Can I get your feedback on this look/modification?

baimun said:
As a heads up....

Any of you with Squire '51 models.... DON'T try to strip and refinish. If you want to paint it, scuff the outer coat and then paint over it. The basswood in those bodies is SO SOFT that once you break the poly coat under the color... it's like STYROFOAM. messedup0
Click to expand...

Seriously? Thats bizarre....
 
markwein said:
Seriously? Thats bizarre....
Click to expand...


It's no wonder the guitars are so cheap.... I had bad vibes about how crappy basswood is from the past (Ibanez bodies that the floyd rose posts just shatter the body with aggressive trem use)...

... but this isn't even good quality basswood. The glue holding the three or four pieces together is the strongest part of the body.

The neck is a different story... one piece maple neck with some interesting grain and a rosewood skunk stripe. There were some fret ends popping out the sides, but I filed those down and radiused the edges of the fingerboard a bit. It's a decent maple tele neck sitting on my workbench doing nothing.


The Squire 51's play nice and sound nice... but I"m basically warning in case people start to wear or relic through the finish.... the wood will probably pit and flake off after that.
 
Last edited:
So you went with the white pearloid??

I like that look. I like black on plain wood as well. And that is a nice superstrat! Prages flashing pics of his all over the place corrupted me into getting one a couple of weeks ago.
 
Denverdave said:
Prages flashing pics of his all over the place corrupted me into getting one a couple of weeks ago.
Click to expand...


I'm a helper. I'm here to help.

BothWarmoths1.jpg
 
That quilty one is always hotter than I remember it. And I always remember it being pretty freakin hot. love0
 
You could get a whole new Wilkinson trem from Warmoth for $92 and it should drop right onto the existing studs.
 
That looks hot.... it also makes me feel better about having the knobs that run off the end of the pickguard.

As for the arm... You could get some machine screws and gently check what size threads are in there.... It looks like a fender arm would fit in there.

Stewmac sells a couple different replacement arms. For the fearless, you could get a threading drill bit and make it into a 6mm hole, so it could take the thicker floyd rose arm.

Or you could do like Prages says and drop a V100 in there.
 
Chihlidog said:
I am probably the only one who will say this, but I think it looks pretty hot just natural. I'd change the bridge pickup to an all black as opposed to the zebra, but I wouldnt touch anything else.
Click to expand...

this
 
Prages said:
You could get a whole new Wilkinson trem from Warmoth for $92 and it should drop right onto the existing studs.
Click to expand...

I may look into this option. I think you are right about the sizing too, the 50 and the 100 look almost identical...
 
We.... Have.... TRACKING NUMBER!!!!!

>begins staring out the front door for delivery like an incontinent dog (wednesday delivery) < :tongue:
 
So you'll have a NGD on Friday or Monday then? :embarrassed:

Can't wait to see the NGD post with the disc sander firmly in place on the guitar. :thu:
 
baimun said:
It's no wonder the guitars are so cheap.... I had bad vibes about how crappy basswood is from the past (Ibanez bodies that the floyd rose posts just shatter the body with aggressive trem use)...

... but this isn't even good quality basswood. The glue holding the three or four pieces together is the strongest part of the body.

The neck is a different story... one piece maple neck with some interesting grain and a rosewood skunk stripe. There were some fret ends popping out the sides, but I filed those down and radiused the edges of the fingerboard a bit. It's a decent maple tele neck sitting on my workbench doing nothing.


The Squire 51's play nice and sound nice... but I"m basically warning in case people start to wear or relic through the finish.... the wood will probably pit and flake off after that.
Click to expand...

I've never liked the sound of Basswood instruments (usually too "flat" or "plain" sounding for me) but I never knew that it was such a crappy wood to make guitars with....

baimun said:
We.... Have.... TRACKING NUMBER!!!!!

>begins staring out the front door for delivery like an incontinent dog (wednesday delivery) < :tongue:
Click to expand...


:thu:
 
markwein said:
I've never liked the sound of Basswood instruments (usually too "flat" or "plain" sounding for me) but I never knew that it was such a crappy wood to make guitars with....




:thu:
Click to expand...


I've got a few basswood guitars and they sound great. I think Suhr and Anderson will agree that basswood and maple are a great combination.

I think the thing with basswood guitars is that they are pretty neutral sounding, so the pickups have huge effects on their sound.

I've got two Wolfgangs that are basswood with maple caps and necks and pretty hot pickups and they sound fantastic. I'm not sure it is a good wood for lower output pickups, but for hot pickups, basswood really is a good starting point. It doesn't color the tone as much as other woods.
 
Prages said:
I'm not sure it is a good wood for lower output pickups, but for hot pickups, basswood really is a good starting point. It doesn't color the tone as much as other woods.
Click to expand...

Thats probably what I am hearing. Most of my pickups are pretty low output types....I usually gravitate towards guitars with those pickups when trying guitars out in stores...
 
Basswood has to be combined with maple.... almost like an all-maple guitar would sustain like crazy but be too bright, so the Basswood softens it up and adds ballast. All basswood is so neutral that the sound is ALL pickups. No tonewood contribution at all.

Asian guitar manufacturers like Basswood because it's even softer than alder, so they can cut a LOT more bodies out with the same blades and CNC bits before replacing them.
 
baimun said:
Basswood has to be combined with maple.... almost like an all-maple guitar would sustain like crazy but be too bright, so the Basswood softens it up and adds ballast. All basswood is so neutral that the sound is ALL pickups. No tonewood contribution at all.

Asian guitar manufacturers like Basswood because it's even softer than alder, so they can cut a LOT more bodies out with the same blades and CNC bits before replacing them.
Click to expand...

Interesting....I'll have to keep this in mind the next time I try some guitars out...
 
markwein said:
Interesting....I'll have to keep this in mind the next time I try some guitars out...
Click to expand...

Don't get too excited. I've played a few maple/basswood guitars that I liked everything but the basswood.... but if given my druthers, it's the last chunk of wood I'd spend my hard earned cash on.

Alder relics.... Basswood disintigrates.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top