I bought a new Squier Affinity HSS starter pack for $300. Dropped in a Fender loaded pickguard with Fender Gen4 noiceless pups and Shawbucker humbucker.Sounds and plays like a $1800 USA Fender!
I was thinking of doing the same thing, I already have my expensive guitar I use for metal and lower tunings but little wing and wonderful tonight just don't sound the same as they would on a strat. But I already spend a ton of money on that one, I'd rather get a squire and have it set up and the frets leveled and polished properly
So nice to here people play like this. Simple but total feeling and mood. Let's the listener create their own thoughts and images. Like reading a book.nice upgrades mate
From when you first got this guitar I was hoping you'd keep it and fix it up. After 21 years it was in incredibly great condition. The upgrades and cleaning you did really gave it a much richer sound and I loved the look of the fretboard after you'd cleaned it. I'm glad you kept the original pick guard, it's patina matched the knobs. That guitar is a keeper, a well done transformation, nice job. 👍
I found a sguier in the pawn shop , cleaned it up ,roller string trees , roller saddles, big block tremolo(steel) tree of life fret stickers , new pick guard black humbucker single single,& new strings not so slinky & it sounds awesome,I did the same to my other 3 guitars gave one to my nephew ,his son wanted it but he wouldn't part with it cuz it was a homemade strat 3 piece body very light with a zebrawood neck & a maple pick guard laser etched but it was a labor of love, I make them & give them away ,it makes me feel good!
What a change the PU upgrade s made....she sound awesome! I love the color too. I just did an upgrade to a 2000 Indonesia Squier Strat, a Blackie. It had routes for humbuckers and I as able to bolt on some P90 Dog Ear pickups from an Epi Casino. Sounds like a Monster now! Love to mess with cheapie guitars and make them play nice...it very fulfilling. I have expensive guitars as well (that are superior) but I have learned so much about guitars by tinkering, adjusting and modifying, I just cannot stop.
The physics inherent in the build of a Squier Stratocaster (is that the right way to put it?) must guarantee that THE Fender Strat sound is always there. Even the original pickups at the standard factory height settings, good strings, good intonation, correct string heights and proper/preferred neck relief can make a cheap Squier axe sound like a Hendrix or a Knopfler ;-)
I love that more people are doing upgrades on their squier and making them great guitars. Ive been saying this to guitar snobs for over 25 years. "II have a cheap guitar and i sound great. You have an expensive guitar, so why do you still sound like crap?" I love saying that
I have no idea why but I feel good that you kept it. Love the upgrades. Sounds sweet. I think its an instinct guitarists have when they find a gud un it becomes a keeper. Love it!
Fun fact: It doesn't matter which way the "triangle piece" is pointing as far as polarity or phase of the pickup is concerned. You can't change the polarity of a single coil pickup by just rotating it 180 degrees, because the same magnetic pole is still facing the strings (you'd have to mount the pickup bottoms up with the polepieces facing the inside the guitar to reverse the pickup polarity), and you can't change its phase either, because just rotating the pickup 180 degress doesn't actually change the direction the coil is wound (it is still clockwise or counterclockwise, again, you would have to mount the pickup bottoms up to reverse its phase). The only issue you would have with mounting the pickups the triangle piece pointing to the neck would be fitting them into the guitar cavity :)
When you began playing , I closed my eyes and just listened . Man that thing sounds like an expensive hi end guitar in the deep pockets range ! Great Job , Obviously Time Well Spent ! Thanks for this vid .
Polished up the green looks nice. Great job, and really, minimal $$ in the upgrade. It's got the real live quack. Ready to start your own country group now! Thanks for the video.
That come out great, i didn't think i would like a green guitar but the more i watched the video the more i liked it, now i want one lol, excellent video, thanks 👍.
Sounds better! I have an old60's Classic Vibe that I swapped out the whole pickguard with loaded HSS from a 70's Clasic Vibe. Been that way for some time now. But I'll never get rid of my 60's Classic Vibe. She's a keeper. Maybe better pickups later, but for now, I'm happy. Plays like a dream.
Great job! I made exactly the same expirience: Bought a used Squire Affinity for 70 €, put in some Fender MIM Pickups (which I prefer over the MIUS) and it is my preferred Strat. Plays fantastic and the sound is awesome. They in generally seem heavily underrated.
Bought HSS squire affinity an old one from late 1980s early 1990s for 100 a good one with good body. I bought fender Mexican standard tuners fender stamp from ebay for 20. Notice two post standard tuners won't fit in squire. Standard tuners are staggered on fender standard mexi I shoulda line up tuners compare before removing squire ones. This video helps with few others. Tuners is big improvement to squire next string tree, nut and bridge upgrades. Tuner nut is 10mm wrench both squire and fender mim 👍🤘
Still trying to get my head around the idea that we are in a golden age of cheap good quality guitars, which is great considering how "collectors" have bastardised the market by hording great guitars instead of actually playing them. Nearly sold my 57 Les Paul Junior to a guy who turned up to buy it. As soon as he told me me he wasn't a player and hedge fund manager I declined to sell. I have two £90 Harley Benton strats I bought to experiment with and upgrade. They have turned out to be amazing guitars, even ab'd them with a custom shop strat and damned if I could tell the difference. Thanks for this post, it gives hope to young kids out there
Awesome! You did a great job on that guitar, Marty, and that thing looks and sounds killer now! It is so much fun to take these budget guitars that you can find in different places, and do a few things to them, and make them your own. I have a last doing that, and you rocked this one. Awesome riffage too, bro. Especially in that 37 minute segment....
Thanks Jimmy! If I wouldnt have had the tone specifics laying around I was gonna buy the Alnico set from Stratosphere. They have really good budget pickups and loaded Strat pickguard a for $40! I appreciate you man. 😎🥂
@@Ranch5150SkinWalker Hmmm..... I need to check that out big time. Always looking for some pick-ups and loaded pick-guards. Thanks Marty! You're the best, man.
Wow great job. Well worth it. I'm going to buy a $75 Affinity Strat I found and install one of my Fender loaded pick guards . Thanks for the demo. Oh and thanks for the killer riffs at the end man--your an excellent player.
One word of caution; the Fender pickguard might or might not align and fit perfectly on the Squier, including the holes lining up. Same thing with string spacing; some models use Metric system while others use Imperial.
Nice Restore!! And good deal! I have other guitars but wanted a single coil strat. Seeing how expensive fenders are right now, I didn't want to go that route until maybe prices settle. To hold me over, I bought a used squier off marketplace recently for $100. It's action was way high. I did a setup and got everything down, then noticed that the 18th fret on the middle strings was all buzzy and weird. I then checked for high frets and there was two slight ones. I sanded with a notched file and then polished it down. All buzzing gone but now I noticed that the 18th on the G string sounded the same as the 19th. Sure enough both strings were reading the same note (it was either C# or D, can't recall now). I took it to a mom and pops shop nearby who checked it out. Made sure my leveling job was good, no problem there. they kept it overnight and snapped the Truss rod the next day. ooph... All good though as I got a brand new neck out of the deal. Classic vibes style more chunky neck with tinted gloss maple neck to replace my broken rosewood Affinity neck. I paid for the new strings. My frakenstrat plays amazing. Got a new neck and setup out of the deal and It plays great! I never had a maple neck so that was a plus too. I really like it.
Another great video. I love my Squier classic vibe strat but just like you I only like one out of five on the pickup selector switch I like. For someone that has never done all this it shows me I'm going to put a humbucker in my bridge pickup, so thanks Marty.
Thanks for posting your project with us sorry all these people want to hate with their comments just not very nice you're just showing them what you do and you're having a good time I don't understand these people but I appreciate you putting your work on there helping guys out, thanks again
Thanks Cory! I look at negative comments as a positive. It drives traffic to my channel. Lol. But yeh... I'm just doing what I do and I'm enjoying life and sharing. It's a lot of fun. There's no extra space or time in my world for stress and hate. 😎☮️
Looks familiar! My very first electric guitar was a $60 pawn shop strat similar to yours... but an off brand. I used this guitar to learn how to level and crown frets, hour to adjust the neck angle, how to solder pots, measure and tweak the nut, and i still play it. Even though it's an off brand, it's the 3 color burst style and looks great! I have a couple expensive guitars which are great but it's nice to be able to experiment with a cheap guitar. It's good because after learning how to fix guitars, was able to repair a Guild for my friend who had broken the neck years ago and had it mounted to the wall. He had this guitar since he was a teenager and it meant a lot to him. The glue joint held, it tuned and he's still playing it. I like working on guitars as much as playing, and I'm MUCH better at repairing them then playing them! If you don't have any, you can buy a bag of 6 tremolo arm springs, the tiny ones that go in the hole before the arm so it stays where you want it. But you probably already know that...sorry. Okay, cheers! Thank you for the video!
I bought a 2009 HSS Squier Strat Affinity made in Indonesia for 90 euros 2nd hand. Strings were rusty and fretboard a bit dirty. I cleaned it up and changed the strings, messed around with the pick up height, and I did the intonation and next to my AM Pro I strat, it doesn't sound bad at all. So I'll be taking my Squier out when I jam around my friend's house.
Nice! I always change stuff on my cheaper guitars! It's kind of fun? But the results are amazing sometimes!! I do it all! paint,refrets,pickups,tuners! Totally different guitar when I get done!! Thanks!
So cool, I just picked up a candy apple red one the other day for 75.00 and am doing pretty much the same thing except with Texas Hots. Thanks for sharing this, I hit the "Subscribe" button.
Cool video. I got a 09 Squier deluxe hit rails stratocaster from a pawn shop(200with a case) and I changed the tuning keys to fender locking tuners, put brass saddles on, put a brass block in it, put seymour duncan vintage strat pickups flat in it, and installed a Mojo tone solderless blender wiring harness. It's an awsome sounding strat now. I seen your video and watched and decided to share that. Again awsome video .....
@@Ranch5150SkinWalker yea the locking tuners are definitely the way to go. I put the fender ones on my squier, and got them off of Amazon. I also own a 81 les paul that I put Grover locking tuners on. And this might seem weird or crazy, but the grover are way better I wish I would have gotten them. I tellnu though if your squier has the tunning keys with the little tits on them , you'll have to make new holes for those little titles thing s on them.
The Affinity Strats have great necks. I bought one from a rockstar's lighting guy 8-9 years ago. $100. I put Fender GEN4 pickups in it (had to route the body) and changed the string trees. It's an awesome guitar.
Similar experience, I lived in San Diego in early 2000s, went to a guitar shop on the coast highway, a cool young musician guy was behind the counter. Told him i wanted a good playing cheap guitar, and didn't care about the finish, as I wanted to paint one anyhow. He was sitting there playing an Affinity with a primer / checkered body. He said this is the best playing used guitar in the store. I held it for a bit, strummed a few and threw down $ 125 for it. It has the lowest smoothest action of all my guitars, and super played in. I ended up getting a nice solid Alder body and routed it perfect for Gibson Mini -Humbuckers. It is phenomenal.
Great! I recommend to change pots and cap, what will make a bettler upgrade for really cheap, the circuit for my it’s more import at than the pickups by themselves
Very nice video .I used to use lemon oil but now I've found something even better in Monty's Montypresso relic wax .It'will darken your rosewood oe pau ferro fret board while bringing out the grain..You have to leave it for at least 12 hes so a few coats will take a couple of days but the final result is brilliant and worth the wait.
Excellent video! I'm thinking you and I are around the same skill level more or less and we do the same processes. Yes on the 5 way Switch being a booger bear! Also I thought that fret cleaner worked well. Take care
My first was a(n) 1983 or 1984 Red Mexico made Squire strat that I bought for a $100 bucks from a local pawn shop. It had the one piece maple kneck. Also, I thought it was kool cuz it had a humbucker in the bridge, & 2 single coils for the middle an the kneck position, with a 5way selector switch. When I compared it to my friends bullet series start, we started to notice that mine was heavier, with a slightly bigger body & a longer, but more shallow body scoup on the back. My hardware was also different. His bullet strat also said it was Korean made & only had single coils 3 way selector switch. God I wish I still had that. I cut a solid block of wood to lock the bridge in place & put my tremelo springs and bar in my gig back. After that it never was out of tune, even after dropping down a flight of stairs or losing it live before I found out about bolting my straps to my guitars. The only complaint I had about it was that it had that constant fender hum you hear at the beginning of so many live performances of the 60s & 70s. I even tried resodering everything & using insulting tape & later paint for the body cavities. Everyone who played it always said that it didn't sound like any fender they ever head before. I thought it had that bite that Adrian Smith from Iron Maiden played. I also think the block of cedar I jammed behind the bridge gave it a little bit more low end. I prefer the one piece maple knecks as opposed to rose wood on cheaper guitars. I've seen the fret board lift off of some models or twist n bow. Also, I prefer to remove gloss finishes from the back of my knecks. I prefer to feel bare wood. The only thing I like better on his bullet strat was, that it had the bigger, rounder head stock like a classic Stratocaster & my head stock almost looked like one cut from a telecaster it seemed like. Either way there is a big difference in quality when a guitar is made closer to North America and a retail price of 389.00 for my made in Mexico squire Stratocaster. And my buddy's $199.99 by squire bullet strat. That you could get with a strap, 3 picks, 5 ft. Cable, and fender practice amp for $269.99 package deal at Sam Goody record stores....lol. Great video bro. That's a lot work for a squire modification... Lol.
I don't think Fender made Squier guitar in Mexico until 1989. If you had an early '80s Squier, it was made in Japan. Otherwise, if it was made in Mexico, it was probably made in the '90s.
Man I've got a '95 Squier Mexistrat that I've been playing since it was new, but the pickups rusted while in SoCal so I tossed a set of DG20's on it, replaced the cracked nut with a brass malmsteen job, stuck some boingy new strings on it, and that little bugger sounds like a million damn bucks. I'm giving it to my little musical prodigy niece to learn on. If she can avoid going all Pete Townsend on it, it'll probably go another 25 years.
Just got a 2008 Affinity Strat for $100...I'm going to put some Hipshot (or GrafTech) locking drop in tuners cause Fender tuners won't fit unless you want to start drilling, ...then I can get rid of the string trees....replace the bridge, or at least the saddles, upgrade to a better nut, clean or change the pots.... The neck and body are fine ! StewMac has some great tools and stuff re: upgrading, polishing, etc... P.S...best to take a picture of all wiring before you remove/change the electronic...that's been my experience anyway. Great watching you during the transformation !~. Thanks..
Another option is check tge bridge block's bolt pattern to the bridge plate. If they're compatible just swap the block and install the Kramer bridge with the Squier block. I suspect they're likely compatible since both are imports.
Yeah man, it sounds fantastic \m/ a mega combination ... I was going to put a P90 in my strat but am deffo gonna go for a single coil set up now, maybe with a Gilmore mod but I want that creamy strat tone...lovely rosewood fretboard...nice one man
Nice. I found a Squier HSS used with a two-post bridge and standard Fender body thickness and upgraded the bridge (Wilkinson) and found an Elite Ebony board neck on FB marketplace cheap (some tech had over-filed the nut slots), and now I'm working with Tone Shaper mods to split a new Pearly Gates HB at the bridge. Not as 'budget' minded as your upgrades, but learning a lot. SUGGESTION: Go in from the back of the pickups and push the poles on the E and B string magnets so they fit flush to the covers . . . probably a scary thing to do on such fine pickups.
I’ve heard great things about the Wilkinson bridges. I have yet to try them. I was a little cautious with these pickups BTW. I don’t know why but I handle pickups like they are very delicate. When really they are quite indestructible. I recently got a hollow body Chinese Fender telecaster that is amazing. Super cheap. I am probably going to post that video this weekend. Or in the next week!
Nice job! and it's a beautiful guitar for it's age... Fun fact for ya... For 36 years I called the jack on the guitar the "input jack" and then last year, after a heated debate with another person on RU-vid, I had to concede that I was calling it the wrong thing all those years... It's actually called the "Output Jack." Who Knew??? 😂
I bought my 2009 Affinity at a pawn shop for $50.. installed 62 remakes in it, replaced the trem block with a heavier one from guitar fetish,, wired tone on the bridge p/u.. absolutely love the thing..
to help pass the wires for the Jack and the ground to the bridge through the body, I recommend a thick fishing string. Just tape the string to the wire and pass the string easily first then pull it from the other side and it will pull the wire easily with it.
Would be really nice to hear a before and after direct comparison. Or a comparison with a high end strat. This is helpful for people doing these upgrades though.
Hey, if you haven’t checked it out here is the link for my first video. I compared it to an American Pro II and 2 different player Strats. 🙌 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Hna7kPL00Vg.html
I thought it sounded good before but now it's over the top! The only other change I would make is the string trees. I would put roller trees on it, but thats me.
I also got a black Affinity used for 90 bucks at GC, and I also modded it. But I swapped out that skinny neck because I have huge hands. It does play great though, and I think any Squier is a solid base to mod from.
PS: its so well in tune ...i find it hard to believe you didnt have to do a set up again after all that fiddling with the bridge ???? In any case ....great sound - great playing - total success !
May as well shield everything while it’s apart. Also get some Tusq or GraphTech string trees for $13. And the same for the nut. About $20 to $30 total and it’ll make the as big a difference as any mod. Squiers are great guitars.
Kinda surprised you didn't replace the tuners. I put cheap Amazon $15 locking tuners on both my Affinity Strats (and they work as well as many expensive tuners) and I put vintage split post tuners on my MIM Fender. All my guitars get tuner upgrades. What you should do is get out the heat gun, strip the paint and stain it for a more natural wood look. I've done that with several guitars, and if you want a nice color you can stain it with Rit dye. I have a beautiful purple stained Strat that has really nice wood grain.
@@Ranch5150SkinWalker I've a '97 Squier Affinity and the neck is never going anywhere although the body might get replaced due to it being heavy. With loaded pickguard it sounds like an American Standard Strat.
I put a planet tone loaded pickguard in a 05 Indonesia made Squire Affinity. I couldn't believe the difference it made. My tuners where exactly the same very loose.
Bought my squire strat at guitar center for 109.99, amazed at how good it played, but of course could stand an upgrade. Good tips, been playing a long time, just wanted to prove you can take a good cheap guitar and make it playable. Mines black with white pick guard slightly used but plays really well. Dark fingerboard. Subscribed.
109 man, good price and find! These are solid guitars and fun to upgrade. Check out the link below. You can get Alnico Strat pickup sets cheap in loaded pickguards for around $40-50. They are super nice too. 👍 stratosphereparts.com
P.s. the neck looks brand new, no fret edges sticking out . Plays fast and smooth. Thanks for the tip on the pick ups, I'm going to get them, great price.
The bones of these instruments are great; not so the electronics and some of the hardware. I have a ‘98 that I bought new at Guitar Center; later I upgraded it and I still have it and it sounds great.
Great job Marty... I love this stuff...btw...a great resource on guitar wiring/switches is Breja Toneworks on YT...his vids have saved my ass quite a few times...rock on my brother!!!!