Is it possible to improve a squier strat?

Lestratcaster

crunchman said:

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.

I'm so used to playing my Les Paul with no tone pot hooked up I kinda forget they exist haha. 

How would 500k pots alter the sound in a strat though? Usually I see 250k ones in them.

munckee

500k make them harsh sounding, I had a squier standard and changed the wiring to an axes r us loom and it sounded much better with the original pickups, they were alnico's in the standard where I think they are ceramic in the affinity but you already changed the pickup.

I found new tuners made a difference as well.

Otherwise a really nice guitar.

Lestratcaster

I'm definitely going to upgrade the hardware to start, so new tuners will be going on. I'm just not too sure about the pots. 

munckee

250k in strats, thats the law.

clarkefan

Another vote for Wilkinson trem and a steel block, did mine years ago.  The stock block was tiny.

But if the stock pickups are anything like what came in my 80s Squier (they had a single long bar magnet running along the bass plate if I remember correctly) then they need to go as well, they just sounded wrong, flat no sparkle.  Though I suppose that could have been the tiny block.

The change to a steel block made such a difference.  The position 2 "cluck" thing jumped out after that.

Oh yeah, rewiring a tone pot for the bridge pickup is very useful.

Lestratcaster

Oh I didn't mention I don't ever use the whammy so the bridge is fixed. I can still put a Wilko trem on though, right?

Corvus

I had a Kev Hurley block on my old CV, that definitely made it sound nicer. Pribora pickups because didn't want to spent much on it, but they were very nice things. I'd wired the bridge pickup to a tone pot beforehand but never needed it then.

prowla

Perceived wisdom is 250k for single coil and 500k for humbuckers.

Some like 500k on tone controls.

I've never done a comparison, so I'm not sure of the effect; I have to say that I can't see how 250k/500k makes a difference if you've got it on 10, though, but I'm not sure of the characteristics of guitar pickup impedance, so there may be interplay there.

Lestratcaster

prowla said:

Perceived wisdom is 250k for single coil and 500k for humbuckers.

Some like 500k on tone controls.

I've never done a comparison, so I'm not sure of the effect; I have to say that I can't see how 250k/500k makes a difference if you've got it on 10, though, but I'm not sure of the characteristics of guitar pickup impedance, so there may be interplay there.

I would like 2 single coils in neck and middle then cut a slot for a JB humbucker in the bridge so I can get a thicker sound option if I need.

FelineGuitars

Ok - so @Lestratcaster has brought his Squier in for us to have a look at (we have done various upgrades for him in the past).

This guitar has sentimental value to the owner and falls under the category of "What to do with the guitar you'd NEVER sell", so we had a look at it together.

The guitar plays quite well , has big chunky frets , and sounds pretty good, but is maybe lacking a certain something . We suggested making some physical upgrades - many along the lines many of you have suggested.

1) the old tuners were not doing a very good job - so some sensible replacements will help - maybe Gotoh

2)Replacing the nut with an Earvana nut will help with "in-tuneness" as well as adding an overall shimmer

3) A careful fret dress to alleviate years of playing wear
4)swap the tremolo block to a cold rolled steel one, or maybe look at a Wilkinson with a steel block

then look at the electronics, but thoughts go along the lines of 

1) swap pickguard to H/S/S one 
  2)put Duncan JB at bridge (Green Day "Dookie" tone required)

3) put two warm , not overly bright or wimpy single coils for Clapton/ Gilmour tones
  4) Select a 500k pot on volume (may use low ohm value one) & wire one tone to bridge and one to neck/middle
  5) push /pull pots on tones ..one to coil split HB and one to bring in neck at any time - so all options can be accessed

6) new jack socket

We think it will mean the guitar will get played and treasured as a playing guitar as well as valued for the emotional bond the owner has for it.

We may photograph and document the upgrade as many of us have a guitar with sentimental attachment and seeing what can be done to good effect may be of interest.

Lestratcaster

Yes I took a trip to Feline earlier as spontaneous thing, all this talk made me do it spur of the moment!! As mentioned Feline did my Les Paul's and I'm very happy with how they sound so it was only right I came back to ask them to help with this upgrade!

What I didn't mention before was I was a big Green Day fan growing up as a teenager in the 90's playing powerchords and I know Billie Joe Armstrong uses a JB humbucker in his strat so that's a little throwback to my youth (and the Dookie album reference).

I am very much looking forward to how this turns out and I'm sure we will update you all as it progresses!

DeeTee

Great to see a labour of love project on a guitar you'll never move on! Love how Feline respect that too. I'll be interested to see and hear the results. That Dookie tone cuts through brilliantly.

Nikc

still needs a decent amp

stickyfiddle

Sounds like a wise set of mods. Looking forward to seeing more  

normula1

I had my '85 Squier restored last year to remove a floyd routing etc. for purely sentimental reasons and it was totally worth it, so good luck with yours.

57Deluxe

having had many in my lap from countless students, the one thing letting down the cheaper Squire Strats is the awful neck wood with the 'maple' fretboards the worst. Such a lot is said that the tone and sustain come from the neck/headstock... seemingly true in this case.

FelineGuitars

57Deluxe said:

having had many in my lap from countless students, the one thing letting down the cheaper Squire Strats is the awful neck wood with the 'maple' fretboards the worst. Such a lot is said that the tone and sustain come from the neck/headstock... seemingly true in this case.

I agree that sometimes the wood can be an issue , but this Chinese Squier is pretty good on it's timbers so well worth upgrading.

My own Jap Squier strat from '91 got upgraded by myself and I learnt a LOT from my own experiments as to what makes a difference, and the tuners, nut and bridge block did the most for the tone in my opinion.

Lestratcaster

DeeTee said:

Great to see a labour of love project on a guitar you'll never move on! Love how Feline respect that too. I'll be interested to see and hear the results. That Dookie tone cuts through brilliantly.

Thank you, I am 110% confident that Jonathan at Feline will turn this dream that was in my head into reality!

The JB Humbucker this is for a throwback to my teens really, half of me is saying "don't do it" but then why shouldn't I do it?! Haha.

This is the tone I would love (from 11 secs to 17 seconds) from the JB in the bridge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWOZ9R2XbSg

I know I probably won't get it with this particular guitar but to be a bit closer than what I had is a start!

munckee

FelineGuitars said:

57Deluxe said:

having had many in my lap from countless students, the one thing letting down the cheaper Squire Strats is the awful neck wood with the 'maple' fretboards the worst. Such a lot is said that the tone and sustain come from the neck/headstock... seemingly true in this case.

I agree that sometimes the wood can be an issue , but this Chinese Squier is pretty good on it's timbers so well worth upgrading.

My own Jap Squier strat from '91 got upgraded by myself and I learnt a LOT from my own experiments as to what makes a difference, and the tuners, nut and bridge block did the most for the tone in my opinion.

I'm just about to upgrade my MIJ strat after failing to find anything I liked more despite costing more.  The main things on my list are new block which Kev Hurley has agreed to make and having a new nut fitted.  The tuners should be okay, one is bent but they work and are naturally worn.

Lestratcaster

Ok, I know this is long overdue update but I've had my Strat fully upgraded back in August, just didn't get a chance to put anything up on the thread!

The last photo of the guitar as I originally had it in the @FelineGuitars workshop:



And the photo of the Strat in August all transformed:



Obvious visual difference is the JB humbucker in the bridge.

It plays amazing and those upgrades you guys suggested (main ones being the trem block and switching to "true single coils") made all the difference. The single coils are the Oil City "Stonetones" which are just fantastic. More output, but keeping the "Stratty-ness" I wanted for the neck and middle. Cleans are chimey, warm and that neck/middle "cluck" is there!

I'm very happy with the results and so glad I did these modifications on a guitar I've had since I was 13 years old.

My extended thank you's go to Jonathan and Tom from Feline to make this dream possible, they took every single detail I wanted and made it happen.

So the final answer to the question is yes, I can make a Squier Strat sound better!!