Some of the earliest effects available to guitarists were tremolo and vibrato. These effects were usually built into the amplifier. Between the vibrato, tremolo, and reverb there was little else available to the electric guitarist.
Leo Fender's company while prominent in the development of the electric guitar led to some great confusion with the mis-labeling of their amps tremolo channel as vibrato.
Seasoned guitarists have figured this out but for anyone who hasn't quite nailed down the difference here is a quick video to demonstrate to the difference between tremolo and vibrato.
Guitarists are a strange lot. We are quirky,superstitious, and
neurotic at best. These traits lead us to exhibit some pretty strange
behavior. One of these behaviors is the BUM syndrome. No, not being an
out of work bum like your dad said you would be playing guitar but BUM
as in Blind Urge to Mod.
I have several guitars, a few amps, and a good selection of pedals. I
too have been guilty of this condition but only to the extent that the
mods help the instrument do something it didn’t previously do well.
Sure I have a hacked frankenstrat but for the most part, all the rest of
my guitars are stock. Maybe a pickup swap here or there but not all of
them and only after the instrument was run through it’s paces as
purchased.
rather
than a mod just to mod. Strap locks are a must. A $20 investment can
save you a hefty neck repair. Better tuning keys, sure. If they
improve the tuning stability then go for it. After that I just try to
live with the gear a while to see what it will do. Remember, all mods
make it different, but different isn’t always better.