I picked up this left-handed Squier Strat from facebook marketplace for a project (next to my MIM Classic 60s for comparison).
https://i.imgur.com/2X43p0a.jpgFirst job will be to get the strings off and glue the nut back in its rightful place!
https://i.imgur.com/BuKhfg7.jpgThen to fill in a couple of small chips.
https://i.imgur.com/FF1Izii.jpgCY denotes China, Yako (which is actually in Taiwan - politics eh), 1998. Which makes it 5 years older than its intended recipient! These Yako-made instruments seem to have a good reputation. Full depth body and a 43.2 mm nut width.
https://i.imgur.com/bNXTXGN.jpgI gave it a good once over before handing over the cash, but missed this - embarrassing schoolboy error). Pots, caps and jack socket are going to be replaced anyway.
https://i.imgur.com/EVeRY42.jpg
Comments
https://i.imgur.com/lL7QDqd.jpg
Skinny pot metal tremolo block as expected:
https://i.imgur.com/auIKz0m.jpg
Not sure if it's worth upgrading, as a left-handed block with the right spacing could be quite expensive.
The pickguard has changed to an unappealing cream of mushroom soup colour. Replacement is on its way.
https://i.imgur.com/jWwFQhF.jpg
Ceramic bar magnets and 500k pots. I probably won't upgrade the pickups but the pots are a bit scratchy.
https://i.imgur.com/ShvNZEV.jpg
Trem plate is a bit dirty:
https://i.imgur.com/CcT7RGi.jpg
Autosol is a wonderful product!
https://i.imgur.com/jWfZZ1B.jpg
One of the most satisfying jobs I do on an old guitar - scraping off all the gunk, polishing the frets, and oiling the fretboard. The frets are quite narrow and low with no real grooves in the "cowboy chords" positions, so it's possibly had a fret dress in the past.
https://i.imgur.com/7Xf0Qsp.jpg
I noticed that the fretboard edges are nicely rounded, not really surprising on a 21-year old guitar.
https://i.imgur.com/eoovZsc.jpg
It looks like a good fit (always a risk with aftermarket guards), with almost all the 8 holes in the body lining up with 8 of the 11 on the guard. One is very slightly off.
https://i.imgur.com/Go7ZCVP.jpg
Not 100% happy with the drop-fills, I might scrape this out and try with a closer shade of red - the touch-up looks considerably lighter in the flesh.
https://i.imgur.com/qDSjbxD.jpg
Quick mock-up. The white guard goes a long way to make the guitar look much younger than 21 years I think.
https://i.imgur.com/po1hRQP.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/8MT5I5V.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/EkdOtPq.jpg
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/167721/strat-pickguard-routing-problem
I plugged it in to check that the wiring worked ok (there’s a danger of getting something back to front when you’re rewiring a lefty from a right-handed wiring diagram). Tapping the polepieces with a screwdriver while operating the switch and knobs revealed everything works as it should.
https://i.imgur.com/yzZWdeq.jpg