Thanks for watching... I'm on a road trip for the next week, but I could do a sound check with it sometime in the coming weeks... It sounds remarkable! Powerful sound out this one!
Ordinarily I don't really like the black parts on guitars, but they look pretty good on this one. I'm not sure why Wilkinson felt it necessary to reinvent the wheel with their EZ lock tuners, but they seem to have gone all in on that design. Nice build, Ray.
I used to feel the same about the black elements, but since I have a few different guitars, I have been able to bring myself to visit some variables that I wouldn't have explored in times past and have actually found that I like more things than I thought! And those Wilkinson EZ Lock Tuners are really great, but again, being like I am, I have to allow myself to permit the "messier" winding on each tuning peg if they are to work properly. Again, I would never have allowed myself to wind a string around like that in times past. I like every wind to be just nicely place under the one before it. These tuners aren't like that... They can feel messy! But they are excellent!!!
Thanks Ray. Great review. I have been thinking about getting one of these for awhile. What is the neck carve like? I know it is subjective but is it thicker like a 50s style or more 60s? Just curious. Any new thoughts on it since this video came out?
Hi Jason! This one has a relatively slim neck compared to the ones with the baseball bat neck of the 50's. I like it, and I usually favor Strats and Teles over anything else. If I can find comfort in it as a LP style guitar, it's probably slim enough for anyone... As an after-thought, I did replace the tuners. The ones that came on it didn't seem to be doing the job. They were slipping and creaking a bit... I got a set from Kaish that had the nylon keys, and they look and feels so nice now!
That's a really nice feature that sets Firefly apart... Many of their models have build-features that are usually only found in upper-level instruments. Commendable, I think! They've really made an impact on the guitar industry... It's been time for a disrupter like Firefly to emerge! Thanks for watching!
Hey Roger, I really glad you like it... And I'm especially glad that you got one that was all-good right out of the box! It is truly a nice specimen... As far as I can tell, the neck radius is 15". That is kind of unusual, but it doesn't make for a bad playing experience, it actually fits the guitar overall... Thanks for watching!
Greetings! It hasn't affected anything from my perspective, and the playability is amazing... Is this a difference between the 10.5 and the 10.8 that you're referring to? Both E strings are well aligned inside of an acceptable parameter along the neck and the only slight difference that I see is that the high E string is slightly off center from the neck pickup pole-piece... I would be happy to know if you're seeing something that I am overlooking... Thanks for watching!
@@bluwng I just checked it with digital calipers, and if I did it correctly, it is showing 10.5 spacing at the bridge... GFS did say that it was a straight drop in for Player and Player Plus two-point trems... I emailed them ahead of my purchase to confirm...
@@bluwng You're right!!! what they have posted on that page is 2 7/32" for the stud spacing, that equates to 11.2mm string spacing... That seems off, but the E strings aren't aligned with the center of either of the studs... They're quite a bit inside of center in relation to the studs. Diagram shows center on at least one... Ultimately, the alignment is correct for 10.5mm string spacing, but they should just show it has 10.5mm string spacing. That would seem better as a description. They might lose sales because of this confusion... Thanks for pointing that out! I could email Kevin in their sales department and see what he says...Their schematic diagram even shows 11mm string spacing, so weird (but they show 54 total which is 10.8)... Nevertheless it fits and plays great. I'm not experiencing any problems with it..., but you're absolutely right, their specs have to be wrong... SOMETHING has to be mis-stated... Their measurements would make the E strings too close to the edge of the fretboard... WOW! The more I look at the specs that they are showing, the more confusing it gets...
The black one ended up with a few more modifications... I installed a rose patterned pickguard on it and sent is to my sister in South Carolina... She really liked it!
Hello Frank! Thanks for that question... I didn't weigh it previously. I only guessed that it may have been around 9LBS. I actually weighs-in at exactly 8.8LBS. Close to what I thought...Thanks for watching!
Hey...Thanks so much for the weight info. I'm an old timer with heavy Jazzmasters always on the lookout for gear that's a bit lighter. Enjoyed your review, it's a beauty! Make great music!
The belly cut is a trade off for the binding. If it had all the contours you have with a belly cut there is no way they could sell this guitar at that price because the binding would take a long time to do right. that is why there is no binding on a strat. To many curse and contours.
Most of these budget guitars do need a little work. Yu do not have to be a full blown luthier, but you do have to be able to do basic set up functions. File nut and saddles, adjust a truss rod, file fret ends, sand and polish and level frets. Adjust string height and you can buy a cheap micrometer for 5 or 6 bux. Intonate a guitar which not hard if the other stuff I just mentioned is proper, or be willing to pay your local shop to do these things for you. 50 to 100 bux. You can buy a cheap kit with the tools you need for 25 bux and plenty of you tube videos to show you how to do each of these things.
Your right! It definitely helps to have a few set-up skills, otherwise you'd be stuck at every turn... Guitars just need a little attention periodically... I have found that most of the necks that I've worked with don't need too much work. If there is only a little "fret rockin" at various places, it doesn't always need a leveling and crown. sometimes it plays just fine... It's those few cases that need more attention. I did one refret-job that turned out really great, but it was a little unnerving to tackle it. But once you've done one, you're not so challenged at the idea of another... Thanks for watching!
I’ve had one of these about 6 months. Mine also needed a truss rod adjustment and a bit of intonation, but I was able to do that myself. I put new strings on it and now it plays beautifully and holds tune very well.
Great video the Squire looks 👍great... It was amazing how you found that stripe match with that similar glossy finish look. It reminds me how God finds us broken and a mess but fixes us up. God bless.
Another nice one. Stripe looks great. That neck looks very nice. You inspired me to pick up a squire. Always wanted a partscaster please keep the videos coming!
Thanks John! I plan to keep on sharing these adventures because it makes me feel so good to encourage you guys to try something new... I used to be so stuck into one mode that I'd never try anything... I could have had so much more fun through the years... Well, I guess I'm just catching up!
Glad you like it... After playing mine for a bit, I decided to get new tuners, and it really made a difference! It stays in tune better and also is more precise... I got KAISH 3+3 Locking Tuners 21:1 w/ Vintage Keystone Nylon Buttons... They look awesome! They were about $33 from AliExpress. Thanks for watching!
Thanks Don! Thanks to you, I've got a whole new perspective on things. At the beginning of this journey, I did not have an aspiration to work on or modify any of the thinner bodied Strats! Now I can see that there is a whole new range of things that they offer! Thank you for all of your input... It's been good! And thanks for watching!!!
@JohnO-yd3te Thanks John! I appreciate your feedback... I'm working thru so much of the learning curve and I only hope to get better at this... It's people like you that inspire me to go after it... stay blessed and thanks for watching!
I hit that thumbs up symbol on your post. Looking forward see more creations from you. Splendid content, Guitar Adventures with Ray Landis. Maintain the noteworthy work.
Thanks, Red Beard! I definitely appreciate your support and your kind words... If there is anything you'd like to see in particular, let me know, and if I can, we will aim toward getting some of that content into the mix. Thanks for watching!!!
I used to think that guitars had to be all original. I treated them more like investments, than as something to play and have fun with. Now I have more fun modding inexpensive guitars and not worrying about their resale value. Nice job Ray!
Hey Dan! I am definitely with you in this line of thought... There was a time that I knew absolutely nothing about the intricacies of guitar technology, science and/or the physics of all this. Furthermore, I never realized that it was so simple. And I really wouldn't try anything, just worrying about messing things up... As a result, I played guitars for years that could have been way-better with just a few simple adjustments. Actually, my much more expensive guitars didn't play as nice at this Squier does. Wow, revelations of time really do change things. I'm grateful to share this journey with you, Dan! Stay blessed and thanks for watching!!!
Thanks! I agree that it really shines! If it was my main guitar, I'd do more to it. This one belongs to my 8yr old grandson! He thrilled about it... Thanks for watching and your especially your encouragement...
Thanks Reyna! I'm working through so many things with this adventure and I thank God for the motivation to be better at what I do... It's not as easy as it looks, but it is so much fun and I am laughing the whole way thru it... Thanks for watching!!!
That is absolutely beautiful. Love the colors of the parts. Dude thats killer!!!!!!!! It looks great how you added the brass bridge sadles. Should sound amazing. Ceramic pups arent bad if you add 500k pots and decent caps. I have been proven this with a guard that came on my second hand classic vibe. But i did add player series for alnico. I am going to eventually add it back or put on another guitar. The 70s headstock looks killer. I told a guy yesterday i was sure thinner body was affinty. But they made full width a year or two ago. Not sure if they stopped and went back to thin.
Hey Robert! You are so nice and it's people like you that make this whole adventure worth the challenge! Stay blessed and thanks for watching... BTW, all the Affinity Strats that I've encountered are the thinner bodied instruments. I think it's just the Squier CV models that start the full-sized bodies... Fender may have offered a few here and there that had full-sized bodies, but primarily it looks like they stayed with the thinner ones for the Affinity series...
Great work Ray! Turned out beautiful! Is that a full thickness body? I've read that all CV's are and was wondering if it's true. Thanks, really enjoy your channel!
Hey JR! This one has a full-sized Strat body... As do most of the Squier CV Models now... It's hard to get a handle on what Fender does with their various series instruments. Some of the CV models may have been thinner at some point, but now it seems that the Affinity is the one with the thinner body... And, of course, the Sonic series has thin bodies also... Thanks for your kind words about the channel. It's a work in progress, and has been loads of fun... I plan to keep going, and I'm glad you're in for the journey... Stay blessed!
Hi Rex, I am really glad you're enjoying this. I need all the support I can get... I had to replace the tuners on this Firefly model, and I put Kaish locking tuners on it with the nylon/acrylic tuning peg buttons... They look incredible and now all the issues have been solved... They ended up costing me another $25 (+ or -), but it was well worth it...
Hi Kevlin, thanks for commenting, and thanks for watching! Yes, It eventually began to go out of tune after playing and using the trem for about an hour... The initial tuning was done using a Peterson Strobe Tuner, so it was definitely in-tune when we started... Two things about any trem system in general are that (1) it changes the turning just using it, and (2) when you bend a string you change the turning of all the strings because that event alters the tension of all the strings at the time you make a bend. You may just have a really great ear for tone... I can appreciate that!
@@RaymondLandis...I'm a 74 year old player, so understand all runs Ng problems, I personally never use a tremolo arm, too much trouble and hassle. Check out me demoing a new Squire Duet Stratocaster ...see kelvin smith on RU-vid. I also had an early affinity telecaster, I now use the Classic Vibe Squire Telecaster, sorry you had a bad experience with this new guitar ..all the best from the UK
@@RaymondLandis ....you were very unlucky there Ray, I'm a 74 year old player, so know all about tuning problems. I personally have no time for a tremelo arm, too much hassle tuning wise. Check out me demoing the new Squire Debut Stratocaster... playing slide and a blues in C,.... type in Kelvin Smith to see the clips. All the best from the UK.
@@kelvinsmith6854 Hi Again Kelvin! I just realized that this comment was on the original Affinity that I got and absolutely yes, yes, yes... This one didn't tune well at all... After I got the replacement from Fender, I modified it and ended up with the one that I mentioned in my first response above... (still trying to figure out all this stuff on RU-vid hahaha). The modified Affinity that I got stays in much better tune and that's the one that I was referring to... See that one here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RETWOxR1Pac.html And I did check out your videos... Nice work there!
Slightly different instrument but I have a Fender Squier Affinity PJ bass. I am so happy with it. It's playability and it's sound are so good, comparable to my Fender Player Series Jazz bass, that I I'm not even going to mod it. It's everything I every wanted in a bass, never mind a budget version bass.
Hi Andy, thanks for pointing that out... I really like Squier's offerings in general. It is true that there are things they could do better, but these instruments are really great for modding. I have a couple of them that I didn't do much at all to change them. But at the same time, my interest in guitars has changed from just playing them, to now, I like taking them apart and working them over a bit... I have a Squier CV 70's Strat that I'm hoping to video soon. Another example of a great instrument that really has potential. I think you're right though... Some of them really don't need modification!
I agree with you on this guitar I replaced a... $1,300 (?) Eastwood version !!! This is better! My MAD cat PRINCE firefly came almost perfect, but have had 2 of 3 surprisingly almost perfect Firefly guitars and one needed me to fret level and also had cranked truss rod ,which is in my skill set but most folks would have needed to return. Having made and worked on guitars since 1974 I have also had issues with some of the iconic sacred cows of guitar legend. My advise is if you don't have the skill, go to a store to buy a guitar or make sure you can return. I understand Firefly will respond and refund within a few days. At these prices you can't afford for somebody like me to do a fret level, it would be ridiculous cost. Before retiring this year would charge $80-100 . And people, unless it's a cheap guitar don't take your guitar to the "luthier" at Guitar Center. Cheers . Thanks for this video.
Hey that's great advice! I did a refret on a Squier Classic Vibe 50's Tele because I searched and searched for someone to attempt it at a good price... Couldn't find a soul to touch it for several reasons. The two main reasibs were (1) cost and (2) they said that the fretboard would chip out... I ended up braving it and it turned out awesome. As a final solution on that glossy board, I "satin-ized" it and it just looks and feels so good! You're right, it pays to learn this stuff! Thanks for watching!!!
Thanks Amy! I'm glad you enjoy all the noise that I make! It's fun to play for you when you're in the office exercising on the machines... God is good!
It's quite a bit flatter than you'd expect... It seems to be 14" at the nut and then it may even slightly compound a little flatter as you go up...to perhaps 16" ...it's unusual, but very smooth and comfortable... Definitely not your typical 9.5 that you'd expect for a T-style instrument...
The insert coming out isn’t a design flaw the guitar is a proven design it is a quality and workmanship,flaw. I seriously doubt Squier designed the post hole to be oversized, most likely someone used the wrong bit and ruined God know how many this is why you use in process inspection. I think your tuning issue came from split top tuners they are a b!tch to keep in the hole under pressure and this only happens with the B and high E strings. Physics won’t allow the bridge post to move while playing that is why I doubt it was the root cause.
I received a replacement from Fender, and it was perfect. As indicated in the video, I took the instrument all apart and went over it carefully. The thing I find with these is that the rout cavities are really rough. I rewired it with 2 nice humbuckers, a brass tremolo block and then used a maple Squier Sonic neck in place of the original neck. The instrument that came as a result is super nice! I'll share that in another video soon. The trem is fully functional now and it stays in perfect tune! I also put that Affinity Strat neck onto another body (I already had laying around) and that instrument is really nice too. Both are way-better than what the one instrument was... Thanks for your input and thanks for watching!
I love lightweight thin bodies if I wanted a thick heavy body I would have a custom guitar made out of granite. Weight, wood species and wood density is all superstitious nonsense.
This guitar doesn't feel heavy, but it weighs in at just under 9LBS. However, I think that due to the contours, it just feels lighter and more manageable and easier to wield than you would expect. I got one of Firefly's S-style guitars a few months ago and that one actually FELT heavy, but may have been lighter than this LP-style guitar... The body and neck are mahogany, and that's a denser wood. The top is ash, also a heavier wood... Thanks for the question!
Yes, they seem to have a design that appeals to everyone. Some of them are really out there in appearance, but then they have other ones that are quite conservative. Whoever it is that wants a good guitar at a great price, Firefly seems to have it going on... Thanks for watching!
