How do you feel about copying the guitars of famous/favorite artists ? ie; Gilmour black strats

lqdsnddist

Axe-Master
This sounds like something for TGP, but figured it might make for an interesting discussion...

I've got a few guitars I've swapped some parts out on, added decals etc, to look reasonably like the guitars of certain favorite/inspirational artists of mine.

I put an acrylic black pickguard, Duncan SSL-1 pickup, shortened trem arm on my black maple neck strap to look (and hopefully sound) like Gilmour's black strat

I put P90's into my goldtop LP deluxe, added a Mr. Horsepower decal, ala Mike Ness of Social Distortion

My cream Burny LP Deluxe I took off the pickguard, removed the pickup covers, and changed the knobs to witch hats to look like Steve Jone's famous LP Deluxe (stopped short of the pin-up decals)

I've got an old Japanese Flying V I'm working on right now as well, which I'm planning on painting black, and doing a hand painted Hendrix style "psychedelic" paint job, just because I think it would look cool lol


Was talking with a buddy on FB about it and he was telling me how he'd never want to play a guitar associated with anyone else. I get that, but then its pretty darn hard to find a guitar style and color that someone isn't know for...

I mean, a sunburst strat is great, but lots of guys play them.... same with a candy apple red etc... Same with LP's etc. Unless you totally paint something crazy by hand, ala Tom Morello "arm the homeless" or something, isn't everything played by someone else ?

To which, is it any more "poseur-ish" to also put a decal or something on a guitar ? My buddy thinks it is....

Any opinions ?

Maybe cool if your in a tribute band ??

Cool if you think its cool, heck with what anyone else says ??



I like it because these are all guitars and guitarist I really loved growing up, which inspired me to pick up a guitar in the first place.

Some guys wear a jersey of their favorite athlete, but it doesn't mean they think they can play like them, just like I don't think a decal or certain knobs is going to make me any better, but I just find it kind of fun to personalize things, even if its not entirely original.
 
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If you like it, go for it. I’m not a fan of guitars made to look like they’ve been on a hundred tours when they’ve never left the bedroom, but I don’t mind if someone else does. I love great woodworking in general so a guitar with great looking wood grain that plays/sounds good is my weapon of choice, but many people hate shiny “pretty” guitars.

Nothing bad in paying tribute to an inspirational player, either, in my opinion. We all know I can’t sound like Gilmour even if I were to be playing on his rig, but he’d sound like Gilmour playing on mine, so there’s no illusion a DG Strat is making me into David. It’s all about enjoying the experience. It feels good to have a common thread with your influences.

In the end, beauty is still in the eye of the beholder. No one but us guitar geeks care anyway! Enjoy what you like.
 
Whatever floats your boat... If you like, that's totally cool.

I turned my '87 Ibanez Desert Sun Yellow S540 into an EVH black & yellow "tribute" because a) nobody wants to see a neon yellow guitar these days and b) I always liked the B&Y look more than the later Franken-Strat.

It never fails to get positive comments.

Here it is before I was finished and without clear coat (which in hindsight I would have not done):

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To each his own. Personally, if I were to trick out a guitar to make it look “just like so-and-so’s,” that would feel a bit contrived. And my love affair with stickers on guitars ended in my early teens. But the cool thing about your guitar is that the only person it has to please is you. Go for it!
 
I wasn't consciously trying to copy Gilmore's black Strat, but when I decided to put new pups on my black MIM Strat, but I ended up buying a pickguard loaded with a Duncan/Fender CS set, which some claim is a "Gilmore set". (I honestly haven't researched it closely, since I don't pay much attention to the details of my heroes' gear.) I did end up getting the black pickguard with white covers like Gilmore's guitar though, and call it my Gilmore Strat. That said, it's not something I actively do, but it doesn't bother me to see other people do it.

Like Rick, I'm not a fan of intentionally relic'ed guitars. It's fine if someone else wants to buy them, but they're not my cup of Darjeeling.
 
I like a well done and accurate relic job in many cases. I hate when someone takes a belt sander to a poly finish as much as the next guy, but there is a bit of art and science I appreciate.

If you’ve got a 40 year old Olympic white Fender, that finish will have yellowed a bit from smoke, uv etc, so adding a little tint to a nitro clear coat works great. Finish will be a little worn, slightly matte on the neck, etc.

Have to really understand what does and doesn’t wear, how time affects things, what doesn’t change, what materials to use etc.
If you can use a proper Bakelite for a vintage spec tele and then shellac it, it just looks and feels so much more the part than a modern vinyl one. Wears differently too.

Many of my guitars are going on 20-30 years old, and I’ve owned them nearly all that time so they have some real life relicing, but when I do replace a bridge etc, I think it’s nice you can get dulled nickel parts and not just shiny chrome that won’t match the tailpiece etc since it’s so much older.

I mostly don’t like too perfect of guitars for the same reason I’d hate to own a mirror finish show car.... I’d be worried to take it out of the garage. The first stone that flies up and chips the perfect hood.... painful... first door ding etc. once you’ve got a couple, not such a big deal, you drive it, or play it.

When it’s perfectly mint, you polish it, don’t wear a belt, worry about people bumping it etc, it’s kind of a liability almost if you want to keep it perfect.

To each his or her own though
 
I think people should play whatever they want to play. Personally I could not care less about what other people choose to play. I play the guitars that I like to play. I just never think about buying a guitar because so and so plays it.
 
T
Was talking with a buddy on FB about it and he was telling me how he'd never want to play a guitar associated with anyone else. I get that, but then its pretty darn hard to find a guitar style and color that someone isn't know for...

People should use what they want.

It would be hard to name all of the famous players who used Stratocasters, Telecasters, or Les Pauls, etc.

Almost every musician has copied their favorite players to some extent, using some of the same amps, pedals, guitars, strings, etc. That's why many musical instrument manufacturers have artist endorsements.

I bought my first Vox AC30 because of the Beatles, and my first Marshall Plexi because of Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Cream, and Led Zeppelin, etc. I bought my first Axe FXII because of Adrian Belew and Steve Vai.
 
Every guitar player goes to stages. First you learn, then you copy, eventually you become your own. Some never learn, some never stop copying.

As for copying the famous guitars of others, I see nothing wrong with that. If you just want to copy both the guitar and sound, if that is your thing, go ahead. You're not hurting anyone. Maybe its just something you want as a connection to your favorite artist? Maybe you like to incorporate a piece of his sound into yours? They all did that, especially the greats. Maybe its just the look? Man, have I ever lusted after a black Fender Strat, black pickguard with a maple neck with big CBS headstock after having seen U2's Under a Bloodred Sky. Still my dream Strat to this very day and impossible to find back in the 80's. Although I might chose to use different pickups, electronics or tremelo if I did get one.

I've been building my own guitars and many of them incorporate pickup and electronic loadouts from famous guitarists. I find them good starting places to find out what I like myself. There's like gazillions of pickups to chose from, to the point that its almost impossible to chose what might sound good. At least starting with the pickups that your guitar heroes use is a good start. And as good a place to start if any.
 
Let's see, even though it's not one 's I've modified. I have a vai, satriani, nuno, lukather, Petrucci, steve morse, reb beach. The one played most I built with a jem style mahogany body and the satriani fred and mojoe dimarzio set with my own custom wiring. I usually go for the sonic qualities more than appearance.
 
I like some signature models. Sometimes it really is something that just fits right, plays right, and with some you might even get something you can't readily get otherwise like a custom pickup.

For modifying your own? Go for it. We like what we like, and probably everyone on this board grew up idolizing guitar players. If beating on your guitar, or adding stickers, or making it as close to theirs as you can makes you feel a connection...or more importantly, makes you want to pick it up all the time and play it; then there is zero wrong with that.

I'm going to put together a black strat one day. I'm not crazy about the official DG model, of think I'd spend that much on a strat. I'd like a flatter fretboard for example... I think I'm going to find a nice black/maple with a 12" radius, and go from there. A few companies selling DG loaded pickguards now. Sigler for example:https://www.siglermusiconline.com/c...ickguard-duncan-fender-bk-wh-ssl-5-69-fat-50s.
 
Well, I was in a Police/Sting tribute so it just so happened my Nash tele was most of the way there....added the brass saddle from Armadillo but decided against the whole preamp mod. Love the guitar - even when not playing Summers stuff!
All I need for about $8k less than the custom shop model. :)
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I'm a big fan of Sigler's loaded pickguards. I've bought several from them over the past few years (including the one you linked to above). They do much neater/cleaner work than I do, and their prices are about the same as if I bought the bare components and assembled them myself.


Pricing is great and the pickups are great, and the work looks great. All and all fantastic deal, BUT.... keep in mind it looks like the pick guard is just a black 1 ply made out of typical pick guard material.

The real black strat has a pretty thick acrylic material with rounded edges. Here is a link to someone doing copies which shows some good details. I've never used, nor am endorsing this guy, just a link to show photos

https://www.stratcat.biz/4031p.shtml

Certainly adds a bit of cost to a project, so depends on how authetnic you want the details to be. Don't think anyone could notice at 10 feet away, but the thick rounded edge ones do look pretty cool and unique up close
 
Pricing is great and the pickups are great, and the work looks great. All and all fantastic deal, BUT.... keep in mind it looks like the pick guard is just a black 1 ply made out of typical pick guard material.

The real black strat has a pretty thick acrylic material with rounded edges. Here is a link to someone doing copies which shows some good details. I've never used, nor am endorsing this guy, just a link to show photos

https://www.stratcat.biz/4031p.shtml

Certainly adds a bit of cost to a project, so depends on how authetnic you want the details to be. Don't think anyone could notice at 10 feet away, but the thick rounded edge ones do look pretty cool and unique up close

There's attention to the detail and there's being anal over details. :D
 
I'm sitting here playing mine right now and that mirror finish on the acrylic guard looks pretty darn nice.... I mean if your going to do the rest of the work....

That said, the shortened tremolo arm is simply brilliant. It works SO much better, and you can easily hold it while picking. I got back to my other strats with full size bars and it just feels so in the way, and way too long. Plus too much leverage for subtle wavering parts.

I really don't know why the shortened "Gilmour bar" didn't become standard issue... just works better (IMO)
 
Pricing is great and the pickups are great, and the work looks great. All and all fantastic deal, BUT.... keep in mind it looks like the pick guard is just a black 1 ply made out of typical pick guard material.

The real black strat has a pretty thick acrylic material with rounded edges. Here is a link to someone doing copies which shows some good details. I've never used, nor am endorsing this guy, just a link to show photos

https://www.stratcat.biz/4031p.shtml

Certainly adds a bit of cost to a project, so depends on how authetnic you want the details to be. Don't think anyone could notice at 10 feet away, but the thick rounded edge ones do look pretty cool and unique up close


Overdrive is the other company I was talking about in my post. $400 for a loaded pickguard. Looks real nice though.
 
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