Fender Squier Stratocaster Mods - 3 Easy Mods to Make Your Strat Play Great!

[@richardbinder9662]

Dan, Thank you. My dear friend was the luthier Steve Carr. Unfortunately passed away. He was mentored by Jimmy D' Aquisto and did alot on work for Kiss. He always talked about you and would by tools from StewMac. Steve gave me the confidence to work on guitars. I started with a Squire and can now perform pickup swaps, wiring, refinishing, intonation, and fret leveling and crowning. I have not performed a refret yet, but that's my next job I'll tackle. I don't know if you knew Steve. Miss my friend.

[@sam_uelson]

Steve Carr made ace frehleys mini explorers

[@asensibleyoungman2978]

2:07 When he lifted the drill out I instinctively blew the shavings away lol.

[@mvrtin.villa9950]

I would love getting my guitar fixed by this man.

[@JosePineda-jn8jk]

A man never lets another man fix his guitar.... lol jk this dude is a beast!

[@christophertibbetts7955]

I would love to watch him fix my guitar.

[@kilgoretrout321]

I love that he shows us how to do professional level work ourselves

[@JosePineda-jn8jk]

kilgoretrout321 lol yeah I’ll go try exactly what he’s doin real quick and see what happens

[@martinsmith4667]

@@JosePineda-jn8jk ur evening to p

[@jimzeleny7213]

I've used stock tuners for years. In many cases, all I had was 1/2 wrap around the peg even on the high E string. And they never slipped. Putting a right angle bend on the string before tightening it did the trick.

[@erickshreds]

I’d honestly love to hand my guitar to this man so he could bless it with his set-up while I listen as he talks away about trade secrets and advice on guitars. Seems like someone I could learn a lot from. Great video!

[@andrewbalcony3262]

Why am I watching this at 1am I don't even have a strat

[@itstheori]

lol

[@tyrbaldur5317]

1:03 AM for me. I'm dying laughing. I have a Washburn X series.

[@sashex3494]

Do yamaha guitars also have strats and tele's? Im confused af, because my EG012(older model of Pacifica 012) looks completely same like a strat.

[@andrewbalcony3262]

@@sashex3494 the Pacifica series is basically a Stratocaster rip off, so yeah

[@cravinbob]

Its okay since that is not really a Strat.

[@Mike6StringsIn]

I've got several Squier guitars that I've bought cheap. Cheaper than cheap actually. They're solid platforms to work on and I've been looking for drop in tuners for along time and the ones you have listed here are a quality piece for 50 dollars. Perfect. I have one that can benefit from the tuners and one that can use the saddles so I'm buying in. What I look at when I do my upgrades is what I paid for it compared to what I can buy it for if I go on line. I'll make upgrades with quality parts up to that price point. Thanks for this video. By the way, someone below noted they were glad the "old man" was back. That man, Dan Erlewine, wrote the "The Guitar Player's Repair Guide", which I bought 19 years ago, and is the Holy Grail of making your instruments kick butt. Since I had no one to work/set up my guitars within 60 miles, it opened the door for me to learn to do all the work I needed to do on my gear. He has also built and fixed some of the most historic guitars on the planet.

[@autodidacticprofessor869]

My first electric guitar was a Squier Affinity with the 1.5" thick alder body. I did all kinds of mods to it including a new neck, a Floyd Rose, a bunch of different pickups and locking tuners. I STILL play it and mod it even though I have "better" more expensive guitars. Honestly, it sounds awesome weighs half as much as my Les Paul. :)

[@bairdmead955]

I got a set of these tuners for my squire strat and they dont fit :(. I don’t understand why because I don’t see any size options or anything.

[@danlamphear]

I don’t even own a Strat but this video was just lovely. It gave me “This Old House” type vibes. I could watch this man work all day.

[@artofnoly9754]

Umpteen years later... I DID change the saddles on my home made Tele... and then I gave it to my best friend's daughter for her birthday. Just when I got it playing brilliantly! But she's worth it. She's 14 now and is potentially a rock'n'roll girl in the making.

[@mattbryonphoto2357]

This guy is the Bob Ross of guitars, never been more interested in modding my guitar. Absolute attention to detail! not your average tech that laughs at you when you say “I wanna mod my squire “ some people play gigs at seedy venues, we don’t wanna bring custom shop gear to the gig 😝

[@ditchgator1]

Never had a problem with keeping my strats in tune with stock tuners and floating trem. Just use minimum turns on each post, and stretch each string.👍😎 Dan is definitely the man!👍😎❤

[@kiyanharchegani2588]

Its just a primitive design with better options out there. Convenience bud!

[@sbe4u]

The point of locking tuners is convenience. You can change a string in a fraction of the time with locking tuners and, no matter how perfectly you wind and pull on your strings, locking tuners will stay in tune longer.

[@TimJameson-jg8sl]

Or just get some super cool locking tuners bro

[@free-birdrocker8809]

I bought Dan's How to book many years ago and it helped out pretty good. Its cool to see him live in how to. Ill try this for my little squier and see where it goes...

[@GeorgeMilkasIgore]

I have a decent Squier Stratocaster 10 years now without any upgrade on it. Changing Locking tuners, trees & saddles will definitely improve the playing, as some of us bend the hell out of it and abuse really hard our fretboards. My luthier will also have to change frets. I cost it to around 300$ mod. that worth and saves me from buying a new instrument with a much higher price of both my strat. and the upgradable parts. The instrument has already installed Jameson Lollar original pickups and the sound is really good. I really enjoyed this video and gave me the courage and will to make the upgrades needed. Thank you.

[@onpsxmember]

5:28 while all the strings should touch the radius gauge, each individual saddle should not be at an angle. Dan does that of course, just wanted to add it cause I see saddles resting on one "leg" too often.

[@txd]

Good call :)

[@onpsxmember]

@Facundo Fontela If you look at your saddles from the front, each individual saddle is horizontal. All saddles next to each other are horizontal at different heights to have all strings aligned in the radius matching the fretboard like this: ͡ . Some try to form that radius by having the individual saddles at an angle. If you raise or lower the saddles make sure you have the same number of turns on both screws. I hope this translation works for you: Si mira sus sillas de montar de frente, cada una de ellas debe estar en posición horizontal. Todos los sillines juntos son horizontales a diferentes alturas para tener todas las cuerdas alineadas en el radio que hace juego con el diapasón de esta manera: ͡ . Algunos tratan de formar ese radio teniendo las sillas de montar individuales en ángulo. Si sube o baja los sillines, asegúrese de tener el mismo número de vueltas en ambos tornillos.

[@madmac66]

Why is that? Does that still Apple to grooved saddles like the ones used here? Thx

[@onpsxmember]

@@madmac66 It applies as soon as you adjust the height of every individual saddle with two screws, so it applies here.

[@GuitarNTabs]

Those Highwood saddles are fantastic, really! I bought a set for my Squier Vintage Deluxe Tele and what a difference in sound and sustain it made! 😊 Love the videos - keep them coming!

[@charrua4108]

Listening to Dan gives me comfort,I love to watch him work and talk guitar,I get the same watching old Shadetree Mechanic videos or Bob Villa.

[@HubLocationSound]

I'm getting more of a Norm Abram vibe, especially with the acoustic guitar music.

[@autodidacticprofessor869]

I will say that if you plan on drop tuning or changing the tuning occasionally, you should have at least one wrap on those locking tuners because if you want to go lower than E or D tuning, you might run out of string to go lower.

[@thebluesrockers]

Thanks for the tip. You make a very valid point. I would have had to learn that the hard way. hahaha

[@SolamenteVees]

I like these videos so much, I watch them over and over, pretending it’s the first time.

[@mk1rocco16v]

I really dig the pace that you teach. I've been working on guitars for a while now, but I actually learned some new tricks. No BS. Straight to it. It should never take more than 10 seconds to string a guitar in a vid, unless it's actually a stringing vid. Straight to the point.

[@stealthbum34]

Ordered that string tree from you today all the way from Finland. Thanks for that Stew!

[@guitarhiker4449]

Beautiful setup Dan!! Happy to see a simple squier strat upgrade setup video!! Squiers are great guitars in my opinion with just a few small mods. Spot on as always!!

[@jjerg]

Little pro tips like a piece of tape on the bit, makes life so much easier. Thanks Mr Dan for all the great info & the years of knowledge from a legend that you share with us. 🤘🏼

[@JohnOhkumaThiel]

I’ve been playing guitar 14 months, though I’m originally a sax player from childhood. Not much you can do to a sax to upgrade it, but a guitar, wow, I may start with a Squier Bullet, but this might be the best instrument I ever own. So far I upgraded the tuners to Fender locking tuners, and the nut and string trees to GraphTech. I’m still not used to the fact that I don’t need to tune the guitar every five minutes. It’s not about being a gear nerd; as I became a better guitarist, I needed a better guitar. Learning to upgrade the guitar I have saved me hundreds of dollars, and I doubt a ‘better’ instrument would have actually been better. My Squier Bullet Stratocaster I bought for $90 in a thrift shop in Japan is basically like an $800 Fender Deluxe at this point. Sure, eventually I’m going to need a professional level instrument, but because of your lessons I can get to that professional level with what I already have. I went with the Fender locking tuners, had to use a reamer-first time-to make the holes big enough for the new tuners. I wisely saved the sawdust from reaming and drilling the holes so that when I filled in the old holes with a mix of glue and sawdust they were color matched. Tip from Experience: If the new tuners don’t totally fit in the holes you reamed, ream them just a little bit more until they do. It should be a snug fit, but those pegs should be touching and making impressions on wood before you install them. I have a question about using the radius gauge to set the string saddles. I am constantly setting my string saddles. Is this performance versus engineering? it seems to me, using a gauge is not the way to go. At least, there is a matter of tilt. Logically, the thicker strings will be ‘higher’ than the thinner strings, so the gauge will be lopsided.

[@gorgon9786]

Hey! I wanna inform everyone, that if your guitar goes out of tune, Squiers should not need to, if you're got original Squier tuning machines... Look at the nut rather.. Strings should lay on top of the nut, - not buried down in the nut, seek free movement in the nut, and the stability is very often in the cut of the nut..

[@frankn4skeen]

With the Elixir 10-52 that I use on my main Strat, and the staggered locking tuners installed, I don't need any string tree AT ALL ... huge improvement.

[@sherpa59]

I was missing the old man! Great as usual

[@BaronVonSchnarffler]

This is hands down best guitar repair mod channel on KZbin! Great Work and Love the Guests too! Keep up the good work! 👍😎

[@thebipolarbear1]

As a man that loves the squier affinity series I really enjoyed this video. The squier affinity line is amazing. Recently Phillip from know your gear interviewed a fender custom shop master builder and asked him Wich squier he would buy . He looked at guitars from really higher end to the bullet at the bottom. And his reaction to the affinity Stratocaster was epic to me because he couldn't believe the quality. If anyone out there is thinking of buying one . And you like black or sunburst just get the kit. The guitar is two hundred, the kits two hundred and with the kit you get a bag, a fender frontman ten amp, picks, digital tuner and more. You'll never go wrong. Then add these mods and you'll have one amazing instrument that will last you the rest of your life if you cherish it and protect it and maintain it. If your somebody that doesn't have a guitar yet I promise it's a investment you'll never regret. Thank you again stewmac for another great video

[@jas_bataille]

I couldn’t agree more. I recently picked up a Squier Affinity and I was blown away by it. 60$ used with the amp, stand and gif bag!!! I sounds SO great!! Just need to do those mods and then I’ll have a great guitar for less than 200$!! Plus add in a better jack of course

[@thebipolarbear1]

Absolutely. I'm glad you got one. They're truly fantastic. When a fender custom shop master builder praises it you know you got a good one. The bullet line is decent but for the extra couple dollars you just can't beat it. All I buy is affinity series. I might break the mold and get a classic vibe next but that's mostly for cosmetic reasons. And like you said there is so many great mods for these including what's in this video, the idea of paying a thousand dollars for the fender version is ludicrous lol

[@ridemx1416]

Try out a squier standard. I have a fender player strat and I play my squier standard more after a tuner swap and new nut. Great guitar and found it for $40

[@chasmenear7130]

You are a great luthier, and were (and still are) always a guiding light! I became a restoration luthier largely because of you- quite some time ago! Thank you sir!

[@jackpalczynski7884]

I've made the mistake of buying a Squier now and then. Mostly stick with Mexican strats and teles. What I find with every Squier is that the frets are like roller coasters. I use the Ron Kirn method and level and crown the frets and it solves that problem. Then sand the back of the neck and of course lube the nut, saddles and string trees. Then it plays great to the feel. The next problem is the ice pick in your ear sounding pickups and junk pots which are easy to replace. While I'm in there, I put foil on the back of the pick guard and ground it solidly to reduce the noise caused by ambients and by static electricity build up. Then you've got a much improved, good sounding guitar.

[@michael_caz_nyc]

I also love the Fender American Standard String Guides. Made a huge difference on my vintage Strat's Tuning stability. Love Dan's tips & tricks.

[@TheDetherageDialect]

So glad I have one of these laying around from when I was a kid. Gives me the confidence to take things apart and learn about all the care required for such instruments without worrying about damaging a more expensive guitar. Ironically, I was having quite a bit of fun playing my old Squier after I spent a few hours cleaning it up/out, setting it up, restringing, polishing, etc. It actually feels good to play now. I wish someone would have told me about this 12 years ago when all my 6th grade friends convinced me that my Christmas Squier wasn't worth playing!

[@bobspringer5370]

You need to quit hanging out with grade schoolers, people are starting to talk.

[@gorgon9786]

Great! And about 6th graders,. Thats the age when listening to what "pros" are telling is law.. Many younger persons being told what equipment is good or not,. Starts generally at this age.! Buy what you can afford! The Squire series are great instruments for a lower cost!.

[@Guacamolian]

Maybe his voice and mannerisms are just soothing to watch and hear. Guitar asmr

[@artofnoly9754]

I'm chuffed!! I got to see one of your vids before it hit 1,000 views!! Another mod I did... to my '62 reissue USA fat Strat deluxe... (in crimson transparent... Fender color number 38) was to replace the nut with an LSR roller... not what you'd call a quick mod though. I took my time with that one... in truth it was a bit of a nail bighter. But I followed the directions and she (Aphrodite) plays like a million bucks now. I'm a serious trem user, and she holds tune perfectly. Thanx again Dan. You are always watchable. P.S. I was 'Like' number 114. 'View' number 896.

[@leftymadrid]

You know, I love this channel, I have a Squire Stratocaster Standard, made in Indonesia, has alnico pickups, two point bridge, saddles are the newer ones... I was thinking of doing some upgrades to it BUT AFTER doing a setup, to my personal specs, and changing to 10-46 D'addrios , and playing it for some time, I found that the frets and neck were so ON that I could have the set up with very low action!!!! The type of action that you can only get away with on REALLY expensive necks... I was surprised even more when I saw it held tune!! Sure the tuning keys are so so BUT the sound is pretty incredible!! So, I decided to not touch a thing, so no up-grades for this Squire :-) maybe some locking keys in, the future but really not necessary now... I noticed that the Squire guitars made in Indonesia are "extremely well made" mind blowing actually, the bridge and alnicos make a difference too, but the build was flawless, specifically the neck!!!

[@ridemx1416]

I also have an Indonesian squier standard and I agree it was made quite well. Only thing I did to mine is tuners and a bone nut and set it up and plays amazing.

[@tommyrock4684]

I agree. But, I did have to play through six Indonesian made Squier Bullet Strats until I found the ONE that was above and beyond. It's all about the neck, frets and tone of the wood. Lots of uneven quality among these guitars, but when you find one that has "IT" you are amazed that you only paid $200 for it. I plan on upgrading the tuning machines and the pickups. Other than that, it's ready to play.

[@ramencurry6672]

Agreed. While I normally upgrade my guitars, even expensive USA models. Some of my guitars even budget ones remain stock and nothing changed. Surprisingly, they can be perfect in stock form

[@williamclontz1479]

You should consider doing another video like this with a squier bass A lot of guitar players want to invest in a bass but fenders can be pretty expensive for a secondary instrument

[@spawn302]

If the bass feels fine (no playability issues) then invest in an amp more than anything.

[@jas_bataille]

Belfers You don’t get it do you? It you’re already a guitar player you can play through a bass amp (the reverse is indeed not true... at least not without risking your cabinet, and sometimes transformers over time!). So this adress guitar players who have the amp for both guitar and bass but want to buy a cheap bass and have play good.

[@glennlilley8608]

I would imagine quite a few bass players would consider that comment a slap in the face

[@jamesbrasfield2944]

As a bass player, I consider this a slap in the face

[@Jamestele1]

For some reason, I like watching luthiers do their work. It's relaxing: probably because I'm a musician nerd.

[@grimmer33]

Dan fixed my late fathers Gibson hummingbird did a great job been watching his vids ever since would like to meet him and thank him in person one day

[@skydogstudio]

I would change the nut and string trees with tusq versions putting in that goofy 3 position string tree is odd and it leaves a hole in the peg head. then save some more money and get some hum cancelling pickups I have dimarzio virtual vintage pups in my strat and they sound great

[@rockstarimotski]

Those saddles are amazing idea. I wish I heard of that sooner, before I sold my hand cutting Fender Strat

[@MrJabbawaky]

Always love mod videos like this! I’d love to see some complex electronic mods, if you guys are up for it!

[@smittywarbenyagermangensen4860]

Jade Sutherland how to do shielding and every problem with static noise, grounding, etc.

[@garyjones7044]

How about series parrallel switch

[@riverludington5293]

This is absolutely excellent! I would probably recommend the Wilkinson Locking saddles to also eliminate tuning issues at the saddle, but this is excellent

[@tyecook9630]

I'm just a home hobby player and I'm seriously considering a new affinity stratocaster and these simple upgrades seem like a great idea.

[@shaurya6601]

Get a Mexican strat instead of a Squire instead. It will cost the same with all of this in place with Fender build quality.

[@ridemx1416]

Get a classic vibes squier. They are amazing guitars for the price

[@sheremadness]

I just got an Affinity Strat for $50 used, will be doing these upgrades for sure. Hipshot locking tuners are $55 on Amazon and rival all the best from what I've heard. 👍

[@tyecook9630]

@@sheremadness $50?...wow, that's a steal...definitely worth putting a few bucks into to really make it great

[@sheremadness]

@@tyecook9630 its pretty nice the way it is. I had to replace a few bridges screws and make a couple adjustments but it plays okay. Im no pro but i do like a well playing instrument. Mine is the HSS. I dont care for the bridge Humbucker, its a fairly shitty pickup so im going to swap out all of them with a pre-wired 3 single coil set up. 👍

[@markbois1713]

One thing that always drives me crazy is sharp saddle screws I've seen this on high end guitars too, it's nice to know companies are addressing this problem.

[@richgarners]

I just buy short screw for like $4 online. They don't have to be tall if a lot is sticking out so I buy 3mm. I don't hear the difference in saddles much, but maybe I'll try again in a few years.

[@evol1978]

Hi, I'm from Italy! I also made this change to the mechanics of my Squire Strat Affinity. Now it's ok!👌

[@BlueberryStinkFinger62]

The craftsmanship on those overseas guitars is Remarkable its actually been that way for the past 25 years and why the bigger companies like Gibson are struggling from overseas your getting professional quality craftsmanship with out the Ridiculous price tags...Jay Turser JT50 Custom Sg with Gold hardware is a perfect example of professional craftsmanship....

[@par4ezTroy]

Keep the drillings from the new tuner drilled holes. Mix the drillings with wood glue and use mixture to fill the empty hole from the removed D string tree.

[@michaelross1339]

Good call. Sawdust and wood glue is the good filler. Xlnt comment.

[@cloudhop]

Clear and good video…no showing off playing fuzz guitar (pointless) ….just good experienced info.

[@StratTalkin]

I usually do these mods and more. Always add AlNico V Prewired pickguard To replace the ceramics. I like using Fleor 3ply Because the five way blade selector has position two and four noise canceling like an american strat.. Also I always add, Fender infinity lock strap lock nuts. I usually do the bridge saddles with Fender Pure Vintage and tuners at the same time as to not have to string it up twice. One of my custom mod Fenders is for sale on kijiji right now. FSR Natural finish 2 PT Tremolo Fully upgraded... And a pretty darn good price too.

[@richardthomas9198]

I now like locking tuners, fast string changes. I'm thinking about a roller nut and possibly a new bridge , go to square block saddles to replace the bent steel. Any thoughts? I have a 2015 American special with Kingman 0 hum Woodstock set of pups, rosewood fretboard. Love the guitar 2 tone burst and I swapped the white pg for black, viola

[@endezeichengrimm]

The smooth top Saddles are essential.

[@daveycmusic5150]

Gotohs are nice. I use Planet Waves auto trims. The shaft of the tuner cuts the string AND hides the end inside the shaft! No pokes with the string end!!!!

[@marinsrumtorvund224]

This chanel is the best i've seen this year. StewMac keep it going

[@stevenmgyori3826]

Great tips and explanation! Helpful to many budget minded musicians! Thanks for sharing brother!

[@michaelross1339]

Dan gives three mods, but does not imply that they are the "top three", etc. The single pin tuners on many Affinitys are decent vs the awful trapezoid junk with the smaller headstock holes. Many locking tuners negate string trees, but a good mod for standard tuners. With my 71/2" radius Strats, I have angled saddles, "it-don't matter" on my others, as they rest on two screws, not one. It's a good video. There are other obvious mods, like good pickups, or whatever, but it pretty much goes without saying. I wound up with an Affinity Strat as it was the backline guitar for our open mic, and I snagged it at a good pawn shop because it was so tight and played well. I still use it, and may sleeper it with full Fender pots and wiring or other full guts replacement, and gig with it. For that matter, the tuners seem to be holding up, but would replace with gig-grade tuners if I was using it on a regular basis. Good Alnico pickups and setups are out there for good prices, and this is one Affinity I would spend pickup $$$ on, except I scored another pawn shop score that has a Seymor Duncan bridge pup and two potted Alnico pups that some guy swapped onto a Squier Strat score thank you Fast Cash!

[@bcarr3116]

The volume knob location move is my latest mod to my Strat. It keeps me from changing volumes while playing. Please make a video about this. Good Video Thank you

[@williardbillmore5713]

The best mods I did to my Strat that keep it in perfect tune when I use the whammy bar are roller trees that eliminate friction by allowing the strings to completely return to the original tension with roller bearings that can even be lubricated with a light oil for zero friction. The other is the installation of a zero fret. Cut a narrow shelf half the width of a fret into the nut, level with the fretboard and a fret kerf between the nut and fingerboard . I used a fine coping saw with low tension on the blade so the blade will follow the radius of the finger board when cutting the shelf.Then deepen the string notches in the nut with appropriate nut files. A stainless steel fret can then be inserted, dressed and polished. The zero fret needs to be the same height and radius as the necks other frets and should be made of stainless steel. The strings will now ride on the zero fret with none of the binding and friction they had on the plastic or bone nut. The nut will now only be a guide and not a bearing surface, holding the space between strings allowing stretching and relaxing without grabbing. The zero fret also gives open strings a more chimelike tone just like fretted notes with increased sustain. I found that intonation and action were also optimized with this mod because the string height at the zero fret is perfect for every string. String notches in a nut are always cut a bit too high to allow for wear. My Strat sounds fantastic and always stays in perfect tune after whammy bar use. The zero fret mod is a little more involved but well worth the investment in the time and patience it took to make a few precision cuts. I used a stainless steel fret because the greater hardness of stainless steel will keep it from wearing notches in the Zero fret as the strings ride over it. The purchase of one stainless steel fret was the only cost in terms of money for this mod. I used to apply graphite to the plastic nut to try to achieve the same benefit but it didn't completely do the job and would only last a little while. I love the ability to use the whammy bar now without worrying if it will return to pitch. It now always does. The zero frest is a permanent solution to a problem that all Strats with whammy bars have.

[@Mr.Monster1313]

I love the tape trick for the saddles..

[@tagacale1733]

the locking tuners alone costs more than the guitar lol

[@ViaticalTree]

First Last Did you reply to the wrong comment? He didn’t say the guitar was bad.

[@liampezzano]

Got mine for $30 on Ebay. Grovers with the exposed back, they look awesome, and work great. They may be worth more than that Strat, but they don't HAVE to cost more.

[@yourdoublechin7377]

Yeah. The Fender ones are only 80 dollars

[@joeybowles4687]

@@liampezzano can you send me a link to them

[@liampezzano]

@@joeybowles4687 Sorry, they're at 50 at the moment. Still a discount. www.ebay.com/itm/Hipshot-CHROME-3-3-GripLock-Open-Gear-Locking-Guitar-Machines-3x3-Tuners-w-UMP/131789540913?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

[@davidthegood]

Dan is a master - thank you.

[@ericnelson966]

Excellent!! I desperately needed this help!! Thank You!!

[@mahmoudeledrissi7234]

that was the best thing i have done to my squier now it look and feels awesome thank you very much,,,

[@Tom-us9yb]

Thanks ! Great demo ! I have a Mexican strat and a squire affinity , love your dedication to the craft ! 🖖

[@Dman216]

Another great mod is replacing the block to a steel bock for more sustain and a bell like resonance but a standard fender strat block is taller and the screws are diffrently spaced and it will stick out of the back so youll have to get a 39mm "Shorty" Solid Steel Tremolo Block 10.5m Import Spec and youll love the way it sounds over the hollow more deadened zinc block they come with

[@liys540]

for me replacement : 1.Tremolo bridge 2.nut 3.pots 4. pickups or installiing a noise cancelling device in the strat 5. tuners 6, strap locks

[@em6180]

All your videos are superb! Thank you for all these tips. Regards from France

[@lionellovanoni733]

Dan is the best!

[@elpablosky6300]

This great because the fender and the Squier classic vibe 70s are out of my rangue $ , thanks for post this 🙏👍

[@user-sz5xs7dm4u]

Sir , you are wizard , a true professional , I only have one question , why are there 35 dislikes on this wonderful information you have been kind enough to share , well the only thing I can think of is , like the old saying goes , you can lead a horse to water but you can't make the horse drink , I guess it goes to show , there will always be a horse's ass somewhere , Thank You Sir , and for the dislikes , go and stick your head back up , where the sun doesn't shine , Great Video : )

[@DarioVarasG]

I love the StewMac Trade Secrets, but this one got me nuts: aren’t you supposed to take out string trees when you have staggered machines? All factory guitars (Fender, MusicMan) that have such tuners don’t have string trees installed in the first place.

[@Kylora2112]

Yeah, string trees should only ever be a last resort (and should never be on a guitar with an angled headstock).

[@AlexHarvey1980]

Is the break angle over the nut sufficient? If yes thenno tree is needed, if not a tree or similar device to improve the angle is needed. The theory is that you don't need one with staggered tuners, in practice you might benefit from one. That is the difference between theory/marketing and practice.

[@nazmoking3171]

I was also shocked when he put strings trees on a guitar with staggered tuners. I though that was the whole idea with staggered tuners was to get rid of the friction caused by the string trees 😳

[@RogerKayeGuitar]

@@nazmoking3171 you're right, but with this particular guitar the nut slots are not as deep as you get with some nuts. That's because this nut isn't tall enough. My strat has a tall nut. I have the nut slots deep enough so the strings don't fly off the nut. Hope this helps!

[@fransvenrooy4760]

They usually don't recommend staggered tuners, because the strings can pop out sometimes. I have heard that normal tuners with string trees are just great.

[@nimrodsasson1123]

wow the trick with the nack saddles (i removed also for 1,2,3,4 strings) help to to fix my tuning problem !! thanks !!!!!!!!

[@evilcowboy]

Tips to make a squire play good. Tip 1, measure the body thickness, measure the locations of pick guard holes, measure the string spacing. Now realize nothing made for the American Fender strat will fit a squire. Now go buy a Fender Strat. By the time you are done updating a Squire Strat with what they truly need (tone block needs to be replaced too) you could have bought either a Mexican Strat or a basic American Strat (I am talking about that budget strat sold under Fenders name like the Highway One strat and whatever they are calling it now). Squire Strats really should only be upgraded if you bought it extremely cheap or you just want a project to do. They aren't junk and play fairly decent as is, the only place you can really find parts is Guitar Fetish who sells parts specifically made for import strats. But you got to read when buying the parts as he also sells stuff for the American Strats. The body thickness of the Squire is why an American Strat tone block won't work in them (they stick out the back because the squire measures 1.5 inch thick, the strat body always has been 1.75 inches thick)

[@davidpeterfia]

Beautiful sound and playing!

[@TheTerryd5150]

Solid video; presenter has an excellent tutorial-type style.

[@KP-ne1cg]

I've got a squire just like that and I've been wanting to do the exact same thing. Thanks for the info.

[@jonahguitarguy]

Those saddles are great. I've spent years getting the set up on Strats perfect and then pulling all the adjuster screws out and shortening them to a non painful height.

[@soncross]

Stew Mac, I would appreciate if you guys shows the mods for modern guitar too. Such as Ibanes... etc. Thanks a million! Great Channel

[@juliansedor7101]

Use Schaller or Fender brand locking tuners, you can get them with the pins so you don't have to drill any holes.

[@SuriSanJose]

Time to relax. Thank you for this.

[@JohnOhkumaThiel]

I fill old holes by dipping a similar sized sticks of wood such as toothpicks, wooden screwers, or disposable chopsticks in a bit of wood glue, stick them in the holes, break them off, then later use just about any kind of blade to cut or shave them flush to the surface, for which I could also use an emory board or even a nail clipper. ----- I have a string action gauge that works just great. I think it's better to measure each string's height off the fretboard at the twefth or fifteenth fret, and alter for personal preference or when I encounter a problem such as string buzz. Same with pickup height, I start with the default and move them up or down for preferred tone.

[@TechnoRiff]

Dan is a master!

[@whatwouldhousedo5136]

Anyone who gives this a thumbs down has no idea that they are watching a master craftsman and probably the best guitar repair person on earth.

[@artofnoly9754]

Love those saddles. My Tele needs an upgrade in that dept.

[@pao2725]

I want that thing hes wearing on his head so i can tune my guitar with no fear

[@nxlvi]

Glasses?

[@ryanbennett8434]

Hahahahaha!!

[@sheremadness]

Need one myself!

[@terrycapewell1717]

Superb guitar mechanic !!!

[@michaelguzzetti3389]

Can you make a video on replacing the pickups on a squier?

[@metalheadblues]

Just buy a preloaded pickguard on Amazon and swap out all the electronics. They are usually under $50

[@runlarryrun77]

@@metalheadblues The trouble with those is that you have to be careful what you buy. Often the pickups & electrics are inferior to the ones you're replacing.

[@ridemx1416]

@@runlarryrun77 agreed spend a little more money and get one from guitar fetish or stratosphere. I have done gfs pick ups in an epiphone and they sound amazing

[@mayousimon1]

Can I ask you a question please about the squire stratocaster guitar? One is pickups can you choose from a perfect ideal prefer make as the squire uses cheaper sound microphone with magnetic on backs. And two instead of the saddle what about the whole tremolo unit? As I changed my own squire stratocaster I have problems with tremolo block as too thin body for example original fender stratocaster tremolo block does not or will fit inside a square that is why I have problems with my own squire stratocaster. What you recommend to change on the squire stratocaster to have a great nice guitar as many of us KZbin viewers who'd have been in this situation is to have good budget fender stratocaster guitar from squire but with the goods inside them to have that authentic sound. Thanks for your videos highly appreciated and recommended for your advice.

[@gabor222]

I like the idea of staggered tuners but my experience is that for Squiers the tuner is the last component that makes tuning issues. Better nut and string trees (Graphtech for example) are more important.

[@garyjones7044]

Mine holds tune just fine it's getting there that's the problem, it just doesn't wind up to pitch nice and smooth like a good runner does

[@stringbender57]

Excellent upgrades!

[@Mattwest1985]

Very helpful. I did the tuners and just that helped so much.

[@andriealinsangao613]

He's back!

[@mstheroff]

I was actually getting kind of worried, TBH. None of us are getting any younger.

[@andriealinsangao613]

@@mstheroff Yeah...

[@yjkwon79]

Great videos!! I am now understanding what all those things are for!!

[@stealthbum34]

Do you know if the Highwood saddles are compatible with import Squiers? Mine was made in Indonesia for Europe sales. Thanks!

[@Steinstra-vj7wl]

Yes, they will fit. You need the 10.5 mm width saddles for your Squire .

[@PETERODZZ]

I got to find this guy to set up guitars. This was great.

[@kevycanavan]

Could you do a video on stretching strings properly please?

[@calebproductions5970]

Roller Saddles are a very good idea as well

[@fransvenrooy4760]

Tuners for a squier seems to be a special model if you don't want to drill new holes. I think Gotoh sells those locking tuners. Or lock in?? 🤔 🤭 And I want to say that you guys are the best there are in these branche!! Man I respect your craftsmanship so much I almost can sing a song about it!!! Thanx y'all!!!! 😉🎸🎼🎶🎶☮️🤘☯️👍👍🦉👌❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶

[@docjeffry]

Cool! Thanks for the tips.

[@TheToneLounge]

Cool video! I got the same guitar and want to do some easy mods to it. Looks like I'll have to look at buying those parts for my Strat. Cheers

[@Anonymous.android]

I love this man's voice

[@AmpAHolic-wn6mr]

I don’t care for the locking tuners on most guitars. They work well, but I prefer the tone of the original kluson’s. When strung right you can keep them in tune fairly consistently. The new saddles from highwood look like a great idea. Looking forward to giving them a go. As usual Dan is the man. Love his videos and repair advice.