Combining a Squire with Fender parts?

[lex666]

I am seriously considering trying to relic a body. All the pics I’ve seen look very cool.

I decided to relic a Squier Strat for my first attempt. My question is, if I like the results, can I add Genuine Fender parts including the neck without having to modify the Squire?

There is also different models of Squires, is one model better than others?

Also, any tips or advice converting a Squire into a Fender is greatly appreciated.

 

[Adieu]

Yes, for the most part

Exceptions:
1. Bridge spacings: there's two different Fender spacings (saddle widths), not Squier and Fender per se.... more like vintage-wide and modern-narrow

2. Tele and strat necks - different heels. Tele heels can be shaved down to fit strat routes and scale length should be match-upable via saddle adjustment, though.

3. Pickguard screws - several screw patterns. Often ignored anyway on a squier, just drill or mount through the ones that do line up

4. Body thickness - a few cheap Squiers have thinner bodies. May have trouble accomodating certain specific pickups (mostly stacked buckers or hums with long legs) and big switches.

5. Body routing - variety of routes over the years under the pickguards, mostly SSS (common on Squier Japan), HSH (all or nearly all Mexicans), and "swimming pool" (rectangle cavity, accomodates any pickup configs - pretty common on Fender American since the 90s)

6. Tuners - big holes for sealed Ping, Gotoh, Schaller, small holes for trapezoid crappies or vintage style iirc

 

[PFDarkside]

Good list by Adieu, just be prepared to drill holes for the pickguard and tuners. I have an irrational hate for the thin bodies, I hate that you sometimes need a thin block and that taller pickups like stacked singles sometimes won’t fit. The Vintage Modified and Classic Vibe are full thickness, Affinity is both. Bullets can be thin (are they always?)

 

[solspirit]

As far as I know the SE (STRAT) is the only Squier with a full size body.

 

[Artie]

I have an irrational hate for the thin bodies . . .

I'm in that club. Somewhere around here, I have a 2" thick Strat body, (that I got from a forum bro), waiting for a project.

 

[St_Genesius]

Be warned: poly doesn't relic the way nitro does. I can pretty much guarantee that all the relic jobs you've liked have been done on nitro.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Be warned: poly doesn't relic the way nitro does. I can pretty much guarantee that all the relic jobs you've liked have been done on nitro.

It takes a little more craftiness than sandpaper to make poly relic. I have a couple guitars a friend of mine relic'd, and they came out cool. He knocks the gloss off them with steel wool, then puts a light coat of some sort of matte clear on them. It does not look like a $5000 Fender Heavy Relic, but it does look like an old guitar rather than something with thick plastic paint.

 

[St_Genesius]

Yeah, I've seen it done. I think there have even been some factory poly relic jobs (the ESP Truckster Hetfield sig springs to mind...maybe?) but it's not what I would choose for my first attempt.

It takes a little more craftiness than sandpaper to make poly relic. I have a couple guitars a friend of mine relic'd, and they came out cool. He knocks the gloss off them with steel wool, then puts a light coat of some sort of matte clear on them. It does not look like a $5000 Fender Heavy Relic, but it does look like an old guitar rather than something with thick plastic paint.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Yeah, I've seen it done. I think there have even been some factory poly relic jobs (the ESP Truckster Hetfield sig springs to mind...maybe?) but it's not what I would choose for my first attempt.

Agreed. The Truckster looked ultra phony, too. I think old is a more achievable goal with a poly finish than worn.

 

[Securb]

If you are going to relic Fender poly be ready to buy plenty of 60 grit sandpaper. If it is anything like the MIM finishes it can take a shotgun blast.

 

[PFDarkside]

If you are going to relic Fender poly be ready to buy plenty of 60 grit sandpaper. If it is anything like the MIM finishes it can take a shotgun blast.

Whenever people say “iF YoU wANt A rELic ThEN pLAy YouR GUitAR!!” I mention my two Fenders. I have a Strat and a Jazz V that I’ve played and gigged a ton, the bass I never owned a case for and threw in the back of the truck to get to gigs some times. I used some polish (real, slightly abrasive polish) and they look like guitars with one year of wear and a couple of dings. Fender Poly is some of the toughest stuff I’ve seen, it’s amazing.

 

[Gtrjunior]

I’ve never been a fan of the “off the shelf” relic look but I have to say the new (?)Charvel line of heavy relic guitars look killer. I want one. Lol

 

[BeKindRewind]

Whenever people say “iF YoU wANt A rELic ThEN pLAy YouR GUitAR!!” I mention my two Fenders. I have a Strat and a Jazz V that I’ve played and gigged a ton, the bass I never owned a case for and threw in the back of the truck to get to gigs some times. I used some polish (real, slightly abrasive polish) and they look like guitars with one year of wear and a couple of dings. Fender Poly is some of the toughest stuff I’ve seen, it’s amazing.

I have a 2006 Strat that I bought brand new , played the hell out of it. I even used to bring it to work with me (delivery driver) and practice in the passenger seat whenever I had a minute. It got stolen, found it at a pawn shop years later and got it back (without the case)

It still looks brand new. especially the body which has zero dings and maybe a couple of surface scratches that you can only see at certain angles. And of course if you look close you will see the paint cracks at the neck joint like every fender has.

I don't think you could relic poly without it looking fake. Natural wear like what you see on a 62' Strat would never happen to it because the paint just doesn't behave that way. You could ding it up and make it look like it's been gigged for years, but the forearm wear and stuff like that just isn't going to happen

Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk

 

[alex1fly]

I have a 2006 Strat that I bought brand new , played the hell out of it. I even used to bring it to work with me (delivery driver) and practice in the passenger seat whenever I had a minute. It got stolen, found it at a pawn shop years later and got it back (without the case)

It still looks brand new. especially the body which has zero dings and maybe a couple of surface scratches that you can only see at certain angles. And of course if you look close you will see the paint cracks at the neck joint like every fender has.

I don't think you could relic poly without it looking fake. Natural wear like what you see on a 62' Strat would never happen to it because the paint just doesn't behave that way. You could ding it up and make it look like it's been gigged for years, but the forearm wear and stuff like that just isn't going to happen

Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk

+1. My 2003 MIA Strat was pretty much my only electric guitar from 2003-2020. Gigged it, moved it, dropped it, worked on it endlessly, and the only real wear came at the skunk stripe where the finish started to chip in 2020. Amazing.

 

[lex666]

Thanks for the replies! I really appreciated.

Here’s an status report so far:

After some thought, I skipped buying the Squire and started on my Fender MIM Strat.

Day 1: removed all the hardware and neck. To start, i sanded the back side the Strat in certain area where contact would cause wear. I was pretty satisfied with the look and continued on...

Day 2: Damage time. Used a heavy, 18” screwdriver to make some dents. Everyone is right, that Fender poly is very tough. I was able to chip the paint, but not the wood. But it did give it a chipped finish that looked satisfactory.

Day 3: By coincidence, my wife and I decided to decorate the front yard with small stones. I thought this would be a great time to add some more damage. So 10 bags of marble stones were poured onto the guitar, alternating the front and back. 10 bags and hardly any damage! Most of the damage to was done to the plastic pick guard.

Day 4: Today I put the body in the freezer. I’m gonna attempt to add checking using the cold/hot/cold/hot method. Tomorrow I will take it out of the freezer and set it next to a heater to see if it works.

Who ever said the poly is tough is right. They should paint cars and houses with this stuff.

 

[Mincer]

We need some 'status pics'. I wanna see what 'stone damage' looks like.

 

[ehdwuld]

be careful with the heat
a buddy left his Squire in a tin shed in the open sun for a week mid summer in south Alabama

the finish cracked and curled
peeled off in sharp edge sheets