of considerably more monetary value than the wooden bits to which they are attached.

It is because I have (repeatedly) committed this folly that I sometimes recommend that others should not.

If I have money to squander on my equipment whims, it is because, at times, I have chosen to work in places that can kill people.* The wages reflected this.

I am aware that my prose writing style is not to all tastes. My sense of humour is also a bit "out there". Believe it or not, some of it is self-mocking. I do not expect everyone to "get" it.

Some of what I post on this forum is mere opinion. In my value system, all opinion is equal … equally worthless.

* … and did!

DartmoorHedgehog · January 30

I have no wish to end up in the middle of an online dispute (FWIW between two people who I don't know personally but from their online personas I reckon I'd probably get on with), but when my daughter wanted to resurrect a cheap P-bass copy she'd rescued from the school skip we needed a couple of parts. It was a Sue Ryder bass, completely worthless really, and @Funkfingers came up with the bits we needed at very reasonable cost (and some advice on how it was likely constructed). Surely a gear snob would have said "bin it, it's not worth the effort". The bass cleaned up nicely and plays really quite well.

There are people on this forum who in my opinion do come across as gear snobs, so if it was a general comment then I think it's fair.

To the OP - as has already been said, if you will enjoy the modding process and end up with a better instrument at the end of it then do it. You won't turn a cheap guitar into a valuable one, but you can turn an averagely (or even poorly) playing one into something much nicer to use, which can only be a good thing.

EDIT: BTW, I'm a sad old bloke who's rebuilt a couple of elderly cars

impmann · January 30

My experience of the Gio range is its a superb modding platform.

My only advice is to keep any parts removed from the guitar, so that should you change your mind and want to sell the guitar, you can revert it to standard to sell it - and then you can sell any upgrade parts separately. That way you don't end up losing too much.

CampbellH · January 30

Funkfingers

Not at all, I was just writing based on that comment nothing previous to that, and I thought the other part of the quote, the quoting of me wasn't relevant to what I was about to write. Making my comment over worded.

I don't care what anyone has... expensive or affordable, loads or one.... I couldnt care less either way and your name never even crossed my mind.

OilCityPickups point of not looking down on anyone for their choice of gear rings very true with me.

Here is an example of me on this elsewhere in my life:
I joined a motorcycle club as it was just starting up and the club encouraged younger bikers to join.
Certain, let me call them well-healed, members started to berate lads n lassies turning up on old, small, inexpensive motorbikes. I had to re-educate those members in... whatever is someones 'Pride and Joy' has the same standing as any other members 'Pride and Joy'. Oh and that goes both ways. This developed into one of the club mottos DBAA.

If I call out anyone, I do it personally one to one, not in any sideways move. That I guarantee.

This forum is a peaceful place and I haven't been here long, and I am glad to write that I haven't seen any sign of the above behaviour. This will be the last time I do justify any of my comments like this, As I cannot be arsed with any tosh now.

.

hollywoodrox · January 30

CampbellH said:

I have modded my Gio in every way, and few others along the way.
Does it make financial sense? I could not care one toffee if it does or doesnt.

I have this guitar the way I want and enjoyed learning how to research parts, the modding techinques and got on an done it all myself.

The Gio has custom pickups, neon pink paint, hardware from higher spec RGs, a neck with a reverse headstock, rewired to a three way switch and coil split both pickups with the volume and tone pots. Now it truely is a custom, my custom and not something I bought off a rack or paid someone else to do it.

If you want to mod any guitar, Then only you can decide that.
What is the worst that can happen if you make a hash of it? You have a piece of wood with some wires nailed to it.

I’d like to see this it sounds ace , like racer X Paul & Bruce 80s . I’ve got a pink Jackson

CampbellH · January 30

hollywoodrox said:

CampbellH said:

I have modded my Gio in every way, and few others along the way.
Does it make financial sense? I could not care one toffee if it does or doesnt.

I have this guitar the way I want and enjoyed learning how to research parts, the modding techinques and got on an done it all myself.

The Gio has custom pickups, neon pink paint, hardware from higher spec RGs, a neck with a reverse headstock, rewired to a three way switch and coil split both pickups with the volume and tone pots. Now it truely is a custom, my custom and not something I bought off a rack or paid someone else to do it.

If you want to mod any guitar, Then only you can decide that.
What is the worst that can happen if you make a hash of it? You have a piece of wood with some wires nailed to it.

I’d like to see this it sounds ace , like racer X Paul & Bruce 80s . I’ve got a pink Jackson

This is some of the mods prior to the neck swap. I am going to strip and respray the same colour, as I am not very happy with it. It was my first time spraying a guitar and I used hole nozzle rattle cans for both the primer, base and lacquer coats.

Then I will tie in photos of the neck swap in with the new painting on a new YT vid.
NB: YT music not me.

hollywoodrox · January 30

CampbellH said:

hollywoodrox said:

CampbellH said:

I have modded my Gio in every way, and few others along the way.
Does it make financial sense? I could not care one toffee if it does or doesnt.

I have this guitar the way I want and enjoyed learning how to research parts, the modding techinques and got on an done it all myself.

The Gio has custom pickups, neon pink paint, hardware from higher spec RGs, a neck with a reverse headstock, rewired to a three way switch and coil split both pickups with the volume and tone pots. Now it truely is a custom, my custom and not something I bought off a rack or paid someone else to do it.

If you want to mod any guitar, Then only you can decide that.
What is the worst that can happen if you make a hash of it? You have a piece of wood with some wires nailed to it.

I’d like to see this it sounds ace , like racer X Paul & Bruce 80s . I’ve got a pink Jackson

This is some of the mods prior to the neck swap. I am going to strip and respray the same colour, as I am not very happy with it. It was my first time spraying a guitar and I used hole nozzle rattle cans for both the primer, base and lacquer coats.
Then I will tie in photos of the neck swap in with the new painting on a new YT vid.
NB: YT music not me.

Man I love that . The re spray and the pickups really set it off. Now that was well worth doing
you must be pretty chuffed with it it’s awesome

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Modding my Ibanez Gio and Hagstrom Swede. Am I crazy?

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