GRM Guitar Rehab - Squier Strat

Well, after reading that article, I dragged out the Jackson to re-examine it. I first loosened the strings a ton and took off the backplate to access the tremolo springs. Yeah, they were all out of whack. I tightened them up a ton and the bridge sat back down! FINALLY!!!!

The bad part is that my tuners are all junk. Some are bent, while others have stripped out lock nuts. I was able to get it in tune and lock down the lock nuts. The one thing I like about the Floyd is the fine tuning screws on the bottom; those come in handy now that the tuners are junk. The other thing I noticed is that the pickups are awful. For a "Metal" guitar, they have really weak output. The Volume pot and the selector switch also are scratchy and need to be cleaned or replaced.

Most importantly, it plays nice now! The action is good, and intonation is fine with the bridge where it's supposed to be.

I think I'll turn this one into a long term project. I'll end up replacing the tuners and the pickups at some point. For now, I'll just play it as-is.

And PICS:

Gotta give a shout out to the wife for letting me commandeer an ottoman/bench thing for a guitar workstation. Thanks!

The strings where they are supposed to be:

Hard to tell from this pic, but the tuners are bent. The 3rd one in from the left is the worst. It's bent and stripped, too.

YEAH!!!!! Sweet dude. Tuners are cheap!

I bought my latest guitar before it had officially been put on the sales floor--meaning I got to watch the shop's owner set it up first-hand after I said that I wanted it. It was neat watching him go through the entire guitar, including restringing it.

At this summer's PRS open house, I got a little taste for setting up a guitar, though. As I was walking around the factory, I noticed a dude sitting on a love seat. "Did I want to learn how to set up a guitar?" he asked. Turns out he was doing personalized setup instruction. He handed a guitar to me, and together we went through the process. I learned how to tune it, adjust the truss rod, set the string height, etc. Sadly, I should have taken notes. Next year, I figure.

And SilverFleet, nice Jackson. That's so metal.

In reply to SilverFleet:

nice!

David S. Wallens wrote: I bought my latest guitar before it had officially been put on the sales floor--meaning I got to watch the shop's owner set it up first-hand after I said that I wanted it. It was neat watching him go through the entire guitar, including restringing it. At this summer's PRS open house, I got a little taste for setting up a guitar, though. As I was walking around the factory, I noticed a dude sitting on a love seat. "Did I want to learn how to set up a guitar?" he asked. Turns out he was doing personalized setup instruction. He handed a guitar to me, and together we went through the process. I learned how to tune it, adjust the truss rod, set the string height, etc. Sadly, I should have taken notes. Next year, I figure.

Intervention time: How many guitars do you own? Also, you should procreate, so you'd have no time to play them.

poopshovel wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: I bought my latest guitar before it had officially been put on the sales floor--meaning I got to watch the shop's owner set it up first-hand after I said that I wanted it. It was neat watching him go through the entire guitar, including restringing it. At this summer's PRS open house, I got a little taste for setting up a guitar, though. As I was walking around the factory, I noticed a dude sitting on a love seat. "Did I want to learn how to set up a guitar?" he asked. Turns out he was doing personalized setup instruction. He handed a guitar to me, and together we went through the process. I learned how to tune it, adjust the truss rod, set the string height, etc. Sadly, I should have taken notes. Next year, I figure.

Intervention time: How many guitars do you own? Also, you should procreate, so you'd have no time to play them.

As of Sunday, I'm at 6 and a Mandolin... Do I win?

mtn wrote:

poopshovel wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: I bought my latest guitar before it had officially been put on the sales floor--meaning I got to watch the shop's owner set it up first-hand after I said that I wanted it. It was neat watching him go through the entire guitar, including restringing it. At this summer's PRS open house, I got a little taste for setting up a guitar, though. As I was walking around the factory, I noticed a dude sitting on a love seat. "Did I want to learn how to set up a guitar?" he asked. Turns out he was doing personalized setup instruction. He handed a guitar to me, and together we went through the process. I learned how to tune it, adjust the truss rod, set the string height, etc. Sadly, I should have taken notes. Next year, I figure.

Intervention time: How many guitars do you own? Also, you should procreate, so you'd have no time to play them.

As of Sunday, I'm at 6 and a Mandolin... Do I win?

Not by a longshot ;)

Poop, I have 3 guitars.

You're supposed to have ONE! ONE GUITAR! Until you can play the intro to "Wasted Years." Then, yee shall be allowed to have two, until yee can play a rad fudgetunnelly drop D cover of "Sunshine of my Love." Then, and only then, yee shall have the right to a third guitar. But it has to be something rad, like a Phil Collen Destroyer.

Who was the dude that was thinking about selling that super rad paisley strat last year? This thread really made me want it and learn to play.

I have 3 stratocasters and an acoustic. I suspect I am not even close to being to biggest collector here. In the past I owned two telecasters, an es335, a Les Paul Gold top deluxe and G&L SC-2.

3 years ago, I mentioned the G&L in a guitar related thread on this forum and someone PMed me with an offer to buy it for 5 times what I paid for it. There are times I wish I hadn't sold it. I take solace in the fact that it lives with a working musician in Chicago now. It's getting played more and sings the blues to more people than I ever did.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Who was the dude that was thinking about selling that super rad paisley strat last year? This thread really made me want it and learn to play.

Tele, not strat IIRC. Strats should never be paisley, but tele's are good in paisley. My personal opinion, of course.

poopshovel wrote: You're supposed to have ONE! ONE GUITAR! Until you can play the intro to "Wasted Years." Then, yee shall be allowed to have two, until yee can play a rad fudgetunnelly drop D cover of "Sunshine of my Love." Then, and only then, yee shall have the right to a third guitar. But it has to be something rad, like a Phil Collen Destroyer.

I know, but I fell in love a second time. And then a third. I have to say, I'm happy with what I have. Very happy.

My instructor also teaches guitar construction. Today he asked if I want to do something fancy or plain. I'm thinking something simple like a Les Paul Jr./PRS Korina One would be cool--just one knob, soap bar pickup, etc. We'll see.

And I need to take a photo of the homemade guitar that he plays. It's Strat based but has a bunch of small personal touches. Plus it's wicked-light. Obviously it's beautiful and sounds amazing, too.

I have a couple of squiers (affinity tele and 5stripg Pbass) and both play and sound much better than the price would suggest.

Great buy on that thing. I'm sure he will love it!

I currently have 13 plus a mandolin. A few of them are junk, however, and guitars in name only.

Oh... And I can play Wasted Years...

Here's what I have for gear:

Guitars: -Ovation Celebrity Acoustic/Electric

-Epiphone Les Paul Standard

-Jackson Performer PS4

Bass Guitars (all 4 string): -Ibanez TR70 with P/J pickups

-Ibanez Soundgear SR400 with active electronics

-Warwick Streamer Standard

-a strange 3/4-scale 60's Japanese Thunderbird copy

Drums: -7pc Yamaha Stage Custom with all sorts of stands, cymbals, DW 5000 pedals, etc.

-5pc Sonor Force 1001 (practice kit)

If it were up to me, I'd have even more. And I can play Wasted Years too, but on the bass and drums, not guitar.

All I have is guitars and amps. I went halfs on a drum set with my old bass player, but that was 20 years ago. At one point I had 22 guitars, but pared it down considerably after I stopped playing in a band. Most of my guitars I've owned for almost 20 years now. The last guitar I bought was a Tacoma acoustic well over 10 years ago. I play it a fair amount although I kinda wish I'd gotten one with a pick-up. I need to play my classical guitar more often.

I do consider selling some... I have a vintage Gibson L-48 arch-top acoustic I don't play much. It would probably be a good acoustic blues guitar except I am an absolutely horrific blues player (way too much classical background). I may part with my '71 LP Standard after I get if semi-restored and can determine a realistic value. It was the last electric I purchased using insurance money from a basement flood so I have no emotional attachment to it. Of course, if I decide I like playing it, all bets are off. Especially if I happen to be on a GnR kick at the time (it's a cherry sunburst). Some of them will go with me to my grave: my first LP (black, '81 Studio w/ a factory Kahler), the Strat and a '80 LP Firebrand.

Amps are one area where I'm considering some near-future changes. The current selection is a '70's Fender Dual Showman (basically a head-version of a Twin Reverb with 120W output) and an ADA MP-2 preamp and 200W power amp. For years I resisted getting a Marshall, but my next amp will probably be a Marshall half-stack.

I'm sitting at 10 or so, mostly Gretsches.

The Gretsches include a 6120, a '60 Clipper, a 125th Anniversary, a 5422 12-string, a Corvette, some cheap Electromatic Jet.

Then there's also a Gretsch Jet bass and a Fender Precision base.

And the Dean acoustic.

And the former Kay/Telecaster I'm rebuilding with a supro-style fiberglass body.

I think that's it. Probably.

16vCorey wrote:

poopshovel wrote: PO had tuned it down to A or some crazy E36 M3. Apparently that's what the kids do these days. Whacky.

I worked with a 21 y/o kid that wouldn't shut the berkeley up about 7 string guitars and dumb tunings. Drove me berkeleying nuts.

My last band played drop D, down a whole step, so that the tuning was actually CGCFAD. Probably would have tuned lower, but the strings got to floppy to speed pick. I always wanted to try using the bottom 6 strings from a 7 string to achieve the same tuning, but didn't feel like setting the guitar up for it in case it didn't work.

I have an original '77 Tele Deluxe (two wide range humbuckers, two tones, two volumes) and a Applause plastic back acoustic with a built in hidden pickup. Only owned one other guitar and it was a Squier that was more of a metal guitar with a Floyd Rose II on it.

Since we are talking Squiers, I'm looking for a cheapish strat. Whether it's a squier or just a strat made in mexico or some other country, I don't really care. I just want a decent single coil guitar in a Strat format. I don't have a budget since I don't know what money will bring what kind of quality. And keeping with the Rehab portion, I'd be in for cleaning pots and soldering new caps and what not...

Where do the affinity squier strats come in with regards to other strats?

Ross, these Rondos are generally considered very good for the money, and they're very cheap: http://www.rondomusic.com/electricguitar.html

I havn't even touched my guitar in years

Tim Baxter wrote: Ross, these Rondos are generally considered very good for the money, and they're very cheap: http://www.rondomusic.com/electricguitar.html

I've heard good things about these on another forum as well. A bunch of guys bought them and modded them to be real monsters. The "Agile" ones were pretty popular.