Hola Amigos! Newb tele owner w/some Qs about upgrading a Squier Affinity

[moestock]

After playing humbucker equipped electric guitars almost exclusively(I've actually been playing accoustics mostly) for over 20 years, I picked up one of those butterscotch blond Affinity Squier Teles. Mainly cause it looked nice and was priced so low. I was suprised how good it played and decided its worth dumping some cash on it.

I know searching this site will help with my questions but I figure it wont hurt to ask here in the newb section for opinions..

So far I'm planning on getting the Fender SCN Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Telecaster Pickup Set(going noiseless for recording purposes) and the 4 way pickup switch.

My first question - Is it worth replacing the pots while I'm taking it in to have the above mentioned stuff installed? I really don't even touch the volume/tone knobs 99% of the time, just leave em' at full blast. Would new pots actually make a volume improvement, or just better adjustment?

Second - Is there anything else I should be upgrading while its in the shop? Maybe the bridge or saddles? It seems fine as is but I've never had much time with higher end teles.

Any opinions are welcome, I'm looking forward to reading through all the info on here for some good learnin'!

[Warren Pederson]

Take a whirl at doing the work yourself. That is sometimes the main reward.

[telepath]

I have comprehensively modded an Affinity (recent-ish model) so I can assist a little.

I've sold mine since, and at a 'loss' but, hey, I had fun.

That said, personally, if i was going to do it again, I wouldn't plough too much cash in.

They are fun as they are.
The neck is v. slim on these - it may or may not be to your taste, and the nut is narrower than 'standard' as i recall, and the body is slimmer.

Putting a 'better' aftermarket bridge/bridgeplate on the Affinity can seem like a good idea until you try - paticularly if you are thinking about a more 'vintage looking' bridge.

Its not that it is difficult - it kinda lines up fine etc, and the plate will likely cover the old screw holes, but nearly always the bridge pickup route will be visible at the side of the 'vintage' bridge it seems.
Personally, i'd replace only the saddles (go for a Keith Richards 'Micawber' look!)

Three brass barrels would be great (and make string changing a lot easier too), but that will require some drilling of the existing plate for the intonation screws.
So changing to better quality saddles is a better option.

Graphtech (I think it is them?) do replacement saddles - in better materials - several types / several finishes - BUT! .. look for the saddles specifically for Squiers (the string spacing is narrower). They definitely do make them to fit Squier Affinity string spacing - I remember looking into it

I went with bent steel 'strat' saddles in the end. They were OK. I think the graphtech 'block' style would have been better choice.
Personally, I'd change the saddles, the tuners and ideally the nut, and then leave it as that.
The ceramic pups are surprsingly meaty, and a suprisingly good go at the classic tele sound.

if you change the pups, I guess change the pots.
They are small 500k's in there. But they seem to go OK with the stock pups, though it is a bit bright rolled fully in, and the roll off is fairly abrupt.
But if you are a full on, or usually use the one setting, thats gonna be OK maybe.

But for the money, what a great little guitar. Lovely neck, if the slimness doesnt bother you.

IMO, dont throw too much money in and then - even though you had fun doing it - perhaps later regret not just getting - e.g. a MIM, or a Squier CV for the same money spent and not necessarily having to upgrade anything!

Cheers and good luck!

[Groovey Records]

The most important things on any guitar IMHO is intonation.

The way the whole guitar is set up to play physically should be the first thing you look at.

Action, down the entire neck . When it is in tune open is is sharp down the neck as you play higher? Are the pups adjusted to the correct distance from the strings. Do the strings sit well in the nut. Do the tuners adjust smoothly. Is the bridge plate straight and flat. Is the neck plate snugged down square. Is the neck sitting at the right angle in the pocket ? Are the saddles tweaked to perfection?

A lot of question to answer, any of these details left unadjusted can ruin abiity to ge the most out of a guitar no matter how many $ you spend on pups and pots. And lets not forget a new set of strings after you get all that right.


Investing in a pro set up from a qualified experienced luthier, not the kid at the GC can improve your guitar considerably before you change one part.

[Ricky D.]

Hey Moestock!

Your first post, welcome to the forum.

You are already changing out the pickups and the switch. If it was mine, I would replace the pots at the same time. 250K audio taper pots, and be careful about the depth of the control cavity. As you get used to the Tele, I think you will find that rolling back the tone knob 20% - 30% sometimes is pretty useful.

Groovey has a good point though, so I'm going to repeat it: The setup is critically important to getting the best from the guitar. I played for 40 years before I realized how much a pro could do to make a guitar play better. Chances are pretty good that you nut slots aren't precisely correct, and also that you have a high fret or two. Fixing that would take it from an OK player to OMG.

[fenderix]

Welcome aboard! You'll like it here.

I'd definitely change the pots to new CTS pots and pay for a proper set up job. Not so sure about changing the bridgeplate/saddles though ...

You have any pics?

Enjoy!

[telepath]

Well ..
The saddles (on mine at least) definitely did need attention.

Reason being, the height adjuster screws 'unwound' themselves constantly, just from the string vibrations. And not gradually either - you could even hear it detuning as you played for less than 45 mins. Within an hour or so the strings, low-e expecially were starting to fret-out and clanking on the 'board!
The saddles would actually collapse if left alone, though it was hopeless to play before that point would occur.

The saddles are some kind of pot-metal - well they were on my (recent-ish) Affinity - though I'd agree that if they dont sound bad, no need to change them just for that reason alone, but a tube of Loctite (medium strength!) may well be required if not!

I did really like my Affinity though - just a couple of foibles to sort out, and they are great fun and top bang for the buck.

PS forgot to say welcome to Moestock - Welcome and 'ola amigo

[hwunch]

Welcome to the board!

[yegbert]

Originally Posted by telepath

Graphtech (I think it is them?) do replacement saddles - in better materials - several types / several finishes - BUT! .. look for the saddles specifically for Squiers (the string spacing is narrower). They definitely do make them to fit Squier Affinity string spacing - I remember looking into it

The stock Affinity saddles are the narrower ~10.5 mm width which many folks refer to as the "import" spec, however the spacing between the stock intonation adjustment screws is the wider ~10.8 mm width. So if you're considering replacing the saddles, you're better off with the wider Tele saddles. I wouldn't recommend going as much wider as the vintage Strat spec saddles.

I also recommend the longer 24mm length for replacement saddles, instead of the shorter ~20mm length like the stock Affinity saddles. The MIM Std and some of the Gotohs are this long. The longer slot in the middle of the saddle makes it easier to restring and on my son's Affinity eliminated the string zig-zag underneath with the string binding on and potentially lifting up the saddle.

I put a set of the 10.8mm wide, ~24mm long MIM Std Tele saddles on my son's Affinity and they fit much better than the short and narrow stock Affinity saddles.

[david_lewis93]

Hey WELCOME to the crew.Good Guys and Gals here and good advice too.
I am an Affinity owner too and the only changes I have made so far is the pups,I went "Keystones" from Lawrence ,a sponcer here and they are hot, back the tone pot back 15/20% and you can get some sweet sounds .

bend em tight and let er scream.

[Woz05]

I replaced the tuners on wine with Vintage Style - I needed conversion bushing for this.

I also changed the pickups and ran into some trouble with the bridge plate - had to slot one of the holes because it was off by a hair.

Also changed pots and switch - As mentioned earler the cavity depth is a little small so I had to "carve" out a little wood under the switch. I also had to shave away some wood around the edges to get the pots to fit right.

One other note, the stock control plate will not allow full size pots, you'll have to drill the plate out. The switch slot is also very close to the volume pot hole, to close in my opinion if you're going to use full size fender knobs (the Squier ones won't fit the 1/4" shaft unless you drill them out). So I decided to just use a Fender control plate...much easier...kinda - like I said before you'll have to carve away a little of the edge of the cavity in a few spots.

I also modified the Squier bridge plate by drilling 3 holes so I could use an extra set of Brass saddles I had. I like how it turned out very much.

I did this over a couple of years little by little.

[aunchaki]

Great advice from all. The Squier Affinity is fun to mod and a great guitar. Do what you can yourself. Some things (e.g. fret levelling) may be beyond you or your tools. Most of all, have FUN!

Post pics of your Masterpiece In Progress!

[Nighthawk]

Welcome to TDPRI.

[FrankJames]

Welcome to TDPRI !!

[moestock]

Thanks for all the quick replies and welcomes! I am taking this guitar to the same guy thats been working on my accoustic guitars for years, so I'm pretty confident in his work. I was going to try this one myself, but the fact that the bridge has to be removed and the guitar set up again made the professional choice obvious for me. >>I have no experience modding electric guitars, but I do have an old "Phantom" Warlock that was in a fire that I can practice working on and not end up destroying a perfectly good guitar!

I've played this guitar pretty hard in the last year and it actually stays in tune better than my $1000+ Gibson LP Studio(G string drops out after just mild bending). That one is going to the shop with this one for a pro set up and some strap locks.

I think I'm gonna get the 250 CTS pots in addition to the pups and switch, they are only like 6 bucks each. Hopefully they won't run up the labor bill too much, since it seems there is some fitment issues to be addressed.

The saddles did seem to move around a bit when I changed the strings, but it still stays in tune and I havent had any fret buzz or anything. Sounds like the saddles are going to move even if replaced, I've never dealt with these types on my other guitars, so I think I'll hold off on that and see what the result is with the stockers.

Apparently my digital camera is not working for some reason, but heres a crappy cell phone pic of the guitar for you guys that wanted to see it..




Thanks again, I'm sure I'll have more questions soon enough!

[Groovey Records]

Originally Posted by moestock

Thanks for all the quick replies and welcomes! I am taking this guitar to the same guy thats been working on my accoustic guitars for years, so I'm pretty confident in his work. I was going to try this one myself, but the fact that the bridge has to be removed and the guitar set up again made the professional choice obvious for me. >>I have no experience modding electric guitars, but I do have an old "Phantom" Warlock that was in a fire that I can practice working on and not end up destroying a perfectly good guitar!

I've played this guitar pretty hard in the last year and it actually stays in tune better than my $1000+ Gibson LP Studio(G string drops out after just mild bending). That one is going to the shop with this one for a pro set up and some strap locks.

I think I'm gonna get the 250 CTS pots in addition to the pups and switch, they are only like 6 bucks each. Hopefully they won't run up the labor bill too much, since it seems there is some fitment issues to be addressed.

The saddles did seem to move around a bit when I changed the strings, but it still stays in tune and I havent had any fret buzz or anything. Sounds like the saddles are going to move even if replaced, I've never dealt with these types on my other guitars, so I think I'll hold off on that and see what the result is with the stockers.

Apparently my digital camera is not working for some reason, but heres a crappy cell phone pic of the guitar for you guys that wanted to see it..




Thanks again, I'm sure I'll have more questions soon enough!

Hey glad you came back

Sounds like you have a good plan.

Ask your tech if he would mind if you watched him work.

Maybe he would show you whats going on around the guitar

One more time welcome to TDPRI