General Points About Modifying Artist Guitars

This advice applies to nearly any guitar: before installing a component, make sure it actually fits the specific design of your instrument. Not all parts are interchangeable.

Pickups are generally straightforward to swap, but other components—like necks—are much more complex. Neck installation involves many variables, including attachment method, measurements, and alignment, all of which affect tuning and intonation. Installing a neck incorrectly can easily create additional problems.

Easy Modifications

The easiest modifications are:

• Knobs
• Machine heads 
• Pickup selector switch
• Output sockets

Knobs are very easy to change. Machine heads are also relatively simple to replace, as long as you can align them correctly. You may need to fill in or ream screw holes in the headstock if necessary to ensure a proper fit.

For reference, our machine head shafts have the following dimensions:

• MSL10: 7 mm
• Electric bass: 18 mm
• Acoustic bass: 14 mm
• OMS10: 8 mm
• Electric guitars with Vintage Covered Machine Heads (GM1, Baritone, Falcon): 7mm
• All other guitars (acoustic, electric, and ukulele): 10 mm

Easy Modifications but Proceed With Caution

The following parts are generally easy to change, but there are some important considerations:

• Pots (potentiometers)

• Bridges

• Pickups

• Pickguards

Most of our pots are 8 mm, so if you’re replacing them with aftermarket pots, be aware that some are 9.5 mm. You may need to create extra space—using a Dremel or similar tool—to make them fit properly in your control plate or pickguard.

For bridges, it’s essential to ensure the replacement has the correct dimensions for your guitar. For example, with a standard Tune-O-Matic bridge, you need to check the post size, post-hole locations, and the range of intonation. Bridge dimensions can also vary between guitar models, so proper matching is key to maintain correct setup and playability.

For the APDIY, Cherry58, and AG1:

For the AP59, BlackCherry, and BrownBurst58X:

For the LP60, LP6, LP6G, LPFDIY, and Black58:

For the AP97 and AP59GT90

Roller-style vibrato systems are a popular modification for semi-hollow guitars, but installing them can be challenging. The system must be aligned precisely, and the guitar body usually needs reinforcement at the attachment points. It’s crucial that this is done correctly, so we strongly recommend having a skilled professional handle the installation.

When it comes to pickups, different designs have varying pole-piece spacing. It’s important to match this spacing correctly to ensure proper string alignment. Pickups also differ in screw alignment, body routing, and wiring configuration—some use two, four, or even five wires. Installing pickups without understanding these differences can make the process more complicated.

Our Artist Bullbuckers are designed with a 5-wire setup, allowing coil-splitting, and are available for either the neck or bridge position. They can be covered or uncovered, are suited to mahogany bodies with rosewood fretboards, and are a common upgrade on many guitars. We use these pickups across several models in our Signature Electric Guitars range..

• Uncovered Bridge Bullbucker
• Uncovered Neck Bullbucker
• Covered Bridge Bullbucker
• Covered Neck Bullbucker

In terms of pickup routing, most of our guitars do not have a “swimming pool” route. A swimming pool route is a large cavity under the pickguard that allows you to install virtually any pickups you want. Our guitars are routed specifically to fit either single-coil, humbucker, or P90 pickups. This means that if you want to swap from a single-coil to a humbucker, you may need to enlarge the cavity to accommodate the larger pickup.

Regarding pickguards, each model has a pickguard designed specifically for it, and these can change slightly over time. For example, if we change pickguard suppliers, screw hole locations or the way the neck joins the body might be slightly adjusted. These differences are usually minor and may not be noticeable at first, but trying to fit a pickguard from a different guitar can result in subtle misalignments.

We recommend that if you want to change a pickguard, you either get one custom-cut for your guitar or replicate the pickguard already on your guitar. This ensures a perfect fit. Over the years, we’ve worked with multiple factories to improve quality, so natural variations occur between production runs. Each part is perfectly suited for its specific model and run, even if it’s not identical to earlier versions.

Difficult Modifications

The following modifications are a bit trickier to get right:

• Neck
• Saddles
• Nuts

Necks

One of the more challenging modifications is attaching a new neck. The part of the guitar body that the neck fits into is called the neck pocket, and these vary in height, width, and sometimes angle depending on the guitar model. If the neck pocket isn’t correct for the new neck, the guitar won’t play properly. For example, putting the neck from a different guitar on an Artist Guitar with a mismatched neck pocket isn’t a simple swap.

The number of frets on the neck also affects installation. A neck with more or fewer frets changes the position of the neck pocket to maintain proper scale length. Installing a neck without adjusting the pocket can make the scale length longer than intended, leading to intonation problems.

Neck angle is another critical factor. Some guitar models have no neck angle, while others require a specific angle so the strings sit at the correct height above the fretboard. Installing a neck with the wrong angle can create significant playability issues.

Neck width must also match the bridge and body. For example, a 42 mm nut and 60 mm bridge determine the correct neck width at the 12th fret. If the neck is too wide or too narrow for the neck pocket or bridge, strings may run off the edge of the fingerboard or sit at awkward angles, preventing the guitar from playing correctly.

Neck radius is equally important. Changing from a modern 12-inch radius to a vintage 7.5-inch radius affects the string action and requires adjusting the bridge setup. Failing to do so can cause problems with string height and overall playability.

In short, swapping a neck is a complex process that involves careful consideration of neck pocket dimensions, angle, width, and radius. All these factors must align to ensure the guitar plays and intonates correctly.

Nuts & Saddles

We custom-fit the nut and saddle for every guitar we make. While it’s possible to replace these parts, the original pieces should ideally be fitted by a luthier for the best results. Unless you have a luthier to do the installation, it’s usually better to leave the original nut and saddle in place.

For example, if your guitar has a plastic nut and you want to upgrade to a bone nut for better tone, installing it yourself without proper fitting can actually make things worse. A perfect fit is essential, and the action at the first fret must also be adjusted to avoid intonation issues.

The height of the nut relative to the first fret has a big impact on intonation. If it’s too high, pressing the strings down will stretch them more than necessary, making the notes sharp. Improper nut fitting can therefore lead to significant intonation problems.

Similarly, fitting a saddle on an acoustic guitar requires precise adjustments. The saddle’s height must be correct, and the bottom must be perfectly flat. While this is manageable with experience, it requires specialised tools. For both nuts and saddles, it’s strongly recommended to have a skilled professional handle the fitting to ensure optimal playability and intonation.