project guitar?

[TKEblue]

So I've been thinking about starting a project guitar. Something cheap cos I don't really know what im doing and don't wanna be out tons of money if I screw it up. I've been thinking picking up a used squire strat, dunno what model or anything but I see them in pawn shops around here for between 50 and 100 bucks all the time.

What I would plan to do is some upgrades, new tuners, new nut, better electronics, maybe some cheap pickups, then id like to get into trickier things on it like strip it down and refinish it, sand the neck down, put in a kill switch, and level/polish the frets if need be.

Id like to do all of this myself so I can learn how to do such things.

The main reasons im thinking a squire strat is for one the price and also it seems like strats have the most available parts. But I have some concerns.

Would the guitar still be a piece if I did these things correctly? Like, how bad are these guitars actually. Lol
And are the parts for a fender strat completely different so that it would actually be hard to find parts to fit a squire?

Ps: a buddy sold me his old b52 head that he only ever plugged into a handful of times for 50 bucks. Its not amazing but it will do for now which means I can spend my dough on this.

[Michael Scarn]

get you a korean (read:not indonesian) ESP LTD guitar, that way at least you have decent wood and good construction (set through/neckthrough) to work with.

[TKEblue]

I typed out a long respose but my phone wants to be a pos today and wouldn't let me post it so this time ima shorten it up. Lol

That's not really the route im wanting to take. Im wanting a bolt on neck for a few reasons, plus im not a huge fan of esp. Some of their guitars I like, most I don't. And would the basswood in a $200 esp really be any better then the alder in a $200 squire? (Post 2007 affinity is made of alder, bullet is made of basswood, pre 07 bullets were plywood, which I would for sure avoid) if I do this tho, I want a strat shaped body/headstock.

Basically, im more just asking if I would be pissing money away by doing this and in the end still be left with a guitar that plays like a guitar I payed 50 bucks for at a pawn shop.


-I reread that and thought I sounded snobby, was not my intention. Lol. I appreciate the advice tho, just not the direction im looking for.

[Carbuff]

I think a squier strat is an ok starting point. Just make sure to get a decent one with the correct size body and all. You want to have a decent base to put all sorts of new hardware into. $$

[Twitch]

Yes the Squires are in the pawnshops and Cl by the dozens it seems. Pick one like youd pick any other guitar. Play it, look it over. If going the direction of a Squire or other cheap Strat copy, find one that will need the least amount of shimming to get a good action. As far as real Fender parts fitting, you wont have much of an issue, but you may have to drill a few holes to swap a pick guard. The trems Ive read are different between a USA Strat and an import, something about string spacing and the spacing of the 6 screws that pivot the trem. There are plenty of after market parts for the Strat shape in general and will provide you with many options. However, you could easily wrap up $300- $400 in a project like this, so maybe think about finding one thats like what your looking for as it sits (or hangs), unless this is just one of those deals where you feel the urge to customize the hell out of something, in that case, go nuts, you have my respect. I like doing that too. Thats what Im slowly but surely doing to my Alvarez AED200. It is a $150 guitar, plywood body, one piece maple neck. Despite the plywood body, it has plenty of sustain and a fat, round character to the tone. It did a stint as THE go to guitar for about 6 months out of all my guitars. Its spent a few weeks in the case lately, but so has my Kelly, which just made its grand reappearance to the open air.

Heres a pic before mods:


Heres the after mods thread(the ones Ive done so far):

http://www.jcfonline.com/threads/117...Black-Hardware.

[RacerX]

Polish that turd!

[TKEblue]

Its mostly just about doing stuff to a guitar that I've always wanted to do, just never had the guts to do it to one of my more expensive or meaningful guitars. And if it all works out, it'll probably be meaningful then.

[DonP]

If I were you, I'd try to at least step up to a MIM Strat. These usually go for the $250 range.

[Michael Scarn]

basswood?

korean made LTDs are usually made of mahogany