Must-Have Squire strat mods.

[Timanator]

So just like most people, I have a beater Squire strat I picked up for less than a bag of rocks ages ago. It plays no better than a boatlod of rocks, and in general just feels crappy in the hands.

I have sanded most of the paint off it, Tung oiled the neck and threw a Cool Rail in the Bridge spot. What are the Must Do's for these things to make it more enjoyable to play?

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...MAGE_00057.jpg

[elcid]

Sell it

[waylay00]

You could use it as a test guitar for things like swirling (if you're into that), or scalloping, etc.

[Timanator]

Wow, this thing is that crappy?

Forget selling it, it aint even worth the effort.

[David McCarroll]

Cruel, aren't they?

I suggest you put some time and effort in to learning how to set the guitar up to play as well as possible - learning how to cut the nut slots to the right depth, levelling frets, setting the bridge up, neck tilt, relief, all that, are fully learnable, and, as you say, since the guitar plays like a bag of rocks, anything you do, as long as you are careful can only make her play better.

There is a great site called projectguitar.com on which you will find much useful info about setting up guitars - a good starting point.

[Racerx2k]

Yeah, don't listen to the haters. I have several Squiers, and I wouldn't even bother with them, if they didn't play as nice as they do. Yeah, there are crap ones, but that can be said about every brand of guitar. Some people are afraid to like something, merely because of what others say, or because it doesn't cost as much as their overpriced, bloated guitars. I don't know about YOU, but I work hard for my paycheck, and actually look for the best bang for my buck, instead of just pissing money away. That's better left to stupid rich kids, with daddy's credit card.

[7Plagues]

there is nothing wrong with modding squiers. I have a few older Korean squiers that I modded. Alot of people think Squiers are junky, but the japanese and korean ones are amazing.

I would replace the toggle switch and the wiring right from the get go. go with a heavier gauge wire to clean up the sound a bit. Pop out the stock PUs and put in something better..replacing the tuners is a good idea as well. the stock tuners arent that great and dont hold tuning too well.

[Darin]

If you do decide to sell it a month or so, PM me. I could use it in the country band I play in.

[Demiurge]

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/menu.php

see "Quieting the Beast"

[DavyH]

The missus is the lucky owner of a pink Hello Kitty Squier. Since she bought it as a learner guitar, I had to test it for her.

Aside from acute embarrassment at being seen playing the thing, I was pleasantly surprised by its overall quality.

There's an unfortunate snobbery keeps going around. Squier = crap. Epiphone = crap. I like my Epi's. There are good ones and bad ones; take them for a test drive and see, don't just dismiss them out of hand. There are plenty of terrible 'name' axes out there too. A couple of retailers I've been chatting to recently reckon Squier have really upped their game recently, and I haven't played any real lemons of late.

[BozTheK]

Originally Posted by DavyH

The missus is the lucky owner of a pink Hello Kitty Squier. Since she bought it as a learner guitar, I had to test it for her.

Aside from acute embarrassment at being seen playing the thing, I was pleasantly surprised by its overall quality.

Well i think if you just took off the scratch plate and maybe sanded off the logo on the back (just in case ) then it would be a pretty cool 80s looking axe

not quite as cool as a 777SK or that pink jackson steve has, but it still has some otherwise no longer acceptable colour in it, which is what i like to see

[jim777]

Put $100 bucks into a new neck and you'll have a new guitar, basically. If you aren't getting decent sustain out of that bridge, you can get a US bridge but the holes may not line up, requiring a little drilling on your part. i think I paid about $45 for the USA bridge I have on my Mexican Strat, and another 100 on a Japanese Charvel neck. Those mods made it a completely different, and much better guitar.

And the only mod a Hello Kitty needs is a white EMG 81

[buddroyce]

Maybe do some fretwork on it. Give it a good fret level and rounding off the fret ends would be a great way to make it better. Aside from that, maybe a new nut as the stock one may be made of some nastic plastic. Get a Tusq nut or something. If the bridge it ok, you can always replace the saddles with something better or even a set of piezo saddles.

Beyond that, there are always LOTS of wiring options.

[Aussie_Rocker]

I dont wanna mess with the Hello Kitty Krew (HKK) the k on the krew is because they are hardcore

[Jemwielder]

I've got one! Trade it for a Japanese Fender! Just kidding. Pickup replacement is a must.