Possible/How Much?

[Two hands31]

Here's what I'm considering doing, and I want to know if it's possible, and how much it would cost (this is a semi-long-term goal):

RG-321MH (have on at a local shop, not sure of price, looks great though )

And add these mods:

Piezo bridge
Synth access (through bridge?? or Roland GK-2A internal?)
Sustainiac
DiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge) and ???? (neck) (suggestions?)
Direct mounted pickups, no rings (possible?)

And if necessary a refinish depending if routing is needed/will effect finish at all, would be just a simple matte finish of some kind, black or grey or something.

Is this possible? Is it worth the time/money? And how much would it cost? And who should I get to do the work? Is it worth doing myself (with help from my dad who has more woodworking and wiring experience than me)?

Edit: Plan B
Or would it be a better idea/more worth it to do these mods (piezo, synth, sustainer) to my Squier Strat (which already has the DiMarzio Super Distortion and could use a new bridge/re-wiring anyways)?

I looked around and I'm thinking Graphtech Ghost saddles would be the best way to do this. Can you wire up both Midi and Piezo at once? I'm willing to sacrifice my tone knobs for this project, and just go:

volume
piezo volume
sustainer knob (can't remember proper name for this)

And then add mini-switches for the rest:

piezo on/off
MIDI on/off
Sustainer on/off
Sustainer mode

Btw, which Sustainiac pickup is the one that sounds like a single-coil when turned off?

[lcsdds]

The sustainiac stealth plus is the model that acts as a pickup when not in "sustainer" mode. I would seriously consider having maniac music put the sustainiac in it for you. They are the people who actually manufacture the sustainiac and they obviously have alot of experience with installation of these things. I just had them equip one of my s470's with a sustainiac stealth plus and they did a great job. An RG would be easier to do due to the thickness of the body compared to an s-series body. They had to route for a battery box and enlarge the control cavity to get it to work. They did a great job and it only took a couple of days. They will only install the sustainiac if you buy it from them though.


Monte

[Two hands31]

Cool, I'm thinking I'll do it to my Squier Strat actually rather than buying a whole new guitar. And it's got a pickguard, so the routing doesn't even have to be pretty

[darren wilson]

If your Squier is a good player, then why not? But if you're unhappy with the Squier, spending a huge amount of cash on mods might not be the best idea.

You can get piezo and synth capability out of the GraphTech and RMC systems.

And the Sustainiac Stealth Plus you can get in either "humbucker" or "single coil" flavours. They have preamps voiced for either.

Doing the mods to the RG321MHOL would be cool, but removing the pickup rings will leave you with ugly little holes where they once were (relatively easy to fill and disguise, though), and for some reason, Ibanez does more sloppy pickup routes on their guitars that have rings compared to the ones with direct-mounted pickups.

Refinishing an oiled body is not usually recommended. Once the wood is oiled, it's hard to get paint to stick.

[Two hands31]

Looks like it'll be all on my Squier then. Thanx! Off to go saving

[Petie]

Y'know you could simply discard the pickup rings, screw the pickups direct into the body, and fill the holes with the original screws for an industrial look.