Is it possible to improve a squier strat?

What's Hot
135

Comments

  • JMP220478JMP220478 Frets: 421
    I have a squier strat - bought for son in a starter pack   - rw neck - current pickup array is two american strat pu's circa 2000 in neck n middle with SD lil '59 in bridge - sounds like a strat to my ears and compares well with my Shawbucker strat .. all be it the bridge does sound different - think more focused fat vs broader HB tones .. 

    Do you have original pickups ?  suggest you put neck pu back in and check if chime improves - a single coil sized humbucker imho will not have sc chime - whilst the stock pu's are cheap ceramics - they may shed some light on your challenge ..

    I would also suggest a wiring check as theres a lot of wires in a 3 pu - 4 core setup and with the smaller pots typically in the far east scratchplates - you may have some earthing , series / parallel or out of phase issues .  check pot values too as they could vary significantly from an optimal 250K  ? Do the tone controls have a reasonable taper - perhaps cap values need checking too?

    What does it sound like acoustically - does it compare with other strat styles you have or have tried ?  


    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • LestratcasterLestratcaster Frets: 1079
    I do have them somewhere just need to find them. But they’re not known for being very good! And that’s the reason why I switched them out in then first place!

    I haven’t actually checked the cap values so that may be the next thing to try. It’s all pretty much stock apart from the 3 pickups and selector switch blade.

    It sounds alright acoustically, albeit dark and lacks sustain. I’ve not really played other strats apart from mine as I’ve never owned a “proper” strat lol. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9978
    tFB Trader
    My check list for improving a Squire strat:
    1.Wilkinson vintage trem with a decent full-fat steel block. 
    2. Pots: CTS 9% vintage taper.
    3. Switch: CRL five way
    4. Output jack socket: Switchcraft

    Then ... and only when I've upgraded everything else ... I look at the pickups. Don't fix what ain't broken with those ... if after the other upgrades you you still don't like the pickup tone ... then go for it, but sometimes sorting the other stuff is all you need.
    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 8reaction image Wisdom
  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11669
    Isn't the Squier already pretty good at being a Squier strat?  The hardware is often not great so on some of them will need changing before you'd use it as a gigging instrument, I get that, but certainly for home players it will do.

    I've always found they play well and sound really good.  I had two strats, a Squier Bullet I sold to my cousin to get him started and a 2003 Mexican, and the Mexican is a better made guitar with better hardware, but I dont love it, I loved the cheap one!

    I remember at last year's Woking jam, someone bought a single pickup Hello Kitty strat and plugged it into a JCM 800 in the room and I said "wow that sounds superb, what pickup you put in there" and he said "that's stock" - I was amazed!  Was it @Flanging_Fred ; ??
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9978
    edited June 2019 tFB Trader
    Isn't the Squier already pretty good at being a Squier strat?  The hardware is often not great so on some of them will need changing before you'd use it as a gigging instrument, I get that, but certainly for home players it will do.

    I've always found they play well and sound really good.  I had two strats, a Squier Bullet I sold to my cousin to get him started and a 2003 Mexican, and the Mexican is a better made guitar with better hardware, but I dont love it, I loved the cheap one!

    I remember at last year's Woking jam, someone bought a single pickup Hello Kitty strat and plugged it into a JCM 800 in the room and I said "wow that sounds superb, what pickup you put in there" and he said "that's stock" - I was amazed!  Was it @Flanging_Fred ;; ??
    That depends on the Squire model (they are not all created equal) and the expectations of the player ... and  I don't see why a 'home player' shouldn't want their instruments to be 'the best they can be' as much as a gigging player. In fact any deficiencies in tone will show up more when it's just you and a small amp ... rather than you being masked by bass, drums, higher volume and the clamour of the 'Dog and Duck'.
    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • JMP220478JMP220478 Frets: 421
    edited June 2019
    I do have them somewhere just need to find them. But they’re not known for being very good! And that’s the reason why I switched them out in then first place!

    I haven’t actually checked the cap values so that may be the next thing to try. It’s all pretty much stock apart from the 3 pickups and selector switch blade.

    It sounds alright acoustically, albeit dark and lacks sustain. I’ve not really played other strats apart from mine as I’ve never owned a “proper” strat lol. 
    based on your feedback - suggest a wander down to a local music store if possible and try a few strats out  or go tyre kicking local gumtree listings ... to avoid any further investment with potentially insignificant returns ..

    Dark  and lacks sustain - see how others compare as above ..  also try some other squiers locally dont just try top of range fenders 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11669
    Isn't the Squier already pretty good at being a Squier strat?  The hardware is often not great so on some of them will need changing before you'd use it as a gigging instrument, I get that, but certainly for home players it will do.

    I've always found they play well and sound really good.  I had two strats, a Squier Bullet I sold to my cousin to get him started and a 2003 Mexican, and the Mexican is a better made guitar with better hardware, but I dont love it, I loved the cheap one!

    I remember at last year's Woking jam, someone bought a single pickup Hello Kitty strat and plugged it into a JCM 800 in the room and I said "wow that sounds superb, what pickup you put in there" and he said "that's stock" - I was amazed!  Was it @Flanging_Fred ;; ??
    That depends on the Squire model (they are not all created equal) and the expectations of the player ... and  I don't see why a 'home player' shouldn't want their instruments to be 'the best they can be' as much as a gigging player. In fact any deficiencies in tone will show up more when it's just you and a small amp ... rather than you being masked by bass, drums, higher volume and the clamour of the 'Dog and Duck'.
    I didn't say they SHOULDN'T want or do anything!  People can do whatever they like, in fact, I'm sure a lot of young bands got started with cheap gear modded to their needs. 

    Crikey, if people enjoy it I'm not about to piss on their cornflakes over anything, too much of that out there.

    I'm just saying that that they are actually very good straight out of the box, I know some people by them specifically for modding projects, and I get that totally.

    I'd be genuinely interested if there are differences in pickups across various ranges, the "character" ones were special editions so could have Fender pickups in of course. 

    I know the Classic Vibes (old ones at least) have Tonerider pickups in them, but they are pretty close to Mexis anyway, I auditioned my CV tele against a Mexi standard, and preferred the CV.
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Jez6345789Jez6345789 Frets: 1756
    A lot has been covered here already

    But my
    comments really are +1 for the wilkinson trem and good pots.

    my biggest thing is those pickups are probably fine and do what they do but they are not really a classic Strat sound so if you want classic Clapton or Gilmour Hendrix etc you really need proper single coils rather than humbucker in single coil body.

    As for types lot of budget guys like Iron gear bu I would stump the extra for a set from Oil City good choice and Ash can guide you to the right set for what you want tonally.

    if you like a guitar and it has sentimental value and plays right then it’s worth upgrading it till there is nothing left in my mind.



    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • LestratcasterLestratcaster Frets: 1079
    I will be most likely be upgrading all if not most of the hardware. Pots, caps, bridge and even the tuners. If I got a new strat I know I wouldn’t play this one anymore so want to make it sound as nice as I can.

    I’m prepared to splash out a bit on new pickups if required but as suggested will look at upgrading hardware and electronics first. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9978
    tFB Trader
    Isn't the Squier already pretty good at being a Squier strat?  The hardware is often not great so on some of them will need changing before you'd use it as a gigging instrument, I get that, but certainly for home players it will do.

    I've always found they play well and sound really good.  I had two strats, a Squier Bullet I sold to my cousin to get him started and a 2003 Mexican, and the Mexican is a better made guitar with better hardware, but I dont love it, I loved the cheap one!

    I remember at last year's Woking jam, someone bought a single pickup Hello Kitty strat and plugged it into a JCM 800 in the room and I said "wow that sounds superb, what pickup you put in there" and he said "that's stock" - I was amazed!  Was it @Flanging_Fred ;; ??
    That depends on the Squire model (they are not all created equal) and the expectations of the player ... and  I don't see why a 'home player' shouldn't want their instruments to be 'the best they can be' as much as a gigging player. In fact any deficiencies in tone will show up more when it's just you and a small amp ... rather than you being masked by bass, drums, higher volume and the clamour of the 'Dog and Duck'.
    I didn't say they SHOULDN'T want or do anything!  People can do whatever they like, in fact, I'm sure a lot of young bands got started with cheap gear modded to their needs. 

    Crikey, if people enjoy it I'm not about to piss on their cornflakes over anything, too much of that out there.

    I'm just saying that that they are actually very good straight out of the box, I know some people by them specifically for modding projects, and I get that totally.

    I'd be genuinely interested if there are differences in pickups across various ranges, the "character" ones were special editions so could have Fender pickups in of course. 

    I know the Classic Vibes (old ones at least) have Tonerider pickups in them, but they are pretty close to Mexis anyway, I auditioned my CV tele against a Mexi standard, and preferred the CV.
    Most Squires these days are pretty good out of the box I agree ... but corners are cut to get them to the price they retail for ... I revise my list slightly by adding that a proper pro setup will probably make the most difference ... as there's barely a guitar made that can't benefit from that.

     One of my regular Strats is a 'Squier Vintage Modified 70s' one ... that had Duncan designed alnico 5 pickups in as standard. The neck and middle pickups were ok ... but the bridge pickup was not wonderful. Because the guitar has a lovely neck, easily as nice feeling as a Mexican Strat, I decided to go the full works and upgrade everything. Now of course as a pickup maker I didn't just upgrade the offending bridge pickup ... I did the lot ... but I needn't have gone so far if cost had been an issue.

    Cheaper Squires tend to be fitted with fairly nasty ceramic pickups which have a very scratchy top end ... the Duncan Designed ones are okay of a little bland for my taste ... not heard that Tone Rider pickups had been fitted to Squires ... but then with my job I don't get out much :-) 

    The best (next to a pro setup) mod is still a Wilkinson bridge ... it really puts more spank and attack into your tone because the block is not some sort of  skinny 'compressed cheese' effort that robs tone and sustain.  
    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    Mine. Squier Standard Strat from 2000. New neck (x4) new pickups (x3, or 4?) new bridge x3, rewired, new pickguard etc etc

    It currently has a Musikraft neck, Rio Grande pickups and a Callaham bridge. It's bloody fantastic. The body, jackplate and I think all the pickguard screws are still original :)




    5reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 5reaction image Wisdom
  • NikcNikc Frets: 627

    Nikc said:
    sounds more like an amp issue to me - what amp have you got ??
    It’s a Marshall DSL5c at the moment. Hoping to get a Kemper sometime as I want to join a covers band.
    See I would take my guitar down to a decent shop with a variety of amps and check a few out - an electric guitar is part of a system, that system is one instrument that includes the amp and effects (although the only effect you might need is a tube screamer ;)) all in my humble opinion of course :)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • FreebirdFreebird Frets: 5821
    edited June 2019
    Stick a Fender USA neck on it, change the pickups and electrics, fit some decent tuners, upgrade the bridge and tremolo system, and finally give it a nice thin nitro refin.
    If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it.
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26742
    prowla said:
    Mine. Squier Standard Strat from 2000. New neck (x4) new pickups (x3, or 4?) new bridge x3, rewired, new pickguard etc etc

    It currently has a Musikraft neck, Rio Grande pickups and a Callaham bridge. It's bloody fantastic. The body, jackplate and I think all the pickguard screws are still original :)




    Oh yes. Absolutely! :D 
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71950
    My check list for improving a Squire strat:
    1.Wilkinson vintage trem with a decent full-fat steel block
    2. Pots: CTS 9% vintage taper.
    3. Switch: CRL five way
    4. Output jack socket: Switchcraft

    Then ... and only when I've upgraded everything else ... I look at the pickups. Don't fix what ain't broken with those ... if after the other upgrades you you still don't like the pickup tone ... then go for it, but sometimes sorting the other stuff is all you need.
    This. A proper steel block bridge will improve the 'shimmer' and the clean tone more than almost any pickup change. 

    Bear in mind that post is by a pickup maker! :).

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9978
    tFB Trader
    ICBM said:
    My check list for improving a Squire strat:
    1.Wilkinson vintage trem with a decent full-fat steel block
    2. Pots: CTS 9% vintage taper.
    3. Switch: CRL five way
    4. Output jack socket: Switchcraft

    Then ... and only when I've upgraded everything else ... I look at the pickups. Don't fix what ain't broken with those ... if after the other upgrades you you still don't like the pickup tone ... then go for it, but sometimes sorting the other stuff is all you need.
    This. A proper steel block bridge will improve the 'shimmer' and the clean tone more than almost any pickup change. 

    Bear in mind that post is by a pickup maker! :).
    Selling pickups to folks who don't need them is a pointless exercise ... they ultimately end up unhappy and flip your pickups on to someone else. Personally I prefer happy customers. 
    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 7reaction image Wisdom
  • rossirossi Frets: 1698
    Buy a player series Strat ,one thing you could do to your Squier is wire the bridge pickup  to a tone pot via the switch a simple one wire alteration which really adds to it .
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11411
    I'm surprised it has taken this long for someone to recommend wiring it with the bridge pickup connected to the tone.  That will help with the bridge pickup.

    As many others have said, the best upgrade will be to replace the bridge with something that has a decent steel block.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • thegummythegummy Frets: 4389
    Isn't the Squier already pretty good at being a Squier strat?  The hardware is often not great so on some of them will need changing before you'd use it as a gigging instrument, I get that, but certainly for home players it will do.

    I've always found they play well and sound really good.  I had two strats, a Squier Bullet I sold to my cousin to get him started and a 2003 Mexican, and the Mexican is a better made guitar with better hardware, but I dont love it, I loved the cheap one!

    I remember at last year's Woking jam, someone bought a single pickup Hello Kitty strat and plugged it into a JCM 800 in the room and I said "wow that sounds superb, what pickup you put in there" and he said "that's stock" - I was amazed!  Was it @Flanging_Fred ;; ??
    That depends on the Squire model (they are not all created equal) and the expectations of the player ... and  I don't see why a 'home player' shouldn't want their instruments to be 'the best they can be' as much as a gigging player. In fact any deficiencies in tone will show up more when it's just you and a small amp ... rather than you being masked by bass, drums, higher volume and the clamour of the 'Dog and Duck'.
    That's so true, I've always thought so when the gigging thing is mentioned.

    The subtleties of the tone is heard in detail when playing with headphones at home, when it's at loud volumes through a generic backline amp which is micced through a PA and, as you say, masked by other loud instruments and audience noise.

    I think rock is the opposite of classical in that respect - recordings of classical is trying to get as close to the ideal sound quality if being in the concert hall hearing the instruments acoustically where as with rock the live version is just an approximation of the record but with the sound quality nowhere near as close.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • LestratcasterLestratcaster Frets: 1079
    rossi said:
    Buy a player series Strat ,one thing you could do to your Squier is wire the bridge pickup  to a tone pot via the switch a simple one wire alteration which really adds to it .
    I had a play through it earlier and have just realised its never been wired to the tone pots! How did I go that long with only knowing now?!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.