Mini Stratocaster

I purchased the Squier Mini Strat for my son on Xmas. He needs some new strings. What the hell should I put on there.. Has anyone ever taken the pick guard off and seen what was under there. I have a set of MIM Classic 50 pick ups I was thinking of putting in there. Not sure the pots and switch look like. I am thinking of bring it up to par.. what do you guys think ?

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh105/madmarkny/pickup.jpg

I'm not sure what's inside those. I always assumed they used standard Squier electronics. How's it sound now?

not bad to be honest with you.. The tuners suck big time.. I am thinking I have to put some heavy strings on there...

not bad to be honest with you.. The tuners suck big time.. I am thinking I have to put some heavy strings on there...i am working on a mini guitar to and thinking on putting 0.10 set on them want to use an normal eadgbe tuned guitar setting
hope that works

def would need new tuners and pots

fwiw, i have 2 and they're stock...and pretty nice for $69

What strings you use ?

def would need new tuners and pots

fwiw, i have 2 and they're stock...and pretty nice for $69

either 9's or 10's, depending on my mood
....but 11's sound tempting!

I have a set of tens I think I am gonna wait til i get new tuners and pots gonna order some stuff today.. do you know what size tuners holes are in there ?

11's all the way.
I only use 9's on my regular strat's and Tele's, and 10's on the Gibby LP and the 11's are still a little light for some bends when I first pick it up.
I started with 10's and they were still too slinky.

I pull the neck off of mine and throw it in the carry-on when I travel. Leave it out in the garage for when I watch sports or movies.

They sound great, the tuners do leave a lot to be desired, as well as the pots. So far though I have not changed anything but the strings and I love the little thing.

I took one all apart and used it to make templates, the pickups look like hell on the back. 2 ceramic magnet strips on each side of slug pole pieces. The switch is one of those pcb looking things. But with a decent setup it is fine, except for the tuners which are pretty bad. But what do you want for $99 brand new? I have 10's on it. I had a thread with some pics, was looking for tips on shaping the belly cut.

not bad to be honest with you.. The tuners suck big time.. I am thinking I have to put some heavy strings on there...

How strong's your son's grip? :)

I have done a Bunch of them for Folks...Stock electronics aren't THAT Bad...Tuners pretty much Suck...but those can be Upgraded...String Nut is Cheap (I use Bone)...w/ some fret work and careful Set-up, they can be Great Little Guitars....but w/ the Short scale length, why would you even consider using them in standard Tuning ?...I don't follow your Logic....using .009s or .010s I always tune them up a full step to F#, and then they retain the feel and string tension you are used to on a 25.5" Scale....YMMV

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/mellecaster/Mini-Strats/DSCF4714JPG.jpg

Here's one I finished this week...Has a Seymour Duncan Cool Rails....CTS Pots...Sprague Cap...Switchcraft Jack....Tuned up to F# w/ .009s....The Little Dude will Really Scream !

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/mellecaster/Mini-Strats/DSCF4708JPG.jpg

Nice work Mellecaster! Did you make the PG?

As far as the tuning, it's just easier for me, I often play with MIDI files CD's and backing tracks. I leave my regular strat down 1/2 as well, for SRV and Jimi, and tune the tele's at standard.

I was going to say, I like to sing to the standard, but who am I kidding, my singing voice sounds pretty crappy no matter where it's tuned. :lol:

I was just asking about what size string because I had no idea what to do .. He is gonna have this guitar for a while. Seeing that I cant leave any thing alone. I figured I would upgrade a few things. Thanks for the tip on tuning the guitar up a step. That makes sense... Thanks

Nice work Mellecaster! Did you make the PG?



Thanks for your comments....Yeah, I just cut that one out from .062 single ply Sheet stock on a Scroll saw...I tape it to some old thin wood paneling for a more chatter free cut.

I bought my wife one for Christmas a few years back, and have it in standard tuning with 10s. You might run out of intonation screw length with 11s if tuned to standard, because on hers with 10s I'm nearly out of room. The tuners are cheap, but they hold tune very well. I think that the stock pickups and electronics sound good--I've not even considered changing them.

I've had several students with them over the years and without exception the machine heads have been trash. Other hardware will vary according to your tolerance of entry level gear.

Either guage up the strings and stay in standard tuning, or keep the light strings and tune up to F, F#, or even G to compensate for the short scale. The trouble with tuning above standard is that beginners can't then play along with their lesson recordings.

I haven't seen one with a vibrato tailpiece and it's a good thing as they're hard enough to keep in tune, considering they're mostly played by youngsters.

Mike Bruce

I had a conversation with my 11yo just a couple of days ago about changing to heavier gauge strings. Her response was that she had just gotten to the point where she felt like she could make a decent bar chord and would not be happy about me doing something that would make it harder again. My personal belief is that anything you can do to make learning an instrument less aversive is the right thing until the child becomes more internally motivated as a result of seeing her own progress. The first rule of teaching a child a musical instrument is to get them to love playing. Everything else is secondary to that objective until it is reached.

For me it is very difficult to play the Mini in tune because of the low string tension; however my daughter has only a small fraction of my strength and she can play it in standard tuning with 9s. I would not consider changing the strings until I was sure that it would not be perceived as making the guitar harder to play.

def would need new tuners and pots

fwiw, i have 2 and they're stock...and pretty nice for $69

Where'd you get one for that price sir?

Logic....using .009s or .010s I always tune them up a full step to F#, and then they retain the feel and string tension you are used to on a 25.5" Scale....YMMV

]i am a dummy in this
so no E A D G B E

but?

F# B E A C# F# :smile:

F# B E A C# F# :smile:thanks
going to try that