Guitar Conversions

What is a Conversion?
A Conversion is a stock guitar that has been either rebuilt, reconstructed, re-carved, redesigned, reworked, refretted, reassembled, refinished or all of the above. 

What about originality?
If you desire in many cases all the original parts can be kept so that in the future the guitar could be put back to stock.

What if I take my guitar apart and reassemble it. Is it still original?
In the strictest sense, No it is no longer original. That means of course that there are absolutely no original 60’s Fenders out there because they have all been taken apart 5 to 10 times to get the dates and other information from inside them. Why should re-finishing change the originality and re-assembly not change the originality?  I suppose if you hunted around Southern California. Say that you located Hector and Jose that originally built it & say you had them reassemble it. I would have to reluctantly call it original then.

1. Cosmetic Conversion
2. Tone-wood Conversion
3. Hardware Electronics Conversion
4. Left-handed Conversion
5. Double Neck Conversion
 

1. COSMETIC CONVERSION
A cosmetic conversion is either a paint job, or a body style change. Pointing out a few notable examples. The candy-stripe Van Halen style is a stock Kramer Baretta converted by paint. I specialize in rock-star signature paint jobs. I do Zakk Wylde’s shattered glass Les Paul, Eric Clapton’s psychedelic SG,  George Harrison's Rocky, be bop a lula, Paul Stanley's PS-10 Iceman Mirror ball guitar or his BC Rich Mirror ball Warlock where shattered mirror is actually glued right on the face of the guitar.

2. TONEWOOD CONVERSION
A tone-wood Conversion on an electric is a new body made from presumably more resonant wood than the original manufacturer could afford to use. Typically all major guitar makers buy lumber in bulk. It is simply the only way they can economically produce an instrument that is affordable to the general public. Major manufacturers simply cannot pay attention to details like specific moisture content, book matching, beauty of wood, They never use one piece body construction, it's just too expensive. They rarely if ever do neck through body either.

3. HARDWARE & ELECTRONIC CONVERSION
A hardware & electronic conversion would be where some or all of the original hardware is upgraded with higher quality parts. Usually I replace the tremolo, tuners, pickups, wiring, jack plate, nut, pick-guard, knobs, screws, strap pins and electronics. I have also replaced frets, fingerboards, reshaped necks etc. etc. I have done this for several major manufacturers that did not have their own in house custom shop. When a famous pro endorser plays a certain model guitar, contrary to what manufacturers would have you believe these guitars are not what the consumer gets when he puts his money down at the local music store. For example it has recently come to my attention that on Eddie Van Halen's Peavey (ha ha) guitar there will be a Steinberger Trans Trem. Any one who believes that the guitar Eddie is playing is a stock Peavey is living in a fool's paradise. I suppose the folks at Peavey don't want Eddie's more gullible young fans to see Eddie ever play his Steinberger again.  (The Peavey Wolfgang guitar ushered in a new age of high quality and good value to Peavey's guitar making enterprise.) Today Peavey is a strong contender in the guitar world.

4. LEFT HANDED CONVERSIONS

A left-handed conversion is usually offered when a manufacturer fails to recognize the needs of the left-handed players. The usual way this is done is to disassemble the right handed version, Then fabricate a new body usually a mirror image of the original. Then it's lovingly reassembled and set it up so that it plays better than the original did. Notably PRS or Ernie Ball don't currently offer a left-handed instrument at this time. They must think that left handed people are not viable customers.

5. DOUBLE NECK CONVERSIONS
The double-neck conversion is pretty much the same concept as a left-handed conversion. Instead of making a left-handed body, I construct a new double-neck body, utilizing one of my highest quality 12 string conversion necks for the other neck. The neck is constructed to the same rigorous standards that PRS or Music Man employs. Great care is given to aesthetics so that the finished product will have symmetry in keeping with the original manufacturers motif. I offer optional 12 string necks, 10 string necks, 7 string necks, Bass guitar necks, Baritone necks, Piccolo Bass necks, Fretless necks and/or anything you can dream up.

Headstock Conversions
Recently I have been getting a lot of call to convert pointy headstock Kramer's to banana style. I have been Converting pointy BC Rich to traditional 3 a side headstocks for 17 years.

Fingerboard Conversions
Fingerboard conversions say from rosewood to maple or maple to ebony or from maple to snake wood are actually very easy and quite inexpensive. The part that makes them costly is you also need to perform fret job. So the relatively inexpensive fingerboard conversion should be performed when it's time for a fret job anyway.

Inlay Conversions
Maybe you would like different inlays on your Les Paul. Many players don't like the plastic stock inlays standard and classic models are cheap “Mother of Toilet Seat” (Moto). Newer PRS guitars have a very plain MOP inlay. Perhaps you might like paua shell or beautifully figured green abalone, like the original ones came with. I offer many different tree of life designs, dragons, eagles, skulls, crosses, or anything that you would like.

12 String Conversions
I am also offering 12 string conversions to Gibson 335’s, SG's, Les Paul's and Paul Reed Smith Guitars.

If  I replace a neck it is no longer a conversion it then becomes a Custom Guitar, simply because the logo or brand name usually appears on the headstock.

All major manufacturers offers limited colors, limited options, limited woods, limited hardware, limited electronics, limited models, limited inlays, limited everything.........

All major manufacturers are limited by production costs, model changes, etc. etc. The only way a large company can succeed is to offer compromised models that will fit into the budgets and needs of the largest segment of the population.

The Guitars you see pictured here started life as stock Fender Stratocasters. These guitars are tone-wood, hardware and electronic conversions; In fact the only original part on these guitars is the wood that the neck was originally made from. The necks are carved thinner, all the frets are replaced and slab of Brazilian rosewood is installed on the neck. The bodies are solid 1 piece Koa and Korina wood. Pickups are the customer's choice. Tremolo is either a Paul Reed Smith, or a Wilkinson all the wiring and pots have been upgraded to the best available, tuners have been replaced with bright plated super accurate Schaller's all the hardware right down to the screws has been changed. The pickguard is a bright white pearloid. Fender's custom shop uses a less costly pearloid that has a yellowish tint. Of course whenever we build one of these we use parts that the customer specifies. Built to order only

Converted Les Paul Standard Beautiful lightweight extra resonant custom made conversion

Ed Roman has been rebuilding these Gibson Les Paul's for over 20 years. Ed has built them for over a 25 music dealers, several Gibson endorsers and many individuals.

These are built to order only.

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Gorgeous 5A Quilted Maple top Beautiful black Limba (Korina) back Honduras Mahogany neck (original Gibson) Premium Gaboon Ebony Fingerboard

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Paua shell inlay purfling on fingerboard  Paua shell inlay on complete circumference of body completely hand built

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Beautiful Green Abalone and Mother of Pearl Star Inlays

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  Several Shots Taken During Construction 

Starting with a stock Gibson Les Paul, the neck joint is recarved, the top is replaced with a gorgeous book matched quilted or flame maple. Bodies are triple bound using premium bright white binding or abalone, all the wiring and electronics are upgraded, fingerboard and frets are replaced with Brazilian Rosewood or Ebony. Optional recarving and shaping of the neck joint increases the ease of playability and gives the feel of a neck through body guitar. Built to order only.

 

PRS Lefty Conversions These are some of the first ones Ed Roman did back in 1991 Starting with a stock PRS right handed guitar. I created  new bodies from absolutely the most resonant and beautiful wood  I could find.  The original PRS neck and electronics and hardware were usually all re-used. Sometimes I used a Gibson Nashville stop tailpiece. As in all my conversions customers always choose exactly what they want.  I have never represented nor will I ever represent any of these custom conversion guitars as being anything other than what  they actually are, I have never implied that these guitars were original,  In almost all cases my work costs more than original stock merchandise anyway. Usually because I have to modify the original to make the conversion. (A less expensive option would be to start from scratch). I never alter serial numbers,  I never affix decals. (Unless I am doing a restoration) A restoration is not a conversion. These guitars are intended for real players who are looking for the ultimate guitar, but for some cultural reason believe that if they aren't associated  with a certain brand name they cannot be personally self validated. Or possibly they are endorsing a particular "brand name" (For Money) but are not happy with the quality that the "Brand name company" offers to them.