question for squire owners

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by BoneDigger

I have Squire CVC tele that everything expect the body has been replaced on, including the neck and the the bolt plate on the back says Fender. But, if I liked a Squire as-is, I would not worry over the name on the headstock.

Hey Todd, what neck did you put on it? Fender? Did you also change the pickups?

[BoneDigger]

I put a maple Fender MIM neck on it. The pickups are Fender CS Nocasters, which suit me quite well! I also replaced the bridge and saddles.

[darylcrisp]

I took every item of print off the front and the rear(that ugly bar code) of my recent $119 Bullet. not because of anything to do with the Squier name-I actually think its a cool name and if other Squiers are as good as this tele Bullet, and from comments here and on the TDPRI it seems so, I have nothing but admiration for the brand.

I removed the neck and worked on the frets, removed tuners and while at it took a razor blade and removed all the print front and back. I have plans to either put a slightly darker shade over the entire neck, tru oil it, and or do some inlay or carving of the headstock with a design I have in mind. I envision an Art Deco design with inlay from the 50's-would look swell with the faded Surf green. even if I had no plans for that, I like a strat or tele similar design with no name, I just think it looks good with nothing on it-love the shapes of both.

so no beat down on my part due to the brand, just a personal aesthetic thing and a possible future redesign.

What is cool is the Bullet body already has the cutout shape for a humbucker in the neck position-that is very cool and handy.

if I had the fret material I would have done a refret that day on the entire neck with slightly larger and preferred fret material, but I was out. the frets on it are fine, but it would have been better and I think the tone would have improved as well, but its fine as is. took maybe 30 min to level a few fret areas, needed to remove one totally and cut the slot deeper, replaced and glued it in, everythings fine.

here it tis, ready for inlay or carving and an Art deco design, or a darker finish

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by BoneDigger

I put a maple Fender MIM neck on it. The pickups are Fender CS Nocasters, which suit me quite well! I also replaced the bridge and saddles.

Makes you wonder ... when does a Squier become a Fender?

[FrankHudson]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Makes you wonder ... when does a Squier become a Fender?

It's too long a legend to recount here in full, but to summarize: the Squier overcomes his inability to spell and eventually becomes a Knight. After he dies his family (who were not into armored warfare) wanted to remember him, so they had his armor re-beaten into mudguards for their wagon. And that's how the Squier became a Fender.

[BoneDigger]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Makes you wonder ... when does a Squier become a Fender?

Honestly, I would call the guitar a parts caster more than anything else. The pickups are custom shop. The neck is MIM, the saddles and bridge are American, the pick guard is custom made. The body has a nice burst with binding. It's just a nice guitar now, but I wouldn't call it a Squire or a Fender per se.
20200325_010346.jpg

[tinnitus]

I'm not sure I can call my own gigging frankenstrat a Fender - or anything else.

- Body 3-bolt early Japanese Fender (holes filled with golf-tees/epoxy).
- Neck "skunk stripe" MN (Mexico) 4-bolt, rosewood fretboard.
- Generic 4-bolt neck plate, no logo.
- Can't recall where a parade of a dozen various single coils came from.
- Bridge pickup is Gibson humbucker (or DiMarzio) mounted on a slant.
- Pickup springs from ballpoint pens, screws from Ace hardware.
- Radio Shack diode and resistor mod eliminates muffled treble with the volume turned down.
- DiMarzio 5-way switch, pots and plug jack.
- Re-wired so tone control works on bridge P/U too.
- Wiring salvaged from a dead dishwasher control board.
- StewMac tortoiseshell pick guard.
- Hand carved bone nut.
- Hobby shop copper shielding.
- 5 Carvin springs in bridge so "blocked" trem can only dive.
- Solid headstock string trees (no flex), brand unknown.
- Schaller tuners.

Just popped the case open to survey and see if I forgot anything here. I guess the sweat and beer dribbles from dozens of bar gigs don't count as "parts" or "mods."

[C-ville Brent]

I have two Squier Bullet Strats, both Seafoam Green. I also have American made Fender, Gibson, and Martin guitars. I did add a DiMarzio Area prewired pickguard to one of the Squiers (cost more than double the guitar itself). Stock pick ups sound thinner than my American Standard Strat but have their own twangy charm. I bought the first to add the Area pickguard on but liked it so much stock that I ordered another. I modded the second, because the first one just felt/sounded a little better to me. I have no plans of removing the Squier logo.

[darylcrisp]

Originally Posted by BoneDigger

Honestly, I would call the guitar a parts caster more than anything else. The pickups are custom shop. The neck is MIM, the saddles and bridge are American, the pick guard is custom made. The body has a nice burst with binding. It's just a nice guitar now, but I wouldn't call it a Squire or a Fender per se.
Attachment 37066

that is tough! love the burst

[GangstaPat]

Originally Posted by C-ville Brent

I have two Squier Bullet Strats, both Seafoam Green. I also have American made Fender, Gibson, and Martin guitars. I did add a DiMarzio Area prewired pickguard to one of the Squiers (cost more than double the guitar itself). Stock pick ups sound thinner than my American Standard Strat but have their own twangy charm. I bought the first to add the Area pickguard on but liked it so much stock that I ordered another. I modded the second, because the first one just felt/sounded a little better to me. I have no plans of removing the Squier logo.

Now you got me toying with the idea of buying another one. I'm at least going to go find another one in a shop somewhere to compare with the one I have. When I was a kid you could get practically no guitar for little money. Today I am constantly blown away with the quality of inexpensive instruments.

[tinnitus]

Since I tinkered with the guts and mechanicals of every electric guitar I ever had since 1970, it's no surprise that my son has continued the trend. Lots of buying, selling, trading and modifying.

His varied collection of planks changes almost daily, but here's the lineup from last week.

I gave him #2 and #4 with very few changes. The Tele Deluxe Nashville (3 pickups plus active acoustic piezos under the bridge) now has a black middle pickup cover since the original was white and (IMHO) ugly - so it's still 99.9% stock. The blue Strat has Schaller tuners, 5 sponge-dampened springs, blocked trem, and is rewired so the tone pot works on the bridge pickup. Both MIM and solid guitars.

The other Fenders (Squiers), are in various stages of rebuild with different necks, tuners, fret jobs, paints, vintage lacquers, switches, pots, shielding, and swapped/rebuilt/rewound pickups. All have unique personalities - fun to play. To my knowledge, that Yamaha acoustic down on the end is the only one that's not been modified in some way.

Any necks that came with Squier decals still have 'em.