madcow Posted May 20, 2004 Report Share Posted May 20, 2004 Are squires made of the same wood as real fenders? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted May 20, 2004 Report Share Posted May 20, 2004 depends where it's from, when it's made, what model it is. Chances are it's a poplar or alder body guitar from what i've gathered. But don't think for a second that just having the same species of wood or not in the body that that means it's "pretty much the same" there are different grades of woods used in making guitars, grain direction, number of knots and irregularities, colour, weight, all play a role in chosing the wood for a guitar. Even if you pick a great peice of wood there's still no guarantee you'll end up with a great sounding body, although much more apparant in accoustics, sometimes the wood just isn't right for a guitar, it's just the nature of the material. Aswell there's plenty of human related reasons the body will be different then a genuine fender body. Pickups, hardware (that one's more feel and playability/ functionality). Finish would be a fairly big one, although i'm not finish master by any means. sorry to ramble, your questions just got me thinking hope that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyunsu Posted May 20, 2004 Report Share Posted May 20, 2004 hi.. this pic is 1 board wood.. and cut and make 2 neck.. but sound is really diffrent ^^ one is bright and one is not bright.. i think wood's sound is not same.. i think.. wood selection is important.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLS Posted May 20, 2004 Report Share Posted May 20, 2004 I have a squier stagemaster that i stripped all the paint off. Seems like the wood is alder but like 5 pieces of it. It really makes no sense. Its like a puzzle of wood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogviler Posted May 20, 2004 Report Share Posted May 20, 2004 I got a pretty nice Squire a few months back and have to say that I didn't see or feel much of a difference between it and a "real" Fender, at least a lower-priced Fender. Of course I did a custom job on it and only then found out that people are so superstitious about brand names that it's almost impossible to sell, even with a ton of custom work. So I guess my advice is if it's for personal use, a good Squire is great, but if you're going to be reselling it, spend the same money on a cheap Fender. Even if it sucks, people would rather buy it just for the name, apparently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truerussian558 Posted May 20, 2004 Report Share Posted May 20, 2004 well there always an odd one in each bunch, you may find a good squire from a model that most people think is a piece-o-crap, just as you may find an odd guitar that is a bad one from a line of very good ones. Most likely squires use a piece of wood (or a few pieces) that may be the same as a fender, but a lot lower grade, with more imperfections. and lower quality parts and electronics. to put it simpler, try to think of how you could build a guitar under 120$ ( add 30 or so for profit if not more) and youll see what levels you have to go to, even if you add the fact they get the would cheaper by bulk and same with the other parts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcow Posted May 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 thanks everyone, my friend has a squire and he's getting a new guitar (becuse the squires nut broke and some other stuff)... he said i could have the guitar, i was thinking of modifying it, but i wasn't sure if it was worth the trouble. General opinion is that squires suck, but yeah. and as for the wood, i thought it was a lower grade of the wood Fender uses, but i wasn't sure. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickleweaseler Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 To me, trying to hot-rod a Squier® seems like polishing a turd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snork Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 ^ true that. hynsu nice guitar neck. squier necks are terrible. they warp to the endth degree. they tend to warp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loosetoe Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 Hmm.. I think you guys are being overly kind to Squires. The squire I have is a plywood body. This was my first bass purchased new around 1990. I disassembled it a few years back. The plywood can clearly be seen in the neck joint. The pickup route is not as obvious, but the route is nasty. Strangely the route does not have the route from the pickup to the control cavity. There is a drilled hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truerussian558 Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 well it also dpends on the model of the squire, the cheaper range of the guitars is undeniable crap (they go so low as mdf) especially the ones in the "guitar combo packs" but some of the more expensive squires could compare to the cheaper fenders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogviler Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 some of the more expensive squires could compare to the cheaper fenders. I'm glad someone else agrees! You aren't by any chance looking for a nice custom one, are you? I'm only kidding, I think I'll just beat some Fender groupie with it until it breaks in half... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truerussian558 Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 the problem with brands that ar knocked, A good model in a line of bad ones is called crap, a bad guitar from a line of good ones is called a collectors item Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 true, i have a squier(standard series not affinity) and belive it or not its my favourite guitar.. ever... maybe i got a good one from a bad batch? but the sound is great, the build quality is Excellent(better than many fenders i have looked at) and the sunburst finish is flawless. a few minor upgrades and i doubt anyone could tell it from the real thing. just my €0.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 Hmm.. I think you guys are being overly kind to Squires. The squire I have is a plywood body. This was my first bass purchased new around 1990. I disassembled it a few years back. The plywood can clearly be seen in the neck joint. The pickup route is not as obvious, but the route is nasty. Strangely the route does not have the route from the pickup to the control cavity. There is a drilled hole. i think only the cheapy cheapy squires are plywood, mine aint.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirit Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 I got a pretty nice Squire a few months back and have to say that I didn't see or feel much of a difference between it and a "real" Fender, at least a lower-priced Fender. Of course I did a custom job on it and only then found out that people are so superstitious about brand names that it's almost impossible to sell, even with a ton of custom work. So I guess my advice is if it's for personal use, a good Squire is great, but if you're going to be reselling it, spend the same money on a cheap Fender. Even if it sucks, people would rather buy it just for the name, apparently. So sand the name off the headstock. Then there is no name! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themikestro Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 Sure the really low wnd Squiers stink but the older Japanese stuff was fantastic, I've played a Silver Series strat from the 80's and it was easily as good most Fenders, in fact I had a Mexican Tele and it wasn't as well made as the Jagmaster I have now! Give Squiers a break! Apart from the plywood ones, they really do suck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syxxstring Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 Im someone is willing to give it to you, then yeah its worth it. The nice thing is its a bolt on if the body is crap but you like the neck bodies are easy to come by. You may replace some parts but it will be a great learning guitar, and if it goes too far south.... Seriously hardware/pickups is the biggest difference I see on cheap fenders/squiers compared to the higher end stuff. Just hang on to the old stuff so if you abandon the project you can put the good stuff on a different guitar. Take the paint off any solid colored fender and you may find a 5 or 6 piece body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 Sure the really low wnd Squiers stink but the older Japanese stuff was fantastic, I've played a Silver Series strat from the 80's and it was easily as good most Fenders, in fact I had a Mexican Tele and it wasn't as well made as the Jagmaster I have now! Give Squiers a break! Apart from the plywood ones, they really do suck. Ive just installed some Van Zandt pickups into a 82 Jap Squire. Best "fender" i EVER played, and i see more than a few a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeB Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 i stripped a squire's paint off with a beltsander was my mates, he had started stripping it and made a bit of a pigs arse of it, so i tidied it up. i found out several things: the layer of sealer paint is pretty damn thick! the normal paint is quite thick the body was made of approx 3/4" wide or 1" wide lumps of wood glued side by side, as laminates. these were laminated on top by a thin 1mm ish sheet of wood, and the same on the back, which i sanded thru! the wood although different colouration etc... looked reasonably good. when a belt snaps on a beltsander it isnt fun! theres my voicee on this. also the old 80's squires apparently totally rock!! and some SOME!! squires now-a-days can play pretty well, but in my experience they have been bummers each time! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 So sand the name off the headstock. Then there is no name! Addition by subtraction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 well it also dpends on the model of the squire, the cheaper range of the guitars is undeniable crap (they go so low as mdf) especially the ones in the "guitar combo packs" but some of the more expensive squires could compare to the cheaper fenders. Hey, if its free, do what you want with it. Many Japanese Squiers from the '80s are great guitars. Stay away from any and all '90s Squiers (the plywood era). Among modern Squiers, nearly all are made of Agathis (some crappy bush). The best modern Squier is the Tom Delonge model, the same 2- or 3-piece alder body as the Fender Tom Delonge, the only difference being the hardware. I think it is actually the only modern Squier made of alder. The Tom Delonge is a great way to customize a Fender (Squier) straight away, being a hardtail and routed for only 1 pup. It is a palate waiting for an artist. I took one, routed for 2 more pups, stole the pups+guard from my MIM Strat, finished it in Graffiti Yellow, bolted on a 60s-era Fender 12-string neck and "viola" - instant Fender 12 string. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 I got a Squier that I got almost for free, and have been toying with it for the last 2 years. It now have a EMG KH-21 pick guard and it's in for mayor work as soon as I get it back. The body is ply wood, I found out when I routed for the KH-21 but it sound good. I'm going to get a piece of maple or alder at least 1/4" thick and 'm going to plane that amount from the top of the body, to place it there like a cap. I am going to take the tremolo out and put a string thru hard tail and if I got some money left I will do the same thing for the back and put some mahogany there. This will be enough practice with the planner-router before I order a body blank and decide to do my first guitar from scrap. The neck on the Squier has never bowed, warped or anything else. I got a real low action, and it barely buzzes (the action is reeeeaaaalllyyyy low) so I'm happy with it. A frieng played in Germany while stationed there and he have a Fender American and he was surprised at the sound of it. I guess that there are some bad guitars out there that get all the bad rep to one brand. George Lynch whent to say that Kreamer where pieces of sh*t but some player say they were awsome guitars. (I'm not talking about the cheap ones coming out now) My first axe was a kramer Focus 1000 that I bought in 1986, and it was the best feeling guitar that I ever had, I cant imagine having an EMG-81 on it back then. O well just play the thing, if you like it, play it. I never buy somenthing thinking in resale them, once I work on somenthing I take pride on my job and find id difficult to get rid off. Have a nice day and keep on shreeding, cutting, routing, finishing... you get the Idea, good work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted May 22, 2004 Report Share Posted May 22, 2004 That's a really good example of good use of a Squier. IMO, all else being the same, you won't hear much of a difference between body woods unless you're playing clean. With a high-gain pickup, sustain cranked and the volume at 11, it could be the finest wood available or OSB, you won't hear the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted May 22, 2004 Report Share Posted May 22, 2004 That's a really good example of good use of a Squier. IMO, all else being the same, you won't hear much of a difference between body woods unless you're playing clean. With a high-gain pickup, sustain cranked and the volume at 11, it could be the finest wood available or OSB, you won't hear the difference. untrue...i always play as you say and all my guitars sound completely different Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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