New project - number one with a bullet!!!

[ehdwuld]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

I agree; especially since it's made of plywood (like any typical Squire is), good sounding pickups will definitely make it sound like a real Strat.

I have had a lot of Squires
not one has been plywood

Gibson's with a maple cap on a mahogany body would fit the definition of plywood

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

A good set of Duncans makes all the difference in a total crap guitar like that. Transforms it really into something that sounds halfway decent.

I agree; especially since it's made of plywood (like any typical Squire is), good sounding pickups will definitely make it sound like a real Strat.

Seems like just saying "congratulations" would have sufficed, boys. No need to bring up any of your misgivings about the brand/guitar.

Personally, as long as a it plays and sounds good, a guitar could be made out of graham crackers for all I care.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

For reals tho they aren't total crap, they're half crap! And the good news is that the important parts are legit: The wood is all legit. Bullets have 1 1/2" thick basswood bodies and Affinities have 1 1/2" alder bodies, as opposed to 1 3/4" higher tier models. And the necks are maple as you'd expect. Those can be a little thin also which isn't bad. Fast rock neck. They'll be around 1 5/8" wide at the nut. My Affinities are a little narrower at 1 9/16". So the guitar itself is legit! Affinites have reasonable tuners but not saddles. Bullet tuners and saddles don't work so both must be replaced. But that's about it assuming you customize your electronics. Totally legit guitar after replacing electronics, saddles, and tuners.

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

For reals tho they aren't total crap, they're half crap! And the good news is that the important parts are legit: The wood is all legit. Bullets have 1 1/2" thick basswood bodies and Affinities have 1 1/2" alder bodies, as opposed to 1 3/4" higher tier models. And the necks are maple as you'd expect. Those can be a little thin also which isn't bad. Fast rock neck. They'll be around 1 5/8" wide at the nut. My Affinities are a little narrower at 1 9/16". So the guitar itself is legit! Affinites have reasonable tuners but not saddles. Bullet tuners and saddles don't work so both must be replaced. But that's about it assuming you customize your electronics. Totally legit guitar after replacing electronics, saddles, and tuners.

Exactly. With such below-standard thickness half decent is the best you can get. You can't expect to elicit sustain or that subtle character that sets a guitar from the rest, with it. And counting all the mods, one would save the time and money buying an MIM or a used AmStd., unless fun with modding is the primary objective.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

I disagree. I'm totally happy with my Squiers. I play in D standard so I don't need the extra body thickness. The sound of the thinner guitar works very well once you upgrade it. I have a full fat neck from Warmoth that I like a lot but it doesn't make me think my Squier necks suck. Same comparison between bodies.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

Seems like just saying "congratulations" would have sufficed, boys. No need to bring up any of your misgivings about the brand/guitar.

Personally, as long as a it plays and sounds good, a guitar could be made out of graham crackers for all I care.

I agree!!! He said the guitar, plays, sounds and resonates well. Wasnt nice referring to it as a crap guitar..

I have a Squier that was ok when new and was really great after some upgrades.

Op, congrats on your awesome inexpensive axe!!! I cant see the pix, but your build was a good read!!

Not to hijack, but what makes the YJMs so great?? Im not a big single coil guy, so have little experience. I worried they wouldnt have enough oomph since they seem to be low output... ??

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

I disagree. I'm totally happy with my Squiers. I play in D standard so I don't need the extra body thickness. The sound of the thinner guitar works very well once you upgrade it. I have a full fat neck from Warmoth that I like a lot but it doesn't make me think my Squier necks suck. Same comparison between bodies.

Ya can't win against the legions of people buying cheap junk guitars. To them, there is no difference between a 4 grand Shure and a 40 dollar Squire- they are basically ignorant and proud of it.
Lone Phantom has wrecked all credibility he had with me on this post./

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

Ya can't win against the legions of people buying cheap junk guitars. To them, there is no difference between a 4 grand Shure and a 40 dollar Squire- they are basically ignorant and proud of it.
Lone Phantom has wrecked all credibility he had with me on this post./

Dude... what's gotten into you lately?

If you can't say something nice...

 

[Clint 55]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

Ya can't win against the legions of people buying cheap junk guitars. To them, there is no difference between a 4 grand Shure and a 40 dollar Squire- they are basically ignorant and proud of it.
Lone Phantom has wrecked all credibility he had with me on this post./

It's not junk. Only some of the easily replaceable components are. After all, we're on THE DUNCAN forum aren't we?! There's only so much tone you can get you know. Once you upgrade lower tier guitars with hardware and Duncans you've got something that you can love. And ALSO is legit enough for the stage or studio. I'm tellin you, they not INFERIOR. Although the top tier guitars ARE the top tier guitars, the upgraded budget guitars are legit! I play a ton of extremely tone rich instruments including piano, hammond, and upright bass and I'm tellin you, there's no reason to call em inferior. Maybe since I played Mccoy Tyner's $100,000 Steinway after his show at the Catalina Jazz Club in LA, I think your little whimpy $4000 Suhr is a piece of crap.

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

It's not junk. Only some of the easily replaceable components are. After all, we're on THE DUNCAN forum aren't we?! There's only so much tone you can get you know. Once you upgrade lower tier guitars with hardware and Duncans you've got something that you can love. And ALSO is legit enough for the stage or studio. I'm tellin you, they not INFERIOR. Although the top tier guitars ARE the top tier guitars, the upgraded budget guitars are legit! I play a ton of extremely tone rich instruments including piano, hammond, and upright bass and I'm tellin you, there's no reason to call em inferior. Maybe since I played Mccoy Tyner's $100,000 Steinway after his show at the Catalina Jazz Club in LA, I think your little whimpy $4000 Shure is a piece of crap.

Steinway to piano is Suhr (not Shure) to guitar.

 

[LonePhantom]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

Ya can't win against the legions of people buying cheap junk guitars. To them, there is no difference between a 4 grand Shure and a 40 dollar Squire- they are basically ignorant and proud of it.
Lone Phantom has wrecked all credibility he had with me on this post./

Oh wow, talk about jumping to massive conclusions!!! Where did I say there was no difference between a four grand Suhr (might help if you know how to even spell the brand name), and a $40 Squier.

And I've wrecked all credibility I had with this thread? Damn, it's easy to trash one's credibility. Thankfully I don't really care.

I've built and modified guitars, and guitar parts of various budgets over many years and certain things are solid. If you've got a good neck, a body that resonates well, and the two join together in a nice solid way then you're half way there. Carefully picked and installed hardware at the right price will ensure the tone, and the ability to stay in tune is solid.

Is this as good as a well built four grand Suhr, probably not, but it sounds and plays well above the money thrown into it. That's what matters here.

We can't all afford top dollar gear. The point of this project is to create something greater than the sum of its parts in a budget that most people could afford. I believe this project demonstrates that.

 

[LonePhantom]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

Exactly. With such below-standard thickness half decent is the best you can get. You can't expect to elicit sustain or that subtle character that sets a guitar from the rest, with it. And counting all the mods, one would save the time and money buying an MIM or a used AmStd., unless fun with modding is the primary objective.

Well, the money I put into this was probably half what a used, decent condition MIM Strat would have cost. I dare say this plays better, sounds better, and stays in tune better, thanks to the changes I made to the guitar.

The money put into this (would be a little over what a brand new Squier Bullet would have cost, and a little less than a new Squier Affinity here in Australia. I had a few parts on hand already, but despite that, a similar quality playability and tone could have been achieved without the parts I already had.

 

[LonePhantom]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

I agree; especially since it's made of plywood (like any typical Squire is), good sounding pickups will definitely make it sound like a real Strat.

Most Squiers these days aren't plywood, if any of them are. Multi-piece bodies, yeah, but much like many other brands. This particular example resonates way too well to be plywood. Already mentioned, Bullets are basswood, and Affinities are Alder. Yes the bodies are a bit thinner than traditional strats, but again, a good body with the right bridge components, full size block, etc, strong neck to body connection, and quality nut, tuners, setup, etc, allows these guitars to resonate and sustain pretty well, and capture much of that stratocaster tone.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

I have had a lot of Squires not one has been plywood

Well, this one WAS plywood:



And I think that was the main reason it sounded oh-so-bad with every single passive p'up I've tried on but simply-so-good with the depicted EMG S set.

For the record, I've recorded a whole project with twelve songs with that instrument, pun intended.

"It's not the hammer, it's how you use it"

HTH,

 

[LonePhantom]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

I agree!!! He said the guitar, plays, sounds and resonates well. Wasnt nice referring to it as a crap guitar..

I have a Squier that was ok when new and was really great after some upgrades.

Op, congrats on your awesome inexpensive axe!!! I cant see the pix, but your build was a good read!!

Not to hijack, but what makes the YJMs so great?? Im not a big single coil guy, so have little experience. I worried they wouldnt have enough oomph since they seem to be low output... ??

Thanks.

With regards to the YJM Fury's, the DiMarzios that Yngwie originally used were low output. The Seymour Duncans aren't. Malmsteen said that the low output of the DiMarzios was one of the things that annoyed him, and DiMarzio didn't seem overly interested in working with him to make something in a similar design with more output. Seymour Duncan approached him, and they were, and the YJM Furys were born.

 

[LonePhantom]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

Well, this one WAS plywood:



And I think that was the main reason it sounded oh-so-bad with every single passive p'up I've tried on but simply-so-good with the depicted EMG S set.

For the record, I've recorded a whole project with twelve songs with that instrument, pun intended.

"It's not the hammer, it's how you use it"

HTH,

I have heard that the hard-tail Bullets were plywood. A strange variation, considering the tremolo equipped Bullets are basswood. But you found a way to make it work which is cool.

 

[Aceman]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

Again - let me stress how much I love that!

But let me throw these two finishing touches...

#1 Think about either faking or getting: A three ply white/plack white pick guard. (Fake carefully with a sharpie). Or better yet - maybe a pearled, or even a Black pearled. SUPER_classy!!!!

#2 Then, lose the squire off the headstock. People with think it is some ultra-user-custom axe.

 

[Mincer]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

I love the process of taking a "less desirable" guitar and transforming it over time to make it your own. It is a fun project, and you learn how components affect (or don't affect) the sound.
And BTW, go for the YKM Furies.

 

[LonePhantom]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

Again - let me stress how much I love that!

But let me throw these two finishing touches...

#1 Think about either faking or getting: A three ply white/plack white pick guard. (Fake carefully with a sharpie). Or better yet - maybe a pearled, or even a Black pearled. SUPER_classy!!!!

#2 Then, lose the squire off the headstock. People with think it is some ultra-user-custom axe.

Haha thanks, glad you dig it.

I wouldn't try faking the the black line. The one ply guards are thinner than the three ply. I am considering replacing it with a three ply white/black/white, but it's just another cost where it's not overly necessary. It'll probably happen at some point though.

I actually like having the Squier Bullet logo on there, because if people dig the tone when I'm playing live, what I'm playing may surprise them. Helps show that cheaper axes can sound good with the right care taken.

 

[LonePhantom]

Re: New project - number one with a bullet!!!

I love the process of taking a "less desirable" guitar and transforming it over time to make it your own. It is a fun project, and you learn how components affect (or don't affect) the sound.
And BTW, go for the YKM Furies.

Yeah, it's a fun project, and it didn't take much to make it an awesome guitar. Yeah I know the Fury's are amazing. I did an article on them for the Duncan blog way back when. But I didn't end up holding on to them since I didn't have a guitar at the time to keep them in, and needed the cash.