Rhett, I am absolutely blown away dude. I don’t even know where to begin. You and Tilly becoming family so quickly is something I will cherish forever and this guitar and video will constantly remind me of these past few months and the beautiful moments we’ve shared from eating delicious ribeye with our hands in my kitchen to producing a live recording of 7 artists in 24 hours in my bike shop. Thank you just doesn’t seem to cut it. I’ve been so busy I didn’t get to watch the whole video until tonight and I literally had no idea you were sending me the Jazzmaster until it was at my home and in my hands. Love you and Tilly forever. Can’t wait to play this guitar with you soon. ❤ Now I got me a Jazzmaster!!! Thank you my friend. I’m speechless and that doesn’t happen ever.
This video went from being a techy gear head video to sentimental pretty quick. I kinda sniffled a lil bit when Rhett went into the story of why he was doing this. Such a cool thing to do.
If I had to choose between a thousand hours of practice or a $5000 guitar, I'll take the practice. A good player will sound good on a decent guitar, a bad player will still sound bad on the best guitar on the planet.
@@Charlesbabbage2209i'd take the 5000 guitar in a heartbeat. The fun of playing guitar is getting better. I'd rather put in the 1000 hours myself and work for it, than to have those skills handed down to me
Well that is because you lack the nerdy insecurities of most guitarists. Guitar buyers often buy to make up for something they see as lacking in their own self. Guitar seller's take full advantage of this and often without realizing it because it pays for their lunch and that clouds their ability to be honest, even to themselves. Welcome to one of the most over hyped consumer products ever invented, sold mostly to folks who couldn't strum Happy Birthday even if I told em it was a I, V, I IV progression.
That's because hes playing through a great amp. Also squiers dont sound bad, they just dont sound great either. More expensive guitars/ pups have that oompf that you can't quite express in words
@@maxvanderhoning8375 I find that a good amp ( I do not know great amps but most valve amps and many solid state amps sound pretty good with decent guitars and the speakers make the biggest difference to me. Yes PUPs can sound muddy, but I find the speakers and setting contribute a lot to the muddy sound or loss of definition. Yes I have various teles from MIM MiJ to US special and The neck had the most lame. also the MIJ switches failed on me and costs the most to repair. The MIA texas specials were really lame sounding. I ordered a Classic Vibes and I will see what the deal is. I will have saved enough euros to buy new pups if I need. PUP is most important to me. I am not guitar tech or claim to be an expert. but I have played since 1971. I am also considering Harley Benton, because of price and ease of attaining them in Europe. The most popular players did not play the most expensive guitars Ask Marc Farner or Brian May or Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.
I wouldn't say you're off to a bad start, squiers aren't bad guitars. It's mostly hardware that feels cheaper on them particularly the trems as Rhett said. The pickups did sound a bit more sterile to me but you could definitely EQ it out.
I think that this stuff is more about specificity than good v bad, tonewise. Any fully-functioning guitar can be part of many musically-useful signal chains, but a given player’s style and workflow might dictate that a certain output (whether it be from pickups or surrounding electronics) gets closer to their dream tone with less effort. The biggest tone difference comes from a happier player who is having their desired physical and psychoacoustic experience.
The sound difference didn't seem drastic, but he looked much more relaxed on the Custom Shop, appeared to be digging in harder to coax the sound out of the Classic Vibe. Possibly a responsiveness that's more felt than heard.
I was exacting my lunch and looked up a few times and hadn’t realised he’d changed guitars… both sounded pretty good to me at home on my iPad speakers 🤷♂️
“Custom Shopping” a guitar is almost all about psychology and how the guitar makes the player feel rather than it having to do with any drastic sonic improvement. Giving it a proper set up (with any needed fret work and fretboard rolling included) will make the largest noticeable difference pertaining to playability and comfort which is a HUGE factor as well. Long-winded way of saying that gaining a better tone is one of the least observable effects of upgrading a guitar.
Just wanted to note for anyone who feels that the custom shop model sounds a little “warmer” than the upgraded squier… the custom shop has been using 250k pots in their jazzmasters as of late. It’s not true to the original design, but many people prefer the sound. So it’s another switch worth considering if you find your jazzmaster a touch too bright. All that said, great video on some truly transformative and affordable upgrades Rhett! Keep it up!
"the custom shop has been using 250k pots in their jazzmasters as of late. " Blasphemers... The key to the offsets and their 1 meg pots is that they should live on 8 - which is real close to a 500k pot. Lets you dial it up to full blast if you want or a couple more down and you're basically at 250. The biggest knock on the linear 1 meg pots is that they aren't great if you want to use the volume knob to clean up an amp but they still work fine with a pedal that cleans up like a Fuzz Face.
I have the same Squier in the video and put 250k pots in the main circuit and 1meg pots in the rhythm circuit. 95% of the time I’m on the 250k pots but if I need some thin sparkly stuff I have the option to switch. The 250k pots were a real game changer for this guitar, and a cheap change.
Interesting. I thought the Squier sounded too bright and harsh both before and after the upgrade, so that's probably why. Could have saved quite a bit of money by just changing the pots first and seeing if that tamed the harshness. If so, no need for new pickups.
@@gazzie12000 My Affinity had 500k pots, after stratifying the electronics I decided I really liked the stock pickups so they got new black covers and stayed in place, sounds great now with the 250k's.
Having built a few guitars with my Dad I'd take doing a custom job all day. You can make it EXACTLY what you want it to be. The bigger thing to me though is because you are doing all that stuff yourself, it really makes the guitar feel like it's yours. The ones we've built will never EVER be sold. The personal connection we have to them is something you just can't replicate and I love it.
To me the Squier sounded more neutral and more like every other Jazzmaster I've ever picked up. I guess if you're paying extra bucks for a custom shop guitar you want to be able to hear a difference, but that to me sounds designed to give your dentist something to brag about while you're trapped in his chair. If I buy a Jazzmaster I want it to sound like a Jazzmaster. If wanted a fatter sound I guess I could see dropping some Novaks or Lollars in it, but I think I would have to either hate the way every other guitar felt or only have room in my life for one guitar. What do I know, plenty of people have done it and they're probably better guitarists than me, better with their money, or both.
18:29 I did this trick with my 1998 Epiphone Les Paul. Every few years, I break out the 0000 steel wool and make about 4 passes over the back of the neck to make it less sticky! 😊
Hey Rhett, I am a guitar technician in Los Angeles Ca, this video solidifies what can be done to “most” less expensive guitars. I say most cause some cheaper guitars are cannot be deemed playable due to a severely warped neck, frets although frets can be serviced and be very good. All in all, with a little $$ even cheap guitars can be made to play and play very well.every once in a while one slips through and only needs pick ups and there are so many aftermarket pickup brands that you can purchase pickups south of $100.00 and you be hard pressed to hear the difference. Thanks Rhett. Tim Russell Guitar.
Yeah what’s crazy is sometimes all a cheap guitar needs is a good setup. I think for me that has to be one of the most important parts regardless of the price of the instrument
That’s for the steel wool tip! I did that to my classic vibe telecaster neck too and love it. You could get better results with sandpaper but with this you get a little bit more glide
I did the exact same upgrade. Put in Antiquity IIs in a lefty antique white CV Jazzmaster. Got a Staytrem bar. Kept stock saddles and trim they work fine (lefty trim as an aftermarket part from Fender not available). Got frets leveled. Plays a dream. BIG THING NOT MENTIONED. Noticed the demos in video the CV sound was had more top end than CS. This is because the replacement wiring harness has 1 meg pots. That's the classic Jazzmaster sound but many players today are backing away from that much top end in a Jazzmaster, in the old days you'd reach for the tone control on the guitar to tame it. Today many Jazzmaster players either put in 500k (or as someone here said even 250K they believe to be standard in CS Jazzmasters today) OR buy Antiquity I pickups that have Alnico II magnets instead of the Alnico V in the Antiquity II. Rhett didn't say which Antiquities he put in his redo, that makes a world of difference. My advice is 500K pots with Alnico V Antiquity IIs it's the goldilocks zone of emphasized top you want in a Jazzmaster, plenty of nice bite and chime but you're not instantly and forever using the tone pot to tame it. If you want a mellower sound go with the Antiquity Is with Alnico II it's the sound of a late 50's Jazzmaster that is more mellow. Alnico II with 1 meg pots will sound in the zip code of the CS guitar in the demo. For jazz as designed :). But I suspect Fender may have moved to Alnico Vs in the 60's when they couldn't sell enough guitars to jazz players but the surf guys were buying them like hotcakes for "that sound." The key balance and interaction here is magnet type vs. pot spec. These two factors have the highest impact on the warm/bright characteristic of your guitar. Not going into body wood or fretboard here, but definitely pots and magnets are the key. For a brighter guitar use 1 meg pots or Alnico Vs. 1 meg + Alnico V will tear your head off but maybe that's what you're after. 250k + Alnico II will be the most warm mellow sound but IMHO doesn't sound like a Jazzmaster it sounds almost like a Tele to me. 500k + Alnico Vs to my ears is that "ah, that's better" moment where you stop managing the top end. And for the Squire CV Jazzmasters with poplar bodies which some say are snappier than Fender alder Jazzmasters this helps moderate that factor as well.
When I was touring, I used to do this to my Squiers. Obviously, money was always tight. So, finding quality guitars at affordable prices was impossible. You used to be able to find pawn shop deals and hotrod them to make useable stage instruments. I haven't been in a pawn shop in decades. So, I don't know if that is still true. My last "build" was a Squier standard Tele. I put in Custom Shop Texas Specials and added a middle Strat pup. I didn't have a router but careful use of a wood chisel worked just as well. I also replaced all of the wiring, pots, caps and replaced the 3 way switch with a 5 way. I could have installed a push/pull tone pot to get a ton of pickup selections but I chose to wire the 5 way with my own preferences of pickup combinations. Most of my pawn shop builds found homes with young and promising pickers that couldn't afford a decent guitar. My last Squier Tele build, I kept. I still drag it out occasionally. It still plays and sounds great. 😊😊😊
I used to cruise pawnshops for good candidates for customizing even 5 years ago. Got a few this way. But now pawnshops in my area have jacked the prices up considerably since the plandemic. Used guitars, even cheap ones, seem to have gone up in value bcuz of the higher cost of new guitars.
@scramblesthedeathdealer yea I did the same for my Yamaha RGZ 321. Wanted a Floyd Rose ended up buying the guitar for $189 and dumped $300 more into new SD pickups. So worth the upgrade
I do these too, I call them my Primo Cheapos and they definitely are a blast to play. Sadly used Squier prices shot up during the Pandemic so I moved in to newer Import guitars that pretty much straddle the Affinity and Standard lines for Squier. When I mod my Primo Cheapos they tend to add weight as all the new pots, switches, pickups and parts weigh more than the Chinese pot metal parts. Gives them more of a familiar Fender style heft when playing.
What I love about Squire specifically, is you don't even have to go through all the trouble with the fretboard/frets if you don't want to, you can just buy a new Fender neck which typically fits right in. You get the Fender branding, and (hopefully) a well set up neck/frets/nut.
Les Paul player detected at 22:26 :P The comparison in the end... I can keep listening to it for all day long, awesome!!! To me, low end is something I believe cannot be achieved in a cheaper guitar no matter which component is upgraded. This is what I noticed not only on this video, but on other similar ones. Cheers
100% what I do. Have a standard tele, an old Epiphone 335, and a player Strat that have all been “custom shopped”, and I always get tone compliments every show. Also, Ben is the 🐐
I did this to Harley Benton TE-62 Telecaster. Replaced pickups with custom wound ones, replaced electronics, had a proper setup from a good luthier and some smaller neck adjustments. It sounds amazing and it is not as heavy weighted as everybody is saying. The biggest difference of course was in pickups, but the rest also does it's a part more or less. If you don't have a budget for expensive Fenders, Gibsons etc., try this. It definitely can work, you just need to find a cheaper guitar that "rings". In other words, that is made from decent piece of wood. If that is the case, these mods can take the instrument to a really good place. :)
Hi Rhett. Don't know if you're aware, but EMG has a new set for Jazzmasters called the JMaster set. They are amazing and have a couple of tricks in the upper control panel. Rather than Vol/Tone for the neck PU, as in stock Jazzmasters, there is an EXG, that gives you a fuller, clean tone, and a SPC, which EMG originally intended to make single coils sound like Humbuckers. Although it doesn't exactly do that, it does give VERY useful tones. I use them in all my Turbocaster J-style guitars, including my own working guitars, and LOVE them! They also have the whole setup in a loaded pickguard as well. BTW, I also love those GraphTech saddles, in Mustang bridges. And another thing is I ALWAYS use Hipshot Locking tuners in ALL my guitars, but for sale and personal, and even acoustics and my archtops!
I have one of these Squiers and after polishing the frets, adjust a few fret ends, filing down the Tremolo base plate for a smoother working trem, put a shim in the neck pocket for a better break angle, filing the nut for 011 strings, lowering the pickups, and removing some laquer from the back of the neck this guitar plays like a dream. Cost.. €15 (steelwool, sandpaper and the 0,5 degree shim). It's totally not necessary to do this upgrades. Now it plays on par with my USA Jazzmaster. The only thing that I would do to make it road worthy is changing the pots but the originals are still doing fine. Totally not necessary to upgrade all the parts
Great job and killer gift for the Bike guy! I enjoyed watching you and Josh in the video of the gravel race and gig. The bike guy will definitely love this guitar.
My main guitar for years was a highly modded Squier ‘51 I bought at a pawnshop for $80. I put new pickups in it, Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and a single coil size Seymour Duncan ‘59 in the neck, string through mod, locking tuners, fretwork, fender string through bridge with 60s style saddles, custom paint job, and professional setup. It’s my favorite guitar with a lot of memories. I wish I could upload a photo in the comments…it’s beautiful…at least to me lol.
I bought a Squier Stratocasters vintage 70s and it is the best feeling strat I ever owned. I did replace the pickups to the Cradle Rocks and the tuners to what is on Robin Trower strat. It is now a beast.
All Jazzmasters/Jaguars need a half degree neck shim to properly set bridge height for the correct string tension. Once you do that, no more strings skipping saddles. These vibratos/bridges were designed after jazz archtop guitars. Excellent video
One of the great joys of my life now is what I've learned by slowly upgrading my Standard Tele that I got as a gift in 2011. What I haven't changed or fixed up is a very small list. I've really loved learning how to solder and sand and file and whatever else.
I just did this to my Jay Mascus Jazz But I also replaced the neck, put in Fralin hum canceling Jazz PU's, and soldered in all new electronics,put a bridge from an American professional Jag on it and a new tremolo Guitars spectacular now. Nice Video Rhett.
I feel like it's the most overlooked things of any jazz/jag/stang modding adventure, but a shim is basically essential for these. You mentioned the saddles can pop out due to the shallow break angle, and shimming the neck along with raising the bridge will fix that issue. You picked the graphtech saddles which are great, but only if you use bushing inserts on the posts to immobilize it, otherwise it can't rock back and forth as the vibrato/bridge were designed. Still a fantastic feature, I think for all you've done, the Squier is clearly a fantastic choice for testing different parts and pickups. For someone who wants the most traditional option, a used Vintera I is not far off the price of the CV modified. Being an owner of a few custom shop pieces, I'm well aware of how fantastic the work is and so I may personally lean towards a vintage correct CS option.
Great video!! I learned a LOT from this one!! I really appreciate the time you take to show how someone can make a "Budget" instrument feel and play like something that was custom built.
I did not expect to see Bobby Wintle in this video. I've known him since around 2010. He lived in my hometown and I bought a mountain bike from him when he worked at a local bike shop.
I was in the market for a Jazzmaster and after watching your earlier video, I went with the Squier (from Sweetwater). It looks and sounds great. Such a great value. I do need to knock the edges of the frets back a bit, and I love the steel wool-to-the-neck idea. I like the pickups through my set up, and I have no intention of "upgrading" them or the wiring. Maybe the bridge will get swapped out for a Mustang bridge if I have trouble with it, but so far, so good. And since I rarely even think about using the tremelo, that's going to stay Squier stock. But I've been pleasantly surprised at the quality of the "budget" instruments on the market these days. My Jazzmaster is light years better than the Squiers of my youth. Thanks Rhett. I've watched you sporadically for a while, but I'm now hitting subscribe!
This is by far one of your best videos Rhett. Bravo!!! really great integration of guitar parts, other professionals and informative subject matter. Cheers!
Such a great mod. You are a great friend Rhett, giving him a one of a kind top notch, better than new Squier. The tones were so so good from each of those JMs.
Squier CV 60 are great guitars for an update. On mine, I changed strings, tremolo system for a fender one, and pickups for Fender pure vintage 65. And now i own a killer guitar, whit a real sixties sound !!!
Excellent vid, Rhett. I did a few similar modifications to my J. Mascis Squire Jazzmaster although I decided to keep the stock pickups because they actually sound pretty great. Swapped-out parts: Staytrem Bridge, TUSQ nut, Fender OEM Tremolo, 00 steel wool to the back of the neck, and added copper shielding tape in the control cavities for better noise rejection. Now, it's one of my favourite guitars and when you see my collection, that's saying something. Next, I'm going to try rolling the edges along with a few passes of 320 grit sandpaper and see how it feels. (Excellent tips, BTW). Cheers!
My favorite guitar is a Squier 70's Classic Vibe ($399) with a 920D loaded pickguard with the Seymour-Duncan Hot-Rodded Humbucker HH 4-wire pickup set ($259). The guitar is light, the neck is great, and it sounds great. The guitar had an HSS setup originally, so I just had to router out the neck pickup cavity. I did everything myself. I had looked and tried the Mexican Strats, but most of them had neck profiles that I didn't like, and were heavier.
Great video. there is also a case to be made for doing the wiring loom before the pickups; the improved pots jack etc will show what your stock pickups are really like, they may be ok enough to live with while you take time to choose. If you aren't brave enough to go for wire wool(or you are heavy handed ) start with plain paper, it's a very mild abrasive
Great video. I've modded a few guitars, and in my opinion the nut is the main secret sauce of a good guitar. It is the hardest to get right and to have the skill to correct it. Everything else you can work around. But if the nut is not right, if the neck is not right... do not spend the money to buy and much less upgrade it. I've learned some cool tricks with this video, so thanks a lot.
Thinking about the overall quality of the Fender products that have been outsourced overseas, the quality has gotten a lot better ... over the years. I got a used 50th Anniversary Squire P-Bass (China Made) and it was VERY good. Great neck profile and feel. I knew that I could do better with some higher quality pickups ... and yes it was. I installed a hip-shot style bridge and that was an improvement. For what I have invested in that bass, I am very satisfied. I've played many new Squire Tele's and Strat's that were almost unplayable out of the box. To get those guitars into "playable "shape would have been a big project. Thanks for another great vid.
About a month ago I had 30th St Guitars in Manhattan install Elvis Costello’s custom spec Lindy Fralin Noiseless Pickups on my CIJ Jazzmaster along with the Black Bobbin wiring harness swapped for 500k pots and I couldn’t be happier. The guitar is a machine now. I had the antiquities for a while but they just weren’t doing what I wanted.
Hahaha I just did the same: compared my Epiphone '59 Les Paul reissue with eight mods including upgraded electronics and Faber bridge and tailpiece with the Gibson '59 LP reissue head-to-head. Numbers are also very similar: I have ~ $1050 into the Epiphone whereas the Gibson was tagged at $4750 used. Came out grinning like the Cheshire Cat. They look and sound identical, the only difference is a VERY slight difference in neck feel. This video offered me some suggestions on how to improve that, too. In addition to improving the tone, I buffed out the entire top with Maguire's automotive scratch remover and rubbed walnut stain into the Indian Laurel fretboard to make it look like rosewood, which worked well. I do NOT pine for a Gibson :o)
I “upgraded” my Squier Contemporary Jaguar HH with Graphtech tuner/nut, Babicz bridge, Fishman Fluence Classics and I absolutely love it. The neck is glorious and it’s a guitar I can’t currently buy from Fender with a roasted maple neck and sculpted heel. Plays amazing, sounds amazing and looks unreal!!
I customized a 72' Squire Thinline and it is now one of my favorite guitars, (but I added a sick custom Warmoth neck too) and I have a Relic'ed 62' Custom Shop Strat. Nothing wrong with doing this and we all love a good project if it can become a cool toy later. Thanks again Rhett, another great vid.
I know nothing about how Jazzmasters are "supposed" to sound, but being a Tele fan, I think I enjoyed the brighter sound of the Squier to the warmer sound of the custom shop. As others have mentioned.. that may have just been a difference in the pot values. Very interesting, thanks!
I have both the Classic Vibe and the J Mascis Squier JM. With some upgrade (pickups, tremolo, bridge, neck shim) and the right setup these instruments are great touring and recording guitars, so they worth more than a 5K custom shop (for me at least). Great video Rhett, thanks.
I knew something was off on the tremolo. Now I know why. It's as you said, I wasn't able to get good tapering, or modulation with the stock tremolo. I couldn't match the more aggressive tremolo bends in songs I was applying it to. Thanks for this. It really is a bang for your buck guitar.
Great video. The tip about using 0000 steel wool on the back of the neck was really helpful. I was going to chime in and say - why not get an MIM Jazzmaster, swap the pickups, and then do the setup. Then I checked the prices of new MIM Jazzmasters and realized the guitar alone is more than the Squier plus all the enhancements.
I did a very similar thing to my Squiers. I got anodized aluminum pickguards, complete with hardtail plates, Joe Barden pickups, CTS pots, Switchcraft jack, the whole works. In total, I probably spent the equivalent of a Mexican Fender, but I now have a "Custom Shop" Jaguar and Jazzmaster, to my specs. Those are now my tour guitars. That said, specifically, Classic Vibe and Vintage Modified are PERFECT right out of the box. But, if you do decide to modify it, at least you are not destroying a $2000 USA Fender.
I'm actually in the process of doing a similar upgrade with my own classic vibe jazzmaster. So far I've done a bunch of setup, replacing the trem for the Fender AVRI trem, and I've sanded the back of the neck to remove the gloss. Planning on throwing some gotoh tuners in, replacing the bridge with a staytrem, and replacing the pickups with a set from Sunday Handwound
Same! This is hilarious for me to see. A couple years ago I took a metallic purple Squier Classic Vibe JM and did the exact same. Duncan Antiquity pickups (I went for Antiquity II as I desired the abrasive highs for this surf machine), and added a 920D custom harness. I also replaced the trem but I went with the Femder AVRI instead of the panorama. Turned out to be a great guitar. Enjoy!
Great work, I've been working on a Squier Jazzmaster some years ago for a similar project and tried the Antiquity pickups but wasn't satisfied. Still to bright and harsh in my opinion. I found the definitive answer in the Mojo UK pickups 58-64 (I bought from them the complete preassembled harness kit too, very good quality). Super amazing. Those pickups transformed the cheap Squier in one of my main guitars that I still play with my band every week.
Nice tip I learned from a luthier: use red scotchbrite pad instead of steel wool to knock down the finish. Same result and less to clean up without the little bits of steel wool everywhere.
Same, but I’ve been using the green pad instead of red. Takes a little bit longer but it slows me down enough that I don’t overdo it. Steel wool and pickups can be a disastrous combination!
Definitely in love with that custom shop… I followed your links and looked up the specs. It appears that that custom shop guitar modded the pots to 250k ones, which give it a darker tone. So that’s the difference we’re hearing between the CS and the upgraded Squier. I’m sure if you put in similar pots they would sound almost identical. As is, the Squier comes across brighter.
I changed the electronics in a Squier Tele for an Obsidian Wire solderless kit with a treble bleed built in. It made a tremendous improvement in sound.
I'm glad this worked out for you and as a gift for your friend. That said there are a few mods that don't cost a lot (mainly time and effort with a little bit of cash) that can make a Squier or budget Offset much better and they were not done here. It's very easy to go off the deep end of the Mod pool with Offsets. Parts don't always fit (especially Metric to Standard, that's a big heads up there) and you got around a lot of issues by buying a pre wired kit. The three minimum steps that can have a major positive effect on your Offset are as follows: a .5° or a .75° shim in the neck pocket, shielding the control cavity with either conductive paint or copper shielding tape (make sure that the adhesive is conductive or you are going to have to solder ALL the various bits of copper tape) and heavy gauge strings. The shim helps the angle, some of the newer Fenders and Squiers may already have that feature but not all Squiers nor budget Offsets have these. You can make shims or you can buy them for a few bucks in Amazon. I also suggest using a black Sharpie on the sides of the shim to help them hide better in-between the neck and the body. I did the copper foil on my Offset (Xaviere JT 100) and it took three hours but at the end all of the hum and electronics issues went away. For strings I really recommend 11s or 12s because the bridge was designed by Leo Fender for heavier strings since the guitar was designed to replace a Jazz Cat's hollow body guitar. Most players give up on Offsets when their 9s don't work. The good news for this video is that the Fender Panorama bridge really is designed for lighter gauge strings, the Fender AVRI is the "go to" bridge (and less expensive) for heavier gauged strings. I bet there was a bunch of little adjustments we didn't see on camera to get this guitar up and running. Offset are a big rabbit hole to go down and they are set up and have a very different feel than other bolt on necks like Strats and Teles. This build was lucky because no major issues came up (replacement trem is too deep for the Trem cavity), parts fit pretty easy, almost everything (buy new pickup covers when you replace a Jazzmaster pickup otherwise you get what happened here) went to plan. The issues that came up are more any style of guitar vs Offset specific. I definitely recommend you check out Mike Adams aka Puisheen and his channel on all of the trials and tribulations of doing Offset mods. I'm glad this one worked out but this really is the exception more than the rule. Offsets can be very finicky with Wide Swing Tremolos and Bigsbys.
@@RhettShull Rhett, I have been watching your videos for a few years. The world of Offsets are really cool and as you found out, it can get expensive pretty quick. The best resource out there is Mike Adams and if you watch his videos it will help you with the concept of Offsets. I came from a Rockabilly and Psychobilly background so I have a few hollow bodies. I mainly play 11s on my solid bodies and 12s on my hollow bodies and this definitely helped me to get into Offsets. I also play bass so guitar strings really are not a big deal on gauges. So if you are ok with thicker gauges, Offsets should open up. Also your Novo is an Offset so you have been playing them longer than you thought (it also has that Wide Swing Tremolo on it too). So you DO HAVE experience, that said the Fender Offset formula (especially with the tilt bridge and shimming the neck) is really more of where you are heading towards. Don't be afraid to get your Offset wet and Surf it (lots of drippy Reverb there amigo, have fun with it!)😉👍✨🏄
I don’t know if its just me but Rhett looks a little more inspired jamming to the squier than the Fender CS. Hitting it harder too😂 I don’t know, to me the SCV sounds very good and feels very good right off the factory since I currently own a SCV Strat 70’s. I haven’t done anything to it maybe just lower a tad bit the string action. I do understand Rhett though and that’s because I think we suffer from the same syndrome… 😂 nothing feels better than a used guitar that has well over 20 years of beeing well played and broken in. Great video Rhett and keep em coming. Rock on🎸
I'm a sucker for an upgraded guitar, so the Squire would be my choice. Word of advice for those thinking of using the 0000 wire wool treatment at home - tape up your pickups, those wire wool fragments get everywhere and getting them completely off of your pickups is a long, nigh on impossible task
Ben is my hero! I wanna make him a living space in my home, feed him dinner, give him whatever he wants and ask him to tech all my guitars. LOL. Perfect vid for what I needed today. Thanks Rhett. 🎶🎶🌅🎶🎶
18:30 I sorta agree. It doesn’t bother me when the back of the neck is glossy because I can just add billiard chalk if I get too sweaty. What bothers me is when they gloss up the maple fretboard because then my fingers would stick to it and disable them from sliding. I think this is where Squier beats Fender because most maple fretboards on Squier are satin but Fender always pours gloss on theirs
Good call on the thread pitch, but it is also good to turn the screw counter-clockwise until it drops into the thread that is already in the wood before screwing it in.
They both sounded great. I was working in shop and listening and not watching and I couldn't tell the difference honestly. You sound great I think the basic squire sounds real close. Pots and switches feel better when they're in your hands
This is right up my alley. I've been thinking about doing something similar to a JM for a while. I figure that I would at the very least change the tremolo, and possibly the bridge. Good to see that it can be done. I know it's out of scope for this vid, but it would be interesting to see how the replacement pups sound in the original wiring harness.
I bought a new Squier Jazzmaster (but in dented or chipped condition on the body so it was cheaper) about a year ago because I liked the wide neck and thought it had P90 pickups and i liked the sound of them. Turns out, they look like P90s but are Jazzmaster specific pickups. I still like them. Thanks for the video---will have to play this guitar some more and determine what upgrades I can afford and will be valid in my situation! It definitely is a different guitar to play compared to Strat and hollow body guitar model styles I also play.
I got a Squier J mascis Put on a Mastery bridge Series switch instead of rhythm circuit Lots of fret work It’s one of the best playing guitars I own It plays and sounds great
I like the tone of the custom shop Fender. It’s mellow and yet sharper on the bridge pickup. But with that said, great price and you could tune the amp to get a similar tone. Thanks for the tips!
Im not a tech either Rhett but i do the same basic things to my guitars. Electronics and pots get replaced, fret board rolled the same way (its an old carpenter trick i learned buildings houses and cabinets). A new Graphtech nut, completely intonated and adjusted, and frets dressed. Saved me lots of money, and now i do it on my friends guitars too.
Great video! Seems to mostly come down to if you like the neck profile on the Squier and the sound/resonance of the less desirable wood. I think Mexican made Fender is usually the way to go, but if you can only get what you want in a Squier look and layout then go this upgrade route.
Excellent video. Interestingly enough, I don’t thing anyone would have known with confidence which sound was the CS and which was the squire from a blind test prior to the mods.
I did something similar to my Epiphone Les Pauls. My 1993 Korean Cherry Burst is a champ now. The Seymour Duncan Saturday Night Specials in it sound phenomenal through my Vox VTX 100. Gear doesn't have to be very expensive to sound great. A lot of the budget gear we have today is as good or better than a lot of the classic gear was in its day. Most problems with these budget guitars could be solved with a real set up and some fret & neck work. The rest is for those who are passionate enough to do it.
Antiquity pickups are so underrated. People overlook them because they’re not the most unique, but if you just want really great pure Jazzmaster tone you can’t beat the Antiquities.
Perfect timing, I *just* bought a CME FSR Player Jazzmaster like last week with the intent of doing some upgrades! Definitely gonna be taking notes from this vid
Great vid, got here from the Jazzmaster shootout. My only quibble is that you only play the same "jam" and thus the tone comparison is a bit one dimensional. The guitars sound different but to say one sounds better or worse just depends on the song. I am a total Fender guy, mainly strats, and have a bunch of squires in my collection, you really just need to try them until you find one with good natural tone/resonance and upgrade the electronics. My tendency has been to build a guitar that fits the band I am playing in so rather than choosing pick ups that sound "authentic" I look for tones that blend well with what is going on around me. I have everything from stock vintage single coil to massive humbuckers and everything in between. Make that board sound good and fit your style and the band you play with, that is what music is all about!!
still more overhead in the custom shop, but that howl is way more present. So for double the money of the guitar, it'll sound much much nicer than it did. I learned a bunch here for restoration on my tele, and ill be looking at 920D for replacement wiring for that AND my squire jazzmaster basses! Thank you Rhett.
Hey Rhett, Great video. I did this to my Squier Classic Vibe JM. I was nervous to do it myself, so I sent it to Shelby at Black Bobbin. Dude does amazing things and couldn't be a nicer human being. He has a special set of pickups from Lollar with Alnico 2 magnets. Have you tried those yet? To my ears they got rid of that "harshness" you were talking about. I'd recommend giving them a whirl. I feel like I have a JM that punches well above it's weight now. Thanks for the content.
Rhett, I am absolutely blown away dude. I don’t even know where to begin. You and Tilly becoming family so quickly is something I will cherish forever and this guitar and video will constantly remind me of these past few months and the beautiful moments we’ve shared from eating delicious ribeye with our hands in my kitchen to producing a live recording of 7 artists in 24 hours in my bike shop. Thank you just doesn’t seem to cut it. I’ve been so busy I didn’t get to watch the whole video until tonight and I literally had no idea you were sending me the Jazzmaster until it was at my home and in my hands. Love you and Tilly forever. Can’t wait to play this guitar with you soon. ❤ Now I got me a Jazzmaster!!! Thank you my friend. I’m speechless and that doesn’t happen ever.
Enjoy that thing! That’s a great friend you’ve got!
This video went from being a techy gear head video to sentimental pretty quick. I kinda sniffled a lil bit when Rhett went into the story of why he was doing this. Such a cool thing to do.
That’s so wholesome
brotherhood.
The main take away is that what really makes a guitar sound good is the person playing it.
@@burningjoe Yeah, I once saw blues-legend Magic Slim play a Squier through a.. wait for it: Roland Jazz Chorus solid state amp. Sounded killer!
For the most part, yes. Every guitar I play sounds like me. Every drum set I play sounds like me. Every keyboard I play sounds like me.
If I had to choose between a thousand hours of practice or a $5000 guitar, I'll take the practice. A good player will sound good on a decent guitar, a bad player will still sound bad on the best guitar on the planet.
@@Charlesbabbage2209i'd take the 5000 guitar in a heartbeat. The fun of playing guitar is getting better. I'd rather put in the 1000 hours myself and work for it, than to have those skills handed down to me
It is just so much easier to watch a video and talk about guitar and type some comments than actually LEARN and practice on a guitar.
I'm off to a bad start: I can't hear anything wrong with the stock Squier.
Well that is because you lack the nerdy insecurities of most guitarists. Guitar buyers often buy to make up for something they see as lacking in their own self.
Guitar seller's take full advantage of this and often without realizing it because it pays for their lunch and that clouds their ability to be honest, even to themselves.
Welcome to one of the most over hyped consumer products ever invented, sold mostly to folks who couldn't strum Happy Birthday even if I told em it was a I, V, I IV progression.
your bad start is cash in the bank, why create non-existing problems
That's because hes playing through a great amp. Also squiers dont sound bad, they just dont sound great either. More expensive guitars/ pups have that oompf that you can't quite express in words
@@maxvanderhoning8375 I find that a good amp ( I do not know great amps but most valve amps and many solid state amps sound pretty good with decent guitars and the speakers make the biggest difference to me. Yes PUPs can sound muddy, but I find the speakers and setting contribute a lot to the muddy sound or loss of definition. Yes I have various teles from MIM MiJ to US special and The neck had the most lame. also the MIJ switches failed on me and costs the most to repair. The MIA texas specials were really lame sounding. I ordered a Classic Vibes and I will see what the deal is. I will have saved enough euros to buy new pups if I need. PUP is most important to me. I am not guitar tech or claim to be an expert. but I have played since 1971. I am also considering Harley Benton, because of price and ease of attaining them in Europe. The most popular players did not play the most expensive guitars Ask Marc Farner or Brian May or Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.
I wouldn't say you're off to a bad start, squiers aren't bad guitars. It's mostly hardware that feels cheaper on them particularly the trems as Rhett said.
The pickups did sound a bit more sterile to me but you could definitely EQ it out.
I closed my eyes during the initial comparison and really listened. Before you did anything both sounded great in their own way anyway.
I think that this stuff is more about specificity than good v bad, tonewise. Any fully-functioning guitar can be part of many musically-useful signal chains, but a given player’s style and workflow might dictate that a certain output (whether it be from pickups or surrounding electronics) gets closer to their dream tone with less effort.
The biggest tone difference comes from a happier player who is having their desired physical and psychoacoustic experience.
The sound difference didn't seem drastic, but he looked much more relaxed on the Custom Shop, appeared to be digging in harder to coax the sound out of the Classic Vibe. Possibly a responsiveness that's more felt than heard.
I was exacting my lunch and looked up a few times and hadn’t realised he’d changed guitars… both sounded pretty good to me at home on my iPad speakers 🤷♂️
I think the bigger question is, with the cost of the mods, is the guitar any better than say a US Standard which is probably the same cost…
“Custom Shopping” a guitar is almost all about psychology and how the guitar makes the player feel rather than it having to do with any drastic sonic improvement. Giving it a proper set up (with any needed fret work and fretboard rolling included) will make the largest noticeable difference pertaining to playability and comfort which is a HUGE factor as well.
Long-winded way of saying that gaining a better tone is one of the least observable effects of upgrading a guitar.
Just wanted to note for anyone who feels that the custom shop model sounds a little “warmer” than the upgraded squier… the custom shop has been using 250k pots in their jazzmasters as of late.
It’s not true to the original design, but many people prefer the sound. So it’s another switch worth considering if you find your jazzmaster a touch too bright.
All that said, great video on some truly transformative and affordable upgrades Rhett! Keep it up!
"the custom shop has been using 250k pots in their jazzmasters as of late. "
Blasphemers...
The key to the offsets and their 1 meg pots is that they should live on 8 - which is real close to a 500k pot. Lets you dial it up to full blast if you want or a couple more down and you're basically at 250.
The biggest knock on the linear 1 meg pots is that they aren't great if you want to use the volume knob to clean up an amp but they still work fine with a pedal that cleans up like a Fuzz Face.
brass bridge, hate graphtec saddles
I have the same Squier in the video and put 250k pots in the main circuit and 1meg pots in the rhythm circuit. 95% of the time I’m on the 250k pots but if I need some thin sparkly stuff I have the option to switch. The 250k pots were a real game changer for this guitar, and a cheap change.
Interesting. I thought the Squier sounded too bright and harsh both before and after the upgrade, so that's probably why. Could have saved quite a bit of money by just changing the pots first and seeing if that tamed the harshness. If so, no need for new pickups.
@@gazzie12000 My Affinity had 500k pots, after stratifying the electronics I decided I really liked the stock pickups so they got new black covers and stayed in place, sounds great now with the 250k's.
Having built a few guitars with my Dad I'd take doing a custom job all day. You can make it EXACTLY what you want it to be. The bigger thing to me though is because you are doing all that stuff yourself, it really makes the guitar feel like it's yours. The ones we've built will never EVER be sold. The personal connection we have to them is something you just can't replicate and I love it.
Exactly 👍
I closed my eyes while listening to the sound comparison and every time i preferred the squier
To me the Squier sounded more neutral and more like every other Jazzmaster I've ever picked up. I guess if you're paying extra bucks for a custom shop guitar you want to be able to hear a difference, but that to me sounds designed to give your dentist something to brag about while you're trapped in his chair. If I buy a Jazzmaster I want it to sound like a Jazzmaster.
If wanted a fatter sound I guess I could see dropping some Novaks or Lollars in it, but I think I would have to either hate the way every other guitar felt or only have room in my life for one guitar. What do I know, plenty of people have done it and they're probably better guitarists than me, better with their money, or both.
18:29 I did this trick with my 1998 Epiphone Les Paul. Every few years, I break out the 0000 steel wool and make about 4 passes over the back of the neck to make it less sticky! 😊
Hey Rhett, I am a guitar technician in Los Angeles Ca, this video solidifies what can be done to “most” less expensive guitars. I say most cause some cheaper guitars are cannot be deemed playable due to a severely warped neck, frets although frets can be serviced and be very good. All in all, with a little $$ even cheap guitars can be made to play and play very well.every once in a while one slips through and only needs pick ups and there are so many aftermarket pickup brands that you can purchase pickups south of $100.00 and you be hard pressed to hear the difference. Thanks Rhett. Tim Russell Guitar.
Pro detected
@@JeremyAndersonBoise ??
Yeah what’s crazy is sometimes all a cheap guitar needs is a good setup. I think for me that has to be one of the most important parts regardless of the price of the instrument
@@SStudiopro He is saying your comment indicates you are a professional.
@@altjacobs Oh, ok thank you so much for the clarification.
That’s for the steel wool tip! I did that to my classic vibe telecaster neck too and love it. You could get better results with sandpaper but with this you get a little bit more glide
great sounding guitar.....also, gotta love the "pinche way" street sign behind Ben at 13:54 !!!!
Honestly, the stock Squier sounds pretty great.
Getting the plastic wrap off in one piece - so satisfying
Ah, the simple things in life.
I did the exact same upgrade. Put in Antiquity IIs in a lefty antique white CV Jazzmaster. Got a Staytrem bar. Kept stock saddles and trim they work fine (lefty trim as an aftermarket part from Fender not available). Got frets leveled. Plays a dream. BIG THING NOT MENTIONED. Noticed the demos in video the CV sound was had more top end than CS. This is because the replacement wiring harness has 1 meg pots. That's the classic Jazzmaster sound but many players today are backing away from that much top end in a Jazzmaster, in the old days you'd reach for the tone control on the guitar to tame it. Today many Jazzmaster players either put in 500k (or as someone here said even 250K they believe to be standard in CS Jazzmasters today) OR buy Antiquity I pickups that have Alnico II magnets instead of the Alnico V in the Antiquity II. Rhett didn't say which Antiquities he put in his redo, that makes a world of difference. My advice is 500K pots with Alnico V Antiquity IIs it's the goldilocks zone of emphasized top you want in a Jazzmaster, plenty of nice bite and chime but you're not instantly and forever using the tone pot to tame it. If you want a mellower sound go with the Antiquity Is with Alnico II it's the sound of a late 50's Jazzmaster that is more mellow. Alnico II with 1 meg pots will sound in the zip code of the CS guitar in the demo. For jazz as designed :). But I suspect Fender may have moved to Alnico Vs in the 60's when they couldn't sell enough guitars to jazz players but the surf guys were buying them like hotcakes for "that sound." The key balance and interaction here is magnet type vs. pot spec. These two factors have the highest impact on the warm/bright characteristic of your guitar. Not going into body wood or fretboard here, but definitely pots and magnets are the key. For a brighter guitar use 1 meg pots or Alnico Vs. 1 meg + Alnico V will tear your head off but maybe that's what you're after. 250k + Alnico II will be the most warm mellow sound but IMHO doesn't sound like a Jazzmaster it sounds almost like a Tele to me. 500k + Alnico Vs to my ears is that "ah, that's better" moment where you stop managing the top end. And for the Squire CV Jazzmasters with poplar bodies which some say are snappier than Fender alder Jazzmasters this helps moderate that factor as well.
you got a lot of knowledge
When I was touring, I used to do this to my Squiers. Obviously, money was always tight. So, finding quality guitars at affordable prices was impossible.
You used to be able to find pawn shop deals and hotrod them to make useable stage instruments.
I haven't been in a pawn shop in decades. So, I don't know if that is still true.
My last "build" was a Squier standard Tele. I put in Custom Shop Texas Specials and added a middle Strat pup. I didn't have a router but careful use of a wood chisel worked just as well. I also replaced all of the wiring, pots, caps and replaced the 3 way switch with a 5 way. I could have installed a push/pull tone pot to get a ton of pickup selections but I chose to wire the 5 way with my own preferences of pickup combinations.
Most of my pawn shop builds found homes with young and promising pickers that couldn't afford a decent guitar.
My last Squier Tele build, I kept. I still drag it out occasionally. It still plays and sounds great.
😊😊😊
I used to cruise pawnshops for good candidates for customizing even 5 years ago. Got a few this way. But now pawnshops in my area have jacked the prices up considerably since the plandemic. Used guitars, even cheap ones, seem to have gone up in value bcuz of the higher cost of new guitars.
I picked up a nice Ibanez RG7421 7-string for $250 at a pawn shop recently... put more than that into upgrades, but I love that guitar so much now!
@scramblesthedeathdealer yea I did the same for my Yamaha RGZ 321. Wanted a Floyd Rose ended up buying the guitar for $189 and dumped $300 more into new SD pickups. So worth the upgrade
@@mikewithers299 Nothing wrong with that, now it's your custom model 👍
I do these too, I call them my Primo Cheapos and they definitely are a blast to play. Sadly used Squier prices shot up during the Pandemic so I moved in to newer Import guitars that pretty much straddle the Affinity and Standard lines for Squier. When I mod my Primo Cheapos they tend to add weight as all the new pots, switches, pickups and parts weigh more than the Chinese pot metal parts. Gives them more of a familiar Fender style heft when playing.
What I love about Squire specifically, is you don't even have to go through all the trouble with the fretboard/frets if you don't want to, you can just buy a new Fender neck which typically fits right in. You get the Fender branding, and (hopefully) a well set up neck/frets/nut.
Les Paul player detected at 22:26 :P
The comparison in the end... I can keep listening to it for all day long, awesome!!!
To me, low end is something I believe cannot be achieved in a cheaper guitar no matter which component is upgraded. This is what I noticed not only on this video, but on other similar ones.
Cheers
100% what I do. Have a standard tele, an old Epiphone 335, and a player Strat that have all been “custom shopped”, and I always get tone compliments every show.
Also, Ben is the 🐐
I did this to Harley Benton TE-62 Telecaster. Replaced pickups with custom wound ones, replaced electronics, had a proper setup from a good luthier and some smaller neck adjustments. It sounds amazing and it is not as heavy weighted as everybody is saying. The biggest difference of course was in pickups, but the rest also does it's a part more or less. If you don't have a budget for expensive Fenders, Gibsons etc., try this. It definitely can work, you just need to find a cheaper guitar that "rings". In other words, that is made from decent piece of wood. If that is the case, these mods can take the instrument to a really good place. :)
That screwdriver trick on the fretboard edges is great. Just transformed my unbound BFG Les Paul neck.
Agreed. I just did that to a couple of Franken tele builds of mine that needed a little fretboard rolling. Worked great
Hi Rhett. Don't know if you're aware, but EMG has a new set for Jazzmasters called the JMaster set. They are amazing and have a couple of tricks in the upper control panel. Rather than Vol/Tone for the neck PU, as in stock Jazzmasters, there is an EXG, that gives you a fuller, clean tone, and a SPC, which EMG originally intended to make single coils sound like Humbuckers. Although it doesn't exactly do that, it does give VERY useful tones. I use them in all my Turbocaster J-style guitars, including my own working guitars, and LOVE them!
They also have the whole setup in a loaded pickguard as well.
BTW, I also love those GraphTech saddles, in Mustang bridges. And another thing is I ALWAYS use Hipshot Locking tuners in ALL my guitars, but for sale and personal, and even acoustics and my archtops!
I have one of these Squiers and after polishing the frets, adjust a few fret ends, filing down the Tremolo base plate for a smoother working trem, put a shim in the neck pocket for a better break angle, filing the nut for 011 strings, lowering the pickups, and removing some laquer from the back of the neck this guitar plays like a dream. Cost.. €15 (steelwool, sandpaper and the 0,5 degree shim). It's totally not necessary to do this upgrades. Now it plays on par with my USA Jazzmaster. The only thing that I would do to make it road worthy is changing the pots but the originals are still doing fine. Totally not necessary to upgrade all the parts
Great job and killer gift for the Bike guy! I enjoyed watching you and Josh in the video of the gravel race and gig. The bike guy will definitely love this guitar.
My main guitar for years was a highly modded Squier ‘51 I bought at a pawnshop for $80. I put new pickups in it, Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and a single coil size Seymour Duncan ‘59 in the neck, string through mod, locking tuners, fretwork, fender string through bridge with 60s style saddles, custom paint job, and professional setup. It’s my favorite guitar with a lot of memories. I wish I could upload a photo in the comments…it’s beautiful…at least to me lol.
These more tech/mechanical videos are pretty cool. They’re all cool, but obviously I enjoy these ones. Thanks, dude.
Love that street sign behind Ben.
PINCHE way !!
😂🤣😂
I bought a Squier Stratocasters vintage 70s and it is the best feeling strat I ever owned. I did replace the pickups to the Cradle Rocks and the tuners to what is on Robin Trower strat. It is now a beast.
All Jazzmasters/Jaguars need a half degree neck shim to properly set bridge height for the correct string tension. Once you do that, no more strings skipping saddles. These vibratos/bridges were designed after jazz archtop guitars.
Excellent video
One of the great joys of my life now is what I've learned by slowly upgrading my Standard Tele that I got as a gift in 2011. What I haven't changed or fixed up is a very small list. I've really loved learning how to solder and sand and file and whatever else.
I just did this to my Jay Mascus Jazz
But I also replaced the neck, put in Fralin hum canceling Jazz PU's, and soldered in all new electronics,put a bridge from an American professional Jag on it and a new tremolo
Guitars spectacular now.
Nice Video Rhett.
I love all episodes with Ben!
I feel like it's the most overlooked things of any jazz/jag/stang modding adventure, but a shim is basically essential for these.
You mentioned the saddles can pop out due to the shallow break angle, and shimming the neck along with raising the bridge will fix that issue.
You picked the graphtech saddles which are great, but only if you use bushing inserts on the posts to immobilize it, otherwise it can't rock back and forth as the vibrato/bridge were designed.
Still a fantastic feature, I think for all you've done, the Squier is clearly a fantastic choice for testing different parts and pickups. For someone who wants the most traditional option, a used Vintera I is not far off the price of the CV modified. Being an owner of a few custom shop pieces, I'm well aware of how fantastic the work is and so I may personally lean towards a vintage correct CS option.
Great video!!
I learned a LOT from this one!!
I really appreciate the time you take to show how someone can make a "Budget" instrument feel and play like something that was custom built.
I did not expect to see Bobby Wintle in this video. I've known him since around 2010. He lived in my hometown and I bought a mountain bike from him when he worked at a local bike shop.
I was in the market for a Jazzmaster and after watching your earlier video, I went with the Squier (from Sweetwater). It looks and sounds great. Such a great value. I do need to knock the edges of the frets back a bit, and I love the steel wool-to-the-neck idea. I like the pickups through my set up, and I have no intention of "upgrading" them or the wiring. Maybe the bridge will get swapped out for a Mustang bridge if I have trouble with it, but so far, so good. And since I rarely even think about using the tremelo, that's going to stay Squier stock. But I've been pleasantly surprised at the quality of the "budget" instruments on the market these days. My Jazzmaster is light years better than the Squiers of my youth. Thanks Rhett. I've watched you sporadically for a while, but I'm now hitting subscribe!
The clear pickguard was cool too.
That clear pickguard is begging to be stickerbombed
This is by far one of your best videos Rhett. Bravo!!! really great integration of guitar parts, other professionals and informative subject matter. Cheers!
Great video! I'm planning on doing something similar soon. Also, the street sign on the beam is HILARIOUS!
Such a great mod. You are a great friend Rhett, giving him a one of a kind top notch, better than new Squier. The tones were so so good from each of those JMs.
Cool offset tip to keep the strings from slipping out of the saddles, shim the neck so you can raise the bridge/ increase the break angle
Squier CV 60 are great guitars for an update. On mine, I changed strings, tremolo system for a fender one, and pickups for Fender pure vintage 65. And now i own a killer guitar, whit a real sixties sound !!!
Excellent vid, Rhett. I did a few similar modifications to my J. Mascis Squire Jazzmaster although I decided to keep the stock pickups because they actually sound pretty great. Swapped-out parts: Staytrem Bridge, TUSQ nut, Fender OEM Tremolo, 00 steel wool to the back of the neck, and added copper shielding tape in the control cavities for better noise rejection. Now, it's one of my favourite guitars and when you see my collection, that's saying something. Next, I'm going to try rolling the edges along with a few passes of 320 grit sandpaper and see how it feels. (Excellent tips, BTW). Cheers!
My favorite guitar is a Squier 70's Classic Vibe ($399) with a 920D loaded pickguard with the Seymour-Duncan Hot-Rodded Humbucker HH 4-wire pickup set ($259). The guitar is light, the neck is great, and it sounds great. The guitar had an HSS setup originally, so I just had to router out the neck pickup cavity. I did everything myself. I had looked and tried the Mexican Strats, but most of them had neck profiles that I didn't like, and were heavier.
Great video. there is also a case to be made for doing the wiring loom before the pickups; the improved pots jack etc will show what your stock pickups are really like, they may be ok enough to live with while you take time to choose. If you aren't brave enough to go for wire wool(or you are heavy handed ) start with plain paper, it's a very mild abrasive
Great video. I've modded a few guitars, and in my opinion the nut is the main secret sauce of a good guitar. It is the hardest to get right and to have the skill to correct it. Everything else you can work around. But if the nut is not right, if the neck is not right... do not spend the money to buy and much less upgrade it. I've learned some cool tricks with this video, so thanks a lot.
Thinking about the overall quality of the Fender products that have been outsourced overseas, the quality has gotten a lot better ... over the years. I got a used 50th Anniversary Squire P-Bass (China Made) and it was VERY good. Great neck profile and feel. I knew that I could do better with some higher quality pickups ... and yes it was. I installed a hip-shot style bridge and that was an improvement. For what I have invested in that bass, I am very satisfied. I've played many new Squire Tele's and Strat's that were almost unplayable out of the box. To get those guitars into "playable "shape would have been a big project. Thanks for another great vid.
About a month ago I had 30th St Guitars in Manhattan install Elvis Costello’s custom spec Lindy Fralin Noiseless Pickups on my CIJ Jazzmaster along with the Black Bobbin wiring harness swapped for 500k pots and I couldn’t be happier. The guitar is a machine now. I had the antiquities for a while but they just weren’t doing what I wanted.
Hahaha I just did the same: compared my Epiphone '59 Les Paul reissue with eight mods including upgraded electronics and Faber bridge and tailpiece with the Gibson '59 LP reissue head-to-head. Numbers are also very similar: I have ~ $1050 into the Epiphone whereas the Gibson was tagged at $4750 used. Came out grinning like the Cheshire Cat. They look and sound identical, the only difference is a VERY slight difference in neck feel. This video offered me some suggestions on how to improve that, too. In addition to improving the tone, I buffed out the entire top with Maguire's automotive scratch remover and rubbed walnut stain into the Indian Laurel fretboard to make it look like rosewood, which worked well. I do NOT pine for a Gibson :o)
I “upgraded” my Squier Contemporary Jaguar HH with Graphtech tuner/nut, Babicz bridge, Fishman Fluence Classics and I absolutely love it. The neck is glorious and it’s a guitar I can’t currently buy from Fender with a roasted maple neck and sculpted heel. Plays amazing, sounds amazing and looks unreal!!
I customized a 72' Squire Thinline and it is now one of my favorite guitars, (but I added a sick custom Warmoth neck too) and I have a Relic'ed 62' Custom Shop Strat. Nothing wrong with doing this and we all love a good project if it can become a cool toy later. Thanks again Rhett, another great vid.
I know nothing about how Jazzmasters are "supposed" to sound, but being a Tele fan, I think I enjoyed the brighter sound of the Squier to the warmer sound of the custom shop. As others have mentioned.. that may have just been a difference in the pot values. Very interesting, thanks!
Cool upgrade and sound soo better and closer to the custom!
We need “today I AM a guitar technician” merch 😂
a "subtly nervous" technician 😜
the rolling fingerboard edges with a screwdriver or similar tool is no joke. So worth it
Your content has really been next level lately man! 🔥🔥🔥
I have both the Classic Vibe and the J Mascis Squier JM. With some upgrade (pickups, tremolo, bridge, neck shim) and the right setup these instruments are great touring and recording guitars, so they worth more than a 5K custom shop (for me at least). Great video Rhett, thanks.
I did this exact same thing, only I used a Squier JMJM neck and a Fender Vintera JM body.
Totally worth it.
I knew something was off on the tremolo. Now I know why. It's as you said, I wasn't able to get good tapering, or modulation with the stock tremolo. I couldn't match the more aggressive tremolo bends in songs I was applying it to. Thanks for this. It really is a bang for your buck guitar.
Great video. The tip about using 0000 steel wool on the back of the neck was really helpful. I was going to chime in and say - why not get an MIM Jazzmaster, swap the pickups, and then do the setup. Then I checked the prices of new MIM Jazzmasters and realized the guitar alone is more than the Squier plus all the enhancements.
I did a very similar thing to my Squiers. I got anodized aluminum pickguards, complete with hardtail plates, Joe Barden pickups, CTS pots, Switchcraft jack, the whole works. In total, I probably spent the equivalent of a Mexican Fender, but I now have a "Custom Shop" Jaguar and Jazzmaster, to my specs. Those are now my tour guitars.
That said, specifically, Classic Vibe and Vintage Modified are PERFECT right out of the box. But, if you do decide to modify it, at least you are not destroying a $2000 USA Fender.
Right on! Classic Vibes are perfect out of the box in terms of components. All they need is a setup but that is true for every instrument.
What band do you tour with?
I'm actually in the process of doing a similar upgrade with my own classic vibe jazzmaster. So far I've done a bunch of setup, replacing the trem for the Fender AVRI trem, and I've sanded the back of the neck to remove the gloss. Planning on throwing some gotoh tuners in, replacing the bridge with a staytrem, and replacing the pickups with a set from Sunday Handwound
Same! This is hilarious for me to see. A couple years ago I took a metallic purple Squier Classic Vibe JM and did the exact same. Duncan Antiquity pickups (I went for Antiquity II as I desired the abrasive highs for this surf machine), and added a 920D custom harness. I also replaced the trem but I went with the Femder AVRI instead of the panorama.
Turned out to be a great guitar. Enjoy!
Great work, I've been working on a Squier Jazzmaster some years ago for a similar project and tried the Antiquity pickups but wasn't satisfied. Still to bright and harsh in my opinion. I found the definitive answer in the Mojo UK pickups 58-64 (I bought from them the complete preassembled harness kit too, very good quality). Super amazing. Those pickups transformed the cheap Squier in one of my main guitars that I still play with my band every week.
Nice tip I learned from a luthier: use red scotchbrite pad instead of steel wool to knock down the finish. Same result and less to clean up without the little bits of steel wool everywhere.
I am partial to Bronze Wool, but it is fairly hard to find and pretty spendy. Scotchbrite is nifty, all the different colors for different uses!
Same, but I’ve been using the green pad instead of red. Takes a little bit longer but it slows me down enough that I don’t overdo it. Steel wool and pickups can be a disastrous combination!
Definitely in love with that custom shop… I followed your links and looked up the specs. It appears that that custom shop guitar modded the pots to 250k ones, which give it a darker tone. So that’s the difference we’re hearing between the CS and the upgraded Squier. I’m sure if you put in similar pots they would sound almost identical. As is, the Squier comes across brighter.
I changed the electronics in a Squier Tele for an Obsidian Wire solderless kit with a treble bleed built in. It made a tremendous improvement in sound.
Dude this video is insanely good!! I am in the midst of this EXACT project!! Thank you so much for this! You rule!
I'm glad this worked out for you and as a gift for your friend. That said there are a few mods that don't cost a lot (mainly time and effort with a little bit of cash) that can make a Squier or budget Offset much better and they were not done here.
It's very easy to go off the deep end of the Mod pool with Offsets. Parts don't always fit (especially Metric to Standard, that's a big heads up there) and you got around a lot of issues by buying a pre wired kit.
The three minimum steps that can have a major positive effect on your Offset are as follows: a .5° or a .75° shim in the neck pocket, shielding the control cavity with either conductive paint or copper shielding tape (make sure that the adhesive is conductive or you are going to have to solder ALL the various bits of copper tape) and heavy gauge strings.
The shim helps the angle, some of the newer Fenders and Squiers may already have that feature but not all Squiers nor budget Offsets have these. You can make shims or you can buy them for a few bucks in Amazon. I also suggest using a black Sharpie on the sides of the shim to help them hide better in-between the neck and the body. I did the copper foil on my Offset (Xaviere JT 100) and it took three hours but at the end all of the hum and electronics issues went away. For strings I really recommend 11s or 12s because the bridge was designed by Leo Fender for heavier strings since the guitar was designed to replace a Jazz Cat's hollow body guitar. Most players give up on Offsets when their 9s don't work.
The good news for this video is that the Fender Panorama bridge really is designed for lighter gauge strings, the Fender AVRI is the "go to" bridge (and less expensive) for heavier gauged strings. I bet there was a bunch of little adjustments we didn't see on camera to get this guitar up and running.
Offset are a big rabbit hole to go down and they are set up and have a very different feel than other bolt on necks like Strats and Teles. This build was lucky because no major issues came up (replacement trem is too deep for the Trem cavity), parts fit pretty easy, almost everything (buy new pickup covers when you replace a Jazzmaster pickup otherwise you get what happened here) went to plan. The issues that came up are more any style of guitar vs Offset specific. I definitely recommend you check out Mike Adams aka Puisheen and his channel on all of the trials and tribulations of doing Offset mods.
I'm glad this one worked out but this really is the exception more than the rule. Offsets can be very finicky with Wide Swing Tremolos and Bigsbys.
Thanks for the comment, admittedly I’m new to the world of Fender Offsets so this is super helpful!
@@RhettShull
Rhett, I have been watching your videos for a few years. The world of Offsets are really cool and as you found out, it can get expensive pretty quick. The best resource out there is Mike Adams and if you watch his videos it will help you with the concept of Offsets.
I came from a Rockabilly and Psychobilly background so I have a few hollow bodies. I mainly play 11s on my solid bodies and 12s on my hollow bodies and this definitely helped me to get into Offsets. I also play bass so guitar strings really are not a big deal on gauges.
So if you are ok with thicker gauges, Offsets should open up. Also your Novo is an Offset so you have been playing them longer than you thought (it also has that Wide Swing Tremolo on it too). So you DO HAVE experience, that said the Fender Offset formula (especially with the tilt bridge and shimming the neck) is really more of where you are heading towards.
Don't be afraid to get your Offset wet and Surf it (lots of drippy Reverb there amigo, have fun with it!)😉👍✨🏄
I don’t know if its just me but Rhett looks a little more inspired jamming to the squier than the Fender CS. Hitting it harder too😂 I don’t know, to me the SCV sounds very good and feels very good right off the factory since I currently own a SCV Strat 70’s. I haven’t done anything to it maybe just lower a tad bit the string action. I do understand Rhett though and that’s because I think we suffer from the same syndrome… 😂 nothing feels better than a used guitar that has well over 20 years of beeing well played and broken in. Great video Rhett and keep em coming. Rock on🎸
I'm a sucker for an upgraded guitar, so the Squire would be my choice. Word of advice for those thinking of using the 0000 wire wool treatment at home - tape up your pickups, those wire wool fragments get everywhere and getting them completely off of your pickups is a long, nigh on impossible task
Bronze Wool doesn't do that, but bring plenty of cash to the Hardware Store.
I took a similar approach with my Epiphone Sheraton. Took the guts out of a 335 and swapped em in. Massive upgrade for a fraction of the cost.
Ben is my hero! I wanna make him a living space in my home, feed him dinner, give him whatever he wants and ask him to tech all my guitars. LOL.
Perfect vid for what I needed today. Thanks Rhett. 🎶🎶🌅🎶🎶
Squier with up graded parts sounds awesome...
great job
18:30 I sorta agree. It doesn’t bother me when the back of the neck is glossy because I can just add billiard chalk if I get too sweaty. What bothers me is when they gloss up the maple fretboard because then my fingers would stick to it and disable them from sliding. I think this is where Squier beats Fender because most maple fretboards on Squier are satin but Fender always pours gloss on theirs
Good call on the thread pitch, but it is also good to turn the screw counter-clockwise until it drops into the thread that is already in the wood before screwing it in.
Great job on this. Sounds great. Not as warm as the Fender but still holds its own. Fantastic luthier tips as well. Thanks Rhett.
They both sounded great. I was working in shop and listening and not watching and I couldn't tell the difference honestly. You sound great I think the basic squire sounds real close. Pots and switches feel better when they're in your hands
This is right up my alley. I've been thinking about doing something similar to a JM for a while. I figure that I would at the very least change the tremolo, and possibly the bridge. Good to see that it can be done. I know it's out of scope for this vid, but it would be interesting to see how the replacement pups sound in the original wiring harness.
Thanks A lot Rhett! Now everyone gonna be a guitar tech:)
My PRS ZM. Hot rodded to the 9s with Cremas, ratio tuners, rewired and switchcraft parts. Been my number 1 since 2018.
I bought a new Squier Jazzmaster (but in dented or chipped condition on the body so it was cheaper) about a year ago because I liked the wide neck and thought it had P90 pickups and i liked the sound of them. Turns out, they look like P90s but are Jazzmaster specific pickups. I still like them. Thanks for the video---will have to play this guitar some more and determine what upgrades I can afford and will be valid in my situation! It definitely is a different guitar to play compared to Strat and hollow body guitar model styles I also play.
I got a Squier J mascis
Put on a Mastery bridge
Series switch instead of rhythm circuit
Lots of fret work
It’s one of the best playing guitars I own It plays and sounds great
Great mods. The Antiquity pickups are awesome
I like the tone of the custom shop Fender. It’s mellow and yet sharper on the bridge pickup. But with that said, great price and you could tune the amp to get a similar tone. Thanks for the tips!
Im not a tech either Rhett but i do the same basic things to my guitars. Electronics and pots get replaced, fret board rolled the same way (its an old carpenter trick i learned buildings houses and cabinets). A new Graphtech nut, completely intonated and adjusted, and frets dressed. Saved me lots of money, and now i do it on my friends guitars too.
Great feel, great fingers, great amp is all you need to make great music.
13:04 I spit my coffee on my hoodie.
Thanks, Rhett!
Great video! Seems to mostly come down to if you like the neck profile on the Squier and the sound/resonance of the less desirable wood. I think Mexican made Fender is usually the way to go, but if you can only get what you want in a Squier look and layout then go this upgrade route.
Excellent video. Interestingly enough, I don’t thing anyone would have known with confidence which sound was the CS and which was the squire from a blind test prior to the mods.
I did something similar to my Epiphone Les Pauls. My 1993 Korean Cherry Burst is a champ now. The Seymour Duncan Saturday Night Specials in it sound phenomenal through my Vox VTX 100. Gear doesn't have to be very expensive to sound great. A lot of the budget gear we have today is as good or better than a lot of the classic gear was in its day. Most problems with these budget guitars could be solved with a real set up and some fret & neck work. The rest is for those who are passionate enough to do it.
Antiquity pickups are so underrated. People overlook them because they’re not the most unique, but if you just want really great pure Jazzmaster tone you can’t beat the Antiquities.
Squire sounded so good I had to switch tabs to see which one you were playing
Great video!
Perfect timing, I *just* bought a CME FSR Player Jazzmaster like last week with the intent of doing some upgrades! Definitely gonna be taking notes from this vid
To my ear the Squier sounds heaps better. More clarity and punch. Great vid, thanks Rhett!
Great vid, got here from the Jazzmaster shootout. My only quibble is that you only play the same "jam" and thus the tone comparison is a bit one dimensional. The guitars sound different but to say one sounds better or worse just depends on the song. I am a total Fender guy, mainly strats, and have a bunch of squires in my collection, you really just need to try them until you find one with good natural tone/resonance and upgrade the electronics. My tendency has been to build a guitar that fits the band I am playing in so rather than choosing pick ups that sound "authentic" I look for tones that blend well with what is going on around me. I have everything from stock vintage single coil to massive humbuckers and everything in between. Make that board sound good and fit your style and the band you play with, that is what music is all about!!
A properly cut guitar nut just might be worth its weight in gold. 🤘🎸🤘
I did a similar thing to my MIM strat, Texas special pickups, upgraded the harness, bone nut locking tuners. Very happy with the result. 😊
still more overhead in the custom shop, but that howl is way more present. So for double the money of the guitar, it'll sound much much nicer than it did. I learned a bunch here for restoration on my tele, and ill be looking at 920D for replacement wiring for that AND my squire jazzmaster basses! Thank you Rhett.
I upgraded my Squier Jaguar. Fender locking tuners, Graphtec nut and saddles, USA pickups and Japanese tremolo. It’s great
Hey Rhett, Great video. I did this to my Squier Classic Vibe JM. I was nervous to do it myself, so I sent it to Shelby at Black Bobbin. Dude does amazing things and couldn't be a nicer human being. He has a special set of pickups from Lollar with Alnico 2 magnets. Have you tried those yet? To my ears they got rid of that "harshness" you were talking about. I'd recommend giving them a whirl. I feel like I have a JM that punches well above it's weight now. Thanks for the content.