Squier YN Strat upgrade: Part 01 - Resurrection

 While completing my Guitar Diaries earlier this month, I discovered that my Squier Stratocaster - which has been in pieces for at least 2 years - was in actual fact a serviceable instrument. Previously I'd thought that the allen bolt in the truss rod had been rounded off and that the neck could not be adjusted, but directly as a result of wanting to write a post about it I found that it was actually fine. Thank goodness for blogging!

For 2023 I was thinking about having another stab at scratch building a guitar, but this revelation has prompted a rethink. It turns out that the YN serial number Statocaster made by Squier in the 90s (1997 in my case) is not only a full depth body, but uses the correct alder construction. It's completely suitable for upgrading and becoming what is known as a partscaster.

I've spent a week or so weighing up my options and finding out more about the guitar. Having never really got along with the traditional Strat configuration, and having attempted a scratch build of a single humbucker S Type a couple of years ago, I've decided this is the way I'll be going.

I'll detail my journey here. The vision is for a single humbucker strat, I'll refinish the guitar in Olympic White (it's currently Polar White), and I might refinish the neck IF I can obtain transfers the same as the current style. Although it has to be said the current neck actually feels quite good.

The upgrade will be phased for reasons of economy and not wanting to splurge on everything all at once. I also intend to play the guitar over a few months to better understand how the various upgrades affect the feel and sound. And, I've decided that I will only carry out upgrades that can be reversed, so no drilling or routing. The aim is to make it possible to put this guitar completely back to standard if required.

Today's task was to get the Strat working again. A new nut was required, and as I've had no success making my own before I ordered a Tusq nut from ebay. I ordered a flat bottomed one as I mistakenly thought that would fit the rout in the fretboard, but it turns out this was curved. I was able to file it to fit.

I found the original neck plate with the YN serial number, reassembled the guitar and restrung the guitar. With Haynes excellent Stratocaster manual as a reference I set about adjusting the guitar to it's original specification using the given measurements. Surprisingly this didn't require much adjustment - perhaps I'd done it few years ago?

Minus two lost control knobs, the guitar was reassembled, so I plugged it in and spent about 30 mins playing it. My initial impressions are that its a fine feeling instrument to play, which I will continue to adjust to make it a slinky feeling as possible. The sound left a little to be desired - the pickups sounds harsh and trashy, which is to be expected, I suppose. Positions 2 and 4 sound great for the Strat out-of-phase sound and I momentariliy reconsidered my upgrade path in favour of the traditional configuration. However, I've had two of those previously and haven't taken to them, so I will proceed along my single humbucker path.

My best-laid-plan is to play the Strat as it is for a month. I'm simultaneously planning to do a Truefire course so this is a great excuse. Shortly I will order some new tuning keys and a replacement bridge, which will go on at the start of February. If all goes to schedule I'll dismantle the guitar at the start of March, strip the poly finish and refinish, order all remaining parts for a hopeful reassembling at the start of May. Let's see how well I'm able to stick to that!

The Guitar Diaries Part 19: Ibanez M340BS Acoustic (March 2021 - Present)

 On 3rd November 2020 my much loved Uncle Antony sadly passed away. I inherited his acoustic guitar just over a year later.

This might actually be the first guitar I ever got my hands on - I have a vague memory of being about 6 or 7 years old and being around at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Leek and this being in the lounge. I remember plucking the strings above the nut and the sound they made, but at that age it would have just been too big for me to attempt to play properly.

Years later I remember staying over at my Aunt and Uncle's when they'd moved to Cheddleton. I was probably about 14, so before I started playing guitar - but he'd made a cover to put over the nut to raise the strings and begun playing slide. Indeed, this nut was still on it when I came into possession of the guitar.

While Ant could play the guitar and no doubt enjoyed doing so on the occasions he did, I don't remember it being a big part of his life (at least not in the obsessive way it's part of mine) so I don't think he played it much, and when I was given the guitar it clearly hadn't been played for years and I think had been hung on the back of the door to his study.

I gave it a clean up, removed the raised nut which fortunately still had the original beneath and replaced the strings. The guitar still played really well and had a quality feel. It was made in Japan in 1980 and my aunt had given it to my uncle for Christmas either that year or 1981. I'm not a great aficionado of acoustic guitars but I really enjoy this one - it sounds and feels great and the sentimental attachment means I will never sell it.

The Guitar Diaries part 18: Gretsch G5440 Bass (March 2021 - Present)

 It was February 2020, I was working in London and had a day to kill so went to Denmark Street to pass some time. We were beginning to hear about a virus that was coming to the UK from China and so the streets were already beginning to feel a bit quieter... either that or it was just because it was a miserable grey Sunday. I found myself in the bass section of one of the shops and saw this beautiful full hollow bass and asked the shop if I could give it a try. On closer inspection it was even more lovely and felt great. However, at £899 it was a considerable amount of wedge and I was unlikely to be spending that on something that wasn't my main instrument.

A year later I was in Melbourne Australia again for work. Near to where I was staying was a shop called The Bass and Acoustic centre, which unsurprisingly concentrated on these two types of instruments. Actually, it's a really great shop - without the need to mostly stock electric guitars they have a wide range of the more niche instruments. In there they had another on of these basses. I began to think about getting a new bass when I got home and although there were a few contenders, this was the one I ordered when I returned - and I have to say it's one of the best things I've ever bought.

Again, I must reiterate, this is an absolutely beautiful instrument, the nicest to look at out of all I own. It also feels better than any of the other basses I've owned or played, and I've really worked to improve my technique. As guitarists we can all fumble out way around on a bass when we need to but to do it properly requires some dedication.

I've used this on quite a few recordings at home over the past 18 or so months, but perhaps most importantly it's opened up the door to playing with other people. I've played with one of my mates on his demos (I used to be the lead guitarist in our old band), while I've joined another friend and some of his mates as bass player and I really enjoy that too. I'll probably expand on my thoughts about being a bass player in another post, but this is a really great instrument that I'm very glad I bought and wont be letting go.

The Guitar Diaries part 17: Squier YN Stratocaster (November 2019 - Present)

 Well I'm glad I resumed work on the Guitar Diaries...

I bought this guitar on a total whim from Cash Converters in Stafford back in November 2019. Even though I've had two strats in the past I couldn't turn this one down for just £99. The great thing about most fender guitars is that they can be very easily worked on and upgraded, and that's what I had on mind for this. I was even more delighted when I got it home, checked the serial number, and discovered this is actually a highly regarded YN Strat, made in Taiwan in 1997.

I played it for a little while, and my memory is a little fuzzy with this guitar, but I think I discovered fairly quickly that the truss rod couldn't be adjusted as the Allen bolt had been rounded off (presumably it needed to be adjusted). But, I had a spare neck from a strat I'd never finished back in 2015. This was made at the same time as the self built jazz bass, but never finished. The body was meant to be semi hollow and P90 equipped. I put the neck onto the YN strat body, played with it a little bit but then dismantled it again. Essentially junk, the bits have lain around for a few years - the body is a standard strat body and so can have any of the myriad available hardware put into it, and I thought that maybe one day I'd have another go at making a neck and the body would be completed.

I began writing this blog entry about 30 minutes ago. I knew I'd still got the body, but did I still have the neck? I went and had a quick look - yes I did. Was the truss rod still unadjustable? I put in an allen key - and it worked! It obviously hadn't been rounded off at all.

As I write my mind is literally working overdrive thinking of the possibilities. To fully trick out a strat with the best hardware isn't cheap - and everything except for the wooden parts are rock bottom standard. But it's still less expensive than buying a fully loaded new USA Strat, and if there's one thing I've come to appreciate about Fenders - from this cheapest one to my USA made Johnny Marr Jaguar is that they're all basically the same as far as the wooden parts go, it's the hardware and the finish that makes the difference. 

I like the neck on this one - fairly think and satin finished. The body is white poly - I'll certainly strip that off and repaint it. The frets are all in good condition except for the 22nd which has taken a knock, so maybe that one could be replaced. I'll probably keep the Squier logo on it, I quite like the idea of it being the ultimate Q guitar.

The Guitar Diaries Part 16: Epiphone Masterbilt Century Deluxe Archtop acoustic (May 2019 - present)

 I've not had the best experience with acoustic guitars, but in 2019 I felt like it was time to try again. I'm struggling to remember exactly why I wanted to get one, and I wanted to get something a bit offbeat so I went for this.

I have to say that it's a lovely, well built instrument that I spent a lot of time playing during the year I bought it. After a long break I was able to get back into songwriting and this was the instrument that enabled it - during 2019 I wrote 14 songs (admittedly of varying quality) on this instrument, four of them being on the EP I recorded on lockdown.

This is a niche instrument and somewhat different to a regular flat top acoustic. The sound is much more in the midrange and has less sustain although it does project its sound quite well. It has electric facilities although I've never used them. I've made a few recordings with this and the Ibanez flat top I will discuss later and it complements very well - being prominent where the flat top is scooped. I've also played a bit of jazz on it at times and it's good for that too.

It's not an easy guitar to play. The neck is the thickest of any guitar I've played, and it could perhaps benefit from a professional set up to see if the action can be lowered a little. At the time of writing it's not been played for quite a while as the Ibanez flat top has had the most use. I've considered moving it on as it has some value which could be better spent elsewhere. But I do also really like it and might have a use for it in the future.

The Guitar Diaries Part 15: Epiphone Gary Clark Casino (April 2016-April 2018)

 What to say about this guitar? Looked good (from >1 metre), sounded great, felt like a cheap plastic toy.

I've always liked the Casino/ES330 guitar - great bluesy sound, lightweight - and so when I tested a looper pedal I came away with that and went back a couple of days later for this guitar. Now made in China, the outwardly appeared to be good quality compared to my Riviera. But closer inspection revealed it was quite cheap - one of the most off-putting aspects was that the fretboard appeared to have been stained brown in an attempt to look more like rosewood and some of it had leaked onto the binding. Ugly! It was, of course finished in poly and felt like it was probably about 2mm thick.

It sounded great although at one point I put flatwounds on it and it got a bit too mellow. In the end I didn't think there was enough difference between this and the Riviera to warrant keeping both and with the Riviera's story there was no way I was going to let it out of my posession again. The Casino went up on Gumtree and was sold to a blind bloke who played absolutely amazing guitar on it when he came to try it out. Amazing.

I do love the Casino/ES330 and wouldn't rule out owning one again in the future, but I didn't want this example of cheap simulacra and would prefer to own the real thing if the chance ever comes again.

With this guitar gone I was down to three electrics which is where things are at the current time.

The Guitar Diaries Part 14: Self built Jazz Bass (May 2015-present)

 I've dabbled with luthiery a few times since 2013 (Indeed I got the bug when I began the Guitar Diaries, stuck out in India, bored and watching Youtube). To date, the only viable instrument I made was this 95%-of-the-way-there Jazz Bass copy, hardware donated from the Peavey Milestone III mentioned earlier. Blueprints are easily available online, and I built beginning probably at the end of 2013, finally being finished in May 2015.

I'm actually quite proud of this instrument. I made a bit of a mess of the nut so that's never been quite right, but it's quite playable, sounds decent and made it onto the EP I recorded in the 2020 lockdown. Since getting my Gretsch 5440 bass, the Jazz has been up in the loft and I doubt very much it will be used again. However, I often threaten to make more guitars and one project I'd like to do is to have another go at this and do it better.

The Guitar Diaries Part 13: Fender Johnny Marr Jaguar (January 2015 - Present)

I wasn't planning on buying a new guitar, but I got completely transfixed by al the youtube videos (including the one Johnny did for Fender) and it's promise to be all things to all men. I also really like and respect Johnny Marr despite not being a massive fan of The Smiths - he's like a guitar Yoda. Bought from Anderton's for £1623 (Current price: £2399).

This guitar has taken a lot of tweaking, and I still don't think I'm there yet. The first issue, which I had to sort out almost immediately, were the ice-pick highs. Time has dulled my memory somewhat, but I think I got what I wanted by removing a resistor that was in line with the tone pot. Both the tone and volume pots have been changed multiple times, from their original 1M to 500k and 250k - I think they're now at 500k. The capacitor was also changed to a Mojo PIO that was at a different value to what was supplied. It's taken a considerable amount of time, but I'm now quite happy with the tone of this guitar. However, I have to say that the lead/single note of this instrument isn't great, and it's clear to see why it never replaced the Telecaster and Stratocaster it was meant to supercede.

My JM Jaguar and the 68 Deluxe Reverb

The other thing that's been changed many times is the infamous bridge - the supplied Mustang style bridge was pretty bad - too wide for the neck so the low E string would often slip off the fretboard. I replaced this with a Staytrem a few years ago which sorted out the issue, but I think I'll be trying the Mastery bridge if I can get over the price - the Staytrem (and the original bridge) rocks forward and backwards according to use of the vibrato and over time works itself into some quite extreme positions which is obviously not good for intonation. The Mastery stays in one position - apparently the tone is affected somewhat, but I'm willing to give it a try.

The workmanship of the guitar is very good and feels a quality instrument. I don't like the paint - one of the reasons I bought it was because of the nitro finish, but this is actually put on to of a thick layer of poly, which not only defeats the object, but the think nitro shell chips away as opposed to the wear of vintage instrument. It's a pretty ugly effect to be honest.

Doesn't sound like I'm too happy with it does it? It's true, I do have quite a love/hate relationship with this instrument, it's the first one I'd get rid of if I had to (not least because it appears to have actually appreciated in value). Nevertheless, when it's good it's very, very good. In 2022 I limited myself to using just this guitar and I've been quite happy with it. Why? Because it's not a guitar hero axe it's great for coming up with guitar parts that serve the song and don't stand out too much. It's no great lead instrument, but as a rhythm guitar I've yet to play better. I love how it can have a trashy, clangy sound, then it can be funked up, and to play with lots of delay and reverb while picking out chords - the sound is heavenly. Now I've sorted out the bridge issue it actually plays very well, and the vibrato is the best I've used on any guitar.

I think the best thing that ever happened with this guitar for me was when I got my Fender 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb. Previously I'd been using it with my Orange Tiny Terror and it did not suit it at all. But matching it with the Fender amp sealed the deal. I've used it quite a lot since then, it's been the rhythm backbone to pretty much every song I've recorded since then, and with either the Riviera or Les Paul being used for lead, it complements both those instruments well.

Audites and Truefire

I returned from three weeks working in Qatar ready to get back into some music. This year has been so hectic, there's been very little time since about April to do anything. I had a week and I half before my last foreign trip and put into place some ideas I had about re-integrating the Beatstep Pro back into the rig, and using ADAT to bring my second Saffire Pro 40 back into the rig. I'm recording everything at 96KHz now so theres only four channels of ADAT, but that's enough to have the Nord Drum 3P and the Roland JDXi. 

Audites

I want to have a break from songwriting in the conventional sense and flex my instrumental muscles again. Doing licensed royalty free music is something I've thought about doing on and off for over a decade and it's perfect excuse to stretch out musically without having to come up with a song. As a way of getting the ball rolling, I've come up with this idea of making Audites - thats the name I'm giving to 2-3 minute long instrumental pieces of music I'm creating just based on a simple idea I might have at any time, be that something on guitar, synth, bass or a drum beat. The whole rig has been set up for immediate recording, and there's always a Reason template iteration I have to facilitate that. Before I went away I did a quick one as a test.

Truefire

I was trying to decide on another Truefire course to do, and had seen a great sounding one on sort of Blues Rock Grooves. However, I've not done any studying for a couple of years and I was a little worried I might find it a bit tough from a standing start. Another one caught my eye on Rhythm Fills which also seemed interesting. The price of doing two was about £60, but for a year of all access it was about £84, so I've just gone ahead and done that.

Have to hand it to Truefire, the first lesson on Rhythm Fills gave me some ideas straight away and I recorded a quick Audite inspired by it! I just came up with a few riffs based on what I'd learned, programmed a simple beat on the Beatstep Pro linked to the Nord Drum, played along and put a simple bassline on afterwards. Bosh, it was done.

I've got a relatively quiet couple of weeks, so I'll aim to do an hour a day on it, like I did back in lockdown.