NGD Squier Strat

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 1:30 am

Came all dirty and stickered up.

I dig it. It also needs a dowel in the lower strap knob. What are people doing that is getting those to rip out?? LOL It is an Affinity series. Seems to have noiseless pickups installed. All the electronics work and it sound good. (Even with the sh!tty old strings on it.) Has locking tuners on it. The high E one needs to be replaced.

IMG_1103 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

IMG_1105 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

IMG_1107 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

IMG_1110 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

IMG_1111 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

IMG_1112 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

IMG_1113 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

IMG_1116 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

IMG_1117 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

IMG_1120 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 2:43 am

I hate to admit it but I like the big bandaid sticker.

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 3:14 am

I normally hate guitars when I put stickers on them.... But fortunately I didn't do these, so I actually really like the look of it.

sholkham · Post by **sholkham** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 11:14 am

the bandage is cool but is that a magic the gathering card taped to the front?

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 5:05 pm

From what I hear it is a Yu-Gi-Oh card. It is the "four spotted ladybug of doom" card.

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 10:24 pm

Swapped out the Yu-Gi-Oh card with one of my EMP Nirvana exibit stickers. I also added a Sean Ryan pedal sticker to the back. I got it with the first SRC pedal I got.

IMG_1161 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

IMG_1162 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

IMG_1163 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

IMG_1165 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Sun Oct 28, 2012 7:38 pm

Size 3/16 dowel is glued in and the end is painted black just for fun. Once I get my straplocks for it, I will drill a new hole for the screw and it will be a nice solid install.

IMG_1174 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Sun Oct 28, 2012 8:44 pm

Ace. Probably plays and sounds as good as any of your other guitars?

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Sun Oct 28, 2012 8:56 pm

The resonance is actually really nice with this one. The neck is satin, but doesn't feel like some of the other Squier necks I have played with that have a plastic feel. Smooth vs cheap if that makes sense. The Noiseless pickups sound great. I haven't opened it up, but I wouldn't be surprised if the pots had been upgraded too considering the tuners and pickups had been upgraded. I just adjusted the truss rod and I was able to get the action super low which is how I prefer it. I won't be able to completely intonate it until I get new strings. These are beat to hell and I think are pretty junky.

Strap locks should arrive for this and the Peavey bass Thursday. Can't wait to get some new strings on her as well.

Honestly it does play as well as my others. I have a pretty large selection of guitars. If Squier are often hit or miss.... this one is a hit.

ekwatts · Post by **ekwatts** » Sun Oct 28, 2012 9:10 pm

That's a good sticker on the back there, where it won't be seen by anyone.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Sun Oct 28, 2012 9:15 pm

HNB wrote:Honestly it does play as well as my others. I have a pretty large selection of guitars. If Squier are often hit or miss.... this one is a hit.

Them Squier Strats are ridiculously good, I had a red one from Cash Converters, cost me Â£50 and it was as good as anything. It was quite an embarrassing realisation to be honest.

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Sun Oct 28, 2012 9:26 pm

Fran wrote:
HNB wrote:Honestly it does play as well as my others. I have a pretty large selection of guitars. If Squier are often hit or miss.... this one is a hit.
Them Squier Strats are ridiculously good, I had a red one from Cash Converters, cost me Â£50 and it was as good as anything. It was quite an embarrassing realisation to be honest.

It just goes to show it doesn't really matter who made it or where it was made. Good guitars can be found anywhere. I have played some expensive US guitars that didn't thrill me and some cheap pawn shop ones like this that I really like. Some guitars just have it... regardless of the sticker price.

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 2:09 am

Since I got the truss rod adjustment sorted out, I decided to take off the grubby strings that came on the guitar so I could clean the filthy neck and under the strings on the pickguard. I also decided to take out the other strap button so it would be ready for the strap locks coming in. Good thing I did.... that one was held in with super glue... meaning when I tried to unscrew it, it fell out.... so I doweled it also. Once it dries, I will dab some black paint there as well. The crusty glue around the button should have been the tip off. Glad I found it out before trying to have it hang from the strap.. LOL

Here it is filled.

IMG_1175 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

Body is clean.

IMG_1176 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

Honestly one of the dirtiest necks I have ever cleaned. Took three rounds of scrubbing with Weiman Lemon Oil... Looks good now, and smells good.

IMG_1177 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

Got the dust off of the headstock.

IMG_1178 by Hentai No Baka, on Flickr

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 3:20 am

My friend/bandmate's matching dark blue Squier Strat AND P-bass duo were the best feeling/sounding Squiers I ever played, I used to joke with him that he was quite blessed indeed. He recently "upgraded" to an MIM Fender Standard Tele and I'm of the firm opinion that it's dogshit compared to his Squier Affinity Strat, not that I'd ever tell him directly.

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 3:29 am

I don't know if all the Affinitys are like this one, but if they are, they are a total bargin. I basically paid $50 for this. I am fairly positive the pawn shop didn't realize the Noiseless pickups were not stock.

mixtape · Post by **mixtape** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 4:14 am

HNB wrote:I don't know if all the Affinitys are like this one, but if they are, they are a total bargin.

Hmmm... that's good to know. If I remember correctly, a good friend of mine has one that she never plays and would probably sell me for a song if I asked. At some point I probably ought to own a strat just to get it off the bucket list. I was going to try it out once, but it was very late and I was very drunk, so I think we decided against plugging it in and waking the neighbors.

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 4:16 am

I keep getting strats and then selling them. This one seems to suit me well. Time will tell though right?

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 12:31 pm

HNB wrote:I basically paid $50 for this. I am fairly positive the pawn shop didn't realize the Noiseless pickups were not stock.

I'd say the price you paid was fair, given that the guitar is missing some stock parts and has been drilled a tad extra to fit the 11-hole pickguard (affinities use the '50s pattern, two less screws and some are in different places near the switch).
It seems to now be a touchy subject as to whether a Squier with nice aftermarket pickups in it should be worth MORE or LESS... on the one hand, it's no longer stock/original, on the other it's just a dime-a-dozen Squier that had cheap bits anyway... but charging guitar retail + aftermarket pickup retail is just an eBay trick IMO (never agreed with it myself), you're basically selling the pickups more than you are the guitar (and overcharging for both given that they're used).
The deal seems fairer in player terms of course, and I'd agree you made a nice score on the Noiseless units too as I guess you could sell them for more than you paid for the whole shebang if you didn't like them.

Is the neck on wonky? It looks kind of tilted towards the left and in all the pics of the guitar strung up the inlays/outer string spacing seems off.

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 12:50 pm

Probably just the camera angle and the fact that the G B E strings were black. (I think they were supposed to look like nickel at one point. LOL) Once I get fresh strings on, I will do a picture again.

Brandon W · Post by **Brandon W** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 7:42 pm

I'm working on my old squier. It's ugly but it plays so good. It's relevant to the sticker thing...

-

I keep taking stickers off and putting more and back and forth. Right now i left some of the first stickers i put in '96 when i got her, and only a couple of new ones. It's not pretty sitting here but in certain lights it looks better. Everyone that plays it loves it.