I just got a set of GM / guitar master sss for my affinity upgrade the sound no kidding just as good as my seymore Duncans in my USA strat and got them off e.bay for only $27 ! Also got a set of vintage tuners , vintage American 57' / 59' fender trem , new bone nut , and set of 250k 50s classic vibe pots with the 5 way switch and wiring . All for right at $140 ! E.bay has been really good to me , but all my strings and other guitar gear off them.
I bought a Squire Bullet Strat for $90. I changed the pickups, the tuners and had a professional fret job and set up done. I now have $250 invested in the guitar. It now plays better and sounds better than any MIM Strat does out of the box.
@@Alex-dr6or Yep and traded a Yamaha FG-160 for a 1972 D-35 martin but I had to give the person I got it from $350.00 to Boot because he was trying to get back to Texas. 😂
I used to exclusively play vintage guitars, but they kept getting stolen. So back in 1999 my wife gave me a Squier Affinity Fat Strat for Christmas. She later told me it was originally $150, but true to her norms, she did not pay full price for it, she was a great haggler and got it for $100. In nearly 25 years of having this guitar, I've never changed anything except re-soldering some of the connections and putting a set of locking tuners on it, and I love this guitar.
@@jamesstewart1794 Not necessarily a good idea if the removal results in to little downward pressure on the nut. Often, one can be removed, but the other should be replaced with a low friction graphite or roller string tree.
I bought a squier starter pack as it was the cheapest setup to start learning guitar, seeing all the possibilities and changes that can be made definitely makes me feel better about buying the cheapest option over a quality option. Although to be fair im not sure how much my beginner ears will hear a difference after a couple of these upgrades but we will see.
You can do so much! I have a squier bullet limited. Swapped in some fender made in Mexico pickups and pots sounds amazing!! If you're in the US I recommend tone hatch pickups also they are relatively cheap and sound amazing!
You’ll hear a difference. And you’ll learn tonally what you’re looking for. Every guitarist has his own sound, no matter the skill level we’re all different when it comes to music.
Don't stress about gear, just play what you have as long as you enjoy it. Cheaper stuff lets you learn without breaking the bank, and like you said you can upgrade squires pretty easily. One thing I will say is never sell any guitar gear, even pedals and amps unless you're sure you have no further use for it. I still think about my first squire P bass.
For those with a thinner Affinity Strat, Musiclilly sells 36mm solid trem blocks, brass or steel, for about $21 USD. Easy fit. I also put on a tusq nut and string trees. That guitar sounds great!
@@lilbubblewrap8701 it is super tricky. you have to measure the existing bridge, width of bridge plate screws, where your trem arm hole is located on the bridge plate related to the six holes for the strings, the three block bolts, and the body routing itself. different manufacturing years and factories used different parts. Yes the depth is correct, but look over the descriptions and measurements they provide CAREFULLY. I simply could not use a full thickness not due to depth, but how much wood was routed out of the body for travel, other friction caused tuning instability and i gave up and went back to factory on one project
one thing I never understand about tuners, people constantly change them as soon as they buy cheaper guitar, I have couple cheap guitars, and even 90 euro kit, they all stay in tune and never had any issues. Besides from pickups, I wanted to change nut, but even pre cut ones that I bought had cuts so short and small that I could not use them anyway ( since I don't have nut files and exp to cut them ) ... that candy red color looks so so beautiful
You don't really need nut files if you're not planning to file nuts regularly, you can improvize and do a good enough job. For example use feeler gauges with sandpaper. Also you can get pretty close by sanding the bottom of the precut nut, since it's usually (intentionally) quite a bit higher. Remember that the nut slots don't have to be very deep - only about half to two thirds of the string thickness with the wound strings, and about the thickness of the string for the unwound ones. Deep nut slots can in theory create issues anyway.
If you want your squier or any other low priced guitar to be on par with boutique builds or custom shops or very high end models, do the most important thing that everyone forgets...install perfect frets(jescar stainless steel ones) and most likely a new nut....by doing that you ll have playability on par with the best of them that usually cost thousands...now if you want the sound too, throw an excellent aftermarket loaded pickup set in there and most def new quality tuners.... Now you have a guitar that plays like a dream sounds like one but only costs you barely one third of the price of the real one with the added advantage that if you bang,or scratch or drop it you wont cry about it plus you ll have a theft proof "inferior" logo that ll deter the snobs to steal it in the first place......
I bought one of the first Squier Strats 40 years ago. Paid 220 quid and it still has the Sheffield Carlsbro Sound shop sticker on it. Various bits bust over time so I fitted a 920D set up. Still going ... better than ever.
I personally would've left the head color but I wouldn't have thought that black pickups with brass colored saddles would look good on that guitar and yet it looks sick. Unique as hell and you can almost guarantee you won't find somebody else pulling out a Strat that looks like that.
I generally agree with all these mods except for the tusk nut. It is indeed a very significant change but sanding it takes hours (even with a pre-slotted model)
@@LaurLindmae sure, no problem! That was my first time and I after some time sanding I realized I was sanding a bit slanted 😨 I probably didn't have a very good technique. In the end the result looks and sounds good but I swore I would never do that again by myself 😅
I managed to snag a 2018 Contemporary Strat with hipshot lockers for 140. After new pups, which I had already and 12 bucks for the new string trees, all I had to do was a fretlevel and dress and a reradius of the saddles and intonation. The nut was cut too shallow, so it needed a couple of runs with a file and voila. Really it plays as well as the Charvel Promod in the house.
I bought a used Squier Mini Strat. I just ordered Wilkinson Alnico 5s, CTS pots with .47 tone cap, and a treble bleed kit. It came with microphonic pickups and only has 2 pots total, 1 volume and 1 tone. Shouod be a simple upgrade. I will eventually replace the tuners with the vintage kluson type, if they fit, and the saddles with brass ones. The nut is under 40mm and impossible to find that width. I may have to carve one. Thanks for the video. Its all about having fun.
It is a great video. I have been thinking to get a squire just because of my obsession of the sound otherwise I have 3 Ibanez guitars. Finding one cheap and modding like you did sounds like an alternative that even my wife could accept. It is also great you put links for the parts us and uk. Great job,any thanks I have joined your followers now :)
TREBLE BLEED is the WORST mod you can install if you play a LOT with dynamics. It really messes up the output balance and if you play single channel amps it sounds horribly thin and tinny. The most legendary songs recorded were used with conventional volume pot roll-offs with single channel amps. Treble Bleed also messes up every fuzz and treble booster pedal and makes them basically useless. Lots of modern guitars tho have treble bleed circuit installed because manufacturers think that most people play multi channel amps nowadays and use the volume pot less often. So if you want those classic rock sounds with thick warm clean sounds, go without TB and if you want modern, tinny cleans go with TB.
@@benloveday6113 what’s best treble bleed value in HSH CONFIGURATION or….even SsH to obtain a good clean sound without beeing too crispy , harsh, metallic ?
Good suggestions. One comment though: The issue with a brass pickup back plate derives from brass being non-magnetic. Hence, steel or nickel, both being magnetic, will work about the same.
I bought Wilkinson pickups single coil alnico 5 for my affinity strat, the guitar sounds superb. Put in Tuscany string tree Schaller easy lock tuners, the bridge I put in was a Wilkinson shorty trem I agree with you, on the trem I hard tailed the new bridge.I just love the playability of the guitar it was pricey to upgrade but worth it
Nice mods! I have 2 Squier Strats, both are vintage series, one is a 50’s Vibe and man I love that guitar. The neck is one of, if not the, nicest I’ve felt. I’m leaving my pickups stock because I like the sound of the vintage style, but I’ve already insulated the cavities, I actually went nuts one day and did about 6 guitars. My second Squier is getting Tonerider pickups, SSS though, I prefer the older Strat sound, but I’m keen on getting a Wilkinson tremolo now, but I’m a lefty and that normally pisses on the campfire for a lot of parts! I’ll be watching your Tele series too, I’m more of a Tele guy, I’m about to do an active conversion on my MIM Tele, and I’ll move the Fender pickups down to my Squier, and then look at some modded switches and stuff.
Playing and Neck humbucker sounded great + Position 4!! My 95.00 Squire = SSH + New Electronics + Shielding + Hipshot Tuners + Tusq Nut. Original ceramic pickups.
Very cool! Its night and day. Always a good shout to get the cheapest guitar with quality wood available and upgrade as you go. Especially for newer players. Awesome content!
Awesome video. Out of curiosity tho, when you bought the other body why didn't you buy a hardtail body? I don't use trems either, I got a hardtail body and sustain is way better also. Love the HSH setup also.
Locking tuners or not, you should still shoot for 1 1/2 wraps on the wound strings and 2 1/2 wraps on the plains for a 25.5" scale for the best sound, output & frequency range on an electric guitar.
The best modification you could do (outside pickups and hardware) is a fret levelling and polishing (+ round the edges). It's not that hard if you're doing it right with a few tools only. Then your guitar play like a custom shop.
The middle pickup is out of phase, so switch positions 2 and 4 sound really thin and sparkly. If you just reverse the wires for the middle pickup then 2 and 4 will come to life and sound good.
You can also use india ink to dye the fretboard. I sanded my fretboard with 80 and 120 then applied 3-4 coats of india ink, after it dried I finished it with boiled linseed oil. Now it looks like ebony, my local guitar tech couldnt differentiate.
@@morphius747 started with 60 and finished with 120 depending on how the fretboard felt, then after oil finish just gave finishing touches with steel wool 0000, then lemon oil for some good smell. Linseed oil will using take anywhere between 1-2 weeks to properly dry out.
I just got a 2000 China Squier strat for $50. Still had plastic on the pick guard!!!! Its pretty heavy but that means is solid right? lol I had an Indo Squier strat but tried to sand it down to the wood using sandpaper and gave up. So i sold it for parts. That guitar sounded really good and was super light! Can't wait to mod this one! I have never modded before but there is so much info now on yt i feel i can do almost anything. Except sand down a Squier strat with 1/4" paint shell on it. Heat gun, i know now. And a power sander.
I guess I never really thought about the pickup base plate material before. I am just not a fan of ceramic pickups. If you want some high gain overwound pickups then thats the ticket from what I've heard BUT I usaly play pretty clean or very light overdrive. Don't they use brass on high end telecaster bridage pickups? Any info on this subject is appreciated
Nice mod recommendations except for the foil lining of cavities , I've stopped doing that now as it's been proved to be completely ineffective and a waste of time. There are special guitar leads to cure the hum problem I believe or even better go wireless between amp and guitar.
Pickups are an electrical component but Solid Brass saddles are more a physical hardware component, so ... BIG Difference ! ( If you haven't used solid brass saddles, then try them first to Know that they ARE in fact Great for TONE & Sustain mate ) ...The same goes for a Solid Brass Nut !
I’ve got two Iron Gear Blues engine humbuckers , bridge and neck . That middle single coil would probably work well with these. I’m moding a Squire as well where did you get the single coil? And could you possibly show your wiring diagram for that set up. Great video love the treble bleed! Very cool…nice job.😎👍
Hi, great simple affordable upgrades, the other one that I absolutely loved in mine, was a musically brass block from amazon and by far maybe the best mod I ever enjoyed in a strat, question how or what paint did you use to achieve the *translucent* candy apple red in that body, looks amazing? I always loved the sparkling burgundy in SG's not in LP, and the cardinal red in telecasters and strats, but now i want that translucent effect on candy apple red. Cheers.
Great video. Love the sound your playing. Good advice on the pickups. I was thinking of a mod on a classic vibe 60 with Seymour Duncans, but the chapmans sound fantastic!!
If you're changing out the electronics, tuners and body, why not just buy a neck too and build a second guitar? Hell, if you change out all that stuff, does the original guitar even exist anymore?
Well there is that. This video was more aimed at giving a load of different ideas to pick and choose from. In fairness I did exactly what you said and that’s my red strat
@@PherotoneStudios Since a year ago, I replaced the necks on both of my Affinity Strats. I wanted maple fretboards and Chinese necks are like $40 on eBay. Put locking tuners on one and the other got the tuners from my Mexican Fender when I put kluson tuners on it.
Without a before and after, how do we know what it sounds like? The Tremelo is the heart of the Strat; there are upgrades available as well as a locking nut to keep the guitar in tune. Cosmetics is a waste of money.
I went a little overboard with my Affinity strat. In addition to pickups, tuners, and a new bridge (the trem arm hole in mine was stripped out, and I use the trem), I swapped out the neck. I couldn't stand the skinny 40mm nut width on the Affinity, so the new neck turned it into a different guitar. My block does stick out the back, because I have the skinny Affinity body.
@@PherotoneStudios Somehow my original reply is missing, but I went with a Lido branded neck from Guitar Fetish. I was surprised at how little fret work it needed for a $60USD neck, and it's easy to bend on with a 12" fretboard radius. I threw a Squier waterslide decal on it and a set of locking tuners, and Bob's your uncle, it plays great.
Hi just found your video for the squire upgrades. I’m buying my sons Squire as he never plays since I bought it as a Christmas for him a few years ago. I’m considering upgrading it extensively and was wondering what neck you recommend? Also considering one of those pre wired Gilmore pick guards. Might do Wilkinson trem as well.
I think that the Chapman pickups are pretty muffled sounding as well (own 2 Chapmans). I just upgraded all the pickups on my guitars to different BKP sets and never looked back since
I found a new loaded pickguard with Single coils built like originals - and a good Switch. For 29€. Because this I built a strat from cheap pieces, I change the saddles to brass - best improve. Now you can't identify this guitar on recording as a cheap one. Maybe I buy a good Neck. Greetz from Germany
My squier strat affinity has good tuners, no need for any upgrade. I changed the nut to a bone nut. Mine is from 99 made in Yuka (taiwan) and its neck is just right for my hands (compared to some much more expensive guitars. Cheap guitars can be quite nice!
Hi! firstly thanks for your videos! I wanted to ask about upgrading the tone knobs. In another video, about the bullet strat, you show how it has very little range. Can I upgrade them to get more range? what would you recommend? thanks!
You seem to have a serious problem with the Strat's main two sounds, position 2, and position 4 ! Those two tones are what the Strat is all about ! Those are the tones that define a Strat !
well i bought some of that Monty's fretboard wax , and basically it's Beeswax in a tin , nice stuff , but next time i'll buy beeswax off ebay for a quarter of the price ..
maybe the pickguard will be more beautiful with brownish color bro... oh yeah, I'm also going to upgrade my squier. but still maintain the single coil model. I'm still confused about choosing a lollar pickup / fender pickup. full rewiring, potential fender capacitor orange etc. to refreet using jescar stainles. because my guitar is quite old, in 2003 I haven't changed the dryer and bridge yet.
Did you just go over every part of the guitar? Lol, though, I'm setting up a partscaster, and it's interesting if you have the skill with paint/woodworking how cheap you can make a quality guitar.
In my Affinity Tele I’ve installed Brass saddles, A triple string tree, Tusq XL nut, Mojotone solderless wiring kit, Yosemite bridge pup was tight but it barely fit., USA vintage Tuners, USA Tele control plate, now it needs a shim, fretwork just seems horrible cant get it to feel right. Prolly should have done that first. Ha. Shims and fretwork are not my strong suit. I’m not convinced an Affinity fingerboard can ever be great.
My late 2019 Squire Affinity Strat has a 40mm body. Not useful info for most people but if anyone was wondering and don't have a good way of measuring for a future replacement bridge.
If you don’t use the trem have you thought about just blocking the thing so it can’t move at all? I keep mine decked like but still use it occasionally as it can still be pushed down.
The most important mod for cheap guitars is shielding, which you showed at 0:55, but didn't assign a number to! Using aluminium foil and Pritt Stick, it costs very little and doesn't suck tone like copper tape does. Neck screw inserts + machine screws is No. 2, treble bleed No. 3. Maybe a second string tree at 4. Anything else, and you might as well have bought a guitar at a higher price point in the first place.
I have a guitar with Tonerider which sounds great.However I just gave the luthier Toneriders to put in my Strat and he says they're duff, so I will be sending them back and trying another brand.
A tusq or brass or bone nut will only make a difference on open strings, as once you fret a note,the nut is 'cancelled' out, ie: it's not doing anything except keeping the strings in place....and you say brass destroys tone, why do telecaster players always say brass saddles improve the tone ??..... I've never done a side by side comparison on nuts/brass etc,so I could be wrong, still, enjoyed the video,well done.👍👍
finding that pickup set is like winning the lottery i cant find anything like that on reverb for that price
i bought this guitar on reverb and it’s a gem. i love it so much
I just got a set of GM / guitar master sss for my affinity upgrade the sound no kidding just as good as my seymore Duncans in my USA strat and got them off e.bay for only $27 ! Also got a set of vintage tuners , vintage American 57' / 59' fender trem , new bone nut , and set of 250k 50s classic vibe pots with the 5 way switch and wiring . All for right at $140 ! E.bay has been really good to me , but all my strings and other guitar gear off them.
I bought a Squire Bullet Strat for $90. I changed the pickups, the tuners and had a professional fret job and set up done. I now have $250 invested in the guitar. It now plays better and sounds better than any MIM Strat does out of the box.
1975 I bought a 1951 fender broadcaster for $100.00 it also came with a spare neck.
No guitar is good out of the box. Some day you will cringe at the idea of what you said there. I hope you can afford a real guitar some day.
@@BryanClark-gk6ieyeah right, you bought a nearly half million dollar guitar for $100 😂
@@Alex-dr6or
Yep and traded a Yamaha FG-160 for a 1972 D-35 martin but I had to give the person I got it from $350.00 to Boot because he was trying to get back to Texas. 😂
@BryanClark-gk6ie so in other words you didn't pay 100 and just lied for no reason. Cool
I used to exclusively play vintage guitars, but they kept getting stolen. So back in 1999 my wife gave me a Squier Affinity Fat Strat for Christmas. She later told me it was originally $150, but true to her norms, she did not pay full price for it, she was a great haggler and got it for $100. In nearly 25 years of having this guitar, I've never changed anything except re-soldering some of the connections and putting a set of locking tuners on it, and I love this guitar.
Also string trees. Anytime you can reduce friction you'll improve tuning stability.
Remove em
staggered tuners and eliminate trees
@@jamesstewart1794 Not necessarily a good idea if the removal results in to little downward pressure on the nut. Often, one can be removed, but the other should be replaced with a low friction graphite or roller string tree.
Even behind the nut?
I bought a squier starter pack as it was the cheapest setup to start learning guitar, seeing all the possibilities and changes that can be made definitely makes me feel better about buying the cheapest option over a quality option. Although to be fair im not sure how much my beginner ears will hear a difference after a couple of these upgrades but we will see.
Forsure! You can make them just as good as fenders.
You can do so much! I have a squier bullet limited. Swapped in some fender made in Mexico pickups and pots sounds amazing!! If you're in the US I recommend tone hatch pickups also they are relatively cheap and sound amazing!
You’ll hear a difference. And you’ll learn tonally what you’re looking for. Every guitarist has his own sound, no matter the skill level we’re all different when it comes to music.
Don't stress about gear, just play what you have as long as you enjoy it. Cheaper stuff lets you learn without breaking the bank, and like you said you can upgrade squires pretty easily. One thing I will say is never sell any guitar gear, even pedals and amps unless you're sure you have no further use for it. I still think about my first squire P bass.
how is it going????
For those with a thinner Affinity Strat, Musiclilly sells 36mm solid trem blocks, brass or steel, for about $21 USD. Easy fit. I also put on a tusq nut and string trees. That guitar sounds great!
do they fit the new 2 peice tremolos in the affinity?
@@lilbubblewrap8701 it is super tricky. you have to measure the existing bridge, width of bridge plate screws, where your trem arm hole is located on the bridge plate related to the six holes for the strings, the three block bolts, and the body routing itself. different manufacturing years and factories used different parts. Yes the depth is correct, but look over the descriptions and measurements they provide CAREFULLY. I simply could not use a full thickness not due to depth, but how much wood was routed out of the body for travel, other friction caused tuning instability and i gave up and went back to factory on one project
Thanks. Im guessing it'll fit in a classic vibe strat?
@@HappyHermitt it should as they are usually thicker
Tusq nut
Texmex pickups
CTS pots
Copper shielding
Fender locking tuners
File and polish frets
Straplocks
Upgraded input jack
Silent springs
Cream switch cap and pickguard and knobs
Great guitar now...
one thing I never understand about tuners, people constantly change them as soon as they buy cheaper guitar, I have couple cheap guitars, and even 90 euro kit, they all stay in tune and never had any issues. Besides from pickups, I wanted to change nut, but even pre cut ones that I bought had cuts so short and small that I could not use them anyway ( since I don't have nut files and exp to cut them ) ... that candy red color looks so so beautiful
You don't really need nut files if you're not planning to file nuts regularly, you can improvize and do a good enough job. For example use feeler gauges with sandpaper. Also you can get pretty close by sanding the bottom of the precut nut, since it's usually (intentionally) quite a bit higher. Remember that the nut slots don't have to be very deep - only about half to two thirds of the string thickness with the wound strings, and about the thickness of the string for the unwound ones. Deep nut slots can in theory create issues anyway.
I'm a total beginner but my cheap guitar stays in tune for about a month. I'm ok with the tuners however the A chord tuner is quite harsh.
If you want your squier or any other low priced guitar to be on par with boutique builds or custom shops or very high end models, do the most important thing that everyone forgets...install perfect frets(jescar stainless steel ones) and most likely a new nut....by doing that you ll have playability on par with the best of them that usually cost thousands...now if you want the sound too, throw an excellent aftermarket loaded pickup set in there and most def new quality tuners....
Now you have a guitar that plays like a dream sounds like one but only costs you barely one third of the price of the real one with the added advantage that if you bang,or scratch or drop it you wont cry about it plus you ll have a theft proof "inferior" logo that ll deter the snobs to steal it in the first place......
This video is the reason why Squier/fender Stratocaster is the most iconic guitar ever. Unique sound and style with a highly customizable platform.
Finally someone who recommends the wilkinson set now I feel more secure in ordering a set for my LP
I ordered some Wilkinson 10 minutes ago. They have to be better than the ones in it now
I bought one of the first Squier Strats 40 years ago. Paid 220 quid and it still has the Sheffield Carlsbro Sound shop sticker on it. Various bits bust over time so I fitted a 920D set up. Still going ... better than ever.
Id love to see that
I personally would've left the head color but I wouldn't have thought that black pickups with brass colored saddles would look good on that guitar and yet it looks sick. Unique as hell and you can almost guarantee you won't find somebody else pulling out a Strat that looks like that.
Thank you for the Wilkinson bridge saddle recommendation! Made big difference in my tone!
Man, I am loving your channel! Loads of great advice, especially if you don’t want to break the budget. Keep the videos coming!
I generally agree with all these mods except for the tusk nut. It is indeed a very significant change but sanding it takes hours (even with a pre-slotted model)
Hours🤔 Even when making a bone nut from scratch it should not take hours.
@@LaurLindmae well I may not be gifted but the first time I did it it took me 3 hours.
@@fredericadda Yeah, to each their own I guess. Sorry about that, did not mean anything bad, just seemed too long time for me.
@@LaurLindmae sure, no problem! That was my first time and I after some time sanding I realized I was sanding a bit slanted 😨 I probably didn't have a very good technique. In the end the result looks and sounds good but I swore I would never do that again by myself 😅
Hours? Flip the sandpaper over, you are using the wrong side.
Great video. What a great resource for beginners looking to beef up their Squires.
Fallen in love with squire. My Classic Vibe strat so good I went and bought a contemporary tele
I managed to snag a 2018 Contemporary Strat with hipshot lockers for 140. After new pups, which I had already and 12 bucks for the new string trees, all I had to do was a fretlevel and dress and a reradius of the saddles and intonation. The nut was cut too shallow, so it needed a couple of runs with a file and voila. Really it plays as well as the Charvel Promod in the house.
I bought a used Squier Mini Strat. I just ordered Wilkinson Alnico 5s, CTS pots with .47 tone cap, and a treble bleed kit.
It came with microphonic pickups and only has 2 pots total, 1 volume and 1 tone. Shouod be a simple upgrade.
I will eventually replace the tuners with the vintage kluson type, if they fit, and the saddles with brass ones.
The nut is under 40mm and impossible to find that width.
I may have to carve one.
Thanks for the video. Its all about having fun.
Question, does the Squire Affinity require a flat or curved nut? Thumbs up on the video. Thanks
It is a great video. I have been thinking to get a squire just because of my obsession of the sound otherwise I have 3 Ibanez guitars. Finding one cheap and modding like you did sounds like an alternative that even my wife could accept. It is also great you put links for the parts us and uk. Great job,any thanks I have joined your followers now :)
TREBLE BLEED is the WORST mod you can install if you play a LOT with dynamics. It really messes up the output balance and if you play single channel amps it sounds horribly thin and tinny. The most legendary songs recorded were used with conventional volume pot roll-offs with single channel amps. Treble Bleed also messes up every fuzz and treble booster pedal and makes them basically useless.
Lots of modern guitars tho have treble bleed circuit installed because manufacturers think that most people play multi channel amps nowadays and use the volume pot less often.
So if you want those classic rock sounds with thick warm clean sounds, go without TB and if you want modern, tinny cleans go with TB.
Depends on the type of treble bleed and component values. It all comes down to the guitar and pups.
@@benloveday6113 what’s best treble bleed value in HSH CONFIGURATION or….even SsH to obtain a good clean sound without beeing too crispy , harsh, metallic ?
Throw in another switch and pot so you can change it back to 'normal' In such situations.
I agree. Taking the edge off with the volume finds what has always been known as the sweet spot with singles. Treble bleed stops you doing that.
Good suggestions. One comment though: The issue with a brass pickup back plate derives from brass being non-magnetic. Hence, steel or nickel, both being magnetic, will work about the same.
I bought Wilkinson pickups single coil alnico 5 for my affinity strat, the guitar sounds superb. Put in Tuscany string tree Schaller easy lock tuners, the bridge I put in was a Wilkinson shorty trem I agree with you, on the trem I hard tailed the new bridge.I just love the playability of the guitar it was pricey to upgrade but worth it
Nice mods! I have 2 Squier Strats, both are vintage series, one is a 50’s Vibe and man I love that guitar. The neck is one of, if not the, nicest I’ve felt. I’m leaving my pickups stock because I like the sound of the vintage style, but I’ve already insulated the cavities, I actually went nuts one day and did about 6 guitars. My second Squier is getting Tonerider pickups, SSS though, I prefer the older Strat sound, but I’m keen on getting a Wilkinson tremolo now, but I’m a lefty and that normally pisses on the campfire for a lot of parts!
I’ll be watching your Tele series too, I’m more of a Tele guy, I’m about to do an active conversion on my MIM Tele, and I’ll move the Fender pickups down to my Squier, and then look at some modded switches and stuff.
Well if it's a Classic Vibe, you already have Toneriders in it :)
@@sharkey9 yeah it’s a 50’s classic vibe, so that’s good to know! I just fitted I think pure vintage into my second Squier.
My CV 60s has a half inch of poly on it. Its sticky after playing for 5 min.
I sanded it but not nearly enough
Playing and Neck humbucker sounded great + Position 4!! My 95.00 Squire = SSH + New Electronics + Shielding + Hipshot Tuners + Tusq Nut. Original ceramic pickups.
Very cool! Its night and day. Always a good shout to get the cheapest guitar with quality wood available and upgrade as you go. Especially for newer players. Awesome content!
Awesome video. Out of curiosity tho, when you bought the other body why didn't you buy a hardtail body? I don't use trems either, I got a hardtail body and sustain is way better also. Love the HSH setup also.
Locking tuners or not, you should still shoot for 1 1/2 wraps on the wound strings and 2 1/2 wraps on the plains for a 25.5" scale for the best sound, output & frequency range on an electric guitar.
This is great, thanks so much for taking the time
The best modification you could do (outside pickups and hardware) is a fret levelling and polishing (+ round the edges). It's not that hard if you're doing it right with a few tools only. Then your guitar play like a custom shop.
Damn that headstock is badass! Great idea to make the headstock of my old Squier in matching Candy Apple Red
The middle pickup is out of phase, so switch positions 2 and 4 sound really thin and sparkly.
If you just reverse the wires for the middle pickup then 2 and 4 will come to life and sound good.
great video, however at what point is it cheaper to just build your own?
You can also use india ink to dye the fretboard. I sanded my fretboard with 80 and 120 then applied 3-4 coats of india ink, after it dried I finished it with boiled linseed oil. Now it looks like ebony, my local guitar tech couldnt differentiate.
did you only sand from 80 to 120? any other fine touches?
@@morphius747 started with 60 and finished with 120 depending on how the fretboard felt, then after oil finish just gave finishing touches with steel wool 0000, then lemon oil for some good smell. Linseed oil will using take anywhere between 1-2 weeks to properly dry out.
I just got a 2000 China Squier strat for $50. Still had plastic on the pick guard!!!! Its pretty heavy but that means is solid right? lol
I had an Indo Squier strat but tried to sand it down to the wood using sandpaper and gave up. So i sold it for parts. That guitar sounded really good and was super light!
Can't wait to mod this one! I have never modded before but there is so much info now on yt i feel i can do almost anything. Except sand down a Squier strat with 1/4" paint shell on it. Heat gun, i know now. And a power sander.
Leave it as it is, they sound really good anyway, and it won't make you play any fucking better, save your money
I totally agree with you!
I guess I never really thought about the pickup base plate material before. I am just not a fan of ceramic pickups. If you want some high gain overwound pickups then thats the ticket from what I've heard BUT I usaly play pretty clean or very light overdrive. Don't they use brass on high end telecaster bridage pickups?
Any info on this subject is appreciated
Nice mod recommendations except for the foil lining of cavities , I've stopped doing that now as it's been proved to be completely ineffective and a waste of time. There are special guitar leads to cure the hum problem I believe or even better go wireless between amp and guitar.
? Really like the red guitar body you painted and the way the grain shows through. What did you use on it and how did you apply it? Thank you!
I've changed out the pickups for nickel based, because brass kills tone.
Next thing I did was installed brass saddles; Great for tone.
.
Pickups are an electrical component but Solid Brass saddles are more a physical hardware component, so ... BIG Difference !
( If you haven't used solid brass saddles, then try them first to Know that they ARE in fact Great for TONE & Sustain mate )
...The same goes for a Solid Brass Nut !
@@josephbusuttil3030
Sure, but did you meant nickel based or nickel plated, which makes a huge different.
Full blend is the bees knees on an HSH, & perhaps switch that treble bleed so you can still use a classic fuzz face
I’ve got two Iron Gear Blues engine humbuckers , bridge and neck . That middle single coil would probably work well with these. I’m moding a Squire as well where did you get the single coil? And could you possibly show your wiring diagram for that set up. Great video love the treble bleed! Very cool…nice job.😎👍
Great video! Working on a Squier SE mod project at the moment and will definitely be using some of your advice 👍🏻 Cheers mate 🙏🏻
Excellent Video Love the Brass Saddles. Thank You! Where did you Find The Brass Saddles?
Hi, great simple affordable upgrades, the other one that I absolutely loved in mine, was a musically brass block from amazon and by far maybe the best mod I ever enjoyed in a strat, question how or what paint did you use to achieve the *translucent* candy apple red in that body, looks amazing?
I always loved the sparkling burgundy in SG's not in LP, and the cardinal red in telecasters and strats, but now i want that translucent effect on candy apple red. Cheers.
Great video
Axetec make really affordable and good quality locking tuners. Give them a try I'd you haven't done so already
Based on the playing at the end, I'm not sure he knows anything about tuners
Fantastic advice, thank you.
Great video. Love the sound your playing. Good advice on the pickups. I was thinking of a mod on a classic vibe 60 with Seymour Duncans, but the chapmans sound fantastic!!
If you're changing out the electronics, tuners and body, why not just buy a neck too and build a second guitar? Hell, if you change out all that stuff, does the original guitar even exist anymore?
Well there is that. This video was more aimed at giving a load of different ideas to pick and choose from.
In fairness I did exactly what you said and that’s my red strat
@@PherotoneStudios Since a year ago, I replaced the necks on both of my Affinity Strats. I wanted maple fretboards and Chinese necks are like $40 on eBay. Put locking tuners on one and the other got the tuners from my Mexican Fender when I put kluson tuners on it.
Without a before and after, how do we know what it sounds like? The Tremelo is the heart of the Strat; there are upgrades available as well as a locking nut to keep the guitar in tune. Cosmetics is a waste of money.
How beautiful, that was incredible bro
I went a little overboard with my Affinity strat. In addition to pickups, tuners, and a new bridge (the trem arm hole in mine was stripped out, and I use the trem), I swapped out the neck. I couldn't stand the skinny 40mm nut width on the Affinity, so the new neck turned it into a different guitar. My block does stick out the back, because I have the skinny Affinity body.
Bet it looks epic though. Loads of character. Which neck did you swap it for?
@@PherotoneStudios Somehow my original reply is missing, but I went with a Lido branded neck from Guitar Fetish. I was surprised at how little fret work it needed for a $60USD neck, and it's easy to bend on with a 12" fretboard radius. I threw a Squier waterslide decal on it and a set of locking tuners, and Bob's your uncle, it plays great.
Whats that song you're playing in the conclusion?
Hi just found your video for the squire upgrades. I’m buying my sons Squire as he never plays since I bought it as a Christmas for him a few years ago. I’m considering upgrading it extensively and was wondering what neck you recommend? Also considering one of those pre wired Gilmore pick guards. Might do Wilkinson trem as well.
Try Seymour Duncan hotrodded humbucker on the bridge and neck position with a hotrails humbucker in the middle . Seymour Duncan 's favorite.....6:41
thanks. that's a great sounding squier. I'm getting those pups.
Love upgrading cheap guitars!
Really nice-looking Affinity...
Actually sounds really nice
I think that the Chapman pickups are pretty muffled sounding as well (own 2 Chapmans). I just upgraded all the pickups on my guitars to different BKP sets and never looked back since
This was excellent, thank you so much!
I found a new loaded pickguard with Single coils built like originals - and a good Switch. For 29€. Because this I built a strat from cheap pieces, I change the saddles to brass - best improve. Now you can't identify this guitar on recording as a cheap one. Maybe I buy a good Neck. Greetz from Germany
Loved this. Just found the channel. Well done lads. All the best from the North West 😎😎😎😎😎😎
the stock color is cool but yeah you made it sound fantastic
My squier strat affinity has good tuners, no need for any upgrade. I changed the nut to a bone nut. Mine is from 99 made in Yuka (taiwan) and its neck is just right for my hands (compared to some much more expensive guitars. Cheap guitars can be quite nice!
I forgot, I also put Fender roller string trees on her.
Treble bleeds sound like they reduce bass when the volume is rolled down to my ears. I prefer non treble bleed guitars usually.
The Kinman treble bleed circuit works much more natural. I use it on my Strat and are absolutely happy with it.
Hi! firstly thanks for your videos!
I wanted to ask about upgrading the tone knobs. In another video, about the bullet strat, you show how it has very little range. Can I upgrade them to get more range? what would you recommend? thanks!
You seem to have a serious problem with the Strat's main two sounds, position 2, and position 4 ! Those two tones are what the Strat is all about ! Those are the tones that define a Strat !
I usually only buy cheaper guitars, Squire, Epis so this is good info.
Beautiful looking guitar
HI!!
I THINK I WILL NEED YOUR EXPERIENCE.
What is the best tremolo bridge that I could install on my Squier start HSS?
Thank you 🤘
I relate to your playing so much!
can I waterpaint the head or would that give the wood a waterdamage?
well i bought some of that Monty's fretboard wax , and basically it's Beeswax in a tin , nice stuff , but next time i'll buy beeswax off ebay for a quarter of the price ..
Never heard of the highwood saddles?
That monty's instrument food looks like it works good... Ive always just used mineral oil on my rosewood boards.
is that floating bridge?
At what poiht does this squier stop being a squier?
How do you wire in the treble bleed circuit and what are the values of the cap and resistor ?
I’m working on a strat with a tele pickup for a neck pickup and 2 dual coil humbuckers… which might turn out awful I’m kind of new to this
Wow, it looks sick, Thinking about modding a cheap strat.
maybe the pickguard will be more beautiful with brownish color bro... oh yeah, I'm also going to upgrade my squier. but still maintain the single coil model. I'm still confused about choosing a lollar pickup / fender pickup. full rewiring, potential fender capacitor orange etc. to refreet using jescar stainles. because my guitar is quite old, in 2003 I haven't changed the dryer and bridge yet.
The color combination on that guitar almost made me mess up my pants omg so beautiful
Did you just go over every part of the guitar? Lol, though, I'm setting up a partscaster, and it's interesting if you have the skill with paint/woodworking how cheap you can make a quality guitar.
About £600-£800 depending on hardware and pickup choices. It’s often cheaper to buy used bodies which are the colour you want and a neck you like
I have notice most Tele bridge pickups have a brass plate, should I change this to a nickel one? I have a CNC and so I can cut a new one quite easily.
After waxing the neck to make it darker can you still use the regular Lemon Oil to hydrate it? Or the wax eliminates the need for it?
Nice video! Great ideeas! Very reasonable use of money.
In my Affinity Tele I’ve installed Brass saddles, A triple string tree, Tusq XL nut, Mojotone solderless wiring kit, Yosemite bridge pup was tight but it barely fit., USA vintage Tuners, USA Tele control plate, now it needs a shim, fretwork just seems horrible cant get it to feel right. Prolly should have done that first. Ha. Shims and fretwork are not my strong suit. I’m not convinced an Affinity fingerboard can ever be great.
How aboutva bottle of black shoe shkne to tint the fretboard
Wilkinson WVC would be a direct retrofit trem for a 6 point, just get the spacing right (between the pivot screws) ;-)
My late 2019 Squire Affinity Strat has a 40mm body. Not useful info for most people but if anyone was wondering and don't have a good way of measuring for a future replacement bridge.
Thanks for this. Brilliant!
If you don’t use the trem have you thought about just blocking the thing so it can’t move at all? I keep mine decked like but still use it occasionally as it can still be pushed down.
Same. I like it decked and occasionally grab it and pull it up. Currently got it wedged in place with a load of timber in the back though
The most important mod for cheap guitars is shielding, which you showed at 0:55, but didn't assign a number to! Using aluminium foil and Pritt Stick, it costs very little and doesn't suck tone like copper tape does. Neck screw inserts + machine screws is No. 2, treble bleed No. 3. Maybe a second string tree at 4. Anything else, and you might as well have bought a guitar at a higher price point in the first place.
whered you get the black pickup switch and the black knobs? looks ace
also how did you switch out the bridge do you have tutorial or would i be able to just give it a go without messing much up?
Loved it. Now I'm off to Monty's!
I have a guitar with Tonerider which sounds great.However I just gave the luthier Toneriders to put in my Strat and he says they're duff, so I will be sending them back and trying another brand.
A tusq or brass or bone nut will only make a difference on open strings, as once you fret a note,the nut is 'cancelled' out, ie: it's not doing anything except keeping the strings in place....and you say brass destroys tone, why do telecaster players always say brass saddles improve the tone ??..... I've never done a side by side comparison on nuts/brass etc,so I could be wrong, still, enjoyed the video,well done.👍👍