Squire Stratocaster Modifications

[tewtewvu]

Hello Musicians, i am new to this website and want to introduce myself. My name is Matthew Vu. i have been playing guitar for about 3-4 years now and i'm just getting into modding guitars and what not. right now i have an ebony Epiphone Les Paul Custom, and a Fender Squire Standard in an antique burst with a tortise shell pickguard and maple fretboard. the guitar was made in 2004 i think in Indonesia (Cor-tek).

Well, i just bought the Squire yesterday with dreams of making some modifications on the guitar. i want to change out the pickups, pots and switch, tuners, and Nut.

for the Pickups, pots and switch, i was just going to buy a pickup assembly from Guitar Fetish with the Premium Texas Strat Set for $135. http://yhst-50206111187217.stores.ya...usacushha.html i don't think i'm confident enough to wire all individual pickups and pots and switch, so i thought this might be a good idea.

as far as tuners go, i can't seem to find a pair of tuners that match the ones that i have on there now. the tuners on mine do not have any type of screws on there. all that's holding the tuners to the guitar are long cylindrical screw type things that screw into the front of the headstock. and on the back of the tuners are two little points that go into the back of the headstock to keep them from moving. i'll try to attatch some pictures so show you what i'm talking about.

so i've looked around and can't seem to find any tuners that look like this because i don't really want to add screws to the headstock. can anyone help me find a set of tuners to go with it?

as far as the Nut, i'm not sure what i'm going to do. i might go and get a setup done because the high E string and B string buzz when played open. kinda sounds like a sitar. should i replace the Nut? or should i have someone make adjustments to it and hope for the best?

I'm sorry for all these questions and the long post, but any input that will help me with my mod guitar would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advanced!

[tewtewvu]

here are some pictures of the tuners

[mellecaster]

If you don't want to drill & fill any holes, you are pretty much stuck w/ those tuners...they are unique to your Squier....while they appear to be made like the USA sealed tuners (Schaller/Ping)...the locating pins won't match w/ the USA-MIM versions.

[tewtewvu]

well that's a bummer... i should probably look into some drilling then. can you suggest any decently priced tuners that would be worth drilling holes for?

would it be hard to drill new holes in my strat?

[mellecaster]

I guess my question would be, what problems are you having w/ the stock tuners ?...I've found them to be pretty decent.

[tewtewvu]

okay, so i talked to a guy on the phone yesterday about my tuners, and he says that they are actually Gotoh Tuners but with the name taken off due to tax issues or whatever. can anyone confirm this? if this is the case, i might just keep the tuners and postpone replacing them.

another question. what would be better for my strat as far as nuts go? i've seen some that are already cut, and seen some that's just a block that needs to be cut. is there an advantage over one or another?

[tewtewvu]

Originally Posted by mellecaster

I guess my question would be, what problems are you having w/ the stock tuners ?...I've found them to be pretty decent.

i fooled around with it a couple times and it goes in and out of tune every now and then. but i think i just need a setup done on it? it might be the floating tremelo that's causing it to go out of tune. but after the set up, it might go away. i'm taking it in tonight. think i'm gonna get the electronics replaced too for better sound.

[trailboss]

Yup, the floating trem is probably the culprit. Have your setup guy block the trem (down only) and tighten up the springs. Then add a little lube to the nut slots and that should solve your tuning issues. Another option is to add a graphite nut and locking tuners.

[tewtewvu]

Originally Posted by trailboss

Yup, the floating trem is probably the culprit. Have your setup guy block the trem (down only) and tighten up the springs. Then add a little lube to the nut slots and that should solve your tuning issues. Another option is to add a graphite nut and locking tuners.

ah, i see. that's probably what i'll do since i don't use the trem much at all. would blocking the trem hinder me from being able to use it at all? i just would like to have the option of using the trem whenever if i deciede to.

if i wanted to replace the nut, should i buy a nut with pre-cut slots or a blank nut and have my setup guy cut it?

[trailboss]

Have your tech guy block it (generally inside the cavity) where it will go down only, and rest flat on the block. Then tighten the springs enough that the trem won't dive when you're doing double-stop bends, etc. This is an old trick we used BITD when Kramers started coming out with Floyds, and makes all the difference in the world. As far as the nut goes, I'd just ask the setup guy what he prefers. I don't think there's a big enough flat spot (behind the nut) to install a Wilkinson roller.

[tewtewvu]

Originally Posted by trailboss

Have your tech guy block it (generally inside the cavity) where it will go down only, and rest flat on the block. Then tighten the springs enough that the trem won't dive when you're doing double-stop bends, etc. This is an old trick we used BITD when Kramers started coming out with Floyds, and makes all the difference in the world. As far as the nut goes, I'd just ask the setup guy what he prefers. I don't think there's a big enough flat spot (behind the nut) to install a Wilkinson roller.

hey thanks for the advice man. i really appreciate your help. turns out he couldn't meet me today. he was occupied doing other things. i'll definitely ask him about the trem and nut and see what he can do with it.