I've been gassing for a strat lately, but have a few dilemmas. First off, I already have one, it's an off brand one but it uhh..........doesn't work. It needs a new bridge, springs, strings and pickups. So I'm left with, fix that one, or get a new one. Which should I do?
Second, how are the tremolo systems on them? Do they stay in tune?
Third, does Squier sell any Olympic White, or Arctic White ones with white pickguards? I like those.
Last, if I decide not to fix the old guitar, how do I get rid of it?
Depends..
Do you like your "off-brand" strat?
If you like it, then it may be alot cheaper to fix it then to buy a real strat.
Also you wouldnt beleive what its like to have your bridge and neck fully and properly adjusted it feels amazingly new.
Yes, strat tremelos are great, They do hold a good tune..
You know, im not to sure about the colors squire has..
Sell it on ebay, but make sure to describe exactly whats wrong with it..
I would just upgrade the pick-ups to seymour duncans, new bridge, new strings, and have a shop properly adjust your neck and bridge...
That would not only sound better then it did before, but it will feel brand new and have a better sound..
Youd be amazed at how good a cheap guitar can sound with the right pick-ups, bridge/neck set-up, and of course amp/pedal selection..
I love when stuff breaks, gives you time to upgrade.. :D
Sing Me A Song Your a Singer, Do me a wrong, your a bringer of evil. - Dio
Meh, I wouldnt bother with an off brand like that. Just find a used Ibanez RG or something. Possibly a used Fender Mexican Strat? And just put in the appropriate pickups (I figure your not a chimey single coil kinda person... LOL ).
I took an old American Series Swamp Ash body from Ebay, put a new Warmoth Birdseye Maple Compound Radius neck. A Graptech Trem Nut, Schaller M6 Locking Tuners, Gotoh Wilkinson Tremelo (its inbetween a Floyd and a Vintage trem, makes string changing a breeze and stays in tune well!). Then I added a set of Calibrated Noiseless Lace Sensors (Red, Silver, Blue set) and my own custom electronics. I ended up with a darn nice quality axe and for half the price of an American Deluxe!
Now I am not suggesting building an axe this way but you can find a nice used Fender chassis and upgrade the pickups and such!
Happy Modding!
GN's resident learning sponge, show me a little and I will soak it up.
A buddy of mine and I both have MIM Strats. Wouldn't give 'em up for anything. However, we both have the same complaint. One trip to the tremelo and we're whacked out of tune. I took mine off within a week. Still on a shelf on my desk as I type this.
I'm sure someone will be kind enough to point out what we're doing wrong. :)
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
locking tuners graphite nut, take graphite pencil lead and rub anywhere the string contacts with steel (except the frets). Should solve the tuning problem.
GN's resident learning sponge, show me a little and I will soak it up.
I don't know much about repairs but it sounds like what you need doesn't cost too much except for new pickups and that depends on what you decide on.
If you're going to upgrade why buy a Squier? People upgrade FROM Squier most of the time. I think get this one fixed for now, and save up for something pretty decent. Maybe a used American made Strat....otherwise you're going to end up with a lot of cheap equipment that isn't worth much.
OWA -
How much do you want to spend to either upgrade your existing guitar or buy a new one? That answer will tell me whether you should get the new one or not. For example, you can buy a brand new MIM Strat for around $400, or buy a decent used one on Ebay for half that. Or, check out the Ibanez line - lots of good stuff there for low cost.
Really it is up to you. If I were you, I wouldn't bother upgrading an "off" brand, unless you were in love with that guitar.
I seem to recall you calling Strats Garish looking 8) My how times have changed. Without playing what your buying it'll be tough. You've got enough time under your belt I think if you hit a few pawnshops you'd find something that'll work for you. As for using the trem I've got one blocked and one not , the one I didn't block to get it to stay in tune I had to replace the nut and string trees as well as the saddles with Graphtec peices and I had to put a knife edge on my bridge roughly $120 USD. It never goes out of tune.
Chuck Norris invented Kentucky Fried Chicken's famous secret recipe, with eleven herbs and spices. But nobody ever mentions the twelfth ingredient: Fear!
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I've been gassing for a strat lately, but have a few dilemmas. First off, I already have one, it's an off brand one but it uhh..........doesn't work. It needs a new bridge, springs, strings and pickups. So I'm left with, fix that one, or get a new one. Which should I do?
It depends . . .
1) Is there something about the neck and body of your current strat clone that makes you want to keep it? Sentimental value? If not, buy a new guitar
2) A new Standard Strat in Arctic White with a white pickup will cost you $399US.
Playing guitar and never playing for others is like studying medicine and never working in a clinic.
Thanks all.
Didn't like the guitar too much. Though I did like the distortion from the one single coil pickup.
I was thinking one of these:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Standard-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar?sku=516037
or
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Deluxe-Players-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar?sku=511597
Not sure what the difference is between.......well all of them. There are a lot of strats with varying prices.
It's true. There are a lot of Strats to choose from. I wouldn't know myself which to get. But I like white guitars. I have a white Daisy Rock 12 string!
OK. So it's not a Strat.
There are a lot of subtle variations in strats, that can make a difference in the playability and sound. Generally speaking, you can go for something vintage and easy chording, or a more modern hotter sound, set up for leads, and just about any compromise between the two. If you're going for the modern lead, look for a flatter radius, wider frets and hotter pickups. Oh, and 'noiseless' pickups tend to be a love'em or hate'em type of thing.
The deluxe player is probably the closest you'll get for a reasonable price.
"Things may get a whole lot worse/ Before suddenly falling apart"
Steely Dan
"Look at me coyote, don't let a little road dust put you off" Knopfler
What's wrong with Squier's? My 93 MIJ is every bit as nice as an american made. this thing never ever goes out of tune no matter how hard you beat up the tremolo.
OWA, what happened to the Schecter? Very nice guitars. Here's a pic of mine. Also stays in tune quite well.
I didn't mean to say that there is anything wrong with a Squier. Just that if someone is going to upgrade, then really upgrade, not get something that she may want to upgrade from again in some time.
btw, that schecter is real nice looking.
Thanks all.
Didn't like the guitar too much. Though I did like the distortion from the one single coil pickup.
I was thinking one of these:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Standard-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar?sku=516037
or
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Deluxe-Players-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar?sku=511597
Not sure what the difference is between.......well all of them. There are a lot of strats with varying prices.
If you are worried about the trem operation, both of these have the older-style synchronous trem. The better version is the two-point, knife edge floating trem (I forget the exact name) on the better models. It's a big improvement over the original synchronous trem. The knife edge trem with locking tuners, roller string trees and a good nut will work quite well.
-=tension & release=-
