With only a few months left to go, 2025 has already been a standout year for guitar upgrades and modifications. From all the innovative goodies revealed at the January NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, to the exciting mix of products released over the rest of this year, we’ve seen some amazing advances in cutting-edge technology, sustainability, and good old-school craftsmanship.
The vast selection of mods and upgrades that have hit the market this year will elevate your tone and improve your guitar's playability and reliability without breaking the bank. So let’s take an in-depth look at the top upgrades and mods that have shaped 2025, from simple plug-and-play tweaks to major customization.
We'll start with the heart of any guitar…
The Best Pickup Upgrades of 2025
The best of this year’s offerings tend to feature hybrid designs that deliver a vintage vibe along with some modern punch. And the most interesting being active noiseless pickups that eliminate hum without sacrificing sparkle.
Top pick has to go to the Fishman Fluence Greg Koch Gristle-Tone pickup set for Telecasters. These ceramic-voiced beauties feature three modes—classic Tele twang, gritty overdrive, and a fantastic blues-rock lead tone. But all this versatility comes at a price, and quite a high one at that—around $300.
However, if you’re looking for a great way to upgrade nearly any Telecaster, this is the pickup set you’ve been dreaming about. They’re superb at adding infinite sustain without creating the associated feedback issues, and you’ll also notice improved clarity when pushing high-gain amps.
Fishman Fluence Greg Koch Gristle-Tone Pickup Set
For humbucker fans, you just can’t beat Seymour Duncan's Black Winter '59. They’re hand-wound with Alnico IV magnets to nail that highly desired creamy PAF tone but with enhanced midrange. Combine one with the company’s new Sentient bridge pickup for a total cost of around $400, and this dynamic duo will transform your Les Pauls into a truly versatile workhorse.
Or, if you're on a budget, Lollar's Imperial series (at around $250) offers fantastic vintage replicas that will warm up your Strat beautifully.
Looking for the ultimate in sustainability? Then Mythic Guitars' eco-pickups are the ones for you. They use recycled rare-earth magnets and ethically sourced bobbins, which should reduce your rig's carbon footprint by 30% compared to pickups using traditional materials.
That’s pickups covered, so let’s move on to…
2025's Best Hardware Mods
There’s nothing worse than losing your tuning halfway through a killer solo in front of a club full of fans. Well, there probably is, such as being eaten by a shark or flying off in a twister that happens to be passing by, but you get what I mean.
Anyway… accurately getting in tune and staying there is critical to every guitarist; however impressive your best solo is, it will sound like garbage if you’re out of tune.
Therefore, for most guitarists, locking tuners are the only option, and Schaller's M6 Mini series (priced at around $120) tops this year's list for their smooth as silk action and 10:1 gear ratio. They work great with either Fender or Gibson-style guitars, and they’ll cut your string changes to next to no time with no tools needed.
If $120 is a stretch too far, but you want super high-quality locking tuners at a more reasonable price, get yourself a set of Guyker GK-D-07SP Locking Tuners (at around $70). They look fantastic—available in 14 different color ways from standard chrome, etc, to stunning purple, blue, and red. They’re suitable for just about any style of guitar, and make string changes a breeze, plus you’ll have enough money left over to buy yourself at least a few years’ supply of strings!
Guyker GK-D-07SP Locking Tuners – Dopamine Color, 1:18 Gear Ratio
There hasn’t been much going on with bridge development over the last five or so years, but last year we got a huge evolution, the amazing EverTune system (at around $250). This revolutionary device is a patented guitar bridge that uses physics, springs, and levers to keep a constant tension on each string, keeping the guitar in tune indefinitely regardless of temperature changes, humidity fluctuations, and the most intense playing.
The all-mechanical system will prevent pitch changes, as well as provide consistent intonation by keeping your strings in a balanced state. It's a game-changer for Floyd Rose demons tired of constant, frustrating tweaks. The days of re-tuning after extreme dive-bombs, or anything else, may well be over!
Or, if you’re having tuning issues from extensive whammy use on your Strat, but want a more traditional design, go for a roller bridge upgrade, such as the Guyker GG1009-T Non-locking Tremolo Bridge (around $135) to add sustain by minimizing string friction, and keep your strings in tune for longer.
Guyker GG1009-T Non-locking 2 Point Tremolo Bridge
with Brass Saddle and Brass Block for Strat
2025 has also been a time of celebration for lovers of vintage trem systems, as we see the return of the classic Bigsby B5 vibrato units (priced at around $200) on Fender Teles to add unique vibrato effects to a Telecaster's classic sound.
The kits can be installed on both vintage and modern instruments and are great for subtly changing the guitar's tone and allowing expressive, shimmering trem effects. For a less invasive installation with no drilling, go for mounting kits, such as the Vibramate V5-TEV. There’s never been a better time to add some vintage warble to your Tele!
And, while on the subject of non-invasive trem systems, if you wish your Les Paul or SG could give you the vintage trem vibe in the style of Neil Young, try the Guyker GM85X Tremolo Tailpiece.
It’s a simple, affordable tremolo system that’s easy to install and uninstall, leaving no trace of ever being there.
Guyker GM85X Tremolo Tailpiece
This Year's Best Electronics and Wiring Guitar Modifications
Wiring mods have gone all high-tech, with the most popular 2025 trend being switchable voicings that allow endless tonal experimentation. The king of versatility has to be AMI Guitar Upgrades' Lunar Phase selector (priced at around $150), offering 51 different pickup combinations from a single rotary switch—Wow!
It will give you coil-splitting, phase reversal, series/parallel modes, and just about any variation on them, even mid song, all at the turn of a switch. It can make any guitar sound like basically any other guitar—a great option for those who get easily bored with their tone or require a vast sonic palette, such as guitarists in cover bands.
If you hate the hum created by your guitar, there’s a simple and affordable fix—copper shielding kits (at around $20) will ground your guitar’s cavities, slashing 60-cycle hum by 90%.
Or for more trending, very affordable wiring mods, you could add a treble-bleed circuit to volume pots (about $10) to keep your high-end when rolling back, which is a must-have for dynamic players. Or upgrade to CTS pots with audio tapers (about $15 each) for super smooth sweeps, and if you're the adventurous type who uses humbuckers, upgrade to some push-pull pots to unleash the pleasures of coil-tap heaven.
The Best Sustainable Mods of 2025
As with so many other industries, eco-awareness was a major talking point in the guitar industry in 2025, especially mods and building practices that repurpose and reduce waste.
Baum Guitars' Revival Carve series transforms guitars with production flaws into unique, high-quality instruments. The guitars are constructed from upcycled components from their different lines.
The result is a Revival guitar—one that is reimagined by breaking each guitar down into its parts and then rebuilding it, featuring new custom finishes, upgraded wiring, custom fretwork, and custom configurations not found in the manufacturer's standard models. This not only reduces waste (to less than 0,01%!) but also offers players distinctive, sustainable guitars crafted with custom shop attention to detail. They’re not cheap, but 100% unique.
While other manufacturers, such as STS Guitars, continue to push boundaries with their carbon-fiber necks and recycled aluminum hardware—it cuts weight by 15% and environmental impact by half.
And, as I’ve already covered, pickups have also gone green, with recycled magnet sets from indie manufacturers such as Mythic, ensuring that your hum won't harm the planet.
I’ll round off this look at the best of this year's guitar modifications with some…
Tech and Aesthetic Upgrades
Ever wanted to make your guitar sound like a complete orchestra, or one of the instruments in it? Or how about a grand piano, a string section, or a lush synth? Lots of manufacturers have tried to integrate this technology into guitars over the years, with varying results, mainly due to the audio lag, which means that you have to change the way you play a guitar to compensate and make the sounds anywhere near authentic.
But the Fishman TriplePlay (at around $300) promises to give you all the synth swells (as well as other sonic wonders) you can dream of without having to compensate for the dreaded lag. Try it out for size and become a one-man Hans Zimmer tribute show!
Fishman TriplePlay
Or jump on the modded car phenomenon of underglow lighting and add some LED underglow strips to your guitar for some super cool lighting effects in your next stage performance. It’ll involve modifying the guitar's electronics, and you’ll need to house a battery pack, usually in a custom-made cavity. Then attach the LEDs (which work best if recessed to diffuse the light), connect them to the battery, and add a switch to activate the lights. Viola—a guitar that would perfectly fit into any of the Fast and Furious movies!
The relic’ing trend also seems to be gaining even more ground through 2025. I’m seeing relic’d guitars more and more in videos and live performances by bands from a variety of genres. DIY relic’ing is harder than it looks if you want a truly authentic looking instrument, but if you’re crafty, have patience, and love the look, have a go—creating one is a lot of fun.
But, if the whole relic’ing process seems like too much work, take your guitar to a professional; it will cost more, but the worry factor will be next to nothing, and the result should be jaw-dropping!
Wrapping it Up!
So, there you have it, my in-depth look at the best ways to upgrade and modify guitars in 2025.
Start with the basics, such as tuners and shielding (which should cost less than $200), then progress to pickups and wiring to really update your sound. Aim to spend around $500 on mods for 80% pro results. Plus, don’t forget to always A/B test to make sure that you actually prefer the sound after modification. What seems great when you read about it or watch it on a YouTube video might not sound so good on your guitar!
And remember that if you’re unsure of your abilities to complete any of the work, consult a professional luthier. This will increase the price, but it will still probably be far cheaper than the fix cost after you make a mess of things.
Don’t overly worry about the sonic results or what other people think of the look you’re going for; guitars are personal, and the goal is to create the one that sounds and looks good to YOU, the one that inspires you to play, improve, and enjoy!
Happy modifying!
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