Extreme Makeover: Squier '51 Edition

[j9fd3s]

Re: Extreme Makeover: Squier '51 Edition

Just curious, did you ask because it sounded good?

I am always trying to collect data about what people think about Valvetronix amps before they find out that it's not all-tube.

hevent heard the 51 yet, but that amp sounds good in the other clips

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Extreme Makeover: Squier '51 Edition

I would put a silver Filtertron at the bridge and a silver liptick tube at the neck with a tortoiseshell pickguard.

Mmmm.... I'm liking the sound of that combination.

Oh yeah, back to the topic at hand... I like what you did with the Squier... good work!

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Extreme Makeover: Squier '51 Edition

Thanks guys, I played it at my church gig tonight and I will write up a full report soon.

All in all, it was great.

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Extreme Makeover: Squier '51 Edition

After Action Report:

Mean 90 was too hot and lacking bass for the style of music I was playing (soft rock, G, C, and D stuff you would hear at church) --- I think that the 90 gets a lot of it bass and girth from how the amp knobs are turned. It sounded compressed and a little "flat," with an emphasis on mid frequencies. Note that it sounds great under gain, I was just trying to play a warm, full clean sound.

So, I used the Little '59 neck humbucker most of the time. I rolled the volume back a tad and rolled the tone back to about 60%. This is a non-linear pot, so take "60%" with a grain of salt. It was full and clear, with appropriate emphasis across all frequencies. I was really expecting it to be too bassy, given it's neck location and it's humbuckerness, but it was clear enough (and not just barely, it was very clear) to play rhythm for the whole set.

Volume control is not as responsive with gain control as on some of my other axes, but also, I am not used to 250K potentiometers, this is my first 250K pot guitar (as far as I know, I haven't been under the knobs in my 335). It seems to roll off highs and actual volume more than it rolls off gain.

Tone control is a lot like the gas gauge in my car: does nothing for the first half or so, then gives it to you all in one go
Pot is the push-pull, so it's a mini pot with an iceberg under it, just for reference.

Intonation on G was off. I intonated the guitar fully and brought back G all the way to the back and it still frets sharp / plays flat open just a bit. What can you do. I may try to learn how to file my nut slots for minute intonation changes, but I know the answer lies in the bridge most likely. Not awful considering I put a pre-slotted nut on it with no nut-slot filing at all. I was probably the only person in the house who noticed.

Action was great, I am impressed with how good the action is. This guitar used to buzz when the action was low and be hard to play when the action was high, with seemingly no magic middle ground. I must have turned the truss rod and the saddle screws in the V1.0 of this guitar a hundred times. Right now "it just works."

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Extreme Makeover: Squier '51 Edition

Looks mighty cool to me!
Want one of those

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Extreme Makeover: Squier '51 Edition

Ok, so I have settled in with the guitar a bit. I have been using it at my weekly church gig and also at my bluegrass / folk gig.

P90 with the volume and tone rolled back really nails a Telecaster tone in my opinion. I am tickled pink with this realization.

I plugged it in to my big Fender (Ultimate Chorus, 2x12 130 watt solid state monsta! delicious cleans) and it really sounds great clean. I mean really great. It has nice full bass even on the bridge pickup and clear clear tones on the neck Duncan. Mean 90 is punchy!

The Little '59 almost sounds too Stratty with the tone all the way up, which is useful, and it sounds pretty legit humbuckery with the tone rolled back.

I ride the knobs pretty much the whole time I play, even at gigs - that's why there's so much mention of different volume and tone settings.

Tuning is better than before but not great. I read somewhere that Dan Erlewine thinks that 90% of tuning issues are caused by the nut, and in my case, it's a pre-slotted nut that was sanded down on the back of a Seymour Duncan pickup box --- not exactly master luthiery

I gig without a tuner, (gasp), and it's good enough to use for a whole set. That's better than a lot of folks will say of their axes.

The pots and switch feel very solid and I'm glad I shelled out for quality parts here.

I use both of the pickups and I'm really happy with the two that I chose for this guitar (Seymour Duncan Little '59 neck and GFS Mean 90 bridge) --- they are an awesome combo.

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Extreme Makeover: Squier '51 Edition

Who wants to hear what it sounds like recorded?

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Extreme Makeover: Squier '51 Edition

Well there's no bones about it; I LOVE the GFS Mean 90 --- it's wonderful pickup, with a true P90 sound, very responsive to volume and tone knob movements, and just very clear and full.

HERE is the clip!

[j9fd3s]

Re: Extreme Makeover: Squier '51 Edition

Well there's no bones about it; I LOVE the GFS Mean 90 --- it's wonderful pickup, with a true P90 sound, very responsive to volume and tone knob movements, and just very clear and full.

HERE is the clip!

that sounds really good! it chimes like my tele, but its a bunch thicker sounding

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Extreme Makeover: Squier '51 Edition

that sounds really good! it chimes like my tele, but its a bunch thicker sounding

Thanks, man!

That's pretty much how I would characterize it as well --- a Telecasterish bite, but with more bass and girth.

It's been really great for recording.

[bard2dbone]

Re: Extreme Makeover: Squier '51 Edition

Dude, you're killing me. I haven't even gotten started on my next project and you're making me plan one of these for the one after next.

My wife would be very very angry with you if she knew.