'87 Squier upgrades

[knight_yyz]

Hey guys, I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time this weekend and found this "E" series MIJ Squier. It is in great shape but still has the original electronics so they need to be swapped ASAP. My question is, will the new Fender 5 way switch work on my japanese pick guard? It's the 8 hole version, so I am wondering if the pitch of the 2 screws (distance apart) is the same for the old and new switch. Pots I'm not worried about, drilling out a piece of plastic to 3/8' is a piece of cake with the right tools. But I don't want to elongate holes to make a USA switch fit a Japanese hole pattern. I've tried googling but i guess I'm not entering the right info to get an answer.

My plans are to upgrade the pots and put a set of Lindy Fralin Vintage Hot in aged white and find some aged white knobs

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

The Japanese-made YM-50 switch is of the eight-contacts-in-a-line persuasion. An American-made CRL two-pole or four-pole Superswitch will align perfectly with the existing drilled holes. The one possible difference is countersunk versus mushroom headed screws.

Since you are going to the trouble of upgrading the pickups and controls, why not also upgrade the bridge saddles? I suggest the stamped/bent steel vintage type.

Before doing any of that, try to identify the body wood type. Some Squier guitars of that series are Poplar.

 

[knight_yyz]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

http://www.stewmac.com/Pickups_and_...nd_Parts/Switches/CRL_5-way_Lever_Switch.html

is this the switch?

 

[knight_yyz]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

I did take the pick guard off and the tremolo cover, but there is very little bare wood to look at in those routes. When I get all the upgrades I will take the neck off and see what is there.

 

[Artie]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

Hopefully, others will be able to confirm, or deny, my thinking here . . . but I'd be hesitant to "mod" a genuine MIJ Squier. I believe those guitars are increasing in value. Why not get a modern Squier, and mod it? Just my 2-cents, which may be worth less, with inflation.

 

[daan]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

Hopefully, others will be able to confirm, or deny, my thinking here . . . but I'd be hesitant to "mod" a genuine MIJ Squier. I believe those guitars are increasing in value. Why not get a modern Squier, and mod it? Just my 2-cents, which may be worth less, with inflation.

Better yet, get a whole new pickguard, add pots/switch/pups of your choice to THAT, (and a large tremolo block like this http://www.guitarfetish.com/105mm-Chrome-Spaced-Import-Made-in-Mexico-BRASS-BLOCK_p_1158.html
the "import" one should just drop in, and make a serious upgrade from the small zinc block in there now)
KEEP the old parts, in case you want to put it back to stock later. You have a Strat, probably the easiest guitar to "mod" with just a screwdriver. Unless you're set on having a Floyd or something, there's nothing you can't reversibly change to your guitar.

PS I've "modded" a bunch of Strats at this point, and really the only 2 things I'd do to any Strat from now on is the switch like you want to do, and the tremolo block upgrade. Really the only 2 things I've done to guitars that I can say confidently that it improved the sound/playability.

 

[knight_yyz]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

I'm modding it because the 5 way is very scratchy. I also don't think the stock pickups are stock. The masking tape inside was a dead give away. LOL found out when I got home. It's a pretty heavy guitar, maybe heavier than my epiphone black beauty. I took a bunch more pics, mostly closeups for the folks at fender to help me confirm that this is what it supposed to be.

Out of curiosity, what is the marking on the back of the tuners in this photo? Looks like an LIS or maybe a sideways g? Can't find anything on google.

 

[knight_yyz]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

 

[knight_yyz]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

Never mind about the G just found out it is the Gotoh logo

 

[knight_yyz]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

I sent these photos to Fender with the serial and they say the body is basswood. Now I am not an expert on woods, but everything I have read says basswood is very light. I weighed the guitar at just a hair over 4kgso very close to 9 lbs... That doesn't seem very "light" to me.

 

[daan]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

Squiers' body weight can go either way, they just used whatever wood they had, so there's a lot of variability with body weight. I have a 90's Squier that's the lightest Strat body I've owned, and I've picked a couple up at stores and immediately put them back because they were so heavy. "Real" strats they pay attention to this, but Squiers are built to a price point (as low as possible) so as long as it's wood, who cares what it weighs, chuck it into the CNC and away we go!
Also I've seen specs on the 'net about what body woods were called for, and they turned out to have other woods instead, so again substitutions happen more than people think with these "low end" guitars.
Also (getting tired of me yet?) since these are so easy to mod, it's very possible that a previous owner made your guitar out of parts of different guitars, so the neck you have came out of the factory on a basswood body, but someone before you swapped it for the body you have now... I personally have done that several times (and fessed up to it when I sold it)

 

[knight_yyz]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

One of the screws on the scratch guard actually has no hole in the body it actually sits above the routes, so either it's the wrong guard, or the body was swapped. I'm not really sure. when I get the new electronics I will take a better look at things and see whats going on. The guitar feels good, so I'm not particularly worried. I got it for a much better price than what I have seen on ebay. And it sounds a lot better than my upgraded ibanez rg370dxsp

 

[dotsdad]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

The first thing I would do is replace that thin trem block with a big fat steel one. The one in the pic looks like the thin cheezy ones with no sustain whatsoever.

 

[knight_yyz]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

I'm actually very tempted to have the color changed to seafoam green, and upgrade the trem at some point.

 

[Brandenburg]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

when modding a squire.. Guitarfetish is your friend.. I bought the locking tuners and the "import" bridge with brass block, and alot of smaller parts.. The only thing I dont trust from them are the electronic components.. I prefer to buy the pots.. switches.. ect from somewhere else..

Only thing I dont like about my squire is they weight but I bought it for the color... vintage cream

 

[knight_yyz]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

If the tremolo needs a bigger block, I am a tool and die maker so I could make a bigger block out of anything from mild sttel to brass or ampco or stainless, assuming it can be removed from the old tremolo. I'm just trying to figure out what will fit this guitar. Most of the posts on the guitar fetish site don't mention Japanese, they all say Mexican, Korea or China

 

[hamerfan]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

I modded my 87 Squier ( black w/ rosewood neck) with Duncans and a Wilkinson steel trem. What a difference!

 

[knight_yyz]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

My Lindy Fralin vintage hots are being made as we speak. Just trying to figure out which tremolo to grab. I got the special pots made by Bourns for guitars (about 20 a pop), but the funny thing is the cases are powder coated steel and now I have to figure out how to ground them LOL, didn't think about that at the time.

Is there a way to make this a hard tail? I'm still a noob at playing and I don't really have much use for the tremolo right now. Let me clarify, make this a hard tail without drilling or routing etc... Direct swap plug and play is what I am looking at.

 

[Brandenburg]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

If the tremolo needs a bigger block, I am a tool and die maker so I could make a bigger block out of anything from mild sttel to brass or ampco or stainless, assuming it can be removed from the old tremolo. I'm just trying to figure out what will fit this guitar. Most of the posts on the guitar fetish site don't mention Japanese, they all say Mexican, Korea or China

When I bought my squire and was looking for upgrade parts.. It didnt take me long to realize that i would have to make some fit.. no big deal if you can use a dremal and drill.. lol

You will find few direct replacements for a squire.. EVEN the tremelo that someone posted.. I have thge same one and I believe two holes would not line up for me.. So its fill the old holes and sand a tad.. drill the new ones..Tuner holes will most likely have to bore out a tad if your using locking tuners or anything that is 10mm..as for my pickguard.. I used a direct strat replacement and filled and drilled a few holes.. out of 11 holes.. 5 or 6 l lined up originally.. I also shaped the part of the pickguard around the neck.. to get it snug..It fits like a machine cut it..

so yes... squires are very modable and fun as hell to f*ck with but most things arnt direct replacements with out a bit of effort either.. to me.. that makes it fun and alot more rewarding

 

[knight_yyz]

Re: '87 Squier upgrades

Hmm, well maybe for now what I will do is tear the guitar apart when the new pickups show up. I'll remove the tremolo and copy the piece of junk block (zinc?) And make one of good quality steel. Test it out and see how it feels. I found a place that sells the Japan squier pick guards so I might give them a shout. Expensive so it isn't high on the list right now.