[knight46]

OK, very nooby to electric and have been noticing threads and remarks about replacing or raising/lowereing pups and replacing bridges.
My question is:

What are you looking for when you raise/lower pups or think about replacing them?
What is the reason to change out a bridge?

It seems that most of the mod threads I have seen have centered alot on pups and bridges, one suggested going to another bridge and that price would be about $12 to $15. Does that mean that the bridge that came on the guitar is worth less than $12?

[chuckswood2001]

it all has to do with feel and tone of ur guitar, sometimes when u buy a guitar the strings are to far away from the frett board and it is hard for ur fretting hand so u change the bridge to fix it, and if u dont like the tone of ur guitar because they dont sound rite for the style of music u want to play but u like the guitar then u change the pups to change the tone, that doesnt mean the what came on the guitar is bad, just not what u want, it all has to do with what u want ur guitar to sound and feel like.

Chuck

[Dewy]

Electric guitar pickups are based on a magnet with a coil of wires wrapped around it. Think about the invisible field around a magnet where it "grabs" ferrous metal nearby.

The vibration of the strings inside that field is transformed to electrical signal by the coil of wire wrapped around the magnet.

Now... the field will be strongest at some certain spot... and adjusting your pickups up or down finds that spot. Just past that point and just before it sounds very different to an experienced ear... and everyone has their own opinion about which is the "sweet" spot.

I personally adjust my pickups to their strongest position and adjust the amp from there.

Bridges on "lesser" guitars often suffer from a sharp edge where the bridge meets the string, or a limited travel distance for adjustment in intonation and string height. Generally more advanced bridges are found on more expensive guitars or as aftermarket products.

Most folks never have a real need for them, but "Roller Saddles" are very nice, reducing string breakage and increasing tuning stability.

[knight46]

Chuck/Dewy,
Thanks for the information. I just wasn't sure what I am supposed to be hearing to make a judgement about pups. To me both of the electrics have a different sound and sometimes it is hard for me to tell a change by changing pickup position, but they both sound better that my Stella, even my wife can tell that difference.
As far as the bridge goes I will cross that when I make my first attempt at adjusting intonation.
Thanks again.

[Stratrat]

IMO, changing pups isn't really worth worrying about until you really have a concrete idea in your mind of what particular sound you're looking for. Changing them just for the sake of changing them often accomplishes nothing but lightening your wallet, and you may or may not end up with a guitar that sounds better to you.

I don't know as much about other guitars, but Telecaster guys have made changing the bridge an art form worthy of much obsession. Ashtray vs. non-ashtray; brass vs. steel saddles; 3 saddles vs. 6; compensated vs. non-compensated, etc.

IMO (again), mods are a waste of time and money until you know exactly what you're doing and (more importantly) WHY you're doing it. (Exception: having a "project guitar" to tinker with for learning / practice purposes - very legit purpose).

[knight46]

Stratrat,
Thanks for the input, I agree change for the sake of change is not always good. I guess what I was asking in a round about manner is how would you know if you are new what to listen for to determine if change was necessary.
To me both my '51 and the Fullerton sound pretty good...I guess this really answers my own question. As soon as they stop sounding good to me I will need to address the problem further.
Thanks again for the replys.