Squier Strat Uograde

Shaolindelt

New member
I am new here and I’m combing through the forums now, but figured I’d have some specific questions that might be worth its own thread. So, this is definitely in the upgrade/advice thread. I’ll try to be clear and any advice is welcome!

First - I have a Squier Standard Strat (Cherry Sunburst) I picked up used. First guitar, and I love the feel. The guitar was setup well when I got it, low action, intonated, and holds its tuning quite well.

I’m an advanced beginner guitarist, have mainly focused on my guitar playing for a few years and now just starting to look at the technical side and kind of want to play around a bit and learn more. I have a Fender Mustang GT amp and love the modeling features as its helping to teach me a lot about pedals and amps I’d like to get in the future.

I have a PRS Angelus acoustic and would like to add some more electrics at some point down the line. Specifically, I’d like to pick up a Les Paul style, an HSS Strat and probably an MIA Strat (SSS) just because. I’ve played some $1000+ guitars and liked them, but I will say, I like the feel of my Squier and would like to keep it around anyway as my “first” as I think it’s a solid guitar.

However, I would like to upgrade it and learn more about everything involved in it so when I get to the MIA Strat I can make better decisions and upgrades. :) I won’t be selling this guitar off, so not too worried about resale but rather using this as a place to play and learn.

Some concerns I’d like addressed - pickups just seem meh - would like something richer. Tone/volume controls seem to make big jumps rather than letting me dial in so will be looking at swapping those out to some decent 250k pots. Longer sustains would also be nice but that might be more the amp side of things.

As for tone/style of play - I love the clean tones of the Strat. Mayer, Gilmour, SRV are some influences and styles - blues, pop type sounds, and the blues jr amp is a fun one I’ve gotten to play with. Any upgrades to this guitar I’d like in that realm but I also would like to keep this guitar fairly versatile. I don’t use a lot of drive usually, but may be adding more in the future

So my thoughts are I’d like to kind of get an idea of where to start and what’s worth it. Any suggestions are welcomed as for what I maybe should look at and where to buy. I definitely want to stay with all single coil, but open to ideas of what might be worth wiring in here. Thought about Tex Mex, but curious about other ideas and thoughts and some Seymour Duncan’s. Received one idea of some SSL-2s for neck and middle (reverse wound) and an SSL-6 at the bridge but looking for additional ideas.


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Re: Squier Strat Uograde

Hi and welcome!

The SSL-6, SSL-2 RWRP, and SSL-2 is a solid set, though you won't get the traditional quack in position 2 with the SSL-6 and SSL-2 combination. The set will definitely get you Gilmour, but not so much Mayer or SRV.

You mentioned having a sustain problem. Are your pickups mounted high? This can be a source of the problem, at least with Alnico 5 and stock ceramic pickups. Alnico 2 is weaker and will not have this problem. The trouble is they tend not to be warm and not very bright, though there is an exception, which I will recommend as an alternate to the above set...

Bridge: Duncan STK-S4B or STK-S7
Middle: DiMarzio Area 67
Neck: DiMarzio Area 67

The SSL-S4B bridge will be a bit darker which is good for the bridge position and it will have enough power, but won't be too thick for a traditional Strat sound and position 2 quack. You might consider the STK-S7 which will be a bit hotter and bit darker still, but but should be more Stratty than an SSL-6, though I may be wrong on that point. The Area 67s are Alnico 2, but unlike traditional Alnico 2, they are bright and will aid in getting positions 2 and 4 to quack well, even when the bridge and neck are hotter and darker than more traditional single coils.

The bonus is the second set will be noiseless.
 
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Re: Squier Strat Uograde

i think the ssl6/ssl2/ssl2 set is a great set and would recommend that highly. with that set you should be able to cover plenty of styles with great tone
 
Re: Squier Strat Uograde

Hi and welcome!

The SSL-6, SSL-2 RWRP, and SSL-2 is a solid set, though you won't get the traditional quack in position 2 with the SSL-6 and SSL-2 combination. The set will definitely get you Gilmour, but not so much Mayer or SRV.

You mentioned having a sustain problem. Are your pickups mounted high? This can be a source of the problem, at least with Alnico 5 and stock ceramic pickups. Alnico 2 is weaker and will not have this problem. The trouble is they tend not to be warm and not very bright, though there is an exception, which I will recommend as an alternate to the above set...

Bridge: Duncan STK-S4B or STK-S7
Middle: DiMarzio Area 67
Neck: DiMarzio Area 67

The SSL-S4B bridge will be a bit darker which is good for the bridge position and it will have enough power, but won't be too thick for a traditional Strat sound and position 2 quack. You might consider the STK-S7 which will be a bit hotter and bit darker still, but but should be more Stratty than an SSL-6, though I may be wrong on that point. The Area 67s are Alnico 2, but unlike traditional Alnico 2, they are bright and will aid in getting positions 2 and 4 to quack well, even when the bridge and neck are hotter and darker than more traditional single coils.

The bonus is the second set will be noiseless.

Thanks. I do like the noiseless options and will take a look.

As for the sustain, the pickups have been high so may look at that too. Appreciate the recommendations! I imagine I may end up with a collection at some point!


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Re: Squier Strat Uograde

i think the ssl6/ssl2/ssl2 set is a great set and would recommend that highly. with that set you should be able to cover plenty of styles with great tone

Glad to hear the advice so far I’ve gotten is solid! Looking forward to exploring some!!!


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Re: Squier Strat Uograde

To save yourself some wiring trouble, you can get pre-soldered David Gilmour kits that let you combine the neck and bridge pickups.
 
Re: Squier Strat Uograde

To save yourself some wiring trouble, you can get pre-soldered David Gilmour kits that let you combine the neck and bridge pickups.

I’ve thought about making that mod too. I like the idea of controlling the bridge tone too! I may go the prewired route, but I think doing a bit of the work myself may be fun too! That mod seems pretty easy with a good diagram.


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Re: Squier Strat Uograde

might consider just buying a Classic Vibe Strat. not hard to find in the 250 - 275 range. much better guitar with fine sounding tone rider pickups. check out both 50s and 60s versions.
 
Re: Squier Strat Uograde

If you're going to use neck and bridge together a lot, I'd connect the bridge pickup to the mid tone control. If you don't do that mod, I would have the bridge pickup connected to the neck tone control.
 
Re: Squier Strat Uograde

What I do to correct the pots making big jumps is I use audio taper pots for tones and a linear taper pot for volume wired backwards. Input to the middle lug and output on the left lug. This makes the whole sweep of the pots functional, no huge drop offs.
 
Re: Squier Strat Uograde

might consider just buying a Classic Vibe Strat. not hard to find in the 250 - 275 range. much better guitar with fine sounding tone rider pickups. check out both 50s and 60s versions.

Honestly l’ll probably but a CV at some point too! The thing is, I like the body on this guitar, the neck feels good and overall it plays well. Since it’s my first, I will keep it but don’t mind using it as my play guitar from a tech side either. :)

I just know the electronics and such aren’t as good, so why not upgrade them if I plan on keeping the bones around!

Played a CV 60s for a bit last night at Guitar Center. :)


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Re: Squier Strat Uograde

What I do to correct the pots making big jumps is I use audio taper pots for tones and a linear taper pot for volume wired backwards. Input to the middle lug and output on the left lug. This makes the whole sweep of the pots functional, no huge drop offs.

Clint - this is the first I’ve heard of different types of pot tapers. Have any where I can go to learn more? I’m curious about that as the pots change is most likely going to be my first under the pickguard change.


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Re: Squier Strat Uograde

Honestly l’ll probably but a CV at some point too! The thing is, I like the body on this guitar, the neck feels good and overall it plays well. Since it’s my first, I will keep it but don’t mind using it as my play guitar from a tech side either. :)

I just know the electronics and such aren’t as good, so why not upgrade them if I plan on keeping the bones around!

Played a CV 60s for a bit last night at Guitar Center. :)


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Playing around with wiring mods is a great idea. Spending 2 or 3 hundred bucks on designer pickups is not so good. Better to put the money in a better guitar or even better into your amp fund, me thinks.
 
Re: Squier Strat Uograde

Playing around with wiring mods is a great idea. Spending 2 or 3 hundred bucks on designer pickups is not so good. Better to put the money in a better guitar or even better into your amp fund, me thinks.

Yeah - this one is going to be relegated to a project/toy guitar. I’m going to start with the pots most likely and then go to to pups. If I get some good ones I like, I can always take them for later guitars too. :)


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Re: Squier Strat Uograde

The biggest tonal improvement you can do to a Squier is to replace the thin pot metal block with a fat steel one. It will give a huge improvement in sustain and clarity, and is a pretty cheap and easy mod.
 
Re: Squier Strat Uograde

People think if you put nice pickups in a cheap guitar, that they're welded there for life.
 
Re: Squier Strat Uograde

People think if you put nice pickups in a cheap guitar, that they're welded there for life.

That's one of the things I love about Strats- if I ever do a parts-build Strat, I will probably move the entire pickguard/ electronics from my Squier to that, and give the Squier its original stuff back.
 
Re: Squier Strat Uograde

Fo sho I did the same thing recently. My nice deserving pickguard made it out of a squier to a warmoth.
 
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