What Spare Parts and Pickups?

chunkmonk

Had a sort out out my old folks house recently and came across a Squire Strat in one of the spare rooms..... apparently it’s a ‘made in japan’ version from the mid 90’s...the initial observations are that it has a cracked & warped scratchplate, the neck pickup feels loose...and the also volume/tone pots feel unsupported & loose behind the plate and basically it has done nothing except live in gig bag for about 15years!

Knowing nothing about Squire except they are the cheaper range of fender...I’m not overly sure if it’s worth hanging onto and doing up.....but, if I do keep it...can you recommend me:

• a place where to get a spare parts, such as scratchplate, whammy bar, pots, knobs etc
• a  set of single coils (or supplier of) that gives a bit more ‘presence’

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hzrf4y92l5c5pi2/Photo%2029-09-2019%2C%2018%2049%2047.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/grhjuauzqh7h52n/Photo%2029-09-2019%2C%2018%2049%2052.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9ne7qcwx8kxtvx0/Photo%2029-09-2019%2C%2018%2050%2009.jpg?raw=1

Tone71

MIJ Squiers are decent guitars, very playable and well thought of, most definitely not cheap copies.

So your choices are......

A) sell it to me for peanuts 
B ) fix it up and play it
C) fix it up and make a few quid selling it

FWIW I'd go for B 

munckee

I would look at somewhere like axes r us or alegree online at pre wired scratch plates. I put one on a squier and was pleased with the results.  

ICBM

That's a nice guitar and well worth putting some money into. I could be wrong, but I think it's older than 90s too, more like late 80s - although it's not one of the now highly-sought-after early 80s JV models. Apart from the cracked pickguard it looks to be in pretty good condition as well.

This should be the correct pickguard - single ply, 8 hole. https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/254372638488. Unlike later Squiers these earlier ones are pretty accurate to the original shapes so it should fit. Avoid cheaper ones, they often don't fit properly and can have cheaply-cut edges which look wrong.

For pickups I would go for one of the small custom makers in the UK such as Oil City Pickups - not the cheapest, but guaranteed quality. The ones in the guitar look like the typical far-east magnet-on-the-bottom type which always sound an odd combination of muddy and harsh at the same time.

You probably don't need new pots, switch or jack, but if you do want to replace them, Allparts sell all that kind of stuff. Best quality pots - get CTS; switch - CRL; jack - Switchcraft. Or you can get them from various Ebay sellers.

If you want to really make it as good as it can be, replacing the bridge with one with a solid steel block and saddles will also make a substantial difference - that one will have cheaper alloy ones. Check the spacing of the six screws at the front edge, there are several sizes.

Funkfingers

The model name decal typeface is similar to the Silver Series era MINUS the actual Silver Series bit at the rounded end of the headstock. The machineheads look cheaper than on any SS. Hence, late Eighties MIJ “Popular” series fits.

I concur that the guitar is a good platform for refurbishment and/or upgrading … but only if you plan to keep it.

One of the reasons why Squier launched the Silver Series was to rebuild their reputation after a Yamaha Pacifica advertisement exposed that some Squier bodies were plywood.

Have a good look in the body cavities for evidence of laminate construction.

chunkmonk

Thanks for the advice.....taking a look there is no evidence of plywood, but then everything is coated with black finish so very difficult to say without taking off some of the finish....

Interestingly a quick peek under the pick guard shows one large cavity, rather than the usual individual routed cavities, with the current pickups looking like they are suspended from the pick guard which to me seems a little strange, or is that ‘normal’ for some less expensive builds?

ICBM

chunkmonk said:

Interestingly a quick peek under the pick guard shows one large cavity, rather than the usual individual routed cavities, with the current pickups looking like they are suspended from the pick guard which to me seems a little strange, or is that ‘normal’ for some less expensive builds?

Normal - and for some not-so-less-expensive builds too! Fender US Standards had this from 1984-2000, and there are even some high-end builders who use it. It's usually called a 'swimming pool rout', and many people think they make the guitar sound 'thin', but others prefer the more 'airy', slightly semi-acoustic tone.

chunkmonk

ICBM said:

Normal - and for some not-so-less-expensive builds too! Fender US Standards had this from 1984-2000, and there are even some high-end builders who use it. It's usually called a 'swimming pool rout', and many people think they make the guitar sound 'thin', but others prefer the more 'airy', slightly semi-acoustic tone.

Cheers for the info....normal even the cavity extends into the lower ‘horn’ of the body?

ICBM

chunkmonk said:

Cheers for the info....normal even the cavity extends into the lower ‘horn’ of the body?

No... usually it's just a rectangular area under all three pickups.

chunkmonk

ICBM said:

chunkmonk said:

Cheers for the info....normal even the cavity extends into the lower ‘horn’ of the body?

No... usually it's just a rectangular area under all three pickups.

Hmmmmm..interesting...I wonder if this why on closer inspection I noticed this:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lfo9gl66dc0wlii/Photo%2003-10-2019%2C%2021%2003%2012.jpg?raw=1

This can be felt within the cavity so wondering  if this can be repaired and if it’s worth it....hmmmm..decisions, decisions!

ICBM

That does look like it's a ply body - it would be unusual for the grain in a piece of solid wood to be so parallel to the top and bottom of the body for such a long distance.

It is repairable, at least structurally - but difficult to make invisible given that it will be a polyester finish which does not allow for easy blending in. Given that it looks like it may be quite a poor quality body anyway, it may not be worth spending any money on it.

chunkmonk

Cheers for the posts....the advice is most appreciated!

I’m intrigued given the apparent poor quality of the body...plywood with cracking and a weird cavity inside, if the neck quality would be equally as poor?...

..... or with a minimal budget,  a new body and additionals can be sourced and with miminal effort but a good deal of enthusiasm a Phoenix can rise from the flames......

Having never attempted a project of this type before....is it worth considering?

ICBM

Yes, it is. A thick solid colour polyester finish can hide any body wood horrors - not so with the neck, it must be basically OK.

It’s pretty easy to replace a body, as long as you check things like the bridge pivot screw spacing and the layout of the pickguard screws - although if you’re replacing that too, even that doesn’t matter as long as whatever you choose fits the new body. You would probably be best to look for a Japanese-made body of a similar era but better quality - that has the best chance of fitting well.