Squier Strat in da house!!!

[concert410]

I am becoming paranoid about taking $3000. worth of guitars into certain bars we play. I can deal with the guitar I am playing, but my "spare" does not need to be as nice. I have doubles of all my "good" guitars, but I wanted a beater as a backup since it only gets used when I break a string or something. So I bought a Squier Standard Series Strat. Not a bad guitar and tons better than what I learned on... I am tempted to upgrade pickups and pots, but then that seems like it would be defeating the purpose. The Satin finish seems to let the guitar breathe a little. It is a cheap guitar, but not a bad one at all. Worth the upgrade or leave it "as is"?

[Mesotech]

If it serves your purposes, leave it "as is". If not, then fix what needs fixin. If you're just wanting to tinker, then by all means change everything, start with a new CS body, a vintage neck with worn off frets, add some fried pickups that have been baking in someone's attic for 40 years in a box, throw on some rusted tuners that don't stay in tune anymore, and wire it all up with cloth covered lamp cord. Of course, then you won't really want to play it anymore, but hey... It's your guitar, enjoy it.

[concert410]

LOL! Mesotech...

I am just wondering is anyone else ever paranoid about having $4000. just out of reach of a bunch of drunken idiots.... I love my guitars. Some of the places we play, I take my Sunday best, but there are some bars.. whoa.... My $200. Squier will do just fine... It can stop a flying bottle as well as any Les Paul...

[Mesotech]

I can understand the paranoia associated with expensive gear in close proximity to drunks of various degrees of idiocity. Just be careful that your $200 Squire doesn't become your favorite axe (it's not always about price) or you might be leaving that one home too for some gigs.

[concert410]

I have a few guitars, this Squier stands no chance of being a #1 pick. A few gigs ago, i saw a guy get hit so hard that he knocked over TWO video games. Then, after his senses came back, he tried to bean other guy with a pool ball. No one was hit by the pool ball. Last week, a drunk tried to join us for a jam. He headed for my spare guitar which was sitting on a stand by the amps, but I got between him and the guitar and told him he'd better sit down. The anxiety of him reaching for one of my guitars was enough to tell me to get a beater...

[Don]

Last week, a drunk tried to join us for a jam. He headed for my spare guitar which was sitting on a stand by the amps, but I got between him and the guitar and told him he'd better sit down. The anxiety of him reaching for one of my guitars was enough to tell me to get a beater...

You need a second Squier for gigs like that!

[concert410]

You need a second Squier for gigs like that!

That's my problem.... I have an old MIJ 72 Reissue that has become my main gigging guitar. The American Strats and Les Pauls rarely come out anymore... Sentimental value aside, I keep looking at the stage and I see $$$$ and it scares me. How guys are taking CS guitars and boutique amps into some of these bars is beyond me.

[frank thomson]

lol...
yea, the people can discern the tone differences...lol

i was afraid for my MIA tele the other night
...man, if it didnt have the fishman pup i needed, i'd have brought my affinity!

just make sure you slap a fender decal on that squire so as the drunks see you have class

[concert410]

I have already had someone come up and tell me that my Squier "sounds sooo good" . If I had as much to drink as he did, I would have believed him. I'm going to leave the Squier decal on there so as to discourage anyone who knows a little about guitars from thinking about lifting it. At least the thing plays well and sounds good enough to get me through the end of the set. I'm going to resist the urge to start swapping pups...

[TonsofBlues]

I'm going to resist the urge to start swapping pups...

Man, why not change them... what if (knock on wood) something horrible had to your good one early in the show? Then you'd have the back up all night... and if you're like me... if my strat wasn't giving me the sound I needed... it'd throw me off all night...

Besides... if a drunk messes with it.. it's douptful chewin on the pickups will be the first thing he goes for...

[funkyguitar]

I'd keep it stock if it sounds and plays okay. I bought one a few years ago to put in a truck with a stoner roadie driver for a few road gigs, then sold it when I stopped doing the roadband thing.

[concert410]

It is just a spare... I don't want to get into sinking any money into it. I have a couple of nice American Series Strats and a couple of Gibsons....

[photoweborama]

I just put a set of GFS Texas Premium pickups in mine, WOW!
I'm toying with the idea of putting a set in my AmSer.

[concert410]

I can't see putting $200. worth of pickups into a $200. guitar. Seems like goldplating the dashboard of a VW bug to me. At the end of all that modding, I'd have a $200. guitar that cost me $500.
A couple of years ago, I caught the bug and started modding my Strats. After 4 sets of pickups, it hit me that I should have left the guitars stock in first place. I ended up selling the guitars, and buying new ones. I was able to sell the used guitars and some spare junk and parts around the house and i didn't lose money on that deal.

[frank thomson]

well....

i guess there's a few ways to look at that.
some believe that the pups are where the sound lies.
some think it's a combination of the parts/tonewoods.

but if you think a guitar is just wood, and a tool to a means end, then i could justify putting 200$ pups in a $150 guitar....its a tool

perspective is everything

all i know is that clapton/srv could make a stock affinity sound good
..if you have this philosophy, then it really shouldn't matter how much you paid.

[photoweborama]

The GFS Texas Premiums are $63.00 a set, by the way. GFS is the only way to go to pump up a Squier or any low end guitar.

[concert410]

Photoweborama, thanks for the advice... maybe oneday, I will upgrade a guitar or two and your recomendation is a great one.
I have to agree agree with what Fezz says... No one at the show gives a rat's butt what pickups are in there except for other guitar players... and even then they will say I have the wrong set....

[jeru]

A couple of months ago a good friend of mine asked me for advice re: getting a cheapo backup guitbox. I offered to find him a solution if he'd give me a budget of $100 to work with.

I bought him a beat up squire off craig's list for $50. Played OK, but sounded like ass. I put a GFS Lil' Killer in the bridge position for $30 shipped, and replaced the switch and volume put from my parts bin for good measure. Another $5 went towards a six-pack of cheap beer to drink while working. Did the whole thing for $85. I have since seen him wail on the thing a couple of times and it sounds great.

Bottom line: if this is a guitar that you have to play in front of people, and you don't like the way it sounds, there are ways to get a useable sound from it on the el cheapo.

God, that was a really uplifting story; I feel like I'm on Oprah LOL

[concert410]

That's something to consider..... I guess $300. for a beater isn't so bad. This is why I started the thread... To get some opinions. I actually like the neck pickup, maybe I'll upgrade the bridge and leave it at that. Not too much money invested

[concert410]

Alright, so I've been toting this Sqier Strat around for a few weeks now. It does the job for a backup, but.... I am definitely going to spring for a bridge (humbucker) replacement. The guitar has so far performed admirably when called upon. I only use it when there is a broken string on my regular gigging guitar. Besides that and a new nut, the guitar would improve immeasuarably for little dough. As I said before, can't complain about $300.....

[flashriffs]

Doing a gig on friday night with a few other bands so my lp will stay at home in case it gets kicked over or someone wants a go of it and dings it, so the replacement is my trusty squire which I love to bits, I put a seymour duncan in the bridge, heres a few clips of the thing,..FRANK............http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=flashriffs

[concert410]

Flash,
that's exactly what I'm talking about. Besides me, no one else in the club will care... Cool looking guitar you have there. Mine is a Satin finished "Walnut" body with black pickguard and pickups.

[cibai]

Ive had two squires that Ive had since I learned to play guitar, yet I routinely pick them up over my custom shop guitars. I actually think they do alot of things right on those guitars. The two that I have a Korean, both plywood, but both also have very thin finishes, and nitro on the necks. Both necks are arrow straight, and feel great. The strat PUs had to be changed, but the tele bridge PU was actually one of the better PUs Ive heard.

[concert410]

Today, I took the guitar to a really good setup guy to do his magic. I decided I wanted this guitar to be "Shred Approved" so it will get a Duncan Invader bridge pickup and a graphtech nut. At least it will sound a bit different than my other guitars. In the past, I always bought exact doubles (2 similar Les Pauls, 2 similar Strats, etc...) so i could pick up a "clone" if a string broke or something. I'll pick up the guitar Saturday afternoon and gig with it Saturday night.

[photoweborama]

on my Squier Tele I ended up liking the stock neck pickup and changed the bridge to a GFS hot overwound. The output of that combination make for killer tone, and very well balanced. I found that that hot overwound bridge was just too hot and nothing but a ceramic could keep up with it without being overshadowed by the bridge.

My Squier standard strat had very good Alnico pickups. Not bad at all, but I had a set of GFS premium Texas pickups so I put them in there.

[concert410]

One more day and I pick up my guitar. I haven't been this excited in a while and I can't believe it is over a guitar that even after extensive modifications, will still be the cheapest guitar I have ever bought.

[Mesotech]

One more day and I pick up my guitar. I haven't been this excited in a while and I can't believe it is over a guitar that even after extensive modifications, will still be the cheapest guitar I have ever bought.

LOL, you can't say you weren't warned!

Just be careful that your $200 Squire doesn't become your favorite axe (it's not always about price) or you might be leaving that one home too for some gigs.

[concert410]

Good point Mesotech... good point. ...and I wish I could say that hasn't happened to me in the distant past.

[concert410]

Took my Squier to the gig tonight and played it for a while. It will serve me well as my backup guitar. Putting a Duncan Invader in it was a good idea as it will match up output wise with my Les Paul Classic. I was surprised as the sound cleaned up (better than I expected) fairly well using the volume control on the guitar. I now have a very usable guitar that cost me $300. The Invader is a POWERFUL pickup. My Mesa Boogie really liked it. Most importantly, when the drunk guy came up to "help us" sing some choruses, I didn't get that sick feeling worrying about the guitar back on the stand.

[concert410]

One more update and then I'll let this thread die....
The guitar plays well, but it is a bit dark and foreboding sounding compared to all my other guitars. After jamming on it, I invariably end up playing some Metallica or Sabbath doom riffs. I used it exclusively on our last set and it was a bit over the top for our AC/DC and Who covers. Turning down the volume helped, but that Invader pickup just wants to be turned loose. The stock Squier neck pickup works fine as is. Anyway, nothing wrong with jamming out on a Squier. If you are on a budget and/or need/want an inexpensive guitar, go for it.

[photoweborama]

I played with a new potential band Sunday night, and I took my Squire. Unfortuatly I sliced my middle finger of my left hand with a razor knife, and I kept getting it stuck on the strings. but it played and sounded great.

But I have those GFS Texas premiums in there. Those pickups are just amazing.

I'm going to take my American Series next time, but I may end up with the Squier being my Jam/gig guitar..

[concert410]

Sorry to hear about your finger... hope you heal quickly. After gigging with my Squier, I find I can't wait to get home to play my American Series Strats. And I have to admit I DEFINITELY went too hot with the Invader for what I usually do. Oh well, I bought it to be a backup and I modded it to be different from all my other guitars. It is exactly what I wanted. Now to learn some more 90's songs...

[concert410]

3 months later..... Squier Strat still going strong. Lowered the Duncan Invader and that tamed it quite a bit. This guitar can cover a lot of bases and was definitely a great buy. I played 6-8 of theses and there was a range of quality on them, obviously I bought the best one of the batch. i report no issues whatsoever. For the record, I set the guitar up and replaced the bridge pickup. Other than that, it is completely stock ie. original nut, tuners, and saddles.

[StratoSJ]

I just bought a Vintage Modified Squier Standard that has real Kluson tuners and vintage saddles and this thing sounds great!! Looks really sweet too!! It's antique sunburst with a tortoise pick guard and vintage looking pickups covers.

[concert410]

A month after the last post and I am totally disinterested in the Squier. I am going to use it when I help start a music program for troubled youths but it doesn't even come out for home practicing anymore. I have my 20 year old MIJ 72 Strat and a Wasburn HB-35s that are my "cheapies". Maybe it's the Duncan Invader upgrade that I hate so much... I can't help but wonder "What was I thinking"???

[concert410]

This guitar was sold just yesterday. I could not go back to playing it after playing my other guitars. At least I didn't lose any money on it.

[Kap'n]

Or oxycontin, or something.

[concert410]

you guys are too much.... The guitar was fine until I played my other guitars for a while. When I went back to it, I couldn't deal with it. The Duncan Invader was the worst thing I could have done to it and in the end I returned it to original and sold it and broke even. My next purchase? Maybe a MIM Tele. STOCK!!!

[Mikey]

There ya go!

[Acidhouse]

Well my advice is a little late now but you probably would still have the Squier if you had just bought a wired pg from GFS. Simple, easy fix and would have run you about $40 with the shipping. As for Squier quality, which this thread seems to have drifted to. I love my Squiers, I reach for them before the AV62. I like the warm sound of some of the stock pups over the SCNs. I think I figured that I now have seven Squier Strats of some sort, Bullets, HM's, Standards, Pro Tone. They all have something great about them in their own way. There are crappy Squier guitars but my experience is that they come few and far between.