Building a SUPER SQUIER! - Taking Aim At Fender's Best!

Follow along as I put together a Super Squier purpose-build for taking down a Fender Select Stratocaster!
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[@samratbose443]

hey Darrell, I've been watching all your videos but never thank you properly. Now I'm saying it, I've never seen anyone like you with guitar so sincere and detailed. thank you for all your efforts. Edit: Thanks for all the likes

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Crooked TV No problem ☺ I'm glad you are enjoying the videos and I appreciate the kind words!

[@Faigh_as]

Crooked TV that's rude you didn't say thanks for 100 likes

[@ilikeextentioncords2403]

200th like ;)

[@bipbipletucha]

420th like

[@brontewake]

Hear hear from Australia!, look forward to every episode, great advice. Informing all guitarists I meet to subscribe to your channel, keep up the great job! 🎸👍🇦🇺

[@benfrancoeur1913]

My school give a courses of lutherie (guitar build) with a ebay Kit and it's totally free. Should I do it?

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+BenFr PK Definitely! You're lucky for the opportunity 👍

[@bigg4454]

+BenFr PK - You had to ask??? Wish I had that opportunity in school!

[@donnel2305]

are you in college

[@benfrancoeur1913]

Cris Reyes Im from quebec so its secondary (Im 13)

[@RafeSanger]

You'll never ever regret it

[@evancontreras9127]

Whenever he says good morning afternoon evening etc...it really really feels like he wants you to have a great day☺

[@bipbipletucha]

He ALWAYS sounds like that

[@SkyFire2112]

He’s a Canadian and we genuinely mean that stuff

[@legozach77584]

I'm glad I held on to my starter Squier, it's super resonant and surprisingly nice feeling. The weakest points are the bridge, tuners, and pots--all things that can be upgraded. And, of course, the pickups could be as well

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Hope you guys are having a great week! if you guys have modified your Strats let me know what you did and how it turned out!

[@bueller8278]

Upgraded the electronics and pickups in my Classic Vibe. Turned out great. Used a Rosetta Strat set from Blue Collar Pickups in Vancouver, full sized pots and orange drop caps

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Syrup Sucker Nice! 😎🤘

[@rhythmtreble7311]

you've created a sleeper strat!

[@ronaldfernandez.8586]

Hi from Costa Rica!

[@RobertBSullivan]

That sounds beautiful! Looks nice too!

[@MindsetMastery75]

Wow You turned that Squier into a real beauty. The blackout pickguard goes really well with the darker rim on the body of your guitar. It matches up perfectly with the finish. And sounds great to boot. Wonderful job you did there Darrell!

[@MrStickthrower2001]

I started with a 2001 Indonesian made Squier Affinity Strat (the one with the narrow nut), black with a white pickguard. Tore it down to just the neck, nut, and body. Did a fret level and dress. Routed the trem cavity flush and filled it with a block of wood and minwax wood epoxy filler. Scuff sanded, primed and repainted the body with shellac and then black lacquer. Drilled for string through and installed a black Hipshot hard-tail bridge and black Fender tuners just like yours...😊 Replaced the pickguard with a Squier Classic vibe black three layer, put in Carvin tbh-60 pickups with a Bourne push pull volume pot that switches them all to either single or humbucker. Set up the five way to run single coil to a 250K all pu tone pot (YJM) and a custom cap/resistor treble bleed, and the humbucker setting to a 500k tone pot with its own treble bleed. Hand-built a mini lpb-1 and installed that in the copper lined trem cavity and put a true bypass pedal button in the pickguard to turn it on and off. I also swapped out the jack for a Pure Tone...I call it the "Bad Idea Fairy" because it incorporates every bad idea I ever had...😉 You can't wring every tone out of it, but it comes close enough for live.

[@abelramirez7320]

Makes me want to make a Frankensquier! Well done!

[@scottr6752]

You should display a total $$$ spent on the Squier. Great video and the playing was beautiful.

[@scottdreher5272]

Yes. Total cost for the upgrades would be nice to know as well but still a great video

[@RushfanUK]

I reckon to do this in the UK will cost upwards of £400 on top of the guitar cost, personally I would just shop around for a good MIM Strat, I have a 1999 one that is just brilliant, cost me £350, my 2 other Fenders are both MIJ's from the 80's, again cost less than £400 cause people thought they were not much good at the time.

[@squierjoshyt]

@@RushfanUK I don't know if a barebones MIM is much better than a barebones Squier Standard. Fender's own website says the MIMs are made up of up to 7 pieces of alder - that's a lot of glue.

[@mysty0]

@@squierjoshyt I just bought a MIM last week in Cherry Sunburst, solid one piece. If they glued that puppy together they done a damn good job of hiding it lol

[@squierjoshyt]

@@mysty0 Well it said "up" to 7 pieces. I'm sure they save the ones with fewer pieces to make the sunburst models, since you can see the seams.

[@ztobinz]

This video is perfect! I have the same Squier and was planning to change out the pickguard and knobs etc... to black versions. Thanks!

[@sampsonsimpson20]

I'm glad I bought a Squier for my first guitar. Knowing I can upgrade it down the road if I want makes me feel better about buying a cheap guitar. Thanks for the info and detail you put into your videos it is really helpful.

[@794Ronaldo]

The result is awesome! Really great souding... Cheers from Brazil, hope you having a nice week too!

[@iangonzalez6478]

What beautiful guitars!!!! 😍 Darrell should work on my guitars! 😂🤣

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Ian Gonzalez 😂 It is a lot of fun!

[@iangonzalez6478]

Darrell Braun Guitar hey there Darrell! Just wanted to ask you an important question.... could you send me a link to where you got that black pickguard? Been searching for one for months 😂

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Hi! Just head over to the Warmoth site and order one from there 😀

[@Farshad-Parvin]

Darrel I just finished the project assassin of my own and I'm loving the tone. My mim sounds like a legit American. Thanks a lot man.. I learn so much from your videos.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Farshad Parvin Congrats! Sounds like you've got a keeper ☺👍

[@kschumac]

Thanks for the good ideas! My first guitar, 15 years ago, was the Squier. I've since "outgrown" it but now, instead of just having it sit collecting dust I've been inspired to turn it into a project guitar.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Kevin Schumacher Awesome! Let me know how it turns out ☺

[@wriglarzzz]

Hey Darrell That was actually my first guitar. I've kept it alive it and I fully modded because of your videos. I'd like to show you some pictures of three projects I worked on/ working on.

[@fabianumgeher9692]

Upgraded my Cheap vintage guitar with those AM Select SC from Fender, they sure do a great job, in terms of playability I would have swaped the plastic nut for a bone nut, but all together you did everything right, thanks for this vid Darrell, keep em comin !

[@GreaseThunderBird]

Sweet modifications and great video! That Obsidian kit looks super easy to use. Thanks for the great content!

[@brennen22359]

Yeah, like how it's almost plug and play. No soldering.

[@kevinwarhurst7010]

Dang! That guitar sounded great too! It's amazing how much the hardware makes a difference! Great vid!

[@ronjames1333]

I have a 1995 MiM lefty strat,havnt got the courage up to change anything on it,still all original,sofar,you make it look so easy,ty for the video

[@ChrisG9978]

I had to drill out my Squier pick guard (3/8" iirc) to get the knob portion of the Obsidian blender through the guard. Just a heads up for those considering the Obsidian upgrade...you'll also need the larger Fender brand tone and volume knobs (the Squier knobs are too small and won't fit). Hip Shot locking tuners will fit on a Squier with no modification or drilling and they work great. Fender locking tuners require drilling out the holes on the head stock for Squiers. The Obsidian is an awesome upgrade and well worth the $85...blends all 3 pickups at settings 2 and 4. Produces a really full sounding well rounded tone. If you're gonna upgrade the electronics, spend the extra $20 and get new graph tech string tees and a graph tech tusq nut...will improve tuning stability big time. The nut pops off...just stick an Exacto knife under it and it'll pop right out.

[@Joe-mz6dc]

Sounds good and looks good. This guy did a good job. I bought a Custom Vibe and it was great Straight Out of the Box. Made in China. I'm very impressed.

[@sterlingmcvay6163]

Agree, What you do is Unique and Very Appreciated, it's much the kinds of things I'd 'like' to do, when I can.

[@backseatpalace]

I’ve been watching this video for over a year just waiting until the stars align and I was able to put some money towards upgrading my squier with the obsidian wire kit and new pickups. I’m now sitting with my guitar taken apart and with the proper upgrades ready to install. Thank you for making this video, it’s very well made and easy to understand.

[@Leo-be5ke]

Great video Darrel, I love taking cheap strats and mod them as you have done in this video. I love the Obsidian circuits thank you for the tip. I’ve all my 9 Strats with some mod, especially Chinese and Mexican they have all locking tuners and custom shop pickups: most fender different American pickups, but also 1 with a full set of Di Marzio and 2 with 2 different sets of SD. I think your next step for that squier should be to change the bridge. Thank you again for your video......keep going

[@Dan-ud2tf]

This video has helped me a lot! I just recently got the same Squier Strat for my 16th birthday. I've been playing on a really really poor off brand guitar for the past 4 years and my new Squier strat has been such an upgrade. But this video has shown me that even though it's an upgrade, it's not the best out there. There's a lot of things I could spend my money on upgrading about my Squier and after a few years and upgrades, I could have a real nice guitar on my hands :)

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+TheSuperMelon 99 Congrats on the Squier! It's great as it is, but can grow along with you as you can afford upgrades ☺

[@alwaysrockn2009]

Awesome video dude! Thanks for showing a cool upgrade with specifics about the equipment used.

[@backseatpalace]

I’ve just finished my super squier build. I watched this video a year ago and was so eager to upgrade my guitar but I didn’t have the funds. I have a cherry sunburst squier standard my parents got me when I was around 10. Unfortunately I haven’t been learning since then but your channel has helped a lot in my progress. Thank you for linking everything you use, the obsidian wire kit is incredible. Thank you!

[@FranciscoCostaHideOut]

As I just got my first electric - a Squier Strat Standard - I will keep this video on my list for future reference :D

[@CLIFFROCK56]

I upgraded a Squire Strat with a loaded pickguard from an American Strat , locking tuners , solid brass tone block in the tremolo. It plays and sounds amazing. It sounds almost as good as my American Strat and it sounds better than my VG Strat. I also repaired a Squire Strat that my buddy found in the garbage. All I did was upgrade the pickups to Seymour Duncan, clean it and set it up and more often than not he chooses it over his American Strat that he paid big money for.

[@rodrigolembke2556]

CLIFFROCK56 what size are the peg holes on your strat, I want to change mine!

[@63timfred]

Nice job Darrell. I took your advice and installed the Blender on my Strat. Sounds fantastic! Keep up the great videos. Cheers

[@TonyHookedonVanlife]

I did a full Ritchie Blackmore-style scallop job on the fretboard of my Squier Strat - did it all by hand, took me 3 days to finish and it turned out awesome! I also put in a pre-wired H-S-S pickguard set-up from Guitar Fetish. LOVE it!

[@kenmanchester4145]

Darrell - Loved the vid. Just did something similar (cheaper) to my CY 2011 Affinity Strat this week. Here's what I did from end to end: 1. Fender locking tuners (noticed you had them backwards at the beginning of this video, then they were correct at the end - and you thought no one would notice :-)), 2. Fender bone nut, 3. 2006 MIM loaded pickguard from eBay (incl. serial #, $80), 4. Fender 'MIM' bridge and block (****) 5. Fender jack. I am in the process of adjusting the bridge for intonation. What a blast! **** Question: The MIM block was too long (as the experienced readers would attest), so I cut (hacked) it with an angle grinder too short, so I used the original block with the MIM bridge. Why doesn't someone market a big block for the Affinity/Squire that is 1-3/8" long so it'll fit out of the box? I've looked at the big guitar sites, even FUTone, and called GC without luck.

[@barrychickini9074]

I now in the middle of upgrading my Squier Deluxe with just about all the upgrades. But I am really jealous of the color scheme😛

[@SyntagmaStation]

Sounds great. Looks great. Awesome to know about the Obsidian electronics. Sold!

[@gregdoerr1028]

Wow, that Black Pickguard really sets off that sunburst Squier!! GREAT JOB!!

[@bambostarla6259]

Wow! I may just buy a squier in the future and upgrade it like you did!

[@j_freed]

Darkstarla that's cool, just keep in mind that if you put a lot of money into a Chinese Squier, it won't have an equally high resale value. On the other hand if you buy A slightly better guitar used you can usually recover the purchase value in resale. I like Japan made models. But whatever makes you happy.

[@elmarce7410]

Mods will cost more than the guitar itself haha

[@MadMetalShop]

Doesn't matter. If he keeps all the original parts then no harm no foul.

[@greekfreak1980]

I've done the same with my old Yamaha Pacifica,it's a fun project and you will end up with a great guitar.

[@elmarce7410]

Of course you will , I've done that to my Epiphone SG G400, EMG pickups, gibson bridge, new grover machines and i love that guitar I would never sell it haha

[@TruthSurge]

I think the Elite pickups back in the 80s and 90s were not noiseless. They sounded supreme. Listen to Ty Tabor on the first 2 King's X albums. Not sure about the noiseless ones. Never heard them in any comparison.

[@festushaggen2563]

Always loved Ty's sound. Dogman is one of my favorite albums.

[@AbeAleman]

Wow! you've just inspired me to work on my Strat & Tele...thanks so much!

[@nmapson]

great tip with the Obsidian product! I found it JUST in time to make my build! Thanks!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+N Mapson Nice! Good luck with your build ☺

[@cbeserra]

Obsidian? I need to check those out. Great video!

[@sarloscantana]

I was gonna mod my Squier, and even had Guitar Center talk me into the locking tuners you have, without realizing they don't fit. I chickened out at the drilling part for the tuners though. I ended up having a shop set up my Squier and it sounds great. That said, what you did here with the electronics gives me a whole new view on modding my Squier! i had no idea they made pre-wired stuff that was so easy to install. I'm not a solder guy so seeing that was awesome. Great video!

[@TheBerkayBUHLAR]

Hi , which squier model did you mod ? And are you happy having it instead of a mexican ? Lastly how much did it cost ?

[@thesandman918]

Dude...get with some videos here on KZbin and become a solder guy! The world of electric guitar possibilities will completely open up! Besides, if you screw something up you can always take it to Guitar Center like you did before and it'll cost the same to fix it! It's a Squire...you'll be able to get another cheaply! Or go onto Craigslist and buy a First Act guitar, they play great and you can get one for around $50 or so to cut your teeth on...if you come across a First Act VW Garagemaster(there was a promotion from VW in 2007 they would come with the car...lot of people got them that don't play guitar or wanna play so you can get them cheap when they're easily just as nice as a $500+ guitar) for $100 to $150, get it! AWESOME guitar...I play mine all the time over my American made PRS S2 Custom 24 ...anyways, go get some soldering on!

[@southrnlyfe]

They make prewired pickguards and the only thing you need to solder is 2 wires to the input jack.

[@ettnollbajen9945]

Turned out nice Sir! One thing to remember (not lecturing just a tip for all wanting to do this) get the right pickups/pots/tuners,not just the most expensive,but the one's making it sound/play better. Saw a similar mod on Anderton's channel,a cheap Bullet that got modded,probably 500$ of parts went in,ended up sounding nowhere near as good as the original Bullet

[@EdBender]

Great video as always! I have a squier that I love. Perfect neck, lightweight... Here's my mod: samarium cobalt noiseless pups (bought used dirt cheap, love'em), new pots and switch, new jack, new bridge (fender vintage), new tremolo springs, locking tuners (bought some chinese with good rep from aliexpress, they fit perfectly and they are flawless, for $20 shipping included!), converted from SSS to HSS (sold my bridge SCN pickup and bought a GFS humbucker), string trees, black metal knobs with no numbers, black pickguard. I had already done fret leveling, and she plays like butter and sounds like heaven! All that for about $150 (guitar) + $200 upgrades (all mods done myself, including soldering, YMMV).

[@TruthSurge]

"drilling it ote" 4:04 CANADIAN!

[@GuitarMan22]

i had to check darrel's youtube 'aboot' page yes.. Canadian

[@sabathmendez18]

This is all super awesome!!! I happen to have a squire, and I've been really considering doing the same! I would love to know the total for this project?? Thanks!

[@HeyitsDatguyTV]

Bad ass great work. Can’t wait to start upgrading my own. I want to get into to finding old squiers and bringing them back to life. Great job

[@bigbasscat]

Thanks for the tip on Obsidian Wire. I hadn't heard of them before your video. Salud!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+bigbasscat 😀👍

[@fjwp573]

Amazing and thanks for posting this. After owning and playing many high dollar Strats, out of curiosity I took up the $179 (including 1 watt amp and stand...) Chinese Squier my daughter left behind. What a smooth playing neck and what a super resonant body (it's a 1999 model)! For over a year now this is my preferred guitar. And after seeing what you did with yours, I can't wait to do the mods to mine!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+FJ WP Good luck with the build! ☺

[@iroquoispliskin8936]

For the quality of material you produce, your subscriber count is criminally low. Keep doing what you're doing!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Jabroni Fiftysix Thanks man!!

[@iroquoispliskin8936]

Of course! You deserve it!

[@fattboyzz1355]

2.5 years later he's passing half a million subs !

[@thewomanwithnohead]

Pretty excited about that Squier strat update, and I was not disapointed, that was INCREDIBLY GOOD !!!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+The Woman With No Head Thanks! I'm pretty excited about it too! 😀

[@wayneschlegel1340]

Just got me this Squier and first thing to do was to change things like you did. Best is to see how the black pickguard looks like. Much better then white. Never heard of pre wired electronic kits before, another useful hint. Thank you.

[@wilhelmtheconquerer6214]

Imagine a pearl scratch-plate on that finish! Just wow

[@eduardorosariol9222]

the only mod i did to my squier is that i made independent switching for each pickup. i could us all 3 (hss) or go with the humbucker and neck. im proud of it. the clarity and sweetness from all 3 is great, when its neck and bridge, i can only compare it to the middle position on a les paul, but bassier

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Eddy Rosario Nice! 👍

[@thesullivanstreetproject]

Man, that Squier looks gorgeous now! I'm really looking forward to the side-by-side...

[@barflin]

that looks and sounds really fantastic!...I've built a couple on my own with allparts scalloped necks in the Yngwie style build. I even used the steel threaded inserts for the neck bolts.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+barflin Nice!😎

[@3cardmonty602]

Great Job! I'm about to perform the same process on a Partscaster I picked up for $65. Only difference - I'm going to buy a "Loaded Pickguard". Not doing the locking tuners - i have Gotoh's on it already, so they'll suffice. Can't wait to mod mine out after watching this.

[@granthoover9045]

Dave Monty I just did this about a week ago. I bought a loaded pick guard from Twilight guitars. Fender custom shop 69s. They sound so much damn better. I did have some trouble with the ground wire, I had to solder it a couple times before it would work properly but went smoothly other than that. Considering it was my first time soldering or really doing any guitar mods it went really well. Good luck. Hit me up if u hit a snag.

[@nazmoking3171]

My favorite guitar guy - very knowledgeable, great player and top notch luthier (and a pleasant guy in general) - always great videos!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Nazmo King Thanks man! ☺👍

[@crescendo33]

very good setting Darrell Braun Guitar thanks for sharing..

[@ciaran3748]

I picked up the exact same squier strat you have second hand and then painted it a great may white, put in some new Grover locking tuners and blocked off the term system to keep it in tune and then I just wired in a new Seymour Duncan JB with a single volume pot and it now plays and sounds amazing! Couldn't be happier with the outcome

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Ciaran Wilson Very cool!

[@sn95_mustang_garage]

Love my Obsidian Wire Harness for my Strat, mine is the Bleed Kit / Blend Knob system. Was that the stock nut? Mine has the TusqXL. It really came out fantastic, not a Squire fan but I'd buy that one.

[@tylerwilson2087]

JamCave Studio you need to play some of their recent models. I have a Squier Deluxe strat and it is truly remarkable what $300 will get you from Squier

[@RRW276]

JamCave Studio I have a question around your TusqXL nut. Did you find you needed to file the nut slots more? I see they come slotted, just curious if further adjustments are really needed.

[@isexuallyidentifyasanovenm1617]

JamCave Studio do you have to use solderless pickups for the obsidian wire kit or could i throw in my texas specials for example?

[@drzontar]

I think it looked better with the tortoise shell pickguard against the red. The black is too plain. But it sounds awesome. Great job.

[@zachyweezer]

great video as always, darrell. keep it up!

[@terryradford13]

Hey man. I just finished my NYPRO strat copy mods. Like the Squire I went with the Fender locking tuners, I swapped out the nut for a Graphtek Tusk nut, switchcraft output jack, volume is a Bornes push/pull for series/parallel, the first tone is also push/pull for neck on and a master tone for all pups, the second tone is a passive mid range shaper that was modeled after Rothsteins passive mid range shaper, and to top it all off, I went with roller bridge saddles and set the trem up to float. Truly a versatile guitar. But my Squire strat is a monster. Maybe I'll list the mods for it another time. Thanks for the inspiration to dig deeper into the search for THE tone.

[@Halenmaster]

Hi darrel, im a part-time luthier, man awesome proyect the one you are doing, i do a few of this same style in the shop, but man i think its important for tone n sustain get a good bone nut, n a good quality bridge, or good qualiti saddles? because that things are the only ones that affect the string vibrations directly, just a suggestion. Good luck with the project greetings from Chile (sorry about my cheesy inglish)

[@budandbean1]

Totally agree with installing a quality nut.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Halenmaster Hi! Welcome to the channel! I'll look into upgrading the nut - thanks for the suggestion 👍

[@markjohnsen2919]

Nice looking (and sounding!) upgrades, Darrell. Yes a black tusq or bone nut would finish the cosmetics nicely!

[@ksenderin7866]

Hi Darrel, Great Video thanks ! I recommend you Graphtech TUSQ as a nut. It has both slotted and raw versions with different fretboard radius.I use it on my MIM Strat with vintage radius. Fits perfect, increases sustain and secures the strings. Really a big plus on a strat.

[@murrayrowley2900]

Yep, when you take the old nut out drop it on a hard surface and it will probably go "ummph" and play dead, drop the Tusq and it will go "ping" and bounce, way better and less absorbent for a better transfer of the vibes from strings to wood.

[@cdsmith8528]

Is there a link to the all black pickguard somewhere?

[@spotmfd9431]

I ordered a obsidian wire kit 2 weeks ago. Have not installed yet but glad you are a fan of them. Going to use the kit on a modded warmoth build so that I can install different combinations of pickups without the hassle of soldering.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+spot mfd 👍Such a HUGE time-saver ☺

[@BipityBopity93]

Just bought a Squire because your vids. Gonna mod it. Thanks for your videos man! Best Videos on KZbin to showcase the squires and what you can do.

[@sergioserramusic]

Great build, the difference from the previous is huge. How about the costs? How much for the Squier stock + all the mods? Just to compare them to a Mexico or to an American one

[@ecomhicks]

I'm wondering the same.

[@elchilorio1997]

It's way cheaper than those for sures, it's about 200 in total

[@StreetFlixPhotography]

Jose Andrade no way. I’d say about $350 at least

[@cyarwood]

Darrell: Just curious (didn't see this info). Factoring in all the mods, how much did the Squier cost compared to the Fender?

[@80sbmxguy79]

Hello my fellow Canadian. I modded my MIM strat. Got a great deal on it. I traded for an amp that I paid $150.00 for. Its only a year old and played really nice. I put Seymour Duncan SSL-1 single coils in it mated to a strat classic ObsidianWire (thanks Darrell Braun). It sounds amazing. I only play for my enjoyment so this pretty much got rid of need (want) for an American Standard Strat. I also bought the same Indio Classic that Darrell Braun modded. I put all my mexican strat guts in it, fender trem and wilkinson locking tuners. I had to get that guitar after watching Darrell's video. Thanks again Darrell for your awesome vids and tutorials.

[@sturlalagreid3860]

Hey Darrell! I've done some similar things to my Squier, and it worked put great! New pickups, scalloped fretboard from 12 and up, push/pull pots for series/parallel pickups, and a reverse polarity switch for the middle pickup. Sounds and feels awesome, definitely my favorite guitar to play, it sort of has an own personality. I would absolutely recommend others to do mods on their guitar(s)!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Sturla Lagreid Very cool!

[@buzzsaw63]

I'm surprised you didn't change the nut too but if it stays in tune with the old one why change it

[@frinchk]

Thank you for this great video! Is the select strat better sounding than the new am professional series?

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Frinch K In my opinion it is. So far I have not been overly excited about the Vmod pickups. I'll need some side-by-side hands on time with them though ☺

[@frinchk]

Thank you Darrel! I was about to buy one but maybe I should wait... or buy an am standard... it's a shame I couldn't find any select strat on the internet... Or maybe I'll follow your advises and buy a squire.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Frinch K The American professional series Strats and Teles are pretty sweet packages overall. The new upgrades make it a worthy successor to the American Standards for sure!

[@frinchk]

Ok, that sounds better! I don't wähnt to make mistakes. These guitars are pretty expensive. I constantly look at comparisions on KZbin in order to make my mind: "musicman cutlass vs. fender strat am pro", "am pro vs. Elite" etc. I even downloaded some videos, I loaded the audio track on cubase in order to put the two guitars in two different tracks so that I could compare each pickups instantly by switching the tracks with the mute and solo buttons. Cutlass vs. strat, there was a difference, especially on the bridge pickup. The strat sounded bigger fatter, better in my opinion. Comparing the two fenders strat, elite vs pro, that was the result: no difference at all... on each pickup, each combination. They sound the same. Very confusing... I know, it's not a life test, but still, I could not hear any substantial difference. I know now, it's not gonna be a musicman. A strat yes, but which one?

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Frinch K If you play with a lot of gain go with the Elite. The noiseless pickups will keep things quiet. If you mostly play clean, go with the pro.

[@gabor222]

First thing I would change on any strat is the tremolo block. Adding a steel one instead of the cheap zink alloy really made an improvement on my swamp ash partscaster. I also used to replace the plastic nuts to bone or metal (locking).

[@codystombaugh986]

Hey Darrell! I installed a dive-only Floyd Rose with locking nut, string roller trees, Hipshot locking tuners, straplocks, dome knobs, and a killswitch push button to my HH Squier Strat. I love that guitar more and more every time I pick it up...

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+DrummerDude2604 _KZbin_ Whoa! That sounds like an amazing build!😎

[@GManWrites]

I have a Mexican strat I bought used for $400 Canadian and I am never letting it go.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Graham Linux They are great instruments 👍

[@ngultimategaming6863]

Can you do a squire bass upgrade? Make it sound like a real P-Bass?!

[@douglasj53]

Nice demo. Thanks!

[@mightyV444]

Yes, I too had once modified my MIA 'Highway One' Strat so that one of the tone controls would also work on the bridge pick-up, because it was too trebly for my taste. And same here; With Tone set to around 7, it sounds so much better!

[@ianbugayong8620]

So it's technically a tonewood test? Since you put exactly what you had in the fender into the squier. Pretty cool vid doe!

[@landonbailey]

Fun project! Nice upgrades! Now I'm gassing to do the same. Did you keep a running total $$$ for the whole upgrade?

[@Noobioh]

The obsidian wire kit costs around 85 dollars, Fender Locking Tuners are around 70-80 dollars, the black fender kit is around 35-40 dollars. On Google it's all pretty easy to find. I'd say it would total at around 150-200 dollars if you don't install new pickups.

[@landonbailey]

cool thanks! but I wanted to get a 'real' Canadian cost. We're both from Canada, and sometimes the import/duty can be brutal

[@gregorioandrade2433]

Noobioh Forgot the pickups

[@ecomhicks]

Noobioh thanks for that info! I was wondering the same about parts cost and source.

[@Shamrockrancher]

@ lando27music If you want 'real Canadian cost' you'll have to figure in beer. It's the law.

[@Raul1971xxx]

Wow.. Sounds really gorgeous.

[@jimbaysinger1545]

I'm building a hotrod Squier in a similar fashion to that shown in the video. Most of the changes so far are cosmetic, black pickguard, tuners & skull tone knobs, etc. I'm awaiting delivery of a Mojotone solderless wiring harness, then I'll be looking for a pickup upgrade. I bought this guitar before I really knew how to choose one, but now I know how to turn it into a deadly secret weapon. Thanks for the video, it showed me I'm on the right track!

[@alvarengaaustin]

That first tune was mean. I was expecting little wing 😂

[@muse-mech-moda]

How to polish off that Squire? Take some fine sandpaper and sand the back of the neck. This will remove the gloss and give you a satin finish, without removing all of the lacquer. The neck will feel silky smooth with none of the poly drag/stickiness. I really enjoyed this video :-)

[@AlShieldsMusic]

Squier standard strats have unfinished necks, so there's no poly on there.

[@Topsy_Krett]

I just did my Squier Tele neck with my usual... Lemon oil on a 0000-grade steel wool pad. Works a treat!

[@ToddSauve]

No, the Standards have a finished neck but it is a matte finish and you wouldn't even know it's there. It is a very light coat and that is all!

[@AdrianTether]

I bought a squire bullet , started buying fender parts to upgrade it, all down to watching your vids... thanks.

[@jonathanhandsmusic]

Great video! You're inspiring me to make these upgrades to my own old Squire Affinity Strat. Thanks

[@tunesmith7437]

I have a 2018 Squier Standard Tele which has a really nice Indian Laurel fretboard and even the sunburst shows off some really nicely grained (three piece) Agathis. This guitar feels better and sounds better than two recent MIM Teles. Go figure. I made it an Esquire by removing the neck pup and put in an Esquire pickguard and a Seymour Duncan Broadcaster pup. Plays like a real Tele. But please cut out the guitar snobbery: Agathis is just Asian Alder...it is cheaper for Fender because there is no exporting American Alder to Asia. It is not a "cheaper" word forensically or clinically. I know several wood workers who claim Agathis to be either a cousin of Alder or Mahogany. Just because it grows in Asia does not make it cheaper aesthetically. It is less costly because the wood is local to the factories assembling them. But I have to ask: how many guitars do you need before you hit the EXCESS METER TO THE MAX? Too much of a good thing can be a burden and a responsibility that only complicates life.

[@daniloalmeidadotcom]

Man, you are truly, painfully, incredibly nice. Nobody could ever find a reason for you to not date their sister. You're that nice.

[@maxfreitas9333]

Perfect now. If you lived in Brazil Darrell, I swear I'd take my Stratocaster for you to give it an upgrade!!!!

[@kenhall6525]

The Squier is gorgeous !! Wow

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Part 2 is up! Check out how the Assassin fares against the Select Strat! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmjCm4GMZrisj5I Ultimate Epiphone Build: kzbin.info/www/bejne/anXdgZVmrMd5e6M

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+MrKeybird The link to the kit I used is in the video description ☺

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Raz Rojas B Hi! My goal was not to build the cheapest guitar. I wanted a guitar that sounded the same as the Select (which is my favourite Strat), so that's what I did. For people who don't have a specific guitar they want to emulate, as you mentioned, there are tons of budget parts available ☺

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Raz Rojas B 👍 If you giged dodgy places it would make perfect sense. No point in taking a $2000 Strat to gig when you can take a $400 one that sounds pretty close 😉

[@hansjr316]

Darrell Braun Guitar partlist? You promist.

[@julianwilhelm2246]

Where did you get the pick guard from? I tried to do the same thing to my guitar but the pick guard does not fit.

[@thejamstreet4522]

Sir can u please put gibson vs esp

[@metalheadblues]

The Jam Street high end ESP will blow Gibson outta the water. Gibson ain't what it used to be.

[@pedrocucaracha]

I did modifications to my Squier Affinity Strat AND my Squier Affinity Jazz Bass. I'm more of a bass player, but considering the Affinity edition is suppossed to be the lowest of the level, and many people don't even recommend it, mine works like a charm. Something I did was to shield the guitar's cavities, and ground them. That and keeping the neck straight and calibrated, and the guitar works like a charm. With the Affinity Jazz Bass (since that's my instrument), I did extensive changes. I changed the tuning machines to American Standard Jazz Bass ones (I bend one of the older ones), change the pickups to DiMarzio Super Bass, changed pots and cap, shielded the whole thing, and change the bridge to a KickAss Bridge 4. The result on that one is amazing. I tried many basses, but at this point, I've never played anything better than my good old modded Affinity Jazz Bass. I wanted to buy a Geddy Lee Jazz Bass Edition, but right now I like my old bass much better. And I did a paint job, so it also looks awesome! Thanks for the video!

[@robruthless4703]

I used to be a big Floyd rose fan until I watched a few of your vids and seen you floating your strat bridge which inspired me to upgrade my strat and wow.... I never played it much but now it’s my main guitar, my Floyd rose guitars fight me when I try to flutter and with the floating strat flutters with ease thank you 🙏 but my mods were the floating bridge and a scalloped neck

[@themoose420]

Dude i put new strings on my squier. Totaly changes everything.

[@stankfanger1366]

*+Darrell Braun Guitar* The Assassin wins by default over the Select in the most crucial category of all... the Assassin is obtainable. Even if you buy a brand new Squier Standard (full body thickness) it's only $250. After that you can piecemeal your guitar together and watch it improve right in front of you while you keep an eye out for deals, sales, etc. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲 *I see a lot of folks asking what this kind of thing costs, here's what I got:* 💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲 Obsidian Wire Kit - $83 Fender Pickups - $200 Fender Tuners - $69 Fender Saddles - $43 Fender String Trees - $8 A couple of things you forgot, brother: Fender Trem Block - $26 (I prefer the brass GFS block for $35 to the steel) Tusq XL Graphtech or bone nut - $20 (Maybe a roller nut, per preference) Grolsch washers ($2) or any strap locks - $18 (If you don't have strap locks, you don't love your guitar 😜)

[@mjardward]

Another great vid. Keep it up Darrell!

[@PeterGallagher1]

My first electric was and is a Korean Strat that I bought about 25 years ago. Mods are sperzel locking tuners, Seymour Duncan pickups, fender ultra bridge and trem, roller nut, I shielded the pick-up cavity and installed a toggle switch so I can route the bridge pickup through the second time control.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

+Peter Gallagher Nice!