NGD! It's old... but it's not!

[Rex_Rocker]

Gotta ask...you are a "Chug" guy. Why TF would you buy that???

I like guitars that look left field, LOL.

Honestly, it all started because the music store here only really carries Fender and Gibson brands.

I always liked the look of a Tele, so I bought a Squier Esquire that wasn't too expensive just in case I ended up not liking it (I honestly wasn't expecting to since I briefly had a Mexican Tele for like 2 days that I hated because it had a baseball bat neck, tiny vintage frets, and a 7.25" radius), and realized I actually really like it (because it has a more modern-feeling neck).

I've never owned a Strat, so I figured a Mexican Strat would be a good middle of the road Fender that's better than a Squier, but not Fender USA money in case I didn't like it. Well, it turns out, I did like how it plays (and looks), just not how it sounds. Good thing about Strats is everyone and their grandma like them, so there are a lot of aftermarket parts that will make it work for me.

I mean, it's not my dream guitar, but how cool (or amusing, at least) would it be if a dude playing a Death Metal show stepped in with a blonde Tele, a worn Strat, or a sunburst Les Paul, LOL. Even moreso, if they actually sounded heavy!

 

[Aceman]

but how cool (or amusing, at least) would it be if a dude playing a Death Metal show stepped in with a blonde Tele, a worn Strat, or a sunburst Les Paul, LOL. Even moreso, if they actually sounded heavy!

It would be dumb. But you do you.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

It would be dumb.

Well, that didn't stop Iron Maiden.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Got the truss rod adjusted (neede a lot of adjustment since the previous owners had 9's, and I dropped 12's in it, LOL).

Filed the nut slots for the heaviest strings (my 56, 44, and 32 didn't fit in there).

Got the action down. No fret buzz.

Intonated for Drop C.

Plays incredible. Like... incredible.

The fb radius... I can look past. It's not ideal, but the back of the neck feels sooooo good. It's not a baseball bat like the Gibson. Plus it's got the worn finish which is sooooo silky smooth.

The strings feel tenser, but I like that.

It's a keeper for sure!

 

[Clint 55]

I say go for a HS pickguard to keep some Fender-ness in there.

Do you never use the neck pickup? I second keeping at least HS. There are cheap pickguards on ebay that let you choose your knob layout say tone 1 and tone 2 only or tone 1 only. I guess if you NEVER use the neck then get bridge only.

 

[Securb]

I would drop a Babicz in it. The Dimebucker sounds like a cool option also. It is a great bang for your buck pickup.

 

[donaldr]

I would keep it HSS but put a 3-way switch to make it HS internally (not connecting the neck and flush to pickguard). You won't need a new pickguard and there's a good change you will use the H+S in parallel.
Have you though about PA-TB1/2 in the bridge and PA-STK1 in the neck?
This is with a PA-TB-3 and more bluesy but you would see what I mean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiEdEL1KVds

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Do you never use the neck pickup? I second keeping at least HS. There are cheap pickguards on ebay that let you choose your knob layout say tone 1 and tone 2 only or tone 1 only. I guess if you NEVER use the neck then get bridge only.

I do use it from time to time. But it's going to be cheaper just looking for a single bridge pickup, and I can live without a neck pickups, honestly. Cheaper to buy an HX pickguard and a bridge pickup than a whole set of 3 pickups or an HS pickguard and 2 pickups.

I do like position 4 on a Strat for cleans, but I mean, it would be a shame to throw it away, but I can also live without it and my life won't be any sadder, really. I like position 4 on a Strat better than the neck on its own, TBH.

Unless it's something "specialty" like QP's, P-90's, or something of the sort, Single Coils sound great, but the novelty factor wears quickly for me seeing as I don't play a lot of stuff where I can actually use them. QP's and P90's are more usuable for me. They don't have as spanky shimmery cleans as vintagey SC's, but they're way more usable under high-gain, IMO, and they don't sound bad clean either.

Then again, you did make me reconsider. Do I really want to spend the money on a pickup I don't "need" when I just want this to be my "Rat Rod" guitar?

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I would keep it HSS but put a 3-way switch to make it HS internally (not connecting the neck and flush to pickguard). You won't need a new pickguard and there's a good change you will use the H+S in parallel.
Have you though about PA-TB1/2 in the bridge and PA-STK1 in the neck?
This is with a PA-TB-3 and more bluesy but you would see what I mean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiEdEL1KVds

The the PA 1 wouldn't be as hot as I want it, I would think. It's basically a PA take on the JB, right?

And with the high DCR, I don't know if the PA 2 would be as bright as I want it.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I would drop a Babicz in it. The Dimebucker sounds like a cool option also. It is a great bang for your buck pickup.

Are those the full-contact bridges? Those might be taking a look at.

I'm not sure if these saddles are stock, but they do wiggle around a fair bit, and they don't sit tight against one another. Is that how these are supposed to be? The saddles so say "FENDER" on them, so I don't know.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

BTW... suggestion for locking tuners? Fender? Schalller? Hipshot? Are those the only brands that have the square-looking housing and the 2 pin mounting pins?

 

[Clint 55]

Then again, you did make me reconsider. Do I really want to spend the money on a pickup I don't "need" when I just want this to be my "Rat Rod" guitar?

I see. Probably just go rat rod Hxx if you don't have anything good for singles lying around.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Not a fan off the relic'ing job (or just relic'ing in general) but otherwise it's a nice looking Strat. I'd throw something hotter into the bridge though...

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Alright... bad news. Thought I'd get you guys' opinion on the matter.

So the guitar was probably strung up with 9's in E. Pretty standard.

I came home, and I strung it up with 12's in Drop C. None of my guitars have had a problem with that after I adjust the truss rod accordingly.

But I've noticed with this one, I adjust it, it's good for a couple of hours, and then the truss rod needs more tightening.

Is the truss rod fucked in this one?

This has never happened to me. None of my guitars have been like this. Some of my guitars have been more stable than other, but this guitar's truss rod holds it's adjustment for some hours at most. Or is there like an "settling period" where the neck is getting used to the new gauge/tension? This has *never* happened to me.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

OK... thought I'd drop my thoughts after spending some time with the guitar.

Not gonna lie, the whole neck shenanings was really disheartening. I still intend to keep the guitar, though, even if I end up having to get a new neck for it. Let me explain why.

The good: The neck profile is great. The road worn finish feels great on the neck. The road worn relic'ing on the body makes me really want to play hard on this guitar without having to baby it. The body itself is really comfy with the rounded edges and the forearm contour, and the nitro finish feels great, and I'm sure it will look awesome the more it ages. Most importantly, the guitar sounds GREAT acoustically. It's as loud if not louder than my Les Paul which is already pretty damn loud. It sounds bright and zingy, but not thin and wiry like my Esquire. Tuning stability is also solid for the most part.

The bad: 250K pots suck on humbuckers, LOL. Even with the low-wind Pearly Gates not wired to any tone pot, it sounds way less up-front than my Les Paul. Not enough twang. The bridge pickup is also much further away from the bridge itself than the Les Paul. I measured. 2.5 mm from the edge of the bobbin to the edge saddle on the Gibson. 3.3 mm on the Strat. That's almost a cm more! Ugh. I hate that. I feel that adds to the dullness and overly smooth bridge tone. The neck pickup gets in the way of my picking badly. I lowered it almost flush with the pickguard, but at that point, position 4 which is kinda like what a Strat's single coil sounds are all about greatly suffers. The volume knob is also in the worst possible locaion for us people who pick like troglodites. Definitely not a pickup/control layout thought out for agressive playing

The horrible: The instability of the neck. Seriously. It's the first guitar where this has been so bad. The guitar just cannot handle 12 gauge strings. Not even my RG570 with the 17 mm Wizard neck or my 400-dollar Squier are as moody. I'm going to give it one last shot with EB 11-54's. But if that fails, that's it, I'm getting a new neck. As much as I like the neck profile and the feel of the finish (or lack of), the fretboard radius is also super awkward and kinda clunky. I could live with it if at least the neck was stable. But if it isn't, time for something else.

Overall, I will keep it, though. Honestly, for me, 80% of the fun of playing a Strat is modding it, LOL. So many aftermarket parts available, and the guitar itself is so moddable and easy to make my own.