fender squire questions,concerning my desire for a project axe

[ravendouglas]

i am looking for a cheap guitar to sand off the factory finish and do a custom repaint of my own art work...after mentioning a used charvette i saw in a pawn shop for a hundred bucks,i have decided to pass on that because it may be plywood...in that thread,some one suggested getting a squire and having my way with it. so here is a few questions about the squire.
how do they feel?.......do they come with a double humbucker in the bridge?..i dont care for the 3 single coil thing.....after the pick up swap,what else should be changed out?...basicly i just want to know what kind of quality can i expect?

[idsnowdog]

The squire affinity series strats are great fixer-uppers. The necks are good, the frets are good, tuners are ok, pickguard crap, electronics crap. Just buy a new pickguard and pickups and you are set.

[WhoFan]

why not start with painting a cheap poplar body from Warmoth... a raw poplar strat or tele body can be had for $129... if it works out and you like the finnished paint job then you can worry about the parts later...

[FuseG4]

I've had a Squier Tele Custom, a squier Tele Std, a Std Strat, and a Deluxe Strat.

Things to watch out for:

fret ends, fret leveling, one had a few minor fret divots/dents. Prepare to spend some time or $ on it if you like low action!!

narrow nut slots. One had the nut too low, I had to shim it. May as well just get a new nut if you plan on keeping the guitar.

neck bolt drilling (had one where a neck bolt broke off in the neck, so they drilled another one in at a slight angle right next to it!!!!)

pickguard and other screw holes stripping (agathis and basswood are soft!).

and the thing I hate most: METRIC measurements. Finding pickguards, pots and knobs, replacement bridges, tuners, these things take some searching to find what fits best and sometimes you have to either try again or force things to fit. More than once I've had to woller out a pickguard to fit the right pots, or to fit with the neck pocket correctly.

definitely swap out the bridge block if you get a trem. Totally worth it.


some of these things are minor, some are a deal killer. My Deluxe strat was a dog. I can buy guitars online but not < $300 guitars. There's just a lack of consistency at that level.

If you can help it, get one of vintage modified or classic vibes. I hear less complaints about those series. Maybe one of these
http://squierguitars.com/products/se...tno=0301210574

[ravendouglas]

why not start with painting a cheap poplar body from Warmoth... a raw poplar strat or tele body can be had for $129... if it works out and you like the finnished paint job then you can worry about the parts later...

good idea,except i know nothing about building a guitar...i would not trust my skills,or lack there of.....just easier for me to find one i like ,strip it and ravenize it...thank you for the suggestion though....and thank every one for the info and opinions.

[Dr.K]

Go to pawn shops. Take a phillips #1 screw driver and ask the guy if you can pull off the tremplate or electronics plate, you can tell if it's plywood. Most of them don't mind if you do this and educate them at the same time. Look for a tight neck pocket if it looks like you can slide a pick in between the body and neck, don't get it. Check the frets real good for any divots or excessive wear. I like to look for a neck that's been quarter sawn, the only one I found was a Cresent that had a huge ding right on the back of the neck. Be prepared to spend a load of time looking for what you want. I like what one of the posts said about buying a Warmoth, at least you'll get a good one. If you plan on stripping the guitar be prepared to spend a lot of time sanding or using chemical stripper, you'll have to wait for warm wheather if you plan on stripping it, that stuff doesn't work good in the cold. Ah, nevermind just buy the Warmoth body and save yourself the hassle. Time is money, I know I've wasted a lot of time on so called projects.

[dominus]

First off, it's spelled SQUIER.

The Affinity series are thinner than standard but are solid alder, so I'd recommend one of those. The hardtail Bullets are plywood, avoid those. The newer Bullets are slightly thinner and made of basswood. The newer Standard ones are full thickness but could be alder or agathis. (It even says on the sticker, "solid wood, Alder/Agathis." ) Makes a difference when choosing pickups.


Unless you want to make your work 10x as hard as it needs to be, do NOT attempt to strip it.

Check here for some refinishing tips:

http://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/s...d.php?t=204834

[dmandude123455]

Affinity strats + 1 59'b = AWESOMENESS!!!!!

[Rich_S]

I was just reading some pretty good reviews of the guitar kits that GuitarFetish is now selling.

http://store.guitarfetish.com/Guitar...Kits_c_74.html

[Funkfingers]

If you want a HB but do not especially need a vibrato bridge, try and find the Squier version of the Tom DeLonge signature Stratocaster.

These usually came in Black, White or Seafoam Green. IMO, white would be best as this colour would require minimal preparation to provide a suitable base coat for whatever you decide to paint on top.

[ravendouglas]

yeah i have seen one of these...nice suggestion,but looking for a double coil slot and a single coil slot,or 2 full size humbuckers....it would be hard to sand off sea foam green..i have always thought that one was cool.

[Funkfingers]

yeah i have seen one of these...nice suggestion,but looking for a double coil slot and a single coil slot,or 2 full size humbuckers....it would be hard to sand off sea foam green..i have always thought that one was cool.

The advantage of a Squier TDL is the absence of a dogbreath vibrato system. The disadvantage is that it is only routed for 1 x HB, 1 x control pot. Your project would involve some woodworking and a new pickguard. Maybe, an Affinity model is the best donor after all?

[idsnowdog]

Some others to consider are the Kramer 111/211, Aria Fullerton/713, Fernandes Retrorocket/Revival, Yamaha PAC012.

[FuseG4]

get a used Fender blacktop strat. No woodworking, just refinishing. spend a lil more to save time, and as a bonus you get a mildly decent full-thickness alder body.

You could probably find a body on ebay and get an unfinished allparts licensed neck separately for cheap.

But really though, this would be a great starting point, no?

[dominus]

Some others to consider are the Kramer 111/211, Aria Fullerton/713, Fernandes Retrorocket/Revival, Yamaha PAC012.

The Kramer strats from the late 90s were plywood.

[MetalManiac]

i am looking for a cheap guitar to sand off the factory finish and do a custom repaint of my own art work...after mentioning a used charvette i saw in a pawn shop for a hundred bucks,i have decided to pass on that because it may be plywood...in that thread,some one suggested getting a squire and having my way with it. So here is a few questions about the squire.
How do they feel?.......do they come with a double humbucker in the bridge?..i dont care for the 3 single coil thing.....after the pick up swap,what else should be changed out?...basicly i just want to know what kind of quality can i expect?

dont try and sand off a factory poly finish

there are lots of unprepped bodies around.
Use a mask and a fan to blow away the fumes. The **** is highly toxic.