brighter tone

What would have the most effect on tone out of these 3 changes:

A: Switching out a maple/rosewood neck with a maple/maple neck with a fat profile.

B: Switching a brass bridge/ saddles with a steel bridge and saddles.

C: Switching pickups to a more vintage style. My BG-1400 for a 53 tap tele.

Thanks,
David

se senor


B - 2nd place

It's a common misconception that maple fretboards are brighter than rosewood. It depends totally on the particular piece of wood. It's also a misconception that fat necks give a particular sound. That also totally depends on the particular piece of wood.

C will be the biggest change. B will give you a noticeable change. So will A, but the direction it will go is less predictable.

It's a common misconception that maple fretboards are brighter than rosewood. It depends totally on the particular piece of wood. It's also a misconception that fat necks give a particular sound. That also totally depends on the particular piece of wood.

C will be the biggest change. B will give you a noticeable change. So will A, but the direction it will go is less predictable.

I bet fret size would have a little bit of effect on the sound too. I chose these three mods because it looks like I can afford one of them. I suppose I could just EQ the squirrel out of my amp to get some more high end. I love the dirty tone of the BG-1400 and I've tried an insane amount of pickups to get there. My girlfriend said "Musicians really are insane, aren't they?" Yes dear, they are.

new strings

new strings

That's a good point but, I do so many mods and experiments that I've always got new strings. The running joke in my band is, I go through guitars faster then the string's can wear out. If guitars were like kids, I would be a truck driving welfare dad leaving kids everywhere I roam.

Going from an all brass bridge to all steel will have a big impact, but so would changing to a lower inductance pickup. Depends on how you want to alter the tone. Don't bother changing the neck. Expensive and questionable benefit.

Perhaps the most obvious and cheapest option is to change to 500k pots. Brighter tone for about $10.

I vote for D: Raise the pickups a bit...

I
C will be the biggest change. B will give you a noticeable change. So will A, but the direction it will go is less predictable.

Yup, pulling a 1400 out of there, easily the biggest change towards brightness;

And a steel bridge over the thick elongated brass, next biggest;

The FAT neck with any kind of fretboard won't so much produce a bright sound as it will a "Big" sound. As Koko says, there's no knowing if one maple will be brighter than another in rosewood. If you're talking just the board.