I'm not sure about how I'd feel if someone really modded-up one of our banjos or guitars, or just 'parted them out'. Maybe it's happened? On one hand, yeah, you commission/buy it, it's yours... have at it. On the other, if isn't doing what you wanted, I'd rather you sold it to someone else than ruin it or alter it so it becomes a monumental task to restore. We did take Honeytone #17 back from the original owner and upgrade/update his pot assembly to a Huber 'TrueTone' assembly some years ago and while in the shop we made a couple little tweaks to it. It looks the same as when new, just a slightly different machine, and we kept the original pot in case he ever wants to restore. That's us though, on behalf of the original owner who had commissioned the build back in 1993. Didn't mind at all... glad to do it.
I got another one in a while back for some work, that I just kinda' had to shake my head and remember that this is just my job here. This banjo had been treated so roughly that it bordered between carelessness and outright abuse. I wouldn't be surprised if it were left outside. In a field. Overnight. Regularly. That thing was filthy, and it even smelled worse. But it had had the ever-lovin' daylights played out of it in the 9 years since it left my workbench... and that's what it was made for after all. So I fixed it up again and sent it down the road. Charged accordingly for the work. Both parties happy, but there was a certain amount of detachment required.
I've been trying to help Dad track down several missing early projects. It's been amazing how many people still have them all these years later. They've kept them in great condition and think and speak highly of my Ol Man for building them a banjo. Most didn't even know his punk teenage kid with a bad haircut did the inlay and finish work. There's been a couple that surfaced that surprised us. And some we just never saw again. One got burned up in a house fire. I don't think anyone ever just hacked one up. I'd feel kinda' bad seeing that. The burned #20 was hard to look at.
