So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

Andrew Lamprecht

Andrew Lamprecht

Minion of One
I was given a free Squier Strat. It is really dirty and a bit beat up but it still works electronically and plays fairly well. I'll be cleaning it and giving it a setup soon but...

I tried the guitar into my amp... The pickups are very hot and very bright... Trying to warm them up from the amp just ended up making them feel thin and brittle sounding. I'm guessing these are the ceramic bar squier pickups everyone loves so much. :D Is there anyway I can make these usable or should I just look for some better strat pups? Thanks.
 
Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

Just buy better pickups. Short of a total rebuild theres not a whole lot to work with.
 
Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

250k volume pot will warm it up some.
 
Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

If they are the mini P90-style slug pickups like on MIM Strats (the kind with under-slung mini bar magnets), you can actually turn them into very nice SP-42-style pickups without much expense. Addiction FX sells alnico magnets in that size, and keeper bars of the correct spacing. You chisel off the stock magnets, and punch out the stock slugs. Then you glue on your own alnico magnets and keeper bar, and install Gibson-style screws where the slugs were. I think it ends up costing about $10 per pickup to do this, IIRC. If you think the pickups are too brittle, and too high in output, I would go straight for Alnico III. If you like the high output, but just want a sweeter e.q., go for Alnico II.

If they are the kind with rod magnets (no bar magnets underneath), you can punch out the stock magnets and try different types. it should be no problem with the molded bobbins that most cheap Fender-style pickups use.
 
Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

Is it a early Japanese model? If not, you'll spend more money on pickups than the guitar is worth.

And when/if you decide to trade up, you won't get diddly squat for it.

I would have it set up, and use it as a back-up. Save your money for a better instrument.
 
Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

You can remove the ceramic bar magnet and take out the slugs and replace them with alnico rods. You can do each pickup for about $5. YMMV.
 
Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

Well, he paid less than diddly squat so any money will be a 'gain'. Especially if the original pickups can be reinstalled before sale.
 
Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

^^^

Complete waste of time making s#it sound like better s#it.

*LMAO, I work-out everyday and wanna be swoll, but taking steroids ain't gonna make me look like Dwayne Johnson. I'm just not dat gifted.
 
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Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

Didya try lowering the pickups right down, flush with the pickguard if needed ?

It will reduce the hotness and will change the sound in some way, probably for the better.
 
Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

9unslin9er said:
^^^

Complete waste of time making s#it sound like better s#it.

*LMAO, I work-out everyday and wanna be swoll, but taking steroids ain't gonna make me look like Dwayne Johnson. I'm just not dat gifted.
Click to expand...


As long as it's a solid bodied Strat, you can always get a decent sound out of it by changing the electronics.

If you can't.... it's you, not the guitar.
 
Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

Always entertaining to see you respond Dominus. Nice avatar.
 
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Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

Dominus is correct. Maybe a 2pt trem install. If its any kind of not-plywood, it can sound nice.
 
Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

jon the art guy said:
Dominus is correct. Maybe a 2pt trem install. If its any kind of not-plywood, it can sound nice.
Click to expand...

Even plywood can sound good brother.

 
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Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

I inherited a Squier Strat that was set on fire in a movie produced by my wife's uncle….. a Chinese-made piece of crap, but the stock pups were so rich and clear, I just kept them in when I restored it !
 
Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

MatelotFripon said:
I inherited a Squier Strat that was set on fire in a movie produced by my wife's uncle….. a Chinese-made piece of crap, but the stock pups were so rich and clear, I just kept them in when I restored it !
Click to expand...
Wait, wha! Run that by me again?
Your wife's uncle produced a movie where a Strat was set on fire.
Now, who do we know that lit a Strat on fire? Hmm... :scratchch
 
Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

You could always put in one of those loaded pick guards and then just swap the original back in if you ever get a better Strat.
 
Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....

The beauty about cheap guitars is that sometimes they can turn out to be quite nice.....ok maybe not going to hold a candle to an AVRI or something, but put a beefy set of pickups in like the everything axe set and you get a different personality, and the thicker tone will cover perhaps some of the lack of 'depth' for want of a better word.
 
Re: So I inherited a free guitar and I'm wondering if I can work with the pickups....



This Indonesian-made with a plywood body Squier, modded with an EMG S set already made two commercial recording projects.

Total price of acquisition, all mods included, less than two Franklins.

Master Turd Polisher Lt. Kojak at your service! ;)

As I always say: "It's NOT the hammer, it's HOW you use it"

HTH,
 
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