Buying new vs. updating old

I've been talking a lot about my short list that I will use to make my next guitar purchase decision, but I had a thought. Why not take that $400 and instead put it toward updating my Strat and LP Special?

So here's a quick list of updates and their costs, and then I'll go back to my needs and see how the upgrades fair.

For the Strat:

1. A good tremolo - I always considered getting a Super Vee locking tremolo for my Strat, but a quick visit to their site (I haven't been there for a while) revealed that they have a new non-locking tremolo called the BladeRunner. Even though the Super Vee is designed to be non-destructive and easy to install, the BladeRunner is even less destructive and easier to install. I know I won't have the locking nut, but the BladeRunner should hold tune pretty well. Cost: $150 (including shipping).

2. New pickups -The pickups in my Strat are OK, but after playing my Tele for a while, I really see where they're lacking. I'd like to keep the Stratty tones of the single coils, but I need a bridge humbucker. The HSS prewired pickguard I put in my Hondo is average, but I want something good in my Strat. Enter the Carvin AG2K Assembled Pickguard. For $129 plus shipping, I get a drop-in replacement pickguard loaded with a humbucker and two single coils, a master volume, a master tone, and a mini toggle switch to coil split the humbucker. Epic win.

For the LP Special:

1. New pickups - I could probably get a set of mini humbuckers that would fit in the P100 holes, but why not get some good P90s? Seymour Duncan makes a P90 pickup called the Hot Soapbar for both bridge and neck positions. They may not be humbuckers, but they're just as powerful, and since they're Seymour Duncans, you know they'll sound good with minimal hum. They're a bit expensive, though, at $75.95 each from Guitar Center, and I'll probably have to send it to Spotlight Music to get them installed, so we're talking $151.90 for the pickups (shipping is free) plus an estimate of $50 to get them installed for a total of $201.90. Expensive, but probably worth it.

So for a total of $480.90 plus whatever Carvin charges for shipping, I can upgrade two of my guitars for a little more than my $400 budget, but how do the upgrades fare on the needs list? Let's see, shall we?

1. 24 fret guitar - Both fail. Having a 24 fret guitar isn't a necessity, but it will limit some of the songs I can play. Of course, writing my own stuff is no problem.

2. LP style guitar with dual humbuckers - While this need is technically not filled, the Hot Soapbars are close enough to powerful humbuckers as to make little difference, so I'll call this need filled.

3. Reliable tremolo - Maybe I'm making a mistake saving $100 and going with the non-locking tremolo, but usually a good non-locking tremolo will stay in tune. PRS guitars are known for excellent tuning stability - hell, Alex Lifeson uses and abuses them with no obvious issues. I saw a few demo videos of the BladeRunner and I'm convinced it will solve my tuning problems, so I call this need filled.

4. Shredder neck - Another fail. Still, this is another need that is less of a priority, so I should be able to live without it.

So for about the same budget, I can upgrade two guitars, fulfill two of my needs, and not have to buy another instrument. One thing that concerns me about buying another guitar is the fact that I have difficulty playing all my guitars the way it is. Once I get the new one, which one will I stop playing? I don't want to stop playing any of my guitars. Having another guitar would be nice, but maybe this makes more sense. Plus, I can do it a little at a time if I have to.

This decision is getting more convoluted every day.