If there's one thing that I've really learned from your channel, it's that you don't need expensive gear to sound great. Tone really is in the fingers. Practice, practice, practice.
Rule of thumb: If the construction of the guitar is solid,you can upgrade everything else like electronics,hardware etc. The amp is much more important then the guitar itself,that's why you see all these demo videos like Anderton's etc. demoing budget guitars,plugged into boutique amps.
For aesthetics and better playability, you should add Black Tusq string trees and string nut from Graph Tech. It will complete the look of the headstock and would be less than 20 bucks! Great work!
Honestly, the most interesting thing to do with it, at least from a help people make their own budget guitar sense, would be put in a crap ton of cheap pickups, and show off the best for certain types of sounds. Considering buying a very cheap guitar myself, and know whatever I get, its going to be a project guitar going forward where I mess around with it till I think its perfect or break it.
I just found the best bank for buck pickguard ever! It's a Black/White abalone swirl pickguard with two Invader style humbuckers (maybe rebranded Dragonfire Crussaders) and a switch for each pickup that switches between series, split and parallel. Installed it on a Strat kit guitar and it became more than usable! Just need to give it a good fret job and it'll be perfect!
Bar Goldstein I have that pickguard!! I actually have two similar ones as they first sent me the wrong one so I got a replacement for free. Pickups actually sound really good and only 30 or so dollars
@@rohandeshpande8970 it wasn't a perfect fit for my strat, it's a bit smaller than the stock pickguard, I had to drill a couple of holes for the screws and the bridge doesn't align perfectly with the pickguard (when it comes to gaps, not angles), but these are very minor issue
@@BoltRM www.ebay.com/itm/HH-Loaded-Prewired-Pickguard-Pickup-for-Strat-Electric-Guitar/263047261263?hash=item3d3ed6ac4f:g:x0YAAOSwDrNZSObV I put an Ebay link instead
I bought the "chepest eBay" strat type guitar with the same upgrade intentions So far I've done the following: * Sanded and TruOil Finished the neck * Filled chisel gouges in neck pocket with a superglue/flour mix. (a huge pain) * Changed the trem block with a steel GFS "shorty" block * Got an Alnico 5 pickup set from eBay Guitarmadness * Changed to master volume/master tone with new pots and new switch. The switch requires additional depth routing though. That's this weekend's project. * Neck still needs fret leveling/dressing - also set for the 10/27 weekend
Great video. I'm doing a similar thing on a squire strat that was a Redkin salon window display in NYC. So far, I've replaced the pickups with dragon fire humbuckers, had to replace the damaged tremolo bridge, and replaced the faded Redkin pickgard. I've got an lsr roller nut to go in, maybe a tbx tone control, and I might do a push-pull volume to coil split the neck pickup. The LSR nuts are awesome, just a bit involved to install.
I would love a video personally on how to keep these cheap strats in tune the best you can. Already covered the tuners, but maybe talk about hardtailing it or like installing a new bridge?
I've ordered a set of these ez lok tuners from wilkinson can't wait to put it on my eko strat copy I'am also gonna install a roller style string tree because I really like the look of it I have it on my eko telecaster copy
Excellent video Guitar Max. I have a very cheap Squire start, I'll have to get the same pick guard and pickups especially the humbucker come single coil. Thanks for the video man. Keep up the good work. Can't wait for the next video.
I put a white pearl pickguard on my '63 re-issue 3 color Squire Strat'. They really pop over a plain one. Also, I added an extra 2 position switch to make it like a Super Strat. The previous owner installed a 5 way switch. The 2 way toggle gives me neck and bridge together. Or, even all 3 pickups at once. Kinda goes to 11.
Wilkinson term in black to match tunners seven way toggle so you can get the max out of your pick-up configuration some chrome telecaster style knobs so you have a black and chrome hardware setup it'll look very cool and the brass nut with a kill switch....the reason I ask for a kill switch is because you can get some really cool sound drop offs....
Yea man I think the 7 way would be cool. I don't think I've seen that pickup on the Dragonfire sight. I wasn't looking for it though so I'll check it out. I've gotten a lot better at working on my own guitars thanks to you and Dragonfire. I do still use duncan also. Mainly the distiorn set. And the trem spaced distiorn.
Nice look on that guitar, maybe instead of adding a 7 way switch you can insert a small toggle switch to make it a combo switch, I have that on my gilmourish black strat can play all pickups together as well as bridge and neck so makes it a 7 way, keep the great reviews coming 👍😎
Hey Max, maybe also try going fully Charvel on this or one of these: 2 hums, one vol, no coil tap, no tone! You're a shredder at heart, go on, you know you want to... 😀
New trem block. I have always had good luck with Gfs hardware and pups. Prices are great. You should try the roller bridge for import l.p. copies. It's heavy with good sustain. Do you know the radius of the neck. Love the backing tracks. I wish I could by them on cd.
Max great minds think alike....lol I did this exact guitar a couple of months ago. Used a Mugig strat guitar off amazon $89. Loaded the pickguard the same way you have. Only difference is an invader style single coil in the middle. All the pickups sound great on this and might end up in my mim strat. My soldiering is not that great but I have an idea to use mini switches and split every coil. Lol just for the hell of it. Great video. Awesome work 👍
Here's a fun, quick mod: imgur.com/NDTz9rr (actual schematic) imgur.com/9icdyc9 (block layout of components on the switch) imgur.com/U731Lrs (what it looks like, minus input and 9v+ soldered to it) ...And then for the battery ground, swap out your output jack for a stereo one, solder the tip to signal (as usual), ground to ring (as usual), and negative to the third post. That way the battery won't be connected at all unless there's a cable plugged into the guitar, the circuit being completed through the cable's sleeve itself. Note that when you turn this on, it's *VERY* loud, so you'll wanna lower your volume first before pulling the knob. (I haven't fiddled around with it enough to find the resistor size to throw in there, relative to the volume pot, to mellow out the volume once it's activated.)
Can you do a review of some of the guitars from Hard Luck Kings? They make some Strat/Tele/other copies of popular guitars and wanted to see if you thought they were worth it.
Wilkinson tuners are great ive got them on few guitars best value for money tuners by far. I would be putting a Wilkinson Tremolo bridge with steel block on that guitar you can get them new pretty cheap on ebay i haven't tried one out yet but i have read good reviews on them.
Very cool video. I'm thinking of buying a cheap strat copy and doing this. No suggestions from me though since I don't know much about the electronics. But yeah, cool video!
Do what you want not what others tell you .. because they aren't the ones that will be playing it when they come home ... Speaking for myself I've always wanted a Kahler but i can't afford one , Mines is a LH Dean Zelinsky ZGlide Tagliare ,,I've got McNelly Custom Pups i've still yet to install but i've set myself a target of getting my Guitar sorted before the end of this year ..
I love your channel and your honest reviews on products. Your sense of humor helps as well! I wanted to post here as you were talking about upgrades to a Squier. I'm curious about whether or not you've ever reviewed out of production Squier. My girlfriend's son just started taking lessons at school on an acoustic and I wanted to get him an inexpensive electric to noodle around on and I found (and bought) a Squier Stagemaster for $100 and it's in great shape. I was wondering how a guitar like that compares to today's less expensive Squiers or even import Fenders. I'm curious if you've ever played one or have any thoughts on them.
Nice work! One idea, switch out the middle single coil, to one of those "invader" clone types that have the large "hex" bolts instead of the magnetic pole pieces. You can find those for around $12.00 if you look around. The output is a bit "hotter" than a standard single coil.
It would be interesting trying a set of Fender Tex-Mex ot Fat 50 pickups, to see what kind of sounds the guitar delivers. Just to compare a real Strat with this Chinacaster but with Fender pickups. I know this could increase budgets, but it would be a nice comparison video. Like!😃
I love this guy. He really helps us out with honest reviews of budget kit giving great sounds. But what's with the botox? Oh, man, you so didn't need it.
It really depends on how crazy you want to get with the mods on it, But my favorites are push pull for single to hum, David Gilmour mod for toggle on/off .
hey man, that's a great channel and wonderful playing you got goin' on... i'd love to see a review of the Gus G. 200ec from ltd... budget friendly and looks killer!!! keep up the good work \m/ cheers from southern italy :)
I'd love to see one of your project guitars loaded with a set of Alexander Pribora pickups. They are the cheapest hand wounds I've seen. A few days back they were on sale for about 60 bucks a SET.
Thanks Max, great video and very timely as I'm looking for decent locking tuners for my Strat copy too. As a newbie, how do I know what size tuners to buy...10mm or ??? I appreciate any guidance. Thank you.
Some tips for cheap pickup that sound better than the original? I would like to have a blues sound but also a metal sound on the bridge side. It is possibile changing only the three single pickups? Thanks
I'm actually working on a Chinese strat copy for my channel Poor Man Pedals. It'll be my first modding project so I'm excited. Any recs for good but cheap single coils?
Very Nice! I like what you've done so far with it! I have a Chinese Fender Squire that I plan to mod, but have not had time to do it. Will you be upgrading the Tremolo? Just finding the right parts for that can drive me crazy.
If you have a drill press, and you kind of look like a guy who might, how about chucking some nice steel threaded inserts and bolts on it to really couple the neck and body, increasing sustain (and easily disassembled for travel)? It was the only improvement without hitting the finish, visibly, I could think of..
Hey Maxwell. Goodday! Can you do a review on Chinese Aria Pro II STG 004. SSH model.? I want to get suggestions from you on right pickup heights for good tone
Did the new pick guard match up perfectly, or did you have to drill some new screw holes? Are the knobs interchangeable with standard fender knobs? I'm not sure what a "Danzig reference" means.
Great mods there! About these cheap guitars, i'd like to ask if you know about or have tried any "stagg" guitar? There's a simple strat-like (ses50) that looks interesting.
Really interested in those kinda diy guitar vids. Got a chineese Yngwie malmsteen strat (like, first electric guitar i've got). It's sounds on 200$ that i've paid but sure i want more so i have a plan to push the maximum of it. How do you think will floyd rose fit with this kind of guitar?
Good video! I have a knockoff strat (Blade 1 V.M.I. Sebring) I picked up that I'm trying to save. Are all strat pick guards interchangeable? The company that made my Blade 1 went out of business in '94 so getting one from there is not an option. Thanks and love the channel!
Typically, the pickguard will physical fit on the guitar and have the correct dimensions, but the screw holes are often different. If you don't mind adding a few extra holes for the screws in the body, then they usually are interchangable.
If you like using this one as a test bed, try this mod: Get a female-female jumper wire, solder one to your tone pot's middle lug, the other to the ground lug, then burn some holes through your pickguard so they can pop out the front. Then you can swap out capacitor sizes on the fly, to see the differences in values without having to take the guitar apart and resolder. That's what I'd done on this guitar, as an example. (Bottom knob is tone.) imgur.com/MqMtKsl
Fun tidbit: This one is the test-bed guitar I'm building. It was the really cheap Ebay one that you actually reviewed. (The "cheapest metal guitar you can buy.") I'd routed out the pickup cavities all the way through, then attached the 5-way switch to some quick-change audio connector thingies, so pickups could be swapped out by dropping 'em out of the back, instead of needing a full disassemble and soldering. To do so necessitated a conversion from the trem system to a Tune-o-matic-style bridge, though. The reason the trem hole was plugged with red-stained wood is because I had previously been doing this to a modified Strat clone, but it broke, so I took a hunk of it so the original test bed could live on in the new one. imgur.com/d9yFNHZ
Oh man MOD video.....I LOVE this stuff!! Now my question is a general Tuning key question since some of my guitars have been giving me trouble staying in tune. I noticed you went with the Wilkinson Locking tuners which have the 2 small holes but have you tried the Sperzel style with the small "roller" in the back of each tuner to tighten down the string? Which one holds the strings in tune better or are they pretty much the same? Also, I keep seeing comments and videos on "Graphite" string nuts. Should I also make that mod to improve the tuning?
So you did the pickups; cool. How about the Vintage tremelo? I've seen some cool but expensive Floyd rose 6 screw and another one called Vega Trem, I'm wondering if you can find a inexpensive version of one of those. BTW, I was just joking about the Glen Danzig comment, I always watch your channel and I've learned a few things along the way. Keep up the great work!
I really wanted to here that triple-bucker & scoured your channel to find a sequel to this. Did you do it like a long time after? I looked for at the vids you released for the next couple months after this & found nothing :(
If there's one thing that I've really learned from your channel, it's that you don't need expensive gear to sound great. Tone really is in the fingers. Practice, practice, practice.
Rule of thumb:
If the construction of the guitar is solid,you can upgrade everything else like electronics,hardware etc.
The amp is much more important then the guitar itself,that's why you see all these demo videos like Anderton's etc. demoing budget guitars,plugged into boutique amps.
For aesthetics and better playability, you should add Black Tusq string trees and string nut from Graph Tech. It will complete the look of the headstock and would be less than 20 bucks! Great work!
Good idea!
I second this suggestion.
Definitely a good option
The Tusq nut's radius would be too round for that guitar's fretboard. Unless if you will file it down to match the fretboard's radius.
@@robh972 16" probably.
Honestly, the most interesting thing to do with it, at least from a help people make their own budget guitar sense, would be put in a crap ton of cheap pickups, and show off the best for certain types of sounds.
Considering buying a very cheap guitar myself, and know whatever I get, its going to be a project guitar going forward where I mess around with it till I think its perfect or break it.
I just found the best bank for buck pickguard ever! It's a Black/White abalone swirl pickguard with two Invader style humbuckers (maybe rebranded Dragonfire Crussaders) and a switch for each pickup that switches between series, split and parallel.
Installed it on a Strat kit guitar and it became more than usable! Just need to give it a good fret job and it'll be perfect!
Bar Goldstein I have that pickguard!! I actually have two similar ones as they first sent me the wrong one so I got a replacement for free. Pickups actually sound really good and only 30 or so dollars
@@rohandeshpande8970 it wasn't a perfect fit for my strat, it's a bit smaller than the stock pickguard, I had to drill a couple of holes for the screws and the bridge doesn't align perfectly with the pickguard (when it comes to gaps, not angles), but these are very minor issue
Bar Goldstein I also had to drill two holes, but my bridge lined up fine.
Name of the product and seller? Thanks
@@BoltRM www.ebay.com/itm/HH-Loaded-Prewired-Pickguard-Pickup-for-Strat-Electric-Guitar/263047261263?hash=item3d3ed6ac4f:g:x0YAAOSwDrNZSObV
I put an Ebay link instead
I love these videos, man. I have a few killer options for guitars without busting the bank, thanks to you!
It would be cool to hear the tonal difference if you change the tremolo block. And also the difference with some new and better bridge.
I bought the "chepest eBay" strat type guitar with the same upgrade intentions So far I've done the following:
* Sanded and TruOil Finished the neck
* Filled chisel gouges in neck pocket with a superglue/flour mix. (a huge pain)
* Changed the trem block with a steel GFS "shorty" block
* Got an Alnico 5 pickup set from eBay Guitarmadness
* Changed to master volume/master tone with new pots and new switch. The switch requires additional depth routing though. That's this weekend's project.
* Neck still needs fret leveling/dressing - also set for the 10/27 weekend
Great video. I'm doing a similar thing on a squire strat that was a Redkin salon window display in NYC. So far, I've replaced the pickups with dragon fire humbuckers, had to replace the damaged tremolo bridge, and replaced the faded Redkin pickgard. I've got an lsr roller nut to go in, maybe a tbx tone control, and I might do a push-pull volume to coil split the neck pickup. The LSR nuts are awesome, just a bit involved to install.
I got some Wilkinsons on one of my guitars and they work great.
Brass nut? Hope you do an updated video after you get that on. I'd be interested to see it.
I would black out all the hardware to match the tuners. Bridge input and string trees.
Great job Max! I'd change the bridge to black to match the tuners is the only thing.
Hiya , will install that Wilkinson lock tuner next week. Thanks
good job max!! sounds amazing!!!
I would love a video personally on how to keep these cheap strats in tune the best you can. Already covered the tuners, but maybe talk about hardtailing it or like installing a new bridge?
Love Wilkinson always pretty consistent and better than most stock
I've ordered a set of these ez lok tuners from wilkinson can't wait to put it on my eko strat copy I'am also gonna install a roller style string tree because I really like the look of it I have it on my eko telecaster copy
Excellent video Guitar Max. I have a very cheap Squire start, I'll have to get the same pick guard and pickups especially the humbucker come single coil. Thanks for the video man. Keep up the good work. Can't wait for the next video.
That's funny, when I read "Leveling Up" the first thing I thought of was like leveling the frets and working on the neck.
I put a white pearl pickguard on my '63 re-issue 3 color Squire Strat'. They really pop over a plain one.
Also, I added an extra 2 position switch to make it like a Super Strat. The previous owner installed a 5 way switch. The 2 way toggle gives me neck and bridge together. Or, even all 3 pickups at once. Kinda goes to 11.
You should mod a mini strat there fun little guitars to play
Cool guitar 🎸!
I've always been fond of mini toggle switches.
That would be a cool mod for the humbucker.
Stainless steel saddles , brass trem block, tugs nut , Bourne pots.improved my Chinese strat greatly.at guitar fetish..
Wilkinson term in black to match tunners seven way toggle so you can get the max out of your pick-up configuration some chrome telecaster style knobs so you have a black and chrome hardware setup it'll look very cool and the brass nut with a kill switch....the reason I ask for a kill switch is because you can get some really cool sound drop offs....
it's always cool to see guitar review by Glenn Danzig.
-5 points.
Today wasn't your day to play in tune!
Change the bridge. I’d like to see what great options you find for a replacement. Maybe one with a brass trem block to match the brass nut.
Sounds and looks great. I think you should go with a black trem and jack plate to complete the blacked out look. That's just my opinion though.
amazing sounds
Did we blow the link up to the tuners?:o
What is the explorer on the wall? Looks awesome! I like the headstock, strings lay straight.
I do love the red body!
Yea man I think the 7 way would be cool. I don't think I've seen that pickup on the Dragonfire sight. I wasn't looking for it though so I'll check it out. I've gotten a lot better at working on my own guitars thanks to you and Dragonfire. I do still use duncan also. Mainly the distiorn set. And the trem spaced distiorn.
Nice look on that guitar, maybe instead of adding a 7 way switch you can insert a small toggle switch to make it a combo switch, I have that on my gilmourish black strat can play all pickups together as well as bridge and neck so makes it a 7 way, keep the great reviews coming 👍😎
Awesome mod , that will be such a versatile guitar
Hey Max, maybe also try going fully Charvel on this or one of these: 2 hums, one vol, no coil tap, no tone! You're a shredder at heart, go on, you know you want to... 😀
New trem block. I have always had good luck with Gfs hardware and pups. Prices are great. You should try the roller bridge for import l.p. copies. It's heavy with good sustain. Do you know the radius of the neck. Love the backing tracks. I wish I could by them on cd.
Sounds really nice
Max great minds think alike....lol
I did this exact guitar a couple of months ago. Used a Mugig strat guitar off amazon $89.
Loaded the pickguard the same way you have. Only difference is an invader style single coil in the middle. All the pickups sound great on this and might end up in my mim strat.
My soldiering is not that great but I have an idea to use mini switches and split every coil. Lol just for the hell of it.
Great video. Awesome work 👍
Very nice guitar. I am a bit of a purest with fender guitars however. I would love to see some original vintage strat pickups in it
Hey Max I noticed you don't have very many videos on budget amps. Was curious if you have any plans to make more budget
amp videos?
Yeah.... that amp videos are just a bit more difficult for me to do, but yes I will be doing more of them.
Very nice solos
Here's a fun, quick mod:
imgur.com/NDTz9rr (actual schematic)
imgur.com/9icdyc9 (block layout of components on the switch)
imgur.com/U731Lrs (what it looks like, minus input and 9v+ soldered to it)
...And then for the battery ground, swap out your output jack for a stereo one, solder the tip to signal (as usual), ground to ring (as usual), and negative to the third post. That way the battery won't be connected at all unless there's a cable plugged into the guitar, the circuit being completed through the cable's sleeve itself.
Note that when you turn this on, it's *VERY* loud, so you'll wanna lower your volume first before pulling the knob.
(I haven't fiddled around with it enough to find the resistor size to throw in there, relative to the volume pot, to mellow out the volume once it's activated.)
This one's the specific volume pot I'd used:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KZ6RFBA
Can you do a review of some of the guitars from Hard Luck Kings? They make some Strat/Tele/other copies of popular guitars and wanted to see if you thought they were worth it.
Wilkinson tuners are great ive got them on few guitars best value for money tuners by far. I would be putting a Wilkinson Tremolo bridge with steel block on that guitar you can get them new pretty cheap on ebay i haven't tried one out yet but i have read good reviews on them.
Very cool video. I'm thinking of buying a cheap strat copy and doing this. No suggestions from me though since I don't know much about the electronics. But yeah, cool video!
Please make part two of it
Do what you want not what others tell you .. because they aren't the ones that will be playing it when they come home ...
Speaking for myself I've always wanted a Kahler but i can't afford one , Mines is a LH Dean Zelinsky ZGlide Tagliare ,,I've got McNelly Custom Pups i've still yet to install but i've set myself a target of getting my Guitar sorted before the end of this year ..
I love your channel and your honest reviews on products. Your sense of humor helps as well! I wanted to post here as you were talking about upgrades to a Squier. I'm curious about whether or not you've ever reviewed out of production Squier. My girlfriend's son just started taking lessons at school on an acoustic and I wanted to get him an inexpensive electric to noodle around on and I found (and bought) a Squier Stagemaster for $100 and it's in great shape. I was wondering how a guitar like that compares to today's less expensive Squiers or even import Fenders. I'm curious if you've ever played one or have any thoughts on them.
You should make a lessons video or a video of what all you can play on guitar that would really bring your subscribers up
The black tuners are beautiful. But the original pickguard looked much better.
A mod for Phase/ Out of Phase for the pick ups would be cool, maybe a db boost
Nice work! One idea, switch out the middle single coil, to one of those "invader" clone types that have the large "hex" bolts instead of the magnetic pole pieces. You can find those for around $12.00 if you look around. The output is a bit "hotter" than a standard single coil.
It would be interesting trying a set of Fender Tex-Mex ot Fat 50 pickups, to see what kind of sounds the guitar delivers. Just to compare a real Strat with this Chinacaster but with Fender pickups. I know this could increase budgets, but it would be a nice comparison video. Like!😃
Do the neck pockets measure the standard way... so we can upgrade necks if needed?
I love this guy. He really helps us out with honest reviews of budget kit giving great sounds. But what's with the botox? Oh, man, you so didn't need it.
Keep up good work man
It really depends on how crazy you want to get with the mods on it, But my favorites are push pull for single to hum, David Gilmour mod for toggle on/off .
hey man, that's a great channel and wonderful playing you got goin' on... i'd love to see a review of the Gus G. 200ec from ltd... budget friendly and looks killer!!! keep up the good work \m/
cheers from southern italy :)
I'd love to see one of your project guitars loaded with a set of Alexander Pribora pickups. They are the cheapest hand wounds I've seen. A few days back they were on sale for about 60 bucks a SET.
Definitely deserve more subs!
onboard preamp maybe? or onboard effects?
Thanks Max, great video and very timely as I'm looking for decent locking tuners for my Strat copy too. As a newbie, how do I know what size tuners to buy...10mm or ??? I appreciate any guidance. Thank you.
Ever tried out the cheap resonator guitars?
Thanks for the video. Did you check the pots? Was the volume pot of a similar value to the pickup coil or to the tone potentiometers?
Some tips for cheap pickup that sound better than the original? I would like to have a blues sound but also a metal sound on the bridge side. It is possibile changing only the three single pickups? Thanks
I'm actually working on a Chinese strat copy for my channel Poor Man Pedals. It'll be my first modding project so I'm excited. Any recs for good but cheap single coils?
Coil split / phase switch wiring, maybe?
Very Nice! I like what you've done so far with it! I have a Chinese Fender Squire that I plan to mod, but have not had time to do it.
Will you be upgrading the Tremolo? Just finding the right parts for that can drive me crazy.
How about roller trees on the head stock ??
If you have a drill press, and you kind of look like a guy who might, how about chucking some nice steel threaded inserts and bolts on it to really couple the neck and body, increasing sustain (and easily disassembled for travel)? It was the only improvement without hitting the finish, visibly, I could think of..
Hey Maxwell. Goodday!
Can you do a review on Chinese Aria Pro II STG 004. SSH model.?
I want to get suggestions from you on right pickup heights for good tone
5 way and a push pull switch and change the middle pickup. That's my vote. And a black Wilkinson trem
Since the humbucker is 3 pickups, does it still cancel the hum? Or did you wire it only one rail?
I love modding my guitars but I love my guitar that I don't need to mess with even more
Nice! What’s the story with the PC1 on the wall?
What was the song you played at the very beginning of this video?
Is that a Wolf TC1 on the wall? When is the review?
Great video as usual. Keep up the great work.
Received the pick guard, thanks for the help! How was installation? Any new holes needed? Yes, black out the rest of the hardware. Thanks again Max.
Any inexpensive sustainers out there?
Yes, I did have to add 4 new holes, but fortunately the pickguard covers up the old holes so you can't tell.
Did the new pick guard match up perfectly, or did you have to drill some new screw holes? Are the knobs interchangeable with standard fender knobs? I'm not sure what a "Danzig reference" means.
Great mods there! About these cheap guitars, i'd like to ask if you know about or have tried any "stagg" guitar? There's a simple strat-like (ses50) that looks interesting.
you should change the trem to a floyd/floyd style trem and then install a TremolNo to add versitility.
Would you consider putting a budget friendly Floyd Rose style bridge on this guitar, maybe?
Really interested in those kinda diy guitar vids. Got a chineese Yngwie malmsteen strat (like, first electric guitar i've got). It's sounds on 200$ that i've paid but sure i want more so i have a plan to push the maximum of it. How do you think will floyd rose fit with this kind of guitar?
Good video! I have a knockoff strat (Blade 1 V.M.I. Sebring) I picked up that I'm trying to save. Are all strat pick guards interchangeable? The company that made my Blade 1 went out of business in '94 so getting one from there is not an option. Thanks and love the channel!
Typically, the pickguard will physical fit on the guitar and have the correct dimensions, but the screw holes are often different. If you don't mind adding a few extra holes for the screws in the body, then they usually are interchangable.
@@GuitarMAXMusic thank you!
Oh, and why a brass nut as opposed to bone or graphite? Durability? Brighter tone?
I feel the brighter tone would fit the strat better and also offset the darkness of the humbucker style pickups?
Nice sounding axe with the better pickups. What are the overall costs on this axe, not just the axe alone.
New trem, and a prewired pickguard (preferably in ssh)
If you like using this one as a test bed, try this mod:
Get a female-female jumper wire, solder one to your tone pot's middle lug, the other to the ground lug, then burn some holes through your pickguard so they can pop out the front.
Then you can swap out capacitor sizes on the fly, to see the differences in values without having to take the guitar apart and resolder.
That's what I'd done on this guitar, as an example. (Bottom knob is tone.)
imgur.com/MqMtKsl
Fun tidbit: This one is the test-bed guitar I'm building.
It was the really cheap Ebay one that you actually reviewed. (The "cheapest metal guitar you can buy.")
I'd routed out the pickup cavities all the way through, then attached the 5-way switch to some quick-change audio connector thingies, so pickups could be swapped out by dropping 'em out of the back, instead of needing a full disassemble and soldering.
To do so necessitated a conversion from the trem system to a Tune-o-matic-style bridge, though.
The reason the trem hole was plugged with red-stained wood is because I had previously been doing this to a modified Strat clone, but it broke, so I took a hunk of it so the original test bed could live on in the new one.
imgur.com/d9yFNHZ
Hey Max, Can you try grote headless guitar?
Oh man MOD video.....I LOVE this stuff!! Now my question is a general Tuning key question since some of my guitars have been giving me trouble staying in tune. I noticed you went with the Wilkinson Locking tuners which have the 2 small holes but have you tried the Sperzel style with the small "roller" in the back of each tuner to tighten down the string? Which one holds the strings in tune better or are they pretty much the same? Also, I keep seeing comments and videos on "Graphite" string nuts. Should I also make that mod to improve the tuning?
How much are they and do you have a link to it
What the heck is between B & E 4th fret?
So you did the pickups; cool. How about the Vintage tremelo? I've seen some cool but expensive Floyd rose 6 screw and another one called Vega Trem, I'm wondering if you can find a inexpensive version of one of those. BTW, I was just joking about the Glen Danzig comment, I always watch your channel and I've learned a few things along the way. Keep up the great work!
I really wanted to here that triple-bucker & scoured your channel to find a sequel to this. Did you do it like a long time after? I looked for at the vids you released for the next couple months after this & found nothing :(
Upgrade the tremolo block to a bigger block brass (GFS). 🎸🎸🎸
More details how you set the guitars up may be more in depth details
Great pickup configuration even tho i am a tele guy
Hey Max. What website did you order the strat from?
Hi Thomas! Aliexpress
@@GuitarMAXMusic do you get all of the Chinese knock off from Ali Express?