Guys... This is legit, but every seasoned luthier/repairman will tell you that the friction points have the most impact on tuning stability - and that applies to any kind of guitar. The usual ones are the nut and the string trees. If you overlook these, the tuners alone will improve little to none the tuning stability. Before considering any tuners change, I suggest to change the nut and replace it with one properly cut (sloths and base) and made of a hard material (like bone, tusq, corian...) that the strings won't bite in. You may be surprised and with a few bucks still in the pocket.
This is 100% true. I only changed the nut on my very cheap strat copies to a graphtec tusq nut. However, i did block all the trems. I don't use it anyway and it really helps the tuning stability. Didn't even change the trees and cheap tuners. Manually stretching the strings when tuning is also something that really helps the stability for me. Alway tune up to a note, not tune down. And of course properly setup the guitar..
Might as well saved up their money for a better built guitar. The Squire us how ever a nice beginners guitar. The sound ain't bad and can tweak the action without spending money.
and fret leveling! it's nuts what a difference it makes when you lower the action ... i used to have it on 4 or 5mm (1/5 in) and then decided to lower it to 0.5mm (1/50) .... it's so much easier to play but the little fret height differences turn noticeable
Totally true, even more so because a properly filed nut affects the action and is an important aspect of a good setup. I do wanna say that while i agree that a proper nut material and filing job is the thing to look at first, tuning machines can make a HUGE difference especially on very cheap guitars. I got a used, cheap Dearmond m66 years ago and I had it properly gone over by a good luthier with a new nut, fret level, and full setup. Intonation was perfect, played like a dream, but still tuning stability was very bad. I decided to try replacing the machine heads with those hipshot locking tuners with the universal mounting plates. Took me 30 min to switch them out, they dropped right in with no drilling, and it solved the problem completely. Now i can bend all i want and it never goes out of tune, and they were super cheap too. That being said, i believe the improvement wasn't necessarily because the tuners were locking, but simply because they were much higher quality then the stock ones that were super cheap and crappy. I have a squier classic vibe telecaster that came with vintage style tuners and it holds tuning just as good as the locking ones. That being said, i may still switch them out for locking ones! Here's the deal: I initially bought the hipshots to deal with the tuning stability, but i soon learned i had underestimated the convenience of betting able to easily and quickly change strings. Because i find changing strings to be so tedious and annoying i'll often put it off and play with old strings for way longer than i should. Old strings sound so much worse than new ones, and funnily enough, old strings won't stay in tune! With the locking tuners I'm now changing my strings regularly so my tone always sounds nice, the strings play smooth, and last but not least, I'm always in tune, not just due to the locking aspect of the tuners, but because they encourage the regular changing of strings. So there you have it, my case for locking tuning machines!
All my adult life and long career I had top model Fender Strats, but after retiring I sold everything, then later bought this Squire just for at home. I must really have lucked out with it. Perfect intonation, nice fret board, good tuners, sounds good too.
I think the biggest issue squire has is their clients. Mostly new players, mostly people who don't want to take the time to learn to admire the instrument. I've put a lot of work in on my tele from squire. But it was nice out of the box. More importantly (in my case) it's been a great mod platform to get a feel for certain parts before installing them into more expensive guitars (or sometimes keeping them cause they just compliment that tele so well 😅)
Dude it aint just you. Played 29 years. Metal. Mostly Jacksons and Charvels. I today still own and collect the 80s Jap charvels. I was on road for work and wanted to play. Picked up an affinity strat for 300 in tx. This thing smokes!! WAY better bang for the buck than the new fenders. I still play and love my MIM strat but whats thebppint of the American? Buy the squire get good, buy the Mexican be done
I agree. I have the black 70's modified and love it! Just needs a better nut and I plan on going with a bone nut which you can order preslotted for like 15 bucks or less from StratOsphere
Yep. My 40$ Squire has stock tuners, and they are stable as can be.....and I bend the sh!t out of my strings. My Squire Strat is slowly becoming my favorite guitar. FYI, I own a Carvin CS6 (great guitar), and a PRS S2 single cut (not as good as the Carvin, but a good guitar nonetheless)....and yes, the 40$ pawnshop guitar sounds fantastic and plays better than both....and NO, I’m not a Squire fanboy, I’m just being honest.
The Ratio tuning machines come with a bunch of mounting plates that allow them to fit on Fender and other guitars too. So as you upgrade guitars, these tuners can move up with you (just keep the old ones). Let's help each other out and compile a list of all the tuning machines (locking, non-locking, cheap, expensive, etc) that will drop in on a Squier without modifications! Let me know in the comments and I will put a list together at the top of the comments :)
Did you find that the tusq nut you used change the string spacing at all? The last one I purchased advertised for fender guitars put my e strings too close to the edge of the fretboard. My guitar is an older Squier affinity. Anyway, I was planning on replacing the strings already - I may have to add the tuning machines as well.
Hipshots make universal tuners that are still pricier than most other standard aftermarket locking tuners but they're still nowhere near the 130 euro price point that graphtech locking tuners reach. The graphtech gear ratios are extremely convenient and save a lot of time when you're tuning up but they don't offer any additional stability and imo it's not worth the approx 50 euro difference in price between graphtechs and hipshots.
@@scottN1980 You're missing the point here. You buy the Squier Affinity and then upgrade its cheap components later on after you have saved up some money.
I've got a squier bullet strat that's made in china. The tuners are just fine. They hold tune for ages once the strings have been on there for a few days.
Three Words: Squier Classic Vibe! They have the signature fender tuning machines with a hole in the middle where you stick the string in. They work like a charm and hold the tune ridiculously well!
I'll be modifying my Squier Tele Custom over this summer. This video was so helpful as I was going to upgrade the tuners as a priority! Great work and content as always!
Great vids Darrell, you get the presentation so well done musically, visually, aurally, great tech information, you cause us to actually think about actual guitar situations instead of simply falling back on beliefs or traditions. You're an inspiring teacher thanks for all of this.
I worked 20 years in engineering, and honestly my mind was blown when I saw the price of locking tuners. I’m even more amazed the Chinese haven’t jumped on this yet. They could easily, easily make these for a dollar or less a piece. Even in the UK, I could set up a cnc in a few days to make these for less than a fiver a piece
Dude, there are lots of really cheap Chinese locking tuners on Amazon and eBay. 9 of my 10 guitars have locking tuners. I paid from $11 to $35 for each set, most were $15. The $35 ones were for my Fender Malibu Player.
Exactly , I have 2 Squire Strats with Hipshot Locking tuners ,my Squire Standard Tele has Fender Locking tuners . I had to drill holes on all , anyway no matter you are right . They make string change a breeze and also the guitars hold tune almost to perfection . I gig with them all and honestly I may not even have to tune up again for the entire show. I play lead , country , Eagles tribute ......lots of string bending !!
Following the idea, I have just replaced tuning machines on my Mini Strat by Ratio tuners (non-locking version). Tuning has become amazingly easy and stable. I bought also a very good amp-in-a-box kind of pedal (from Lovepedal) to compensate my tiny transister amplifier. Now my tiny little mini is priceless in my life. Thank you, Darrell. You are my great mentor
I used the hip shot tuners on my Squire Contemporary strat and love them. Used the same nut and string trees you did. What a difference it made. Love the vids. Got the Squire contemporary because wanted at least a Fender company strat but hate their radius. Love the 12” radius in the contemporary.
I'm kind of surprised, I have an Affinity Strat, for almost 4 years now, I use the tremolo a bit (normal use) this stays in tune for days, completely stock too, maybe I'm lucky !
Y'all are lucky. First Squire I got I thought it was me just being terrible. It made me quit as well. I didn't understand some guitars you are basically having a wrestling match while trying to learn how to play.
@@SkyFalllast YES! I bought mine in 2004 and after one lesson and stuff I stuck it in the gig bag and just now pulled it out. Pristine old new stock, lol. This thing was horrible at staying in tune and I didn't use the trem at all. Eventually I got disgusted and 16 years later I am about to try again as I have parts on the way but I need some locking tuners that drop in and the Tusq XL nut but I am waiting on them to reply as they have nothing near my dimensions.
My wife got me a Squire Telecaster that I just love for Christmas a few years ago. Great weight, great neck, great sound. It became my number 1 guitar for worship band. Now that i'm playing weekly and playing more, I thought, I'd ask for these locking tuners for Christmas this year. Really happy with this decision. Just make a really good guitar even better. It's easier to get into tune and stays in tune better than before. Thanks for the video!
I will say to anyone watching this is 2020 looking to buy a Squier; make sure you have your guitar for a bit before you decide to make this modification. Before I got my bullet mustang I was under the assumption that the tuning machines were going to have to go because of the tuning issues I had with my jagmaster back in 2013. To my surprise my mustang holds tune like a dream through humid un-played nights and veracious string-bending days, and I'm talking straight factory set-up and tuned with a snark. Obviously I can't speak for every model of squier, but in 2020 definitely feel yours out before you invest in tuning machines.
My Squier 70 Tele Thinline holds tune really well with the stock tuners...but I realize that this depends somewhat on luck....but do check one of these babies out....great value, fit/finish, sound...what a doll!
I really shouldn’t judge because I’m only half a year into playing but I think my bullet strat isn’t bad at all at holding the tune. Again, this is my only guitar but it’s anything but annoying. Even the g string I that i hear goes out of tune all the time actually is perfectly good. I really only have to tune it up a couple cents once in 3-4 days. Usually it’s just the 2 thinnest strings. If that’s considered bad, well.. ok. I understand. It’s a cheap guitar anyway.
Got them on your advice. Of the mods I've made to my 2013 Squier Strat Deluxe, this one is the only one I have left in place. These locking "Ratio" tuners really work great. Thanks!
I put standard Fender tuning machines on my Squier Strat,Had to enlarge the holes with a tapered reamer and had to drill the holes for the pins.Made a big difference!
I recently watched a good amount of your videos hoping to upgrade my 2019 squire strat. I started with a new nut, string trees, and locking tuners. I went with the graph tech nut and string trees, which are great quality. The fender locking tuners i bought fit the holes on my squire, i did have to drill out the two little pin holes(for the teeth) to make it a snug and flush fit. REALLY a great modification, my 200$ guitar sounds better already and i intend to upgrade more. All in all the fender locking tuners($55) fit my squire great with just minor modifications, I would encourage anyone to do this mod!!
Agreed. The inexpensive Fender locking tuners only need you to ream the existing pin holes out toward the end of the headstock a tiny bit for them to sit right in there like they were born there. Use a round file or a drill and 3/32 bit, works just dandy and takes all of 5 minutes! The Ratio locking tuners are a fair bit more expensive than the Fender locking ones. I have the Fenders on my Squier Stratocaster Standard, which I bought almost brand new for $230 Canadian--a steal! And they work like a charm.
For Squier guitars, I believe the nut is more crucial than the tuners as far as a necessary upgrade. As you’ve mentioned, upgrading both are preferable. For a beginning player though (which is generally the Squier crowd), a nut install is a pretty advanced procedure. If it drops in with no setup adjustment needed, then awesome. I’ve seen that happen about zero times in my lifetime though. Nuts can be a pain in the ass. So fair warning for the kiddos out there thinking about doing this, you might want to let an experienced luthier do the nut install for you if you’re serious about the intonation and setup being correct. Play on 🤘🏼
The secret to doing nuts is NOT to file the slots but instead file the bottom of it, try it, do more, try it and just don't go too far. Cutting slots is not how you set string height above the fret.
I just put some 10-46 strings on and tightened the tuners back and top , it made a world of difference , was going to change tuners but , so far so good now that I’ve done this . Thanks for the great videos
I put these on my squier several months back and love them so much I got another set for my traveler L22. I must say up front (at least from my experience w/ squier and yours may be different) that you should pull 1 of the tuners FIRST before you order the new tuners because I was dumbfounded when I was presented with a single center mounted lock pin instead of the 2 pins that everyone else has been presented with. So having already spent the coin, by god they were going on! working slowly and methodically I used one of the supplied adapter plates making sure it was square to the head stock and drilled the 12 holes that were needed, placing a stop collar on the drill bit to get just the needed depth. New tuners dropped in perfectly and I can still revert back to the original tuners if I ever sell it as the new holes sit under the housing of the originals. You would never know unless you pulled one. I also did all the other goodies you did along with the graphtech string saver bridges and a solid steel block trem system. really sings now.
I bought mine in 2004 (a Squire Stratocaster) so 16 years ago and I am finally going to really try and learn it with my Nephew as he is getting a guitar set this Christmas.
Nut, bridge and sustain block changed my Squier and set up properly, is pretty reliable when it comes to holding tune and improving the sound. The light zinc block in Squiers, replaced by a heavy steel block turns the world around. I took a Bullet strat, popped in a Fender bridge and block set and the difference in sound is huge. Set the bridge up properly, linked with graph-tech nut and string trees, this thing holds tune solidly.
Hah, I love you for what you do Darrell! You and I were just having this correspondence last month. Tuners and string trees are the only mod I am making to my Squier Deluxe. Everything else is great. Went with the Hipshot locking non-staggered tuners @ $55/set - getting them installed tomorrow. You led me to Hipshot and Graph Tech so I really appreciated your insights! These are the only "drop-ins" I could find after much research (other than another set of the original tuners - also available).
Cool! BTW, I did go with the Graph Tech trees fyi (haha, cream ones since I didn't change the nut :-). I would have loved to try the Ratio tuners but they were nearly half the price of the guitar so I scaled back to the Hipshots.
Darrell Braun Guitar exactly right - the Hipshot tuners are a HUGE improvement! Cream Graph Tech string trees look good with the cream nut as well. Wouldn't you know Allparts just started shipping the locking tuners with the guide pins that fit the Squier for $60/set after a 2 year absence. This gives everyone a 3rd option now!
Darrell, I love your videos, I love the fact that 1/10 guitar players are objective when It comes to gear and you're one of those. Your tips are always useful and your videos are as entertaining as informative. And dude, your playing is just incredible. Greetings from Colombia.
Another fabulous video, Darrell! Great job. Not only is your content great-and I love your personality and sense of humor-but the quality of the cinematography and editing is really excellent as well. Bravo!!
I've just installed fender locking tuners on my Squier Affinity Tele and they are great. I had to drill holes, yes, but you don't necessarily have to buy Hipshot tuners.
I fitted a set of American fender tuners into my Squier standard this evening and they work perfectly and they are great upgrade. You only have to drill two small holes over the existing holes and they fit perfectly. if you press the fender tuning heads into place they will mark the back of the headstock about an eighth of an inch over the existing pinholes that’s where you need to drill and they drop perfectly into place and stay in tune 100%
I agree, fenders tuners don’t fit squiers. I modified mine to accept fender locking tuners. Did all of these mods with the other graph tech stuff but I also upgraded the saddles, trem block, and found some fender custom shop 69’s with the pick guard for a great price along with new cst 250k pots/switches. This thing is amazing now
My Squier Deluxe Fender Special Run FSR came with Fender locking tuners .. and thanks for the tip on the string trees I have now put them on all my guitars. First videos I saw of yours were on the Ultimate Epi .. with the P-Rails after hearing the comparison video up against all the other most famous guitars I had to have them .. I didn't put them in any of my Epi's yet … but I did put them in a Strat .. I absolutely love them .. thanks for sharing your knowledge .. !
Hey Darrell... Thanks for the tip on the graphtech ratio tuners for the squire..my buddy brought his actual fender strat over to try out my new Marshall code 100..he said he would leave it over for me to play and I told him no mine stays in tune better..and you are right a good amp. makes the difference between 2 different priced guitars..thanks for your help bro
Ohmygaah.. 😍 There she is! And of course I enjoyed this vid as always from Mr.Braun😊 She looked n sound gorgeous.. I wish you'd play us a whole rawkin song with her sir 😌😀
4 года назад
The early Classic Vibes come stock with excellent machine heads.
Bruce Kelly I’m afraid that these tuners won’t fit your bullet. Most bullet strats have trapezoid style tuners and have a weird screw pattern. These tuners have dual post tuners, which is standard on most gender guitars (except vintage spec guitars). When I got new tuners for mine, I just drilled new holes. It’s not a big deal and doesn’t really affect resale valuez
That635guy dang these won’t fit either :( well in that case should I go for a $50-$80 set if I gotta change them anyway.. I kind of want gold or black cuz mines two tone sunburst but since trem chrome still might not look right
Bruce Kelly there are gold hardware kits for fender guitars that can range from 120 to 250 dollars. It includes trem, tuners, jack, etc and it’s all the same gold. No guessing which colors will be similar and which won’t
Had my Squire for 16 years and no complaints about the machine heads at all. I can see some mods would be good, but it has been a good workhorse just the way it came and have used it for some recording too.
Great stuff as usually bro, and thanks for the tip! However I do believe it depends on which Squier you have. My Vintage Modified Jazzmaster and Mustang have not had any tuning problems at all, they really work amazing and I don't feel any need to change them :) Even on the Affinity they worked out pretty well.
Upgrading to locking tuners is a good idea, but I really believe the nut and the string trees should come first when it comes to upgrading a squier or every kind of affordable guitar in that matter! It's more affordable too if you ask me! And maybe you won't really need to change the tuning keys after all!
Another useful video, thanks again, man! Since I don't devour all the guitar magazines and publications out there anymore (there are just TOO MANY these days!!😀) this is the first I've heard of this type of multi-ratio tuners. What a great idea! Thanks for making us aware.
I have a classic vibe thinline squier tele, which has vintage style tuners and it sounds amazing. I play through a boss gt-1 and many people have asked if it's a fender or squier and are surprised when I tell them it's a squier. The classic vibe series is phenomenal especially for the price
Well ... tuning stability is the nut (badly cut slots or owner upgraded from factory 9s to 10s and didn't widen the slots) and string trees (that often have burrs under them) not the tuners. Sometimes owners 'upgrade' the nut and the slots are cut too high so the guitar goes out of tune down in the cowboy chords. Assuming that is all fixed/not a problem, the only other thing that happens with tuners is players overshoot the pitch when tuning and then try to hit it on the way back down whereby they create slack in the system that goes out of tune at the first strum. Always always 'tune up' your guitar or if you go passed then drop a half step down and tune up to pitch. New tuners can feel nice when turning or lockers that trim the ends on new strings but unless the tuner got damaged from a fall even the 'trapezoid tuners' will work fine when the player 'tunes up' their guitar correctly.
tuning 'up' only fits in with correctly cut and lubed nut slots. A slot too tight or tall will prevent the correct fretting and cling to the string at tuning.
the rear of the tuners looks nothing like the original ones I have on Squier I have. There is a locating screw. Perhaps the Hipshot with the plate would cover an otherwise apparent hole at each tuner in the back of the headstock. I may be stuck with just doing the locking wrap at the post. NICE TAN DARRELL!
Bought a Squire Fat Strat about a year or so ago. It does not have a tuning issue. I did upgrade all electronics (Fender American Standard), new Bridge and trem block (MIM), the nut (GraphTech), pickups (Cali Guitar Vintage HSS) and Fender output jack. After a little fret work it feels great and sounds and plays very well. Squires are fun to play with (modify) especially when I got mine new for $100.00. Time for me to look for another one to play with.
Big thank you to you Darell for all your precious advice and info - I bought a Squier recently and couldn't believe my ears : indeed Squiers are REALLY not that far away from a true Fendery sound... in fact I bought two Squier Strats (both of excellent sound quality), and i'm so amazed to notice that the difference of sound of one compared with the other is like two worlds apart ! (one is 20 years old, has 3 single coils, and comes from China, and it delivers such an amazing grungy-garagy sound (even straight in the amp, with no effect added !) - the other is an only one year old Affinity with powerful signal and such neat pick-ups : 2 single coils and a bridge humbucker - this one comes from Indonesia)...
when I first got my affinity strat the pickups were horrible,they were cheap ceramic magnet pickups,after I changed them though...ahhhhhhh. much better. so pickups in the cheaper squires is probably a must fix also.
I have owned a Japanese vintage squier since the early eighties, it is red, copy of a 50's strat with a small headstock, maple neck, and was fitted with genuine fender tuners and bridge under licence from Fender. I compared it with a brand new eighties USA strat before I bought it and found it to be far superior. The only minor thing needed was a slight adjustment to the intonation and action (something which often needs looking at to suit individual tastes). I believe Squiers manufactured in China and Mexico are a completely different ball game. I also have a 1976 Antoria (Memphis) Les Paul custom which was great straight out of the box, but I am afraid that I have spoiled the originality by fitting a DiMarzio humbucker to the bridge pick-up and a couple of switches so I can get reverse phase and single coil sounds, and also some Schaller machine heads, but who needs original when you can get the sounds that that beast makes?
I have a 93 jap squier strat and it's been great. I've had no complaints with it. I'm guessing an early 80's jap squier is probably even better quality. I know they also made Korean squier strats in the 90's, and I have no idea what the quality of those was like.
I found 2, 89 Korean Squires. One body had been stripped to the bare wood. It was pretty buggered up. I got a solid maple body for the neck. It is my main Strat now. Both necks are like a 59. I am old enough and been playing 55 yrs to have played most of those great vintage models. Between my dad's friends and my friends they had many. My teacher had a pre CBS blonde Bassman amp. Those Korean ones are good but change the tuners. The other one is intact except for Grovers. Some have wrong threaded nuts on the truss rods though. Watch out for those. It was a US vs Metric screw up. Of course even that is fixable if you want to got the trouble.
I gotta say I have an Affinity and the hardware is cheap but it works perfectly fine. The string trees are stamped and not very aesthetic but work as good as any. The tuners feel cheap to the touch but hold tune well. The trem looks like Chinese chrome but works great. Im pretty sure the 2nd tone knob isnt even wired but it gives it the offical look. For sub 200 bucks it has to be the best guitar on the market.
I’ve got a 2007 Squier Jagmaster. The original tuners rotted and fell out earlier this year. Its tuning stability had been poor anyway, so I replaced them for Fender locking ones (the video says they don’t fit but my tech managed to install them) and replaced the nut. It’s astonishing how much better it plays now.
Gotoh SG381 MG-T locking tuners are a perfect drop-in replacement for the Squier tuners with a 45 degree screw hole. I just put a set on my Squier Contemporary Strat.
I have an indonesia squier, ive used it as a mod platform but the only thing i havent upgraded was the tuners lol. Thing is, theyre not that bad! They hold tune, even though they feel terrible and are so loose, but tuning stability is great for some reason
I just bought a Squire Deluxe Jazzmaster. I’ve got to say I’m amazed by the quality of the guitar! The tuning keys on that sucker a great! With a set of 12s it holds the tuning perfectly even with heavy use of vibrato arm! If the tuning stability is great, is there really any reason to change them? Sound?
Great video, I bought the Graphtec tuners and went to install them today. My old tuners had one anti-rotation peg, the Graphtech has two. None of the plates fit the configuration so I will be drilling some holes
I never thought that Fender or Mexican Fender tuners wouldn’t fit, that’s very good news!! Thank you Sir, you saved me a lot of time and heart ache!! Yes please send me the list of parts and numbers if you have them!! Thanks!!!
Find a guitar with a GREAT neck, then you can always mod everything else AND you'll have a Strat that sounds like a $2000+ guitar for less than a quarter of the price. Then spend the rest of your cash on a good amp!! Or a Squier Tele!! Just my 2¢!! Keep 'em comin' Darrell!! Greetings from Montreal, Canada!!
My CV '60's Stratocasters tuning machines work great. Stays in tune no problem...even when using trem. The Fender vintage style " Safety" tuners are my favorite. Just have to make a good 90% bend on the string 1st before clipping when using round wounds.👍😎
I recommend using just the tiniest amount of super glue as possible when gluing the nut. It will be easier to remove in the future if needed and the string tension already keeps the nut in place.
I have a Squier California from Indo. Going to change mine now thank you! I would like to see a short tutorial on the tremolo bar, can it do a full down without cutting strings? Like Hendrix?
Edgard Ucha * So you're saying that now you have seen this video you are now going to change our the tuners in your guitar ? Makes me think either your guitar didn't need new tuners in the first place and this video just Sold you on it, or your guitar may have had tuning issues that you didn't know how to addressee.
I own one of the early 'made in Japan' squiers. It came with original Fender tuning machines. They have the Fender logo stamped in the back of the casing. It also has the serial number ( in gold) and the 'by Fender' addition printed on the front of the headstock. And it has a rosewood finger board.
From Leo: Good tip on the Ratio Tuners. Always nice to have drop in parts. I would like to add a tip. For string trees or any screws going into the head stock, always wax any screw before threading into the wood. I have had to deal with some broken screws due to the hole being a little bit tight and the screws being delicate. Never a problem with wax making everything smooth. I have used Wilkenson 19-1 tuners on several Squires, and they do a good job, but generally have to drill holes.
