Ultimate Rhoads

Does anyone know if Randy did any mods, other than cosmetic, on his '74 LP Custom or was it bone stock?

bone stock

indeed. the most he did was get his name carved in and changed the knobs. amazin aint it?

changed the tuners as well acording to this


http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/ ... /5#content

wareagle wrote:amazin aint it?

Actually, most guitarists from Randy's era played stock instruments. EVH made his frankenstrat because he couldn't find a stock instrument he was comfortable with - as a result of Ed's achievements, modding guitars became popular.

Even after Ed had some real signature models he still constantly tweaked his guitars. Tim Litchfield at Peavey built Ed 364 Wolfgangs while he was with Peavey, they were always making changes to his guitars, and his amps ( but not nearly as much so as his guitars).

Hi Paul

I mean this genuinely and not sarcastically (as the written word can seem a bit off sometimes on the forums)

but did they?

I ask because I don't know much about the 80's...but before the 'Randy era' mods were very common. Even Clapton's favourite strat Blackie, was three 1950's strats put together. Brian May's Guitar was a 'modded' fireplace LOL while Ritchie Blackmore's strat was scalloped (later copied by Blackmore fan Malmsteen)

Educate me Paul baby! LOL

Matt

I thought the story with Ed centred around the fact he hung out at Wayne Charvel's store and dug out a body/neck from the parts bin, nailed a pickup on to it and painted it up himself (Ed's words from an interview).
He claimed the Body and neck came to $125 at the time.......
As for modding, his Marshall was, and ran at 90V, so the feed overpowered it and burned out transformers every few gigs.
The frankenstrat had an old 335's rewound PAF nailed into the body.

Cpt Matt Sparrow wrote: Educate me Paul baby! LOL

Matt

Of course some guitarists modded things, but it wasn't a common practice the way it was in the '80's.

Brian May's guitar was simply a homemade guitar, not much of a mod... the other two you cited are definitely prime modding examples.

In the '80's (and beyond) however, everyone was modifying and changing stuff to the nth degree. It seemed like no one could just pickup a guitar and play it.

Paul Wolfe wrote:

Cpt Matt Sparrow wrote: Educate me Paul baby! LOL

Matt

Of course some guitarists modded things, but it wasn't a common practice the way it was in the '80's.

Brian May's guitar was simply a homemade guitar, not much of a mod... the other two you cited are definitely prime modding examples.

In the '80's (and beyond) however, everyone was modifying and changing stuff to the nth degree. It seemed like no one could just pickup a guitar and play it.

Actually I can relate to that, as a Guitarist from 1987 onwards I remember unscrewing the backplate off my Ibanez. I was told it was a good idea by a friend as I could re adjust the trem. Looking back it was more of a late 80's fashion statement, like the mods you mention?

Paul I was writing tongue in cheek about the Brian May guitar being a modded fireplace!

I think now it is very trendy to want to add things for the sake of it too.

Matt

Don't forget that modding in the eighties wasn't what it is nowadays.
There wasn't the glut of aftermarket equipment then and most mods came from home bodges, changes of pickups/gear, from instrument to instument and making your own (did it to a few of my guitars).

There have always been modders (look at the late Les Paul), but the craze started when people realised the custom guitars their idols were using were out of reach (there weren't too many of the well-made Japanese companies or Chinese instruments/fakes/copies around then...) and they needed to change their stock items for better.....

Remember the era well, as my mate became a luthier at that time, primarily due to his "fiddling" with standard guitars.

Cpt Matt Sparrow wrote:
Paul I was writing tongue in cheek about the Brian May guitar being a modded fireplace!

Oh, I know, Matt... no worries, you can do what you want with that tongue of yours, within reason.

I think EVH is one of those people who can't stop experimenting with things that affect sound, so he is always pushing to find new things. Just wondering how many of you look at a stompbox as a "modification" of an amps sound or, do most of you look at them as more of an exhancement. Or even further do you see a stompbox as merely another tool in a guitarists box to help achieve the sound they are after ( pretty much the way I have always looked at it). Interesting subject with some very interesting responses.

I consider stomp boxes to be another tool. To me a 'mod' is a physical modification to change a guitar or amp in a way not common to what is available in the stock instrument.

Cpt Matt Sparrow wrote:Hi Paul
but did they?

I ask because I don't know much about the 80's...but before the 'Randy era' mods were very common. Even Clapton's favourite strat Blackie, was three 1950's strats put together. Brian May's Guitar was a 'modded' fireplace LOL while Ritchie Blackmore's strat was scalloped (later copied by Blackmore fan Malmsteen)

while this is true and the respective guitars have had their existance proven, you have to remember that
most of those guys(at least Clapton and Blackmore) were stock Gibson users for a big part of their career,

as for EVH? well, the Frankie is a story of it's own, but do you really think that was what he used exclusively
on the first 2 VH albums?