2011 squier cyclone review, comments + pickup mod

jpop12 · Post by **jpop12** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 9:02 pm

hello, shortscale community.
did a bunch of digging around in the forums after i decided i
was going to buy a 2011 cyclone.
lots of good information here.

thoughts on the lp blue cyclone:
(ordered online. have spent about 2
hours noodling with it.)

overall, i really like this guitar.

finish is way better than expected.
smooth, no cracks, not marred.

neck and fret board are not lacquered-
kind of a "satin" finish on neck. feels good.

intonation is good.
stays in tune, even with light tremolo
usage.

raised the single coil a bit.
dropped the humbucker quite a lot.
slight adjustment to tremolo spring claw.

the sound of the humbucker is a little harsh;
roll back the volume.

the single coil by itself, and when paired with
the humbucker, sounds good- though thin.

(both could stand to be replaced.)

going to experiment with the spring tension.

might eventually drop a seymour duncan phat cat
pickup in there- a single coil P90 that fits beneath a
humbucker cover. supposedly, no mods needed.

for less than $200, this is a lot of fun.
i dig it.

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 9:03 pm

good info, and welcome!

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 9:09 pm

endsjustifymeans wrote:good info, and welcome!

+1

laterallateral · Post by **laterallateral** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 9:21 pm

Like Ends said.

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:10 pm

Thanks for the info... I'm considering getting one via the Musician's Friend ebay store since they'll ship free to PR. After christmas though... gotta see what the budget says then.

bubbastain · Post by **bubbastain** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:00 am

If anyone is getting rid of the stock humbucker in the new Cyclones let me know. Thanks

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:50 am

I had a Seymour Duncan Phat Cat in a guitar once. It was a beautiful pickup, very clear, loud, both warm and bright. I would definitely recommend it.

If you're on a budget and looking to replace both pickups, you may want to consider http://www.store.guitarfetish.com - they have quite a decent assortment of pickups and hardware of all kinds. Not affiliated with them, just like what they sell and usually my first stop for upgrading cheap guitars. Can't bring myself to spend close to $100 for a single pickup anymore.

damienblair17 · Post by **damienblair17** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 1:37 am

Gotta agree with Nick. I have nothing to do with GFS, but the Mean 90 (hum sized p90) is a great choice if you're looking for cheap replacement. I had one in the neck position of an epiphone SG. Super warm and twangy.

bubbastain · Post by **bubbastain** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:30 am

Ha Ha. No. I actually want one of the stock humbuckers from the new Squier Cyclones. I don't know what it is about that pickup, but it sounds mean and grindy with a Marshall or marshall type amp and a boost. Great thrash tone. One trick pony though. It doesn't clean up very well. Rolling back the volume also makes it sound really dull. But at full volume it's pretty neat. I have new Cyclone, an original Fender Cyclone with the Atomic humbucker and a Super Sonic with a Bare Knuckle Pickups Painkiller. THe Fender and the Super Sonic both sound better overall. But for a high gain thrash metal type tone, the stock cheap no name pickup in the new Cyclone is hard to beat. So if anyone has one of the new Cyclones and is swapping out the pickups like I imagine a good chunk of people will, I'd like to buy the stock humbucker as long as it's pretty cheap.

Thanks

Rox · Post by **Rox** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 10:49 pm

Nick wrote:I had a Seymour Duncan Phat Cat in a guitar once. It was a beautiful pickup, very clear, loud, both warm and bright. I would definitely recommend it.

If you're on a budget and looking to replace both pickups, you may want to consider http://www.store.guitarfetish.com - they have quite a decent assortment of pickups and hardware of all kinds. Not affiliated with them, just like what they sell and usually my first stop for upgrading cheap guitars. Can't bring myself to spend close to $100 for a single pickup anymore.

+1 on the PhatCats . At one time I thought they sucked but I stubbornly held onto mine and put them in my Ultra II Prototype.. They're awesome .. I prolly like them more than the Duncan 59s . Bite , they're hot but not too hot , and mostly what I love is the clear jangly tone . Love em. Never messed with the GFS ones but I'm sure they're good .. I have used their Retrotrons .. Great pickup..

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 10:53 pm

You can also go to Dragonfire guitars and check out some of their pickups. I really like their humbuckers (specially the Screamer), and their P94 style hum-sized single coils are mad cheap, too. And for like what, $25 a set...

ekwatts · Post by **ekwatts** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 11:05 pm

When I first saw this post I thought it was a poem.

The little box you type into will autoformat your text to snap to the edges of the window you're using. You don't need to manually insert page breaks.

DaveB · Post by **DaveB** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 11:37 pm

+1 on the Phat Cat. You might have to trim the pickguard a little bit though (careful filing).

gaybear · Post by **gaybear** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 11:39 pm

ekwatts wrote:When I first saw this post I thought it was a poem.

haha, same here. poem or lyrics

jpop12 · Post by **jpop12** » Sun Jan 08, 2012 6:54 pm

a big thanks to the short scale community for posting useful
information and providing the inspiration for my first
guitar modification project.

DanHeron · Post by **DanHeron** » Sun Jan 08, 2012 7:02 pm

Nice job. Looks pretty cool.
I think a chrome cover for the neck pickup would be nice, make them match a bit. That's if you can get chrome covers for single coils, not really sure.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Sun Jan 08, 2012 7:06 pm

How do you like the combination of those two pickups? Are they matched well enough in output?

jpop12 · Post by **jpop12** » Sun Jan 08, 2012 7:33 pm

surprisingly, they are matched pretty well-
and switching them both on, hoo-boy!
nice.

i had to get the surf antiquity pickup.
i love that compressive, jangly pop.

broomhandle · Post by **broomhandle** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 6:56 pm

how are the necks on the sq cyclones? this is my neck guitar purchase....

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 6:57 pm

holy moly. is your headstock white?