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Tonewood Teardown: Making Your Budget Guitar’s Neck Feel Like a Vintage Gem
Mod Garage

Tonewood Teardown: Making Your Budget Guitar’s Neck Feel Like a Vintage Gem

It’s time to take a closer look at our test subject electric’s neck and headstock, and see what we can do to improve them.

Heiko Höpfinger, BassLab Founder and Composite Pioneer, Dies at 60
Gear Talk

Heiko Höpfinger, BassLab Founder and Composite Pioneer, Dies at 60

The BassLab founder and longtime Premier Guitar columnist leaves behind three decades of groundbreaking instruments and countless friendships.

Close-up of a guitar neck with frets and strings against a black background.
Mod Garage

Mod Garage: Prepping Your Electric’s Neck

Next up in our Tonewood Teardown budget-guitar mod series, we take a look at the quirks and quibbles of neck construction.

Close-up of an electric guitar's body showcasing wiring and cavity details in mint green.
Mod Garage

Tonewood Teardown: Upgrading Your Single-Pickup Guitar’s Wiring

In the eleventh installment of our ongoing project, we wire up our Esquire-style electric with some simple tricks to boost its versatility.

Two guitar pickups on a textured surface: one black with wires, one shiny silver with attached wires.
Mod Garage

Tonewood Teardown: Pickups and Wiring for an Esquire-Style Electric

Our columnist’s upgraded pickup and electronics choices for his Harley Benton guitar

Metal guitar bridge plate with screws, featuring chrome finish and gold components.
Mod Garage

Mod Garage Tonewood Teardown: Fixing Up Your Bridge and Saddles

Our budget-guitar experiment rolls forth with work on the body’s hardware.

Mod Garage Tonewood Teardown: Chasing the “Closet-Classic” Look
Mod Garage

Mod Garage Tonewood Teardown: Chasing the “Closet-Classic” Look

In the next installment of this ongoing series, our columnist walks you through several customization and aging techniques for your guitar’s hardware.

Mod Garage Guitar Makeover: Optimize Your Electric Guitar’s Body
Mod Garage

Mod Garage Guitar Makeover: Optimize Your Electric Guitar’s Body

Next in this ongoing experiment, our columnist uses toothpicks, cardboard, and styrofoam to fine-tune his T-style electric.