is that a new jaguar, squire?

[stewart]

How does the Squier immediately compare with the 66? I imagine they are similar enough to make you feel uncomfortable thinking about the price difference. Since I got my Jag I haven't thought about how much I paid for it, and I think that is a good policy.

I don't regret buying my old one for a second. The Squier's nice enough, just like Japanese ones are, and once you've been playing them for 5 or 10 minutes you're used to them. Then you pick up the '66 again and it's all over.

[stewart]

which I am assuming you're too modest to post

modest? not at all, it's because i look like a fat, balding chump rather than the stick-thin indie elf of my youth. it's a nice shirt though.

I still laugh at the 'half chewed tennis ball' hairstyle description

Man, fuck you Fran, you beautifully-haired bastard.

[othomas2]

Nice buy !!

Regarding the clay dots, don't they just need a clean up ? I can scrape the gunk off my 61 Jazzy dot inlays with my fingernail, or are they just generally too dull ?

[markeeee]

Unless you're desperate for a trem-lock, replace the bridge before you buy a new tailpiece. I put a Stay-trem bridge on and it sorted everything out, including the trem, which, if you pushed it down too far, made a loud clang and put the tuning out.

The nut was by far the biggest problem for me. Crappy, poorly cut grey plastic thing. Had to go.

[MattK]

Made for a belting video though, which I am assuming you're too modest to post so I will...

Well that was a fucking cool song, if I stumbled into a bar and found a band like that playing I would be well pleased.

[stewart]

Unless you're desperate for a trem-lock, replace the bridge before you buy a new tailpiece. I put a Stay-trem bridge on and it sorted everything out, including the trem, which, if you pushed it down too far, made a loud clang and put the tuning out.

The nut was by far the biggest problem for me. Crappy, poorly cut grey plastic thing. Had to go.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention the nut- it feels like it's made from a piece or rubber, dreadful thing. I do desperately need a trem lock, unfortunately.

Owen- have scraped the muck off before but it doesn't last long. One of the 12th fret markers on the side of the neck has disintegrated. It's fine in good light, but on a dark stage, it's a nightmare.

[luciguci]

initial thoughts- the bridge and tailpiece are guff, and i'll have to swap them out (need a trem lock). the bridge pickup is a wee bit 'honky' sounding

I have the same issues with my Squier Jaguar. I intend to replace the bridge with a Wilkinson locking roller bridge (I've got my SG's TOM on there right now) and replace the trem with either an AVRI or Japanese trem. I've locked down the stock trem by tightening the tension on the spring. For now, especially since I don't have the reverb handle.

The bridge pickup is too thick sounding for me, kinda humbuckery and dark, which I have attributed to the bridge pickup being really hot; after a bit of research, i found that the DD SC-101 pickups are ~11k in the bridge and ~7-8k in the neck (and middle, since they are supposed to be Strat pickups). I would replace them, if Jaguar pickups weren't so pricy. Everything else, I love about the guitar.

[MattK]

I've often wondered if the guts of a Strat pickup would fit in the claw and case of a Jag, because you can buy cheap Strat pickups all day to whatever wind resistance you like. To my mind the Jag sound comes just as much from the tailpiece/bridge rig and the placement of the pickup at that particular point along the string.
If a pickup is too hot and muddy you can do a surprising amount by backing it away from the strings as far as possible - can be surprising.

[luciguci]

I've often wondered if the guts of a Strat pickup would fit in the claw and case of a Jag, because you can buy cheap Strat pickups all day to whatever wind resistance you like. To my mind the Jag sound comes just as much from the tailpiece/bridge rig and the placement of the pickup at that particular point along the string.
If a pickup is too hot and muddy you can do a surprising amount by backing it away from the strings as far as possible - can be surprising.

As to the Strat pickups, they have triangular bases as opposed to Jag pickup bases, which are flush with the bobbin, as so:

► Show Spoiler

I suppose, if you really wanted to and could, you could cut the Strat pickup's base to fit in the routes.

And as to lowering the pickup, it wouldn't go very far, and at some point, the neck pickup became much louder than the bridge position, no matter how low either pickup went.

[MattK]

Forgot the base - was thinking of the cheap shitty ones I have pulled out of Strat copies, although they often have the ceramic magnet underneath anyway. And yeah, pickup lowering isn't magical, but it costs nothing to try ...

[NickS]

Normally the wires run from the bobbin to the ferrules in the sticky-out bit on the Strat pickup so you can't cut it off.

[othomas2]

Owen- have scraped the muck off before but it doesn't last long. One of the 12th fret markers on the side of the neck has disintegrated. It's fine in good light, but on a dark stage, it's a nightmare.

Ok, Hows about some little tiny luminous dots as side markers or somethin' ?

Anyways, I'm sure your 'second' Jag will do the job nicely !!

[luciguci]

Normally the wires run from the bobbin to the ferrules in the sticky-out bit on the Strat pickup so you can't cut it off.

Eh, I've actually come to like the stock Jag pickups anyway. With the right speaker and proper EQ-ing, it sounds wonderfully balanced and not too honky. I found that I just need to add more treble than what I need for a Strat with the exact same Duncan Designed pickups.

[Freethenoise]

Very nice, I've considered picking up a blue one myself.
Squier really seem to have outdone themselves on this new vintage mod series.

[markeeee]

I really love mine. Can't stop playing it right now. That said, I did get the nut replaced and put the Stay-Trem bridge on. The only other thing I think I'll eventually change out is the pups - which I'm actually growing to like, if I dial the tone down a little bit.

There's a lot to be said, I think, for getting to know a guitar played clean. I have an Ampmaker Champ-ish kit amp that I play through at home and for no other reason than laziness, I rarely set my pedals up - they're all in a big bag ready for rehearsals and most of the time, I just can't be arsed. I've grown to like just playing clean and seeing what the guitar really sounds like. Helps my playing too.

[Brandon W]

A+ on the shirt and the guitar...

[stewart]

this guitar needed the usual in terms of setup- a big shim (well, two business cards thick and it needs more) and the bridge jacked up. stability is better as a result, and it isn't fretting out past the 12th on 4 out of the 6 strings as it was when i brought it home...

still planning on changing the trem and probably the nut too.

[dots]

is that extra shimming a result of a thinner neck or a deeper neck pocket?

[stewart]

just my preference, i should say. a higher bridge seems to give it a wee bit more string tension. seems to solve any string-popping issues.

[MattK]

I have wondered if just before changing strings, one could hold a metal rod or a bolt or something in contact with each of the old strings, where it sat on the saddle, and give it a tap with a hammer to very slightly "snug" the saddle groove shape to the string. Less drastic than filing, and because the groove shape would match the radius of the string, hold more securely.

Don't know what it would do to a new string though, probably fatally weaken it.

I will be changing some strings on a Jazzmaster in a week or two, will give it a shot.