Making the Worst-Ever Gibson... Good?? || High Intergrity Mod Project

➤ Win this High Intergrity Guitar Here (US Only, sorry 🙁): reverb.grsm.io...
To this day, the Gibson Firebird Zero is still one of the most disappointing guitars I've ever tried... can even money save this guitar?? Let's upgrade a few key components to find out!
➤ Mod Parts Used:
» Gibson USA 496T Bridge Humbucker bit.ly/36wiG1a
» Gibson USA 496R Neck Humbucker bit.ly/34dvGqD
» Grover Roto-Grip Locking Tuners bit.ly/36wiQWk
» Hipshot BabyGrand Bridge bit.ly/36wiTkY
» Reflector Top Hat Control Knobs bit.ly/2LQ4FDw
➤ Before and After Sound Comparison:
» In a Mix 16:53
» Raw Clean Sounds 19:26
» Raw Dirty Sounds 20:38
➤ Become a Patron and support more High Intergrity content here: / agufish
➤ Use code HOHOHO20 for 20% off merch!! agufish.myshop...
➤ Link to the last High Intergrity mod project: "Pink Hello Kitty Guitar, $570 Upgrades!!" • Pink Hello Kitty Guita...
➤ Other Gear Used to Make This Video:
» Canon T7i DSLR Camera amzn.to/34z4eV8
» Canon Rebel T3i DSLR Camera amzn.to/2HY6BW3
» AKG P120 Condenser Microphone amzn.to/2HXOXSm
» Two Notes Torpedo Live Digital Loadbox bit.ly/2itMwwK
» Focusrite Clarett 8Pre amzn.to/33yeXzb
» Dunlop Jazz III Picks amzn.to/1RkYXmn
» Hosa Cables amzn.to/2sCqHlY
➤ Mixed by Luke: / @lukedkramer
➤ Connect With Me!
» Patreon: / agufish
» Website: agufish.wordpre...
» Facebook: / agufishmusic
» Twitter: / agufish
» Instagram: / agufish
» Youku: i.youku.com/agu...
» Weibo: weibo.com/62353...
All Amazon links are affiliate links
Pink Hello Kitty Guitar, $570 Upgrades!! || High Intergrity Mod Project

[@agufish]

No idea why KZbin decided to push this live at midnight, but here we are lol. Thanks to Reverb.com for making all of this possible! Enter to win this now High-Intergrified BEAST of a Firebird Zero right here: reverb.grsm.io/highintergrity 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@ThanosManetas]

Is it warldwide?

[@thehoppo]

Maybe one of those cheap digital calipers could have saves you some hassle with those bridge posts?

[@philljrton]

High intergety telecaster project?

[@andybungert]

YEEEEESSSSSS!!!! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG!!!!

[@awfulwalful1399]

Great job! Hope i win.. Good luck to everyone!

[@annekedebruyn7797]

"It was hard to keep in tune" That's a Gibson feature.

[@jeremyrafuse5330]

I have two. An LP and an SG. Zero tuning issues. Learn how to do proper setups 👍

[@annekedebruyn7797]

@@jeremyrafuse5330 Haha good one. I plex all my guitars.

[@awonderingoneil206]

Underrated comment 🤣

[@jeremyrafuse5330]

@@annekedebruyn7797 ... you mean "plek"? 😂😂😂 I stand by my initial comment.

[@GideonWallace]

short scale length usually has that problem

[@alexandershaer1079]

It’s 12:30 am and I have to wake up in 5 1/2 hours with a bio test tomorrow, but I’ll be dammed if I don’t get this video in

[@agufish]

Hahaha solid priorities

[@tomgeczy415]

Haha! Me too, except it’s a psych exam. Worth it though!

[@oliverjames7315]

Good luck :D

[@3v3ryDayGam3r]

@@oliverjames7315 Bio exam at 6am??????

[@oliverjames7315]

@@3v3ryDayGam3r not me, but i imagine they meant they had to get up at that time.

[@RenoNuski]

Dude seriously.... Need a Pickguard cut.... Call Reno. Need bridge posts resized.... Call Reno Need Tesla Pickups.... Call Reno

[@agufish]

hahaha shit yeah you're right! it completely slipped my mind you'd be the perfect guy for the pick guard. won't happen again, next time bud

[@sohamsengupta6470]

You don't mean to say you have Tesla pickups! I want those, they generate electricity by playing!

[@tony.guitarplayer]

Need a hotel.... Trivago

[@gyrosphinx]

That "gold mist" finish looks like my grandma's kitchen.

[@Da_Swifta]

gyrosphinx looks like my grandma’s bathtub

[@gyrosphinx]

@@Da_Swifta actually, looks a bit like the bathtub, toilet and sink in the house where I grew up.

[@jasonburks6644]

I really don’t like that color, like it makes me sick

[@uryjimenez226]

Top 10 anime redemptions 💯🔥😤

[@ianbugayong8620]

$3 with $12 shippiong: Nah $12 with $3 shipping: hell yes

[@TheDistortionPrinciple]

Lol that was epic for real.

[@Guitardrumr]

Note that it was ONE knob for $3, with $12 shipping, vs FOUR knobs for $12, with $3 shipping. That's a pretty damn important difference.

[@Harryk7988]

AYYYYYYYY ANOTHER HIGH INTERGRETY

[@tokiwartooth1442]

It's not a true high integrity build til he puts the sticker on! Lol.

[@alabamahebrew]

I bought one of these last year from Austin over there on the Trogly's guitar show channel. He did a review of one and pretty much had the same reaction as you did lol. I bought it from him specifically to mod the heck out of it and turn it into a great guitar, maybe lol. I haven't had much time to work on it so it's nowhere near completed, it's all stripped down and sanded to the bare wood though. My plan is to turn the Firebird Zero I have in what I am calling a "Telebird" lol. I will be combining a Telecaster with this firebird and fully customizing everything including the paint. Now, I did see that someone else had the same idea as I had to combine this with a Telecaster so I guess my idea is not as unique as I thought it was going to be lol.

[@tavicotavio]

Troglodyte gang

[@bipbipletucha]

Ayyy it's Ron and Lawyer Morty! Troglodytes forever!

[@tavicotavio]

@@bipbipletucha the only one missing is dario

[@alabamahebrew]

@@bipbipletucha - Lol - Troglodytes rule!!

[@alabamahebrew]

@@tavicotavio - Lawyer Morty! wassup my friend!!

[@skylermccarthy6623]

$3 knob with $12 shipping >sneaky $12 knobs with $3 shipping >reasonable

[@sitaylor3085]

I think for the next project you should get a kit guitar from Amazon or something. Could be a cool ongoing series,get us to vote on colours and parts. Woud be very cool to see you do

[@segazora]

not sure why people think pearloid pickguards are tacky, i prefer an aged white but white pearloid is cool.

[@shatteredskies8292]

It definitely looks a lot better with the chrome pickups and knobs

[@Kylora2112]

Pearloid on Strats/Teles to complement more plain plastics and chrome hardware looks great (I have a Polar White Player Strat with a black pearloid pickguard with white plastic knobs and white Duncans that looks sick).

[@CozyKG]

not sure why people have different tastes in stuff either. Makes no sense

[@ParanormalBanana]

@@CozyKG That's kind of what he meant. The youtuber states that the perloid pickguard is super cheesy and laughs as if it was common knowledge not to do it but it's just a matter of taste.

[@lordvalen8133]

Well, the guitar needs more black on the body because STYLE.

[@scottjones7568]

I for one am a huge fan of the midnight releases. Makes me feel better about my poor sleeping habits. Love the content (and you)! Many thanks Hunter.

[@zoranallen5205]

Scott Jones if it makes you feel better about your sleeping habits, I just finished finals at uni and my biological clock is currently set to have me sleep from 6 am to 4 pm lol

[@Stubz_Perez]

[sees title] Me: Oh? On God?

[@calvin3230]

Oh really? On jah?

[@jaronsimon5816]

On God no cap?

[@SaintRickolas]

Last time I was this early, Gibson wasn't being controversial

[@jamesmolloy5350]

So like 15 years ago?

[@cameronmoles6045]

As much as I dislike Gibson I have a friend who own a les paul standard and it felt amazing and had a warm tone however my mind sorta changed when I found out how many issues it had.im not using this as an excuse to shit on Gibson however I still consider my b.c rich warlock to be more reliable than a Gibson

[@ajbrown5805]

I honestly think the stock pickups sounded a lot more controlled than the 496 stuff. I've never really liked those pickups haha

[@Vaari80]

Gibsons are bit boomier and brighter top. Old ones tighter and with more middle. I would say its matter of preference here. Pickups rarely matter so much if the hotness and other specs are similar.

[@WEIRDONG_MARINO]

I’ll say it again. Gibson needs to hire this guy

[@mestizoaudio]

Dude HELL yes, I honestly didn't see this one coming, high intergerty ftw

[@ianperge7331]

Just a little physics correction: extending the string length past either the nut (such as a reverse headstock for B & E-strings) or the saddle “witness point” on the bridge DOES NOT increase string tension. Only three things can increase string tension - a lengthening of the “speaking length” of the string (longer scale), an increase of string mass (heavier strings) or changing the pitch of the string (i.e. tuning upwards).

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

Ian Perge a longer string feels more slinky and easier to bend.

[@CodyCookMusic]

an instant thumbs up for the pup who came in during the demo

[@RyanSmith-ws8dj]

I can't hear a difference between the stock pickups and the new. Is it just me?

[@pollinirr]

the difference is clear in the solo tracks (the 496 have more mids and lows), but in the mix, it sounds the same. The sad part is that both pickups don't cut thru the mix. Good Pickups for rhythm, but for solo is not that great of a deal

[@MikoSquiz]

I can, but they both sound very bad. What an absolutely awful plank. If I bought one of these for $150 I'd want my money back.

[@JamesWalshBristolKids]

@@pollinirr Suggestion: Install some Seymour Duncan pickups or Gibson 59 PAF reissue pickups and before adding a little distortion pedal to the sound play cleanly to hear the details - If your Gibby sounds good clean it will sound great when adding efx pedals. Your amp tone also affects the sound a lot too. Were all tone chasers.

[@dartthewarrior]

Definitely have to say it, i like your new studio setup. It looks great! 😉

[@agufish]

Lol finally I’ve been waiting for someone to notice. Thanks dude!

[@Eulogium7]

I thought you said “we’re gonna modify a bird zero” and I was convinced I was having a stroke Edit: this actually sounds pretty killer now!

[@kingofdragontown9680]

You and Van Halen have both inspired me to go out and customize my own guitars. Keep up the good work.

[@HeiTheDarkReaper]

Ace of Spades weird combo but whatever lol

[@SlyHikari03]

Same

[@_Cosmo_]

That clean part really made all the difference in the demo, there really was no comparison.

[@saltysteel3996]

Cool project and video, but honestly... I really can't tell much of a difference in sound. Although I'm not very sensitive to tones. I'm more of sustain and hiss or static guy. Those things I'm picky about.

[@Gibsonfan1989]

When put through that much overdrive and compression, it all sounds the same lol

[@wrongchordsrecords]

it sounds like an amp sim or a direct out , I don't think its a miked cab that's a real guitar sound

[@CoolToMe_]

Yeah if it wasnt for the video id have no idea that its been changed

[@jefb3705]

It definitely looks better, but I didn't think the pickups sounded much different at all.

[@Dudeitsmeee]

FYI to modders: WDmusic will cut custom pickguards and contact you via phone to make sure what you get is what you want and fits. Not affiliated, done business with them and was satisfied.

[@agufish]

No kidding? What are their prices like? If it's affordable that's a modder's dream

[@Dudeitsmeee]

@@agufish www.wdmusic.com/wd-custom-pickguards.html the custom tracing link is at the bottom, as you can see, they have a crap ton of templates

[@robw7676]

The way the pick guard follows the body contour and then doesn't, once seen, cannot be unseen.

[@Kabayoth]

Some say Dirty Fingers pickups leveled charges because his fingers were filthy. And he can be lured out of his lair with extra bandwidth. All we know is: he's called The Stig.

[@KALVIN123]

Agufish: i put some Cleartone Strings. Daddario: i AM Joke to You?

[@agufish]

Hahaha I ran out of D’Addarios :( I still have a massive box of Cleartones tho

[@realestateinsider7707]

Stock sounded better. I personally don't like overprocessed sound and it sounded too rich

[@volksrod6926]

I prefer stock as well.

[@gregharder2765]

Agreed! The clean channel comparison makes the new ones sound pretty bad, in my opinion.

[@MrDokek]

The Gotoh bridge is amazing and super comfortable BUT two things if you ever get one: 1) Different anchor size (like the Hipshot) to Gibson. It's metric like the Hipshot. I had to fill and redrill the holes for the new anchor size 2) if you have a low neck angle, it'll be a pain because the strings wrap down and around as opposed to a traditional out-the-back style.

[@avalles3]

they still sound the same to me in the mix. the sound slightly different on clean

[@MetalGuitarGuy]

I love seeing these mod projects. I am currently in the process of upgrading a les paul myself. Just waiting on the new bridge to arrive...

[@Kylora2112]

Cross-threading a metric thread...I remember doing that a few times when I was working on the production floor in the machine shop. I had to reverse-engineer a part from a long-defunct company to repair a larger component (and we had no access to any of their blueprints). "Oh hey, it's a 3/8-16 tapped hole! But it's kinda bunged up...I'll run a tap through it to clean it up and see how deep it's threaded." **2 minutes later** "That was kinda tight and there's a lot more chips than I thought there'd be...fuck...that was a metric thread..." And yeah, I love buying cheaper brand-name imports and hot-rodding the shit out of them!

[@patrickwilliams3590]

I love the high intergrity series because I feel more involved with the video. Watching the hardware switching and pickup changing, it's great! Also that's some tasty vibrato in the solo track 🤙

[@TheLastCrankers]

First words of my professor during basics of construction class were:”if anybody mixes up metric with imperial threads they fail the whole class immediately” lmao

[@Owen_DAP]

14:04 epic recorder solo

[@lockedowng]

You need an esp tool to remove knobs. So much easier.

[@Necromanos]

When you were demoing the stock pups out of the mix with distortion I had to mute the tv. Egads those sounded painful. Now it sounds and looks much better. I wonder if a bridge like that would fit one of the Harley Benton SC Jr's.

[@maxscardanelli6185]

Jason Hetzler About the bridge, only one way to find out...

[@johndef5075]

Did you try playing "authentically" before making these mods?

[@dr.fishing5740]

You are the only youtube guitar guy I can sit down and watch all the way through.. All the rest of those guys are jokes. I don't understand why you don't have more subs

[@dugbert5]

Nice job. I have a few suggestions. First, get yourself a knob puller. Two, a nibbler for making custom pickguards. And three, don't force anything, but I guess you already know that.

[@jvin248]

I think your final build pickup heights are a bit different than the stock pickups, which can account for a big change in tones, 1/8th inch can do a lot (which adding the thickness of the cover moves the pickup lower in the body if you'd measured distances to the strings). Same strings? Chrome covers can cut some highs. You can do the same with tone capacitor swaps for higher uF. I would have also measured the volume pot kohms and sorted for a Bourns/CTS replacement -- which will be more durable over time than the import full size pots -- actual kohms of the pots matter (they have a 20% tolerance range that is huge when considering 250k is 50% of the 500k used in single coils vs humbucker guitars that people are familiar with). So in the end I would have kept the stock pickups and modded the controls to get the tone change. Reflector hat knobs were a good call.

[@GutsandGear]

So happy to see one modded up like this. I had a Firebird Zero very briefly shortly after they came up and immediately ripped the Pickups out and replaced them with a set very close to the 496. Always wanted to swap out the bridge for an HS baby grand, I thought it would look great and play much better. But you can’t keep ‘em all. If by some miracle I win this, I’m going to track down or make that black pick guard you mentioned. That would totally set this off.

[@o.phillips2522]

Love your mod projects! Shoulda shielded the control cavity, pickguard and pickup cavities while you were in there though. Its a cheap mod that, to me, really sets cheap guitars apart from quality ones. Properly helps minimize interference in the studio too.

[@marcoabyss]

as expected, the high integrity mod is a delight to watch! speaking of doing stupid shit, i have a First Act ME279 V that i'm thinking of modding. paint it black, change the bridge, pickup, tuners, and the volume knob, but i'm not sure how that's gonna go. maybe you can do a high intergrity mod if you can find one on Reverb? cheers, mate \m/

[@JamesWalshBristolKids]

Hunter, I think You are right about the upgrades. I have a 2017 Gibson Zero that came with a Seymour Duncan humbucker in the bridge position and will add a Hipshot Baby Grand and Grover locking tuners soon... For me this Gibson is far from disappointing since I can make it a Players Guitar and have a good guitar - maybe the body color could be better or more true gold like the Les Paul Goldtop. The Duncan pickup is killer awesome and so is the neck on this beast. The Gibson "slugs" pickups lack clarity and bite so getting better pickups is recommended. Yes. Made in USA pots could be a good idea too but you said the Korea made pots are acceptable. Lower action with the Hipshot installed also is a great thing. I nicknamed the Hipshot Baby Grand bridge the Piano Bar. It's awesome too.

[@Explorerman1293]

Thanks for letting me forget about my GI final tomorrow for 26 minutes. #huntersaclawdaddy

[@MetalHeadHippie]

I would love to win it, but I don't want it. Good stuff Budz.

[@paniccleo]

It's funny that you described the stock pickups as being entirely treble, yet the new pickups you put in are brighter.

[@SuperZeppelin99]

A lot of the comments are pro the stock pickups, which I find odd cos the upgraded ones are clearly sounding more warm and a kick of fullness! The stock have a small clank to them which can be annoying when jamming with friends. Great video man! Love seeing these kinds of videos!

[@sohamsengupta6470]

That baby grand tilts the exact opposite way to the offset of the body. Oh lord is that triggering

[@looniethemoonie5353]

God dammit, why did you have to point that out. Now that's all I can look at lol.

[@gregivey183]

You saw that ,,,too!?/!! I just wanted to flip it over.....or cut the back off the body. ;-(

[@TommySixGun]

A $12 metric locking tailpiece, with adjustable saddles fixed my M2 and Firebird Zero perfectly. I got them from “Philadelphia Luthiers” on eBay. I put a pair of SD Phat Cats (P90) in and both play amazing. I also know what a good guitar plays like. I have a Parker Fly and a Rickenbacker.

[@jyoungman92]

Aww gutted that I'm not eligible from the UK, I love it so much! 👀

[@lebebop9931]

Awesome video man, it's a shame you couldn't get a black pick guard for that easily, I think that would have made it pop so much.

[@Iheartdgd]

Good idea hunter. I couldn’t even pretend that the zero was a good guitar.

[@pinitxopo]

That LFC banner... I see you are a man of culture

[@greatfelixo]

that hipshot bridge would look way cooler on that guitar if if were slanted the other way, in line with the bottom of the guitar. Shame it would defeat it's purpose though.

[@vwharman]

Just as an FYI that I figured out a while ago. You can get very affordable non marring interior panel removal tools for vehicles. I have a set of 3 that cost something like 8 bucks Canadian. They are excellent for being gentle for prying up knobs, but also are generally doing minimal scuffing on the finish or pick guard...

[@stevengonzalez4957]

Woohoo!! I'm at work and need to watch this on my break. I have one and I've added a Hipshot Baby Grand bridge and I have some Seymore Duncan's that I need to install. I was wondering if anyone would mod out this guitar. I can't wait!! Thank you, sir!!

[@agufish]

Bro how much of a freaking game changer is the BabyGrand?? It's actually insane, it has me wondering why I've only JUST heard of this bridge. Which Duncans did you go for?

[@stevengonzalez4957]

@@agufish A pair of Duncan Hotrodded Humbuckers. The Zero is really light, so I'm worried that the tone will be too bright, no matter what I put in there. Oh, and YES!! The Baby Grand is SWEET!!

[@stevengonzalez4957]

@@agufish The pickups are the JB and Jazz models. I think they recommend the JB in the bridge and the Jazz in the neck posit.

[@jamiesguitars]

That bridge is so handsome. How did you get the post in? Fair play great job and that guitar looks way better!

[@OliverAmberg]

It looks so much better now. Congrats!

[@zeppage4]

Wow, the high integrity sounds so much better, more clear and defined, less muddy, but punchier. Nice work.

[@deanathan]

I’ve been on a few channels with this genre of content and I keep seeing “Applause” whenever the creator is chugging when the CC is on. 🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽

[@kevincorbin9875]

The intonation on the G string looks jacked...like it's set for a wound G. Did it sound alright (in tune?)?

[@DBSG1976]

The finish looks like faded Surf Green on the video...strange. I really enjoy your upgrade videos, its interesting to see how a mediocre/crappy guitar can be saved with a few choice parts...thanks!

[@meatrocket1]

Sick axe! Good luck everyone & thanks Augfish & Reverb

[@vaughanmacegan4012]

I have to admit with those changes it does look better ... a lot better, sounds much better with distortion too. Good job, or not depending on your view of having to wait 2 months to get the thing fixed properly. Also loving the fact that only citizens of the United states, Guam and Costa Rica can enter the contest. It's great that no-one from the Southern Hemisphere can win the guitar at all, where gear is over 2.5 times the prices of gear in the USA. Warms the cockles of my cold dead heart.

[@robflores5172]

Definitely a massive difference on this one.

[@InkedGamerWolf420]

I put the Gotoh 510ub wraparound bridge on my $75 Rocksmith edition Epiphone Les Paul Junior high intergrity mod project. I love it. If only they made LP tulip tuners in all black. So I settled for Wilkinsons. Not a bad brand for their price

[@nathanwainwright0]

Dude, I love both of my Firebird Zeros. I have one that's stock and another that I upgraded.

[@ciddax754]

I would put one of the old humbucker back into that guitar. I like that twang when clean or only slightly overdriven. Maybe as replacement for one of the newer ones, but personally I would take dremel, saw and router out and add a third pickup. For the switching I would be lazy and simply using a fender blade type switch. Maybe something insane like a Freeway 5B5-01 with two layers of 5 position.

[@dennisdiebel938]

Nice work! So I’m sitting here staring @ my new JJN Epi and a new Hipshot BG bridge. Already assumed threads wouldn’t match, pulled bushings out, what I didn’t expect was Hipshots bushings being a smaller OD!? Even though I could clearly see the gaps in your vid?🙄 How did you compensate for that especially with the ground wire coming into play?✌️

[@123spleege]

good page man!! very professional and your mods were well explained and not extreme. You also turned me onto a great bridge which I will purchase in the future. Bravo.

[@keithbirdsong1036]

At 18:18 you get all the approval you need the dog seal of approval! Sounds salty A/F nice work

[@Bulletman426]

Very cool upgrades. The sound difference was good. The original pups sounded weak and thin. The new ones are much more clean sounding and warmer. Now it’s a player for sure! I’m upgrading a 2017 M2 from that line with Gibson Deluxe Green Key Tuners and the Hipshot baby grand. Before I change the pups I’m going to see how it feels first. I got the guitar for $20. The other thing I did already is I checked the nitro finish and it came out great! Cool video man and keep them coming 🤟😎

[@Cigarsnguitars]

I’ve had some good luck with Schaller bridges. Not a fan of wrap around but was able to use a fine tune assembly that was awesome. Like your work. I’ve done a number of conversions/improvements. Really enjoy doing that sort of work. Sorry for the brain fart Forest. That won’t be forgotten in like forever and next life.

[@madbam]

Awesome video as usual Hunter.....question for you. What do you do with all of the hardware you swap out when you do a mod. I build cigar box guitars and am constantly looking for used and old tuners, pickups, any hardware really. I would be happy to take it off your hands. I could buy some merch and it could magically appear lol.

[@SixString_J5]

10:30 Angled tailpiece does not actually change the string tension. The portion of the string that needs a set amount of tension to achieve desired pitch still requires the exact same tension. The saddle to nut length is what changes string tension.

[@BigEdWo]

that's true

[@P_Ezi]

True, but the saddle contact force is changed by having different break angles over the saddles. While not accurate, I can understand people describing this as a difference in tension at the saddles.

[@oliverjames7315]

VVD on a nivea advert during your video lmao. I'll be watching your boys live on boxing day

[@justalilsumn]

Was hoping for mods similar to the previous ones, but alas, this is also awesome!

[@oqsy]

Played a zero in a store. The neck was the part I hated the MOST. Horrible.

[@Joesorr324]

For the bridge you should've gotten an PRS SE Wrap Around Bridge. Great look, Low Key and Easy to set up!

[@danielbell4007]

saving for later! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the baby grand.

[@johnnycanosoda]

Great video! I'm glad you left in the mistake or dumb ass move, it shows you have "integrity" and are an honest person. That's why ill be a subscriber. Keep up the good work bro!!!

[@theblan1k0ne]

Man, i hope that the winner gets this either at new years or christmas

[@Chisaku461]

I love the high integrity project video and it looks better than the stocks because for me The wiring was terrible when selecting the pickups and it sometimes didn’t work so keep making more videos like this 👏👏👏🎸🎸

[@SG-wj2qj]

In hind sight, the hip shot tuners with the rail would have been a better choice. Sand, paint and clearcoat the pickguard semi-gloss black. Might have worked for a nice aesthetic.

[@m3m3sis]

I would've suggested to look for Babizc Full contact bridges for replacement of those kind of bridges. Have been waiting to get mine swapped.

[@Guitardrumr]

I'd be interested in an A/B on the stock wraparound and the Hipshot with the same humbuckers. Most of what my ear hears between the two on the clean stuff is a bit more ringing on the deep end, and a bit less jangle on the high end. I'm wondering how much of that clearer bass might be from the Hipshot, and how much is just the better clarity in general on the 496 set.

[@patricklosiniecki8503]

If Gibson actually made it like that, it would be around $600-$650. And I would for sure get one. If you did away with the more specific "custom" parts (the particular tuners and bridge) it would still be a great guitar with maybe like a $550-$600 tag. Still would love it. Maybe some "real" Gibson quality regular Grover tuners, like on my Epi LP Custom Pro, and a standard Gibson tune-o-matic would be a really good choice to keep the price low and the quality high. Just a thought. But I LOVE mod projects and this was the perfect example of one. Good bones, bad parts. Always love your videos and keep the great content coming.

[@BL-cc1vm]

I remember seeing the guy from RATT in the 80s had a reversed firebird body made by Jackson. It looked so unique. You made that thing sound killer hope I win it! Huge difference in sound with those pickups!

[@Bliggick]

The problem with that guitar's look is that you've got a drab color which can be cool if you combine it with plastics that complement that look, but instead you have a blingy huge pearloid pickguard.

[@niceMange]

Yeah I want one of these because I actually really like the looks and like you and everyone else mentions they do feel great. Biggest knock most people have is the cheap paint finish and bridge but as you pointed out bridge change made all the difference and paint is really easy to do as well and gives added opportunity to personalize the guitar

[@watchtheskies]

That would look great with a black pick guard, the top white layer might take a black stain? or at least primer and paint

[@davelanciani-dimaensionx]

Have you checked out the super cheap Glarry Guitars yet (or maybe you did and I missed the video)? That would make an interesting mod/upgrade, since the guitars themselves cost less than $100. Probably similar quailty to the Epiphone Les Paul SL models.

[@joelmiddaugh8229]

On my cheaper guitars I put more effort in fine sanding the fretboard and polishing the frets and tweaking the wiring than hardware and pickups. To save money you couldve gotten non Gibson humbuckers and non locking Grovers for instance. Then have more money to buy fine grade sandpaper and better pots, different caps and treble bleed maybe, or make a new hole in pickguard and have 2 volume knobs. Love that baby grand 'tho. Good call on that. Only other idea to me is really splurge and add a tremolo. But neither Maestro nor Bigsby stay in tune that well without maintenance and a different bridge.

[@ChickenThug55]

Def looked much better after upgrades, but I liked the original/stock pickups better.