NGD: Most Awesome Strat I Ever Played

dr bonkers

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2014_Squier_Bullet.jpg

I was in the market for a cheap strat to make a partcaster out of, so that I had a playable strat type guitar that fit my T-Rex hands to test IR files and use to audition presets, since I didn't currently have a guitar with 3 single coil pickups in a strat shape.

Behold this 2014 Fender Squier Bullet Strat that was sold by GC as installed with Fender noiseless high gain pickups. As a bonus after buying it, I found it also had upgraded pots, frets were nice and level, and the tone control wired as active on the bridge pickup.

Plays like a dream. I owned a 1992 American Standard that I battled to bond with for 15 years before selling it off due to noise and neck that was a little too big for me. I tried the Clapton, a real '57 not an RI, YJM, various RI strats.

None hold a candle to the playability of this cheap little guy, oddly enough. I bought it to make a partscaster using just the body, but I am thinking that I only need to throw some locking tuners on it and perhaps an upgraded trem and I am done. The neck feels very much 24.75 inch scale and thin like an Ibanez wizard neck.

Kudos to Fender for making a kick ass guitar!
 
I bought my now 14 year old son and silver sparkle HH Squier Bullet for his 12th birthday (he'd already been playing acoustic for 3 years or so, and I thought he'd appreciate an electric).

I've been amazed at how well it plays and sounds for $99 new at GC.
 
These days with modern computer controlled routing you can make a decent quality cheap guitar. The best Telecaster I ever played is a London City Comet which plays like a dream. Bought if 2nd hand for €150, new they were €200.
 
Ever played an American Deluxe Shawbucker? Roller nut, locking tuners, power drill humbucker, S1 switching, bridge pickup blower switch...

 
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Ever played an American Deluxe Shawbucker? Roller nut, locking tuners, power drill humbucker, S1 switching, bridge pickup blower switch...


Yes, the neck was still too big for me.

For years, I was ready to throw some serious cash at Fender if they would make a thinner and shorter fret spaced neck. Oddly the only instruments they deign to put such a comfortable neck on are Squiers (not only this, but I have a VM Jazzmaster, and a Jaguar SS bass that would feel like home for Gibson & Ibanez fans).

I understand that they are doing well with their current necks, but they could gain some more market share by just offering a couple Fender models with a smaller neck.
 
Theres a shop here in Houston that sells relic’d Squires by a local. The whole guitar feels redone and the electronics are upgraded. The mark up is only about $100. I’m hoping to catch the guy at the store and see what he’d charge to do my MIM Strat. The Squires he had available were listed for $250- $350 and felt really nice and looked great. Sounded great too
 
I've got a MIM strat I bought used in good shape. Liked it, but never loved it. Then on a whim I had cool rails pickups put in and I really enjoy it now. Probably blasphemy to the traditionalist, but it sounds great to me and is super flexible with coil taps.
 
Theres a shop here in Houston that sells relic’d Squires by a local. The whole guitar feels redone and the electronics are upgraded. The mark up is only about $100. I’m hoping to catch the guy at the store and see what he’d charge to do my MIM Strat. The Squires he had available were listed for $250- $350 and felt really nice and looked great. Sounded great too
I highly recommend the Fender hi gain noiseless pickups . They run about $100 on Ebay and truly are noiseless.

They have a lower noise floor than many of my humbucker equipped guitars, but still retain that snap, funk pop, and twang that good single coil pickups can provide with that warm almost crystalline clarity.
 
Theres a shop here in Houston that sells relic’d Squires by a local. The whole guitar feels redone and the electronics are upgraded. The mark up is only about $100. I’m hoping to catch the guy at the store and see what he’d charge to do my MIM Strat. The Squires he had available were listed for $250- $350 and felt really nice and looked great. Sounded great too

I never understood the appeal of relic'd guitars. Upgrading with better electronics, pickups, maybe a better neck, no problem. But make them look old and used? No, a thousand times no. Every nick, ding, scrap, tear and wear on my guitar is there because of me. It's battle damage, proud scars. Relicing to me is just fake battle damage. Fake scars, nothing to be proud of. Like those stolen valor vids where vets unmask fake vets.
 
I keep meaning to make a vid of me playing the $99 dollar Pink Squire Strat (mini) I bought my daughter on her 1st birthday.
Right out of the box, it plays decent and sounds really good!
 
I never understood the appeal of relic'd guitars. Upgrading with better electronics, pickups, maybe a better neck, no problem. But make them look old and used? No, a thousand times no. Every nick, ding, scrap, tear and wear on my guitar is there because of me. It's battle damage, proud scars. Relicing to me is just fake battle damage. Fake scars, nothing to be proud of. Like those stolen valor vids where vets unmask fake vets.

Totally agree about the relic deal. The guitars that he relic’d had a really soft feel and the necks were really playable. That’s what I’m going for. He put his own twist on it so it didn’t look like a standard Fender finish.
 
Totally agree about the relic deal. The guitars that he relic’d had a really soft feel and the necks were really playable. That’s what I’m going for. He put his own twist on it so it didn’t look like a standard Fender finish.
That's one of the advantages of relic - the necks are made to feel broken in.
I don't have a problem with relics - if it plays nice, and it's fun to play...I'm good.
 
Yep, it’s like buying your new jeans with holes in them.

Nice find Dr.B , I’m looking for a start to add to the quiver soon also. Kind of been leaning forwards an EJ model. Your post has me thinking I should go test drive a Squire first though.
 
Yep, it’s like buying your new jeans with holes in them.

The thing I have with ripped jeans is that the actual holes of wear and tear I get on my jeans are never on the knees and front of my legs, but always where the sun is not supposed to shine. If you want actual old jeans with actual wear and tear I reckon the holes should be showing your underwear, not your knees.
 
The thing I have with ripped jeans is that the actual holes of wear and tear I get on my jeans are never on the knees and front of my legs, but always where the sun is not supposed to shine. If you want actual old jeans with actual wear and tear I reckon the holes should be showing your underwear, not your knees.

^ This
 
The thing I have with ripped jeans is that the actual holes of wear and tear I get on my jeans are never on the knees and front of my legs, but always where the sun is not supposed to shine. If you want actual old jeans with actual wear and tear I reckon the holes should be showing your underwear, not your knees.
Totally not the case with me. I have 4 pairs of jeans (that I now used for yard work) that all ripped in the knees within a couple years.
Never had a rip/tear where the sun don't shine.
 
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