Squier Mustang: How I learned to stop being a gear snob
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- Опубликовано: 17 фев 2023
- The sample library I made can be found here: / patron-exclusive-78840586
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Find my FILM & INSTRUMENTAL music here: davidhilowitz.bandcamp.com
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GUITAR INFO
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The Squier I bought is this one (sadly the price went from $139 to $189 literally this week): www.adorama.com/sq371221502.html
There's a fantastic video by @LillySchwartz about setting up a Squier Mustang here: • My Squier Bullet Musta...
I ordered a custom pick guard from this eBay seller: www.ebay.com/itm/293764840801...
The pickup I installed in the neck was a Duncan Quarter Pounder: www.seymourduncan.com/single-...
The pickup I installed in the bridge was a Duncan JB (I bought the "trembucker" version): www.seymourduncan.com/single-...
This video is ostensibly about guitar gear, but it is actually about personal growth. Nothing is ever enough until you are.
Well said, brother.
Almost every story is about personal growth of some kind. This is more like, be proud of who you are and what you got because some middle aged hipster wishes they were you.
"Nothing is ever enough until you are." - This awesome statement is going in my quote collection. Is it originally from you or someone else? Thanks!
@@JeffLikes2Learn No, it's not original from me. I picked it up somewhere along the way a long time ago but I don't know who said it. I'm 68 and I know it was a long time ago.
Love Yourz - J. Cole
What i learned from videos like this is to NEVER sell your first starting instrument, you will almost always end up regretting it.
I have my original 2005 Mexi strat. I've rewired the entire pickguard with all new electronics and components, changed the trem system out for a system I like more, refinished the body and neck, and leveled the frets, dressed the fret ends and rolled the fretboard edges. Plays like a whole different guitar.
I'm regretting it already :)... sold my washburn stratocaster like several years ago, and now I regret it. I returned to music again, and I'd like to have my old guitar back, maybe mod it. Don't know, do what I know now with it.
I regret selling mine
I smashed my first guitar lol, I don’t regret it.
I had to sell mine
A friend of mine who's been a working pro for decades once told me, "The best guitar in the world is the one you can't wait to pick up and play. No brand name or aftermarket upgrades can beat that."
That's beautiful!
Im 35 been playing since about 6, only just been able to get a real Fender, let me tell you there is a difference.
As the creator explained, he had to basically rebuild the squire to make it reasonable. The reality is you need to learn how to play, so just keep practicing and then treat yourself with a decent guitar. Best thing ever.
@@gameon2928 The only real problem is getting started. If your new guitar is a used one, and it's a Classical Acoustic that someone stuck Steel Strings on? Or if it's any guitar that has the frets coming out just bad enough, so you need to raise the string height ridiculously high, making it harder to play? Then you got problems.
@@101Volts yeah exactly the modification will be needed, not everyone has that skill. One factor that isn’t considered is the labour and time will cost you to have it rectified.
After playing acoustic guitar since '89, even professionally for over a decade, I had wanted an electric but I'm too cheap to get myself one. But back during quarantine, my teenager totally surprised me for my birthday by presenting me with a classic butterscotch Tele Squier with maple neck and black pickguard (and a cosmetic ding in the finish that I actually love because it's one of a kind). He had gone to the music store by himself and bought it to surprise me. And boy, did he! I cried. I'm getting teary just typing this. Even sweeter, it's the exact guitar I had been planning to buy for his birthday. I've learned a ton by working on it to improve the playability, lower the action, smooth the fret ends, dialing in the intonation, etc. And had a blast performing with it. Is it a "real" Fender? Doesn't matter. My BOY gave it to me. I will never sell it!
If you are used to acoustic guitar, put some thick strings on your electric. Like 0.11 for e. You can get great sounds out of it, with the right technique. The electric pickup takes that up just as good as an acoustic guitar.
@@frederickmueller7916
The strings it came with were probably 8's or 9's, and were so flimsy and delicate after playing acoustic mediums pretty hard for so many years. That has been a huge adjustment, to ease up on my strum pressure. I put 10's on it and adjusted the set-up. But for an even warmer tone, I've already bought some 11 flat-wound chromes to put on soon. May have to widen a few nut slots a little.
@@custerranch Nice, thats the way to go imo. I play electric guitar, but jazz. People don't realize that the different sounds you can create only with strings is just as rich as with acoustic guitars.
You just never notice it if you play those thin strings and high overdrive xD
You sound like an awesome father
@@omnis1182
Believe it or not, I'm his mother! My husband isn't musical at all, so guitar has been something cool that our son and I can have in common.
not gonna lie the painters taped version kind of had big indie DIY aesthetics that really made it its own thing. I like whenever I see an owned object with these defects/adjustment imperfections as,it gives it character and a story.I love it when an object is miss painted,or fixed as they always come with the best stories as only people who love it would bother trying to save/modify it.
Edit:
thanks to everyone in the comments for the reply especially the ones telling their on stories of misadventures with their own stuff,this is what I am talking about repaired/altered stuff always have interesting stories,having a working object come out of the box fully formed is cool,but my heart urns for the stories of a broken cup from your childhood repaired with melted gold etc.reminds me of the time I tried to repaint my art portfolio case in yellow,but did not know how to properly layer the coat and it came of looking ugly,still my main case for holding my art/project stuff,looks ugly af,but alteast I know it wont get stolen.
sadly the person who bought it will probably restore it to its original state, considering what they go for now. If I bought an instrument like that, I'd probably leave it that way
Totally agree it was an awesome video, pure LOVE...
@@wilddogwatching6457 you’re probably right about the buyer changing the tape finish, but might not be doing it for resale purposes; I would definitely remove the tape, get a couple rattle cans of auto paint from the local NAPA and make that thing my own.
I almost bought a Squier Bullet after watching a particular video, it just looked like a fun guitar. Search for “Fender Bullet is stupid fun”, it’s an awesome couple of minutes.
totally agree man! imperfect guitars are definitely right up my alley
This. When I was a very punky teenager, I owned an Ibanez bass that my friend had traded me for a N64, and it was my primary bass through like 3 bands and eventually the studio instrument I used on my solo acoustic recordings. The first thing I did when I got it was badly spray paint the whole thing alarm orange because a black Ibanez was "too metal" for the kind of music I was into. That thing got hucked across the stage, smashed through a practice amp, banged around in the back of a shitty Chevy van - at one point the top strap lock was ripped clean off, taking a chunk of wood with it. By the time I got married and wound up having to sell it to make rent, the thing had roughly as many battle scars as I did. It was a hunk of crap, but I loved it, and in my memory at least it sounded pretty good.
How I learned to stop being a gear snob: being poor.
I'm going to be honest, I love the look of the punk guitar and it looks awesome. I know that this will be buried in the comments, but if I were to see it listed anywhere, I'll attempt to buy it and send it back to you
I liked the sound of his new guitar before he did anything with it. 😂
whoever bought it 100% bought it to rebuild it, not to play it or re-sell it
Thats cool as shit dude!! I would to! Beat me to it!! LOL
7 months later you are the 4th comment
Some of the most iconic pieces of guitar music were originally recorded on guitars and gear that would be in the league of "budget" guitars and gear today. Especially Kurt Cobain's original gear. Technology closed the gap years ago...Major retailers would rather most people not know that.
Part of the reason Kurt played the guitars he did to start off was because no one else wanted them and they were cheap. Did that teach people to appreciate what they have? No, they just wanted to "sound like Kurt Cobain". Jesu Christ, people.
Honestly. Ive been looking to get a new guitar but all of the proper Fender guitars in my price range felt cheaper and worse quality than my Squier
@@revan7383 I bought a used Squier Jagmaster at the start of the year and it quickly became my favourite to play.
@@Billiamwoods LOL Truth. I bought my '76 Stang in 1992 for $100 to be like Kurt. But I fell in love with it cuz it's so fun to play and just feels right for me.
My first guitar I got when I was 12 was a white 80's Vista electric. It has a small body, one pickup, cheap construction, etc. I had a Gorilla amp. My dad showed me how to play a few notes, but he didn't know how to tune it. A family friend tuned it for me, and showed me a few chords. My dad said that this guitar was "just a starter guitar, Eddie Van Halen (my idol) probably wouldn't play it, but if you practice, I'll get you a better one some day." So I started guitar lessons a few weeks later, joined a band with my friends. I was in one of my first lessons, when I asked my teacher about what my dad said. "Is my guitar good? Could Eddie Van Halen play this guitar?" My teacher said "It's a guitar, as long as it stays in tune, sounds good, and it's easy to play, they are all the same. Eddie could easily play it, better than both of us." Then he took it from me, cranked his amp, and just shred the shit out of it. I sat there with my jaw dropped, goosebumps all over my body.
Sometimes when I think about buying a new guitar, or needing a new piece of gear, I think back to my first guitar teacher. As long as it play well, sounds good, and stays in tune, it's a good guitar.
Fantastic story!
I had a similar situation with a keyboard (Yamaha P-35). I am an intermediate keys player, mostly chords in worship music. I was convinced that a better keyboard would take my playing to the next level.
Then one time, a very good Nigerian gospel keys player made a guest appearance.
He had that P-35 making sounds I had never heard before!
I couldn’t hear any of the limitations of short samples, or lack of sympathetic resonance I normally heard with my playing.
That was my in-person moment of realizing the instrument is only a tiny fraction of the resulting sound.
The player is everything.
I love this story, because parts of it are very like my own search for "the guitar I wanted" but didn't know much about. The instrument I found and with some help modified a bit, had a different name on the headstock than what I started out looking for. And that doesn't matter a damn. The help I got, from a retired "old pro," took a good starting point, and dialed it in to fit my needs (at the time, and later). It was quite an education. The maker's name is not well-known to a huge number of people. That doesn't make it a poor instrument. Like you, I finished up with a quality guitar that played (and plays) well, was properly set up, stayed in tune, and sounded good . When I as a beginner played it, I mean. When my "mentor" put it through its paces, the sound was "jaw-dropping" indeed. It was one of those moments in life of "great good fortune" that happen if we're very lucky. I play that guitar almost every day, and it's even better now that I've a bit more "chops". It's a good guitar.
My story is a little different. My first guitar in the 90s was a Karina from the 80s. Looked like a Strat/Burns crossover. Two pickups that were both on all the time. It weighed a ton and the action was far too high. I had an amp made in England called a Badger. 6 watt transistor. One volume, one tone. Sounded awful.
I wanted a better amp. Something that had gain and reverb. But my guitar teacher said if I was spending money, buy a different guitar. So I found a Yamaha RGX 121FP. I traded my guitar for it. Guy in the store said “you could drive a bus under the action” of mine but took it anyway. My teacher loaned me a distortion pedal to get me past the crappy amp. It was a great guitar. It improved my playing no end and I played it regularly until a few years back when I wore the frets so much it needs a fret job.
So it is possible to have a guitar too crappy but with some good advice and a small amount of money, you can rectify it pretty easily.
Jesus Christ loves you
"As long as it play well, sounds good, and stays in tune, it's a good guitar."
Words to live by. Eddie's first Frankenstrats were parts guitars. Good parts but parts guitars nonetheless.
I have a couple of nice guitars, Gibsons and ESPs but the one that sounds the best and plays the best - a used silver series Squire strat that I picked up in 1991. Acoustically it's loud and sounds full. Plugged in it has much more tone and character that my Gibson V. Sustains for days. Sadly the way I scalloped the fingerboard means that a refret is borderline impossible so sometime in the not too distant future the guitar will be left hanging on the wall.
I am a proud Squier Player. I am not afraid to modify the whole instrument as they don't cost that much to begin with, then you have the guitar exactly how you want it.
So then you're not really a proud squire player if you change everything on it lol
Yeah, plus Squier of 2023 isn't at all the same company as they were in the late 90s. Definitely a good brand now
I have a1983 squier made in Japan it's my favorite
My #1 is a Made in Japan SQ Squier Strat.
I just got a ~$200 Jackson PS-1 from the mid 90s and a ~$2500 Fender Custom Shop Retro Tele set up with the same strings.
Luthier and I both agree the Jackson is the superior instrument in all the ways that matters.
"All the people in your work life, somehow they just got no clue" - that's a great chorus you wrote. You should make that into a full song if you haven't already.
Hey, could you please tell the first line? I can't figure out what he sings.
@@kiregenofficial"All the people in your dream life have learned to sing the same strange tune."
@@ADH.DREAMING Thank you!!
20 Years with the same guitar, pretty much the same time with the same motorcycle, and about 10 years with the same dslr. I dont feel the need to upgrade or change. They are living beings, friends of times exclusive and irreplacable. Sometime ago i was walking with my little son and found a trashed guitar broken into two at the neck joint. This vid reminds me of how me and my son resurrected that guitar, used sandpaper, rubbed it along the grain to take the old paint, repainted it blue and firey flames coming from the soundhole. installed nylon strings instead of steel for my little one's delicate fingers. Lesson - never lose your old musical equipment. you lose a bit of yourself along.
It's incredible how every video he does is incredibly well built together and with extremely high quality
That is why I subscribed
I agere, i like to watch his stuff while eating. Chill factor 10!
If you play with a band you need an American Professional
Because NOISE
Play a Great Squier
Than reach for an American
The fact that my CV Squiers are even close is great
But any of my American strats does that job on em son
It's nothing but struggle to not afford a Pro or CS or AO or AVRI II or AVRI or Pro II or Standard
Because of the comparatively terrible output
These ease of use missing, the hilarious shortcuts
I had a similar experience when I started playing. I came from jazz, mostly playing saxophone and other woodwinds. I decided to get into bass, as it was the only jazz instrument I didn't know how to play and my mom had found a "shitty" bass at the thrift store. She bought a lot of instruments there, to this day she has about 50 instruments at her place. For her it was more about the joy of playing music than the actual quality, something for the kids to try out to see if they want to do more with it. I got the thing, and while I appreciated it it looked scuffed. It had random stickers all over it, some lyrics from psychosocial on the back, some transformers stickers, and the remnants of a super model sticker that the thrift store employee or my mom had tried to scrape off. And worst of all? I thought it was a Squier knock off. I thought it was supposed to be Squire, like the actual word. Anyways, when I first got it I wasn't too jazzed.
Flash forward a few months, I decide to actually give it a shot. I had a rough breakup, my grandpa died, and I just needed something to do that wasn't league of legends or smoking weed. I looked up how to properly remove the stickers without ruining the finish, I replaced the strings (looking back they prolly hadn't been replaced in 3 or more years), I treated the fretboard, I put on new tuners, I put on a new pickguard (the old one wasn't set properly after a repair so it was warped). Turns out, it was a really solid bass. Once I got it to a playable state, it sounded amazing. It sounded better than all the fancy ones at the Guitar Center. Then I noticed something weird. It sounded better than the Fender P basses. At the time I figured I was just biased because of all the blood sweat and tears I put into it. I even took it to some gigs, and got really really into bass. I even ended up selling my Saxophone, my pride and joy, to get a nice amp and some recording gear.
Flash forward 5 years. I moved across the country and was going to school, didn't have all my tools with me, and one of the soldering connections goes out. I take it to the jazz professor, as we're pretty cool and he's a godlike luthier. He never actually saw my bass up close and personal as I wasn't a music major, I just showed up to jam sessions and whatnot. He flipped out. Apparently, this shitty abused bass my mom got me was an honest to god MIJ P-bass. It's not the fanciest MIJ, but between the sheer quality and the personal connection I have to it I don't think I'd trade it for anything. I will gig on this thing until one of us literally crumbles to dust. And even past how fun it is to play, I genuinely think it changed my life for the better.
OH my god, best adventure and discovery ever
awesome story, thanks so much for posting it
this story is as cool as the video
Love This👍
MIJ are cool. Didn't it say Fender anywhere on it?.. headstock, neck plate, tuners?
That old Squier looked like an absolute blast to play, it's always painful when you move on from an instrument or a piece of gear you really loved, get rid of it in some way or another, and suddenly remember how much you loved it. To this day the guitar I loved playing most out of the ones I've owned was an SX Strat clone in metallic pink. I got it second hand for like 50 bucks with an Astroboy sticker on the front of the body and I played that thing for hours, pretty much every day. Nothing has come close to the enjoyment of that guitar, I love the ones I have now but they're not as played-in and loved as that SX. To be loved is to be changed, and a well-loved and played guitar always feels better than anything you can pick off a rack in a store, regardless of the branding and the prestige of the makers.
I love this story ❤️ I stopped being a gear snob my self after I finished building my all Chinese import partscaster only to realize it sounded 80 times better than my custom shop strat 😂😂 we live in a funny musical world
A lot of it is smoke and mirrors, marketing mojo, from the people who sell guitars, if I play a guitar and its worth 4k I'll buy it, but, if I find another that plays as well for a couple of hundred then I'll sell the expensive one, something less to worry about getting nicked, broken etc.
Sometimes a lot of the price is in the wood and the build construction, and those things don't really affect the sound, especially the wood
I won't make a whole article about it, but it's the same thing for hifi gear, and the audiophile world. Some people pay few k $ for rca cables and speakers cables, as an electronic technician with 40 years of experience, it's something that can't understand. It's highly suggestive.
When I was in college, I didn't join a single band because I was too insecure for not having the right gear. I only have a cheap strat and 1 distortion pedal. Little that I know, some local musicians in my town played gigs without even owning an instrument. Most of them just borrow instruments from other musicians who are also playing in the same show. And right now, most of them are far better than me and can play along with other musicians well. Leason learned, never ever let you gear be the reason to not play a show or not play with others. Playing a show is far better than playing a scale up and down in your room over and over. Time will come you will own the gears that you wanted when you were younger. Go play what you have, and you will be 1000x better than those who only played their instrument in their room.
couple of thousand dollars aint that much considering the cost of living these days
My wake-up moment out of snobbery was after watching an interview with Josh Homme (I think it was GuitarMoves). He comes across as pretty apathetic towards gear -- progressing his art, and helping him create weird and unique sounds is more important than brand or quality. It made me realize that I should not care either, and if a certain piece of gear helps me create my sound, then it is a great piece of gear.
And how about the secret to the sound of many of his riffs is like a '85 Peavey Decade 10 or 15 watt combo amp.
Just don't look too closely at the guitars he plays, or some of the pedals he uses lol
@@supermario2100 I'm curious. Why?
@@laksitowp Long story short, he doesn't always use a Peavy Decade. He has a cheap-ish tone, but he does not get that tone cheaply lol. His Equipboard page seems pretty exhaustive, and a lot of his stuff is not listed on Reverb.
@@supermario2100 I guess as you become more and more skilled, you'd notice more subtle differences in your sound. And better gears give you better creative control of that.
Honestly that old squier looked badass!!, The fact it had tape all over it and just a single Duncan made it look so punk!!
Your videos are always such a treat. I love your narration and story telling abilities, you add such a wonderful humanity to the shared exploration of gear and unique tones.
I left my first guitar (an Odessa- a 1970s Japanese Les Paul copy) in a basement of an apartment I lived in as a teen. A few years back, I heard the building was being razed so I went back and (luckily) got it. It played as badly as I remembered. I thought about upgrading it, but there is something so comforting about playing it like I did as a teen, warts and all - it’s almost like going back in a time machine.
If there were awards given for RUclips videos this would be a top contender. By all means finish that song, it is great. Your skill as a film maker are top notch. This is story telling at its finest.
Indeed. I just stumbled across this and it is one of the very best among thousands of YT videoed I have seen. Subscribed. And finish the song!
This gave me flashbacks to my own extremely similar project. My first guitar was a squire that I got about 20 years ago. It was tucked away for at least 10 years and the electronics were starting to hum. Rather than sell it, I took it apart and did the copper foil and put in new pickups. Not only did I learn all about how guitars worked but I brought my inaugural guitar back to life with a vengeance. Thanks for this video!
I loved this whole thing. I was met with so many of the same situations, I went the “other way” though. It wasn’t the right way. If I could do it again, I’m still not sure what I would have done. Things turned out fine.
No matter what hobby I’ve been into, I always lusted after the gear that I thought was the best. Endless hours of research to justify and form the decision. The worst part about this way is I formed a big part of my identity in the gear I had. This played out in guitars, bikes, cars, and furniture.
Fast forward 25 years. I’m happy with my life. The stuff I have now would have made my teenage self pass out with envy. Now I don’t identify with the stuff as much. Instead I identify with the knowledge I gained striving for all those years.
Those years are important.
Absolutely loved this video. There’s such a sentimental aspect to gear. My first guitar was this crappy, small Taylor acoustic that was sold a couple years back. It may not have sounded great, but it had a really distinct sound to it and I still have some regrets about its selling. Instruments have such history, it’s why I refuse to sell or throw out any of my old gear, even if I don’t touch it. Thanks for this video, love the sound of this new guitar!
I was always sad selling my guitars and wish I hadnt. They were fine guitars. Mainly sad due to emotional value.
- my prs se tremonti platinum: my first prs and my first electric guitar bought with my own moneu. Used in in one of my bands.
- my prs se 25th custom24: the guitar that reignited my love/passion for guitars (after selling all my guitars/gears). Started a new band, bought new gears etc.
- my ibanez talman acoustic: my first acoustic in high school and used it thoroughly throughout my many band lives.
- ibanez adj91 semi hollow: my first semi hollow and such a unique body. But never played it. So had to go.
The transitions in the backstory are incredible. This is one of your best and now I want to buy and upgrade a Squier.
This vid randomly came up in my feed and I decided to click on it. I was bizarrely hooked throughout the entire vid. The way it was shot, the pace, your voiceover, everything was perfect. This may be one of the best YT vids I’ve ever seen. I’m shocked by how much I loved this vid. I have a feeling I’m going to come back to this for years to come. I’m thoroughly impressed. 👍
I went through the same thing in my 20’s. I asked a guy at a guitar store once which guitar he thought was the best one and he told me- the one you’ll play every day.
Gear snobbery is a privilege I'd sooner not have. I love making "crappy" things work/sound good.
My first electric guitar was an Epipohone Les Paul std custom, or something like that. It has a cool gold sparkle binding, but it's still an Epiphone. Initially I was disgruntled by it, I wanted a Gibson after all. I installed a new nut that I fit myself, rewired the tone and volume knobs to a 50s wiring style (amazing mod, recommended!), did a proper setup for the action and everything else, buffed the frets and installed a new switch because those just tend to die for no reason. Still, I wanted a Gibson. However, after trying many other guitars, even much more expensive ones I found that this guitar just played the best. A friend of mine, absolutely talented musician that has made some music for games and movies and plays in a band came over once and tried my Epiphone. He said it's by far the most comfortable guitar he's played on so far and was really impressed. It just goes to show that we're easily tricked into wanting something that we perceive as being "better" without knowing why.
Had this recommended to me, and I love the personal growth you've had over the course of your playing career! Always love seeing someone's journey with gear!
Loved the story, and the way you've scripted and shared it, it's touching. Helpful for many kids out there and also for adults like me, starting to play after many years of procrastination or failure fear. Liked and subscribed. Thanks a million
Really happy to run into this channel.
You're not only in the thick of making music-related content but you seem authentic about your creations.
A lot of music channels at this point are so focused on their content production that their music career and aspirations almost seem obviously fake so there is something to make a video about. But you are legitimately into what you made. That goes really far. Great video, subbed!
Love new videos cause it always means another great sample library! Accompanied by a great story.
Glad you like them!
@@DavidHilowitzMusic thought you were going to sample the guitar before shipping it off!
David, your videos are a breath of fresh air in todays ‘stay indoors’ climate. Thank you for sharing your kindness and love. Keep discovering!
This is probably one of my favorite youtube channels. Relaxing, informative, and in this videos case, introspective.
Many thanks!
I too started with a Squier Bullet that I tried to refinished, failed, left in pieces in a gig bag for 20 years, and then finally took the time to refinish it properly last year. The stories behind these things are pretty awesome. There’s a lot to love in this video.
This video is absolutely giving long form podcast vibes and I’m here for it 🔥🤘🏻 Quite a few valuable lessons to be internalized here. Thanks for telling this story.
David, you're my favourite creator here on youtube.
Thank you for all the work and creativity you put into it all.
I love the JB. Fits amazingly well in a heavy mix. It’s like it’s “premixed” to fit in a band.
I've always been a fan of the Squier/Epiphone type of guitar; they're getting closer and closer to the premier brand every year, and they're fun for people who enjoy repair work.
Thank you for making this video! So well done, so meaningful. Music over gears always. Many people (and me at one point in life) get caught up in things that make sounds, other people's opinions, and forget the joy of making music. Thanks again! I love that song at the end.
I just picked up my starcaster strat clone from when I was a kid after only making computer music for years and it’s been so refreshing. This hit a really inspiring spot, thank you
Once again an incredible video. your videos have inspired me to try and take up music production again. youve helped me thing about music in a way that i never have before and i really appreciate it.
The song at the end sounds great, I would love to see a full version.
Absolutely!!
Fender's definitely stepped up their game with Squier lately, that's for sure. I have a Tele Paranormal Series Cabronita Thin-line, semi-hollow body. In that same blue. I have a buddy with way more expensive guitars that always constantly wants to pick up mine instead, it does a little bit of everything and even sounds great not plugged into anything!
I really like the messages behind this video like personal growth, ignornace when we are young and fearfulness of what others think. Nice video man its awesome
Great story, amazing production and music. I played a friend’s modded Squier Bullet Stratocaster a little over a decade ago and fell in love with it. I immediately went out and purchased one. Something nobody talks about is how lightweight and comfortable the Bullets are, which you simply can’t get from Fender.
Very cool video man! This definitely resonated with me being 40. Nirvana was a huge reason I picked up the guitar as well. I also used to be a bit of a gear snob but now I proudly own a Squier too.
I keep coming back to this video, it’s definitely one of my favorite video essays on the platform
Not only is the story great, but the background music too. So simple, yet such a 90's vibe still.
My first time seeing this channel. This is a really good composition, a great story, and a great mod job ...
Man, this video dignified the exact reasons and motivations as why I picked up my guitar 5 months ago. I’m so in love with how fucking creative artist can get, and I love the DIY aspects of customizing your own instrument.
You are awesome, 100% deserve more subs
You are awesome, dude .The upgrades made a definite difference as the original pickups gave a distortion that sounded like loose wires losing conductivity. The whole project from a listeners point of hearing was worth the four hours of labor. Thanks for this video, and I truly appreciate your efforts. Rock on.
I'm a total synth nerd, but I really enjoyed watching this vid! I think most people can relate and know that feeling when you are young and starting out, no money and big (costly) dreams. But most of us don't end up as professional musicians and it stays a passionate hobby. But it's not a bad thing, cos music is one of the nicest escapisms there is.
I thought you were gonna model it after Kurt's, but the end product is awesome as well!
I could totally be wrong, but maybe when they were making this video, they couldn't find a pickguard that fit those specs, so you end up with one single coil pickup and one humbucker. So basically you can't do Kurt's guitar in any truly accurate way. If you want to go that route, there's a good number of guitars that are based of Kurt's career. Including some really interesting Squire ones! I'd say that's what happened though, unless they just wanted it more custom!
I used to have a Squier bullet mustang. I painted the competition stripes onto it and swapped the humbuckers for some cheap P-90s. It was a great guitar before and after the mod. I eventually sold it, but it impressed the guitar center tech so much, he ended up buying it! I now have a Squier contemporary strat and I’m hoping to put some player pickups in it eventually…
The nostalgia induced from this video is overwhelming. From the shameful headstock mods to the rediscovery of cheap instruments, this video has been very, very relatable
Loved watching the transformation process made perfect with the story building.
Amazing video! I lovend the story behind the guitare and i can’t stop listening to the little part of the song at the end! I would love to hear the full version!
Been binging your videos today!!! 🔥🔥🔥
it is absolutely worth finishing this song! fallen in love by the little section you've shown here already
After watching this video so much constantly i finally found out to play the rhythm riff you were playing i was playing random stuff then outa no where i hear myself playing it and i got so happy because I've been tryna figure out how to im so happy thank you for not only the very cool riff but the amazing video
I have the Squire bass version of this and I love it. The neck is sooo good. But one thing i noticed, when i went to insulate the pick up and control cavity on my bass, I found it was already done with shielding paint from the factory. Cudos to Squire, come a long way since the 90s
You're very good at making videos and music. Not just writing, but also production.
This is a beautiful video. It really shows how much love you can have for an instrument, even if it is uncomfortable, or ugly, or doesn't sound really well. This video is not about gear as much as it is about personal growth. Lovely!
Signed: a proud Squier 51 owner
When the album that song is on drops, I wish to be notified. It's a BANGER.
Great video! I think a lot of us can relate. I defretted and repainted my first bass, a squier p-bass, and it also ended up with a horrible, sticky finish; not only on the body but on the fretboard! Also, your guitar jam was great and made me really want to listen to some Built to Spill
Such a cool story and a great video! Your videos are always very well done but I really like the story behind your first guitar followed by remaking it with another. It's really nice how you talk about owning it, making it yours, and wishing you hadn't sold it. My Dad has a Fender Squire as well (upgraded) and has played with it for 30+ years and everyone says it sounds great. Like you, he covers up the "squire" but with his clip-on tuner. Still, he's played countless gigs with it and it's never once occurred to me (nor anyone else, I bet) that it's "fake" in any way. Great video!
Something about this vid made me come back to it a second time after a few weeks. Nicely put together 🍻
Why did RUclips not recommend this to me before? This really reminds me of when I finally picked up some guitars of my own. First there was a really cheap bass guitar with a poorly made fretboard. The frets were jutting out just enough to slice my fingers while playing. I had to file them all down, and then added some new pickups, as well as that copper tape. Next was a Squier Affinity Strat that I actually really enjoy playing. It's just the perfect size for me to play comfortably. Ironically, I picked up the RAT pedal because I heard it was a good distortion for 303 style bass synths, and then later found out that it was often used by Nirvana! Sometimes the right gear is just the right gear. Thanks for sharing this!
There's something special to a guitar that has been through so much with you man...
My father got his guitar stolen.
It was a beautiful white, filled with some stickers, my father had done some similar things to the ones you did, customizing it, and sounded amazing!
So I can kinda feel you when you let go yours.
Hope the new owner gives it good use!
It was a beautiful video, I liked your production and effort. You have really good storytelling!
Subscribed :D
wow! new subscriber, just discovered channel and am binging the rest of the videos! love the shots, the colours, the sound, the story telling, the mood, all of it.
His channel is fantastic! And each vid is literally an adventure given the production quality ✌😉👍
I watched this and ended up buying one. Wow. What a guitar. Proper setup, and it plays amazing. Loving it to pieces.
What a great story! Well told and the editing is outstanding!
I love my first white samick guitar that I bought for $100 twenty years ago. I'm proud it is not one of the mainstream brands you see everywhere. After I learnt how to set it up properly, it plays so comfortably.
That name takes me back. When I was 9, my father and I split the difference on a Samick/Greg Bennett D1. That was the first guitar I put my own money towards. I still own it to this day two decades later, and it held up great.
My first real guitar was a Squier Bullet (black) from '83. I wish I still had it. It's amazing how many good, cheap guitars are around today.
Great story, I just preordered the new Squier Sonic Mustang and like you, I plan to hot rod the hell out of it. Thanks for the tru oil tip.
This video was such a pleasant find. I love your storytelling!
I think your journey to this point mirrors my own in many ways. I started modding a very cheap Peavey Raptor Plus EXP, got it to a certain point and found myself astonished by the amount of change in playability and tone. Of course, I did a ton of work - fret job, new bridge that didn't want to fit, new nut, new tuners and string trees -- and DIDN'T change the pickups because I liked the sound so well that I couldn't bring myself to change them out, even with the replacements bought and arrived! AND this guitar is really MINE -- it's unique because I did things to it that make it what it is, and it's far better than it started out. I'll never sell it. Too much of me is in that guitar -- and several others now.
Also, at this point, I'll often become more intrigued by a guitar that I know will absolutely REQUIRE upgrading than I will by a guitar that you don't have to touch. The crappy guitar you know you can fix or can think of how to fix is more desirable than one already with everything you want, and likely cheaper too. All because of who you are and what you have to work with. Get the tools and the knowledge, and you can really OWN your guitars!
I love these -- I see a lot of bands in Japan using these and I love the ones with the racing stripe.
This was awesome. Love your style, the video was relaxing to watch and just awesome to hear a fellow guitar lover speak about his craft 🤘
Thanks for making a video that gets into the nitty-gritty of guitar modifications while still being accessible to the whole spectrum of gearheads. I'm still daunted by the idea of refinishing a neck or rewiring a scratchplate, but this video is boosting my confidence for future projects.
I have a ‘73 Mustang and a Music Man amp like the one you used in this video that I’ve played for 30 years. The Squire doesn’t sound too bad!
Oh, the Music Man is so great. What a discovery it was for me to find it!
Worth finishing the song?!?!... I expected the full music video at the end! Lol... Great stuff David! Love the channel and always look forward to your content. Keep up the stellar work my friend! 👊🧡👍
First time watching one of your videos. Gotta say, your video is fantastic, the editing, the sound….everything just great. Immediately subscribed…love it.
Enjoyed your video very much.I bought a Squier 51 when they first came out and fell in love with it. I do own few brand name guitars but the 51 became my number one for almost a decade...
The bullet mustang is such a great modding platform, mine has been my favorite guitar for a while! Great video!
Same here, I have 2001 Fender reissue and a 2020 Squier HH and, I won't lie, the Squier plays a lot better.
I love this snippet of your guitar journey. I got 50s vibe squier telecaster that totally changed my playing and honestly made me almost sell my Gretsch, Ibanez electric and acoustic because it was just so dang good. I didnt tho and ended up getting a 60s classic vibe as well. Squier really is something these days!
Same here,got a 50s classic vibe Tele and i love it. Most i spent on a guitar was 500 dollars/euros, no point spending more.
I got my Squier Mustang in 2018 - the original black version. It still has pride of place on my guitar stand, and the only thing I've changed on it is replacing the black "Squier Mustang" logo... with a gold version of the same logo. Maybe someday I'll upgrade the pickups, but I think the beauty of that little music machine is that it sounds amazing without changing one single thing on it.
Amazing. This has convinced me to pull the trigger on the squier tele I’ve been eyeing up.
I’ve had my fair share of Squiers and they’re always solid guitars that are fun to mod. I recently picked up some Reverend guitars and am blown away by the quality vs the price (especially used, they’re an absolute steal used) but I will always have my Squier Classic Vibe Esquire in “vintage white” (it’s more like a deep custard/tv yellow) where I swapped in a black pickguard and a DiMarzio Chopper T in the bridge wired up for series/split/parallel. I’ve literally played it back to back with my friends American Fender Tele (it’s the thin line signature model they made for that guy from Spoon) and I can’t tell the difference in quality. Mine feels and plays every bit as good as his does. Mine was just less than half the price.
First time seeing your content, good stuff man. 🤙🏻
I’m 39 and have finally realized recently how it doesn’t mean nearly as much as I once thought to be playing “the real thing” when a far less expensive guitar can bring as much joy and creativity. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not selling my PRS’s anytime soon but I don’t know when or if I’ll ever spend that kind of money again 😅🤘🏻
Came for the mustang, stayed for your playing. You have good taste all around.
This video led me to purchasing a Squier Mustang HH in Graffiti Yellow with the competition stripe and I fell in love immediately. The same happened with my Breedlove acoustic (which was over 3 times the peace of the squire but we’ll ignore that). I really do agree that the best instrument is one that makes you want to play.
Dave Hilowitz is such a visionary with his unique stylings and audio experimentation.. He could in fact, make mayonnaise an instrument.
You've really gotta broaden your horizons if you think this "90s alt rock by numbers" is experimental. It's incredibly derivative. That's not to say it's bad, but claiming this is experimental or innovative is a serious reach.
@@oddthemute6172 I meant overall. But I absolutely agree.
I almost cried watching this video, I think all of us guitar players have that same kind of history pattern
Kirk Hammett was the reason I ever started playing, hearing his solos for the first time were magical
You really got style and I really enjoyed what you did with that Squier.
Awesome video all round. Subscribed for sure. Love that tune you play at 4:27. Very cool.
I love videos such as these... They're very well-made and basically tell a story about every kid/teenager/young adult who couldn't afford a Fender so they bought Squiers instead and got ridiculed by other kids and etc...
I guess I was a different kind of kid because I really didn't give a damn what the other kids thought of me or the fact I was playing Squiers...
Long story short I started playing in the early 80's when Fender Japan began building guitars...
And of course all the other guitar and bass-playing kids in my school made fun of me because I was playing ( shock horror ) Japanese Fenders which were of course not REAL Fenders but cheap copies 😄😄😄 but I really couldn't care less...
Things got even more interesting when Fenders made in Japan became "Squiers" but I still didn't care...
Fast forward I decided to become a professional luthier and I went to a reputable luthiery school many years ago and I opened my own workshop in Miami...
As of this morning I have gathered an ever-expanding collection of 175 guitars and although I am the proud owner of vintage gems such as a 1957 Fender Stratocaster or a 1968 Gibson Les Paul custom among others I just LOVE my Squiers ( and my Chinese-made Epiphones, etc...)
and these affordable guitars are about 70% of my entire collection...
My customers also made fun of me when I bought my Hello Kitty strat ( in pink of course ) when they came out in 2007 and laughed even more when I added the smaller model 😄😄😄
I still don't care...And I regularly play my Squiers in local clubs and I'm very happy...
Funny thing is, nowadays Early Japanese Fenders, Japanese Squiers and 70's/early 80's Ibanez and the like are collector's items and all the kids who made fun of me because I used to buy and play them wish they had bought them back in the day...
I hope I haven't bothered anyone with my long comment but this video reminded me of my personal experience as a kid and aspiring guitar hero...
Nowadays I still have customers who come into my shop with Squiers and ask me to remove the Squier logos and put Fender decals on their headstocks instead, which I never do because it's just plain stupid and not really legal...Even worse : they'll even ask me to remove the "made in Mexico" logos off their Mexican Fenders because the audience ( who really doesn't give a damn at the end of the day ) might think they're not real musicians because they can't afford a genuine American Fender...
And they're adults...That is so sad...
Anyway...Thanks for this excellent video and have a nice day 🙂🙂🙂
I love Mexican and Japanese Fenders they feel like they're of just as great quality as the American made ones, a Fender is a Fender at the end of the day imo
Awesome! I'm jealous!
@@femboiuwu Don't be jealous 🙂 It took me 40 years to build my collection...And a lot of work...
Granted, as soon as I opened my guitar repair business things got easier but it still took a lot of time and effort...
Awesome story, thanks for sharing. I still have my first guitar, although I rarely get it hooked up to my rig, I have it by the foot of my bed now and even after 20 years will noodle around on it at times. It was a used Yamaha Pacifica HSS Strat knockoff I begged my parents for. Eventually, I saved up for a Seymour Duncan Invader and had it installed in the bridge.
Some time after that, my parents bought me a brand new MIM Fender Telecaster. It’s probably 20 years old now, and still all stock except the pick guard, which I swapped out the white one it comes with (body painted black) for a tortoiseshell one. I still love using it for my single-coil tones, and get asked what kind of Tele it is by other musicians, who seem taken aback when I tell them it’s just an old stock MIM Tele lol.
My other “go-to” guitar most of the time is a Kurt Cobain Signature Jaguar. I picked up one of the “road worn” ones that I think someone at Guitar Center assumed was used and mispriced, because I think they were going for like $1100 at the time, and I paid $700 for it - complete with hard case and all the extras inside still shrink wrapped…
Normally I avoid signature series guitars, but I realized it’d likely cost me much more time and money to buy a Jaguar and make similar mods - because I think most of them are an improvement on the original Jag design - and I’ve also always been lifelong Nirvana fan, so I picked it up.
It’s surprisingly versatile, between the DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge and a DiMarzio 36th Anniversary PAF in the neck - can get surprisingly Gibson-like tones from it.
But those are the ones I seem to always come back to.
@@sordidsentinel I totally understand you 🙂...We all have guitars like these 🙂