I am a technician in Ottawa Canada with 37 years experience. To answer your question of what I would charge for the work done on this guitar, it would be $65 for the set up including the strings and $45 for the fret levelling +13% tax. Most local shops here would be in the range of $160-$180. I keep my prices low, so the average player can afford technician services. Prices are in Canadian dollars.
Great video matey. Great value guitar. Jet JS300 and 400 are excellent value and have roasted Maple necks. I was astounded at the quality and playability at the price. Great modding platforms to learn tech stuff on. Their probably st the top end of the budget guitar price range but are well worth it. I think most Newbys would be scared about truss rod adjustments and are more likely to over tighten them. I think yor checklist idea is great and covers the most important areas. Keep up the good work!
I’ve tried squires here in the US and find that most are fine, need a setup and a little love. Bit much too watch you at 6:30AM but I love your videos 😂
If I lived across the pond I’d buy that in a heartbeat. I love buying cheap guitars, setting them up or completely redoing them for friends, going to donate the 3 I’ve got to a school so a kid can start learning on a decent guitar. I’m no luthier, I’m a disabled veteran who needed a hobby. Keeps my mind centered. Just started learning to play myself.
I have had American Fender Strats, and Squier Strats. I am by no means a luthier, but I am a 62-year old engineer and can tackle relatively easy tasks like, flatten and dress frets, intonation action, truss rod adjustment and some electronics etc. I have found that having gone over a Squier Strat just doing the basics they are amazing guitars. I have 5 of them now (hoarder), one of them I have had for 38 years and it still plays beautifully. With everything being CNC machined these days every guitar will have the same body shape, the same neck shape, the dimensions will be spot on, and repeatable from guitar to guitar, whether its a Squier or Fender, the pickup wire gauge and number of windings will be totally repeatable. Apart from set up and finish, I cannot see how the Fenders can be that much better guitars. The Squiers have proved the test of time, the woods used resonate well, and are stable for decades, none of my Squier necks have ever warped. BTW my dog is nearly 17 years old is his spunk too old for guitar necks? 😂😂
I have just recently discovered your channel. Your custom builds are amazing, but I think this series will inspirational for many out there! If someone wants to spend thousands on a guitar, they will do so. However, being able to spend a couple hundred, do some work, and end up with a great playing instrument could be invaluable for beginners and even gigging musicians who want to leave the expensive stuff at home. Your "no bullshit, just the facts" is awesome. In addition, your humor is terrific! Thanks for doing what you're doing!
@@Milehousestudios True pros always use cat spunk according to my mate who guitar techs for some really big metal band. Apparently the cat spunk is thinner and gets absorbed quicker into the wood, although he did recommend squirrel spunk for ebony fretboards. Learn something new every day innit 😎😎😎😎
Nice video, man! When I think of the guitars we could afford when I was a teenager in the early seventies, which were cheap copies of well known brands, this is so unbelieveably much better, even off the bat.
A year and a half ago I bought a squire affinity tele. I've changed the pickups, neck, nut, and tuners. It has been fun to learn on, both playing and working on wise.
My first guitar was a Jackson Dinky with a reverse head, and a speed neck. It was $200 at the time. It was so easy to learn guitar on it. The thinness of the neck made it so easy to glide across the fret board.
Hi Paul, I bought a Gear4Music Knoxville Deluxe 12 string on Saturday. £120. Niche I know but I've wanted an electric 12 for ages. I wasn't expecting too much but I lighlly sanded the neck with 800 grit as it was a bit rough, lemon oiled it and it's bloody brilliant. No new strings fitted, it stayed in tune etc. Likely needs fret polishing and the merest touch of intonation adjustment but yeah, very impressed for a cheap guitar.
A few years ago I bought a Korean made Squier Strat for about £100 and got it set up by a luthier for a few quid more. It's been brilliant, and I love it. Super action, and although I expect I could upgrade the p/u's, when I send them through a decent fx box they sound world class. I have previously owned a Gibson, and I honestly think this out performed it. The tremelo arm is a weak spot (it tends to spoil the tuning when you use it) but I don't use it enough to want to spend money on an upgrade. I think I was lucky with my purchase, but I would always recommend that you take a new buy to a luthier to get it set up properly.
I have a Squier P bass and a Fender P bass. They both have the same bridge, pickups, and strings. The Fender has nicer paint. And I love the Fender, but I don't really think it's a much better instrument than the Squier.
If the child is too young, then a parent could help them with the truss rod. Basic guitar maintenance is just as important as learning basic chords. Please continue being you, half the fun of this channel!!
Found an early 2000s white squire bullet in a pawn shop for $100. It's been tinkered with, tweeked, and eventually completely rebuilt with spare parts. I've put many hours into it and each time, I'm amazed at the gains that can be had. Currently has HSH configuration, with coil splits. Perfect couch guitar with the small body and tuns of tones to mess with. Get a cheap squire and mess with it - not much you can't figure with a little effort. Rewards are priceless
Bought an Epiphone 56 Goldtop for 150$ used, it is amazing! I also bought a used Squier Affinity P-Bass back in the 90s, it has been a great workhorse for over 30 years. Also a note, the truss rod are usually shipped completely loosened for these overseas guitars, and back in the day guitar shops would give them a quick setup after unpacking them, but that is a rarity these days, so that is a big tip for newbies, check your truss rod. I bought my kid a new Jackson Concert bass for christmas this year, it was completely loose, two and quarter turns, and a quick adjustment of the saddles and it played beautifully!
Back in the day, people at most shops were trained because they cared about quality and took pride in their work. These days, most people don't care, buyer beware style.
Not just the truss rod though… check everything is tight. I’ve had loose tuners, pot caps, strap nuts and output jacks on branded new guitars. But yes, these do loosen everything for travel and set the strings high so poor frets don’t buzz. And the wood can move with temperature so another tip, do a basic tighten down, rod and checks, then let the guitar settle for 24 hours in its new environment -odds on it will shift and need adjusting again. And stretch the wound new strings or they will go out of tune first time it’s played. Your welcome 😊😅
That was a great piece of playing. Fantastic stuff! I treated myself to a Harley Benton ct40 deluxe in November. £250 new, £120 from cash converters. Fantastic build quality, I've not had to change a thing on it. Even comes with Stainless Steel frets (only on the deluxe model though). Harley Benton are producing fantastic guitars at prices that make you feel as though you nicked it. I am extremely impressed!
Nice video! I used a Squier Bullet Telecaster to learn setup skills on, and after I was done I couldn't bear to part with it. The neck is fabulous, I put it Fender pickups and new pots, new tuners and it's great. $130 Canadian for the guitar, $100 in parts and maybe 3 hrs time. Sounds fantastic, plays beautifully, and yes, these are very pretty instruments!
Enjoyed the video. I bought an (admittedly more costly) £350 Squier Paranormal Cabronita Tele 3 years ago and it's so good it displaced my much more expensive guitars as my no 1 gigging guitar. They can be very very good indeed.
Well I dropped a whole £99 inc free delivery on a PMT TL1 in Butterscotch Blonde last year. I bought it as a guitar to learn set-ups etc and on that perspective it has served me well. I can strip a guitar completely, undertake a full set-up including fret levelling, crowning, relief, etc etc. I was so impressed with how well it plays I decided to mod the fk out of it. Locking tuners, Fender Ultra Noiseless pup’s, even put some new knobs on it 😵💫 I’ve got quite a few guitars, some reaching into 4 digits, but my Tele plays sooooo damned good it really does question spending high end £’s tbh 🤷🏼♂️ However, my best playing guitar is my partscaster Strat, it’s absolutely incredible to play, all thanks to the skills I learnt on my £99 Tele 🙌🏼 Another fantastic edition to your video portfolio Paul, top drawer 👍🏼
There is so much valuable info on youtube now. When I started playing in 1993 no one had a clue about neck relief or intonation. I envy the newbies now for the quality budget guitars and abundant great channels like you!
I had a strat back in the mid-eighties when I was learning. probably a great japanese made instrument - I hated it, and in hindsight it just needed a set up, but lacked the knowledge and resources to fix it.
I started around the same time, 1994 was my first guitar. I grew up in a family of musicians, mostly guitarists and the shared wealth of knowledge amongst us still pales in comparison to what you could learning in 10 minutes of youtube video.
Enjoyed the video very much. That Squier tele sounds great too! Squiers can be really nice, many people do actually gig with them. I love the classic vibe series although they're usually almost twice the price of your standard Squier. I just got a Squier classic vibe 70s Jaguar and it's really nice...actually has a bone nut. Had to shim the neck, raise the bridge, adjust the truss rod and set the intonation. It was absolutely playable as it was new out of the box...but much better now. You Tube makes it easy (for a novice like me) to do basic setups on my own guitars. If someone isn't comfortable doing it themselves I definitely suggest taking it to a luthier and having it set up. It might make learning to play the guitar easier and more enjoyable. Almost forgot to mention that I re filed the nut and put thicker guage strings on as it's a short scale guitar and Squier seems to send everything out with 9s
I'm a tech in SoCal, and I would charge $90 for a Floyd Set up (and other floating trem systems) and $70 for most other bridge setups. It's about $50-60 for a fret level
@@Milehousestudios I try to keep it cheap for my neighbors. My shop has 3 studios in the same block, and more than one pub that has live music. These guys know they can hop in here most days and get something tweaked on the cheap without being treated like a regular punter and getting swindled.
I was listening to this on ear buds while doing the dishes, and when I watched briefly at the end, I have to confess you looked nothing like I expected.😅 Great video!
I'm on a similar trip, but for basses. Started off with "how bad can this £150 G4M P bass be?" - answer was, not as awful as you might think. Tuners were borderline defective, pickup was comical but the bones were pretty sound apart from a few ratty fret ends which I ground back. I had a set of Grover mini bass tuners in the spares box so I swapped them out and as for the pickup, I went a bit mad and fitted a Lace Aluma-P which cost almost as much as the bass did, because I'll never learn. But it ended up being a nice, if slightly heavy bass which I've gigged a few times. But it gave me the taste for more, so I've set myself a new challenge - "giggable" bass, new stuff only, total budget is £150. I've ordered the bass for the project (an £82.66 Fazley bass from Bax - expecting Glarry-like performance...) and am waiting for it to arrive (it's on back order), so obviously have £67.34 left over for any parts that might need replacing. Keen to get going and see how this latest nonsense turns out! Enjoying your vids, and keep on doing you and not giving a monkeys, love it :D
Just on criteria for comparison. Compared to a budget Epi/Yamaha base Pacifica, that Tele looked like a multi ply pickguard, had Individual string saddle adjustment (I have a tele with the 3 and intonation is always an adventure) and a fairly high grade finish . Nut height from the factory (something a beginner wont have the tools to remedy). I think pickup adjustment from the factory on a low cost instrument is important as a newbie doesnt know that adjusting can make a large difference in sound, especially on mutliple pckup instruments. I would also look at the wiring and quality of the basic electronics. If the solder looks poorly done, and if switches / pots looks sketchy (many Imaknockov Strats look so Mickey Mouse under the cover). Also the jack quality and finally grounding / noise level - Any shielding ? Thanks for a good video. Hope your finger doesn't turn brown lol. I have a couple of brown marks from Soldering ...
Fortunately the snobs and cork sniffers will never believe, but there are many cheap guitars that are great, as in, I could and would use it for gigs and recording. It started with a Squire I found in the trash, that someone was throwing away. I cleaned it up, did a setup, replaced the nut, did a fret level, replaced the electronics, including the pickups and the trem/sustain block. Much to my surprise, it is an *AMAZING* instrument. I bought a Tribute G&L, did the same thing; great guitar! I've bought several Jet brand guitars, great necks, bodies and tuners. Replaced the electronics, nut and did a setup, and have several pro quality guitars. Now I *LOVE* cheap guitars.
Definitely worth looking at Jet Guitars for a good-quality cheapo axe. I got a second hand Jet JS-400 and it doesn't feel a million miles off my Fender Player Strat, and the fretboard edges are more rolled than the Strat.
Orangewood has a 199 $ guitar. I was a Taylor man for along time but I put it down and now play a orangewood(echo). I love these orangewoods !! Great inexpensive guitar
Great video. I bought a friend one of these tele’s recently, and was also pleasantly surprised how well it stood up to my actual fender tele. I was also £100 on facefuck marketplace, though mine was in mint condition, and was string through. For other cheapo’s, Yamaha pacifica’s are pretty decent. You might also find some lower end Ibanez? ibanezez? I got a wonderful Ibanez SA260 for £90. Flamed maple top, coil split on the humbucker. It’s a peach of a guitar for sod all money. I have it set up for slide.
Love it. I had PU's made for my tele squire. Huge difference. I had lots of fret sprout - and it still needs some fret love. Great playin', mate! Killer tone. Loved it.
Well If you'd like to have a suggestion on which unexpensive guitar to check out for beginners - take a look at west creek guitars. A bought a new t-like for 139€ at Temu. Roasted, well crafted, nice feel neck, no dead spots, rounded fretends, decent tuners, and pickups. Light weight overall, nice paisley Look and I really like the design of te headstock. Dirty fretboard and yes the frets could take a smooth polish... Would like to know a) Your opinion. b) what You would do to the guitar to make IT better. Thanks for this great vid. And keep on rockin' 🎸
I am 60 and after 40 years of playing I will say that the current crop of kids have it so good. 100 bucks got you a POS when I was a young man. That thing sounded fantastic!
Thinking of my first axe still makes me shudder... I didn't even bother keeping it (I used it as a target for my BB gun for awhile)😂 My second axe was a Yamaha RGZ-112p, which I modified quite a bit. Still got it, and it's my most played guitar by far 😂
My first guitar… an “arbiter”… white sg body and a strat type neck. One cheap strat type p’up. It was awful. Like an egg slicer. It cost me £25 in 1976. (A weeks wages for a factory labourer). Nowadays new budget guitars are in pretty good shape.
Lengend! Brother, your videos are great - I’m still here after you chibson episodes that were absolutely brilliant . Keep up with your reactions and sharing your thoughts on this interesting projects! Have a good week ahead
Home based tech from Colorado here. I just picked up a 2019 lefty Squier Affinity tele today for $150 (123 quid), and it needs alot of work. Mine has the string through body and ceramic pickups. The nut was shifted and the strings were bridge cable sized 11's. Like yours, I don't think anyone has ever touched the trussrod, the neck has a decent amount of back bow so I gotta straighten that out quick. No wonder it played like rubbish. I really love your videos and your delivery is hilarious! Keep it up!
Good work! I'm subbing up and gunna head backwards in time and see what else I find here. Been building my own guitars and luthier odd jobs for around 20 years, glad to see I'm not the only one who gets a bit tired of listening to confidently wrong instant experts. Thanks for what your doing here. FWIW Id guess I'd charge in the area of $150 Canadian, but generally for new players I cut them a bit of a break and probably get that down around $100.
Yeah, nice one. I'm just a living room player but my first guitar was a Squier (strat) and wasn't disappointed with that. Nice to see though how good cheap guitars can be though. Subscribed...
My first guitar was a Squire Strat. Came with a 10w amp and gig bag. Cost about £140 (back in the early 2000s). Served me until my first pay packet from full time work, where I went out and blew £600 on a Mexi Fender Strat. My dad, who played in an RnB band back in the 80s on a Les Paul custom, still uses the Squire to twiddle about on. Great budget guitar.
I've made 15 guitars from scratch at this point and a few more parts casters with more work than just bolting the thing together. In the US, I'd say it's possible to get a guitar like this for $100 if you get lucky, but $150 is more like it. (Not lookin good for the dollar in recent years!) How much work I'd put into that guitar would depend on the customer and want they want or need. I could throw a few quick adjustments, clean and oil the board, new strings, maybe cut a nut slot or 2 if they were really bad... like a half hour at the most setup, get it close and call it a day... work around a fret issue like that unless it was really bad, maybe like $40 plus strings. Same pack is $7 in the US in my local music store btw.. Maybe an extra $20 for like a spot level for a really bad fret or something. And honestly these days I avoid busy work like this because I'd rather be making guitars really. But if some one said I don't care what it's worth. I want you to make this thing the best it can be, charge what you need to. Id probably... make sure the frets are seated and add a little thin viscocity super glue. full level and crown and a super detailed setup, roll the edge of the fretboard, polish the frets up really nice, adjust pickup heights, full intonation at the bridge, set the action, truss rod etc.. double check electronics.... I dunno $150 labor I guess, might burn a set of strings during setup.. so I might would have to charge for 2 sets. But I would really discourage this path, although I'm curious just how good you could make something like this. It'd play like a million bucks after, this one looks like it would play awesome also. Best option and the one I'd recommend is the "economy" set up and upgrade later Side note I found interesting.... someone mentioned a +13% tax in Canada. Nope. Not in the US. Goods are taxed.... a sales tax to the state. But you can not tax labor in the states, well at least not in my home state. So any services or labor are not taxed. First video of yours I've ssen. Intersting, I'll be watching more
That guitar sounds great! And your Floydish playing is superb. (Admittedly, seeing your thumb at the top of the neck as it is sends me into convulsions, but regardless....
Ironically, just made a similar purchase myself, for very similar reasons. I've been playing and tarting up guitars for decades, I have about thirty-odd, including some posh expensive ones, so I don't actually need another guitar, but I did notice that there was a slightly irritating omission in my collection, and that was that even though I already have three decent Strats, I didn't have one with a maple fretboard. As a result, I bought a second hand Affinity Strat with a maple fretboard off ebay for 80 quid yesterday, and I'll be tarting that one up. The bare bones are already there so I know it'll be a decent starting point to end up with another nice Strat, and of course it is enjoyable and fun to make a really decent guitar yourself by modding something without breaking the bank. I'd encourage everyone to have a crack at that sort of thing, because even if you've never done anything like that before, there is a ton of info out there to teach you how to do things right, and you should remember that everyone who mods guitars used to not know how to do it at one point (we all had to start somewhere), so go ahead and learn how to do it. You cerainly don't have to be afraid of having at a guitar which cost you less than a ton; even if you arse it up (which you won't if you take the time to learn how to do it properly) you'll learn new things, enjoy the journey and end up with something you can really call your own. Not only that, it means you will be able to take care of your other guitars and set them up well to get the best out of them. Be warned though, this kind of thing really opens an addiction can of worms and you'll probably end up with a house full of guitars!
I never expected the phrase 'finger cheese' to enter my vocab while working on a Tues! I actually have a Squirer Afinity Tele - black not pink - which someone gave me. I would agree with you, its a very nice guitar for a beginner. You can tell where some of the money is saved (e.g. pick guard and switch cap are a bit plasticy) but so what. I thought the neck pickup was a little bit weedy but if you're learning to play, makes no odds does it. Nice vid Paul.
Looks like a great choice. I had heard affinity Squiers were super for the money so bought a second hand Strat for my little girl a few years ago. It’s got a very comfortable narrow neck and is 10x the guitar I first got 30 years ago. Amazing. This is a great series for parents looking to buy a starter guitar. Also ace to see there’s a quality luthier working in my old neck of the woods!
I had a Squier affinity that I made into a custom guitar. I had an extra canary wood warmoth neck and a set of Seymour Duncan pickups sitting around and decided to see if the affinity body guitar was worth it. I used cts pots and switches and a set of fender locking timers as well. This guitar was off the charts. It played phenomenal. Someone liked it so much they gave me far more than I had into it.
A friend gave me that same Tele in Competition Orange. Frets were in about the same condition as yours. Touched up just a couple of slightly high frets and polished the rest. Adjusted the relief, string height and intonation. I love the way it plays and the neck is perfect for my hands. My only complaint was the plugged in sound. Wasn’t terrible but bad enough for me not to want to play it for very long. I was going to find someone to give to. But before doing that I wanted to try a different set of pickups that I had laying around. A Seymour Duncan Broadcaster bridge and a Squire Classic Vibe neck. Both are alnico. Really woke it up. Decided to keep it so I rewired it with new pots and a quality switch and jack. It has become one of my favorites. It gets a lot of play time. I wouldn’t recommend someone purchasing new pickups that cost more than the guitar itself but if you already have a set why not? It might end up working out like it did for me.
Paul. As I’ve probably mentioned before, I took up guitar 2 years ago aged 64. Had never heard of a truss rod until I started watching your channel. Had to go upstairs just now to check that my guitars had one, lol!! Well stap me vitals!!!! They have. My first guitar was a Tanglewood at £126 and I think it’s great.
just stumbled across this channel. bravo. as an intermediate gigging guitarist I would always suggest a basic guitar with a good professional setup is a winner. I always recommend to newbies to have a setup. (same as I recommend a bike fit to cyclists. its transformative to your experience if you are prepared to spend a little £)
I have a squire strat affinity. I have other guitars gibson les paul, fender tele and other less well known makes. I don't know if my squire was well set up from the shop or what but it has always played beautifully. I wore out the frets on it twice and recently had it refretted with stainless steel frets. I had to. I was so worried about wearing out the frets again. It sounds awesome through my HH IC100 combo and Boss GT6. An amazing guitar that i just can't leave alone. The stainless frets stand up a touch higher as my older frets would wear down quickly. So i'm probably losing a little speed as there is a little less glide. But having played relentlessly since having the ss frets fitted there is absolutely no wear at all. I love it.
Fantastic series! I'd love to see what you think of the Jackson JS series, like a JS11 Dinky. I was quite surprised by them, they are such fun and well playing instruments for the money.
Just an idea. But one could mention that if one were so inclined. You could also order offline an already loaded pick guard for a Stratocaster with upgraded pots and pickups and wiring and with minimal soldering. You can also order the same upgrades for that tele. Ya know, if that beginner guitarist has fallen in love with the neck on their beginner cheapo guitar. A little TLC and a few upgrades and someday that shell pink tele will look like something out of the Murphy lab. Something that cost ridiculous money to have someone else beat the bag out of your guitar 😂
Brilliant ! ... I've played a few Squire's lately, and they've all been pretty solid value for the money. With a good setup i think they're perfect for a beginner, or someone who plays out and doesn't care about what's on the headstock.... I think adding "ease of repair/correction/set-up" might be something to add to the judging criteria....just a thought ... Cheers Mate ! See you soon !
I looked at your ebay listing & it says 'crafted in Indonesia' in the pics, not China... People say the Indonesia ones are slightly better, but IDK... I think you're right about guitars at this price point; some are just better than others & it can be a gamble. My Squier Tele is from China & it's fine. Mine was also bought used for under £100 (call it £100 with the petrol money). It was wearing a non-factory pick-guard & new Ernie Ball 10s, looking & playing like the guy had already given it whatever TLC it might have needed. A tip I saw elsewhere was that if you're buying new cheapies from Amazon; buy 2, keep the better one & return the other.
I bought a new Squier Tele for myself last year for 175 quid. One high fret, cheap tuners and a bit cheap looking faceplate. I stuck some lockers on it and a 3-ply faceplate, filed the fret and it's a fab little plank. Love it.
Entry level and cheap second hand guitars are a pretty good market these days. As someone experienced in fret leveling and setups they are a no brainer but, it’s harder to pinpoint a correct answer for a brand new player. For me I know what to look for when inspecting a used instrument, so I know when to avoid a purchase but, I can understand why people would avoid that and just buy something brand new assuming it’s a better choice. Yes it can be but, you can also buy a bad guitar at a large retailer, so if you do go that route, pay for a professional setup (usually ~$50). If there is anything wrong with the instrument they can and should catch it which would give you the opportunity to return or exchange it for a good guitar instead, and aside from lessons a good setup is one of the best things you can get when first starting since it takes time to understand what makes a good setup and what to feel for personally. Easy of playing and comfort goes up and then you develop a feel for what you like over time. Honestly I’ve not run into a completely unplayable Squier, just rusty old ones and stuff that needed a lot of leveling and setup. The only brand that I’ve unfortunately had hits and misses is really Epiphone, so take that for what it’s worth.
I am sold on Squires, my Affinity was amazing straight from the store, jusrt some mods to make a player of 55 years like me happy. I'm playing it more than my Ibanez RG570 that I bought back in '91 so that kind of tells you what these are. Left a comment about that on the Glarry vid, then I saw this one and had to watch. Great series, newb's need to know they can kick out the jams on what dad spends on a Friday night at the pub and sound good doing it.
I'm a tech down in Australia and prices differ wildly even within my own city. I'd charge around $180aud for the work you put into it at the most. Great video!
I recently bought a Jackson JS11. It was on sale for $143 but it's usually $159 anyway. Out of the box it made one of the best first impressions of any guitar I've bought online. I have a Sterling Axis that was much more expensive that was much worse. The frets were perfect - the ends weren't sharp, they were all even, and they weren't scratchy. The setup was perfect. I still haven't had to touch the intonation. It even has a push-in trem bar. I'm completely astonished by this guitar. The only thing I've done to it since I got it was to give it a little more neck relief to my liking, but it was perfectly fine out of the box. I play it all the time now. I can't see how anything else can be better for the price. Sure, the pots are small and the trem doesn't stay in tune, but the electronics work fine and since the bridge is set up flat, you can just pretend it's a hardtail (like I do). I can't see why this wouldn't be the best beginner guitar you could buy, unless the person prefers country music or something. It's also a great mod platform for someone who wants to tinker.
In my area (Texas, USA) a highly respected local music store (a very well established place with lots of history) near me charges about $100 (about 82 pound sterling) for a setup and $30 (about 25 pounds) for a restring. As for beginner guitars to look at I would recommend looking at an Ibanez Gio. They usually go for 200-400 bucks new, but they often resale for $100 bucks because people buy them and they sit in a corner gathering dust. Also, excellent videos, really enjoying them.
Finally someone who calls a spade a spade. Great content. Been fixing up guitars minus the luthier degree for years myself. Agreed with your approach 100% nothing better than a pawn shop score too albeit a rarity these days. Find a deal on marketplace and find a guy like this to get it up to snuff - you'll be a happy player.
When I first started learning how to fettle guitars I bought a few £40 guitars from FB marketplace and made my mistakes on those. Refretted some for practice, and now I’m confident doing pretty much anything on an electric guitar
Great videos, after watching this I am tempted to buy a super cheap guitar to learn how to do a fret job as I would hate to mess up one of my nice guitars but would also like to learn how to do it.
My first guitar, as a newb, was a sterling axis and because I didn't know better, years later I learned the pickups were not weird correctly from the factory. I'm not even sure what to do about it, lol. Still learning how to play..
Yourself and a couple other luthiers on the TH-cams have inspired me to start tinkering with guitars. I've played more than half my life (turning 40 this year! 🤮) but never connected with them from this perspective, always paid to have it done. I plan on visiting some yard sales and marketplaces this year to find some cheapies and try to work out the kinks. Thank you for contributions, Paul! Carry on....
It's an amazing time to be a guitar player. I have a BEAUTIFUL archtop double cut jazz guitar coming from Amazon for $170. Sure it will need strings, setup, maybe some fret work but it's got great reviews and it looks killer. I build and repair guitars but I LOVE modding cheap guitars. I sell a few, give a few away and keep my favorites😅
Great video! Another in the 100 dollar/quid range that is common is the Epiphone Les Paul Special II. Also Yamaha makes nice cheap Pacifica Strats-I helped a friend find one used for $50, set it up in my very limited amateur way and it was totally fine. Moving up the ladder I’d like to see the cheapest used Yamaha Revstar and maybe the cheapest used PRS SE model. Big jump up when you get to $300.
I just bought a Squier Sonic for my niece and out of the box I was very surprised. Nice and low action, sounds great. Budget guitars have come such a long way in recent years. Love the video! Hello from the other side of the Tamar Bridge :D
@Milehousestudios haha I have no idea! Awesome to know there's a good Luthier not far from me :D I have subscribed, your videos are educational and hilarious 😆
I picked up a Squier Tele about a year ago, also on fb marketplace. Sunburst. I replaced the god awful white pick guard with a used torti that I found for $10 and that’s it for now. It sits in my living room for casual strumming. One day I’ll do the pickups, pots and maybe go and find some used fender standard tuners or something. But for now it’s fine.
Really enjoyed this video. I’m Not a guitarist but I play bass. I was searching your videos to see if you have done anything similar to this video but for bass. Is this something you might consider?
Great video as usual! You should review and set up a Kramer focus. I bought one used for $100 last week. I put a set of Fender staggered tuners on it, swapped out the nut with a Tusq nut and strung it up with a fresh set of nines. I also tweaked the neck a bit. It is definitely better and plays and sounds amazing! I might swap out the pickups but for now they're decent.
I know they're more expensive but I'd like to hear your opinions on a Classic Vibe Squier guitar. In my experience, they're pretty bloody good for the money, VERY dry fingerboard and VERY scratchy frets though, but you can sort that out in 10 minutes so it's no biggie. I did have a wiring harness upgrade on one though, big upgrade.
I have a 2021 60's CV Squire Stratocaster and I love it! You're right on the dry board and corroded frets. Mine came like that. With some cleaning and tuning it's turned out to be the best strat I've ever held! Plus it taught me how to work on it... Much prefer it over my friend's MIM strat, my cousin's 70's strat, and every other one I've picked up and tried in a shop. It does need new pots though, brand new out of the box they were scratchy and cut out when changing volume or tone. I'm not sure which ones to get to replace them if you guys have recommendations.... (edit) I got it back in 2022 new for $250, almost half off, for a pin prick blemish inside the higher neck contour.
I am a technician in Ottawa Canada with 37 years experience. To answer your question of what I would charge for the work done on this guitar, it would be $65 for the set up including the strings and $45 for the fret levelling +13% tax. Most local shops here would be in the range of $160-$180. I keep my prices low, so the average player can afford technician services. Prices are in Canadian dollars.
Thanks mate. Very helpful info
Great video matey. Great value guitar. Jet JS300 and 400 are excellent value and have roasted Maple necks. I was astounded at the quality and playability at the price. Great modding platforms to learn tech stuff on. Their probably st the top end of the budget guitar price range but are well worth it.
I think most Newbys would be scared about truss rod adjustments and are more likely to over tighten them.
I think yor checklist idea is great and covers the most important areas.
Keep up the good work!
You mean Canadian Rupees surely?
I’ve tried squires here in the US and find that most are fine, need a setup and a little love.
Bit much too watch you at 6:30AM but I love your videos 😂
@Milehousestudios don't forget that's like 20p in GBP 😂
"I'll never change, if you don't like it, do one" Words to live by right there. Maximum respect.
73 likes for your comment...If that doesn't prove the world isn't completely broken I don't know what does. x
„Do one!“ i‘ll use that from now on 😁
I would dearly love to say that to my boss but I like my job too much.
@@rhm3408 this was a new one for me as an american, I haven't heard it. It
made me laugh out loud
Awesome, just awesome. Subscribed 👍🏻
Easily became one of my favorite Luthier channels. Honest, funny, not afraid of profanity. Perfect for me 😂
Cheers boss. Welcome to the unit
🎉 I couldn't agree more
100% agree ....sick of all the channels to scared to say anything remotely controversial ....... i love a bit of Profanity and Humour
If I lived across the pond I’d buy that in a heartbeat. I love buying cheap guitars, setting them up or completely redoing them for friends, going to donate the 3 I’ve got to a school so a kid can start learning on a decent guitar. I’m no luthier, I’m a disabled veteran who needed a hobby. Keeps my mind centered. Just started learning to play myself.
Good on you brother.
Bravo, and Thank You!
Ty for your servic3
I have had American Fender Strats, and Squier Strats. I am by no means a luthier, but I am a 62-year old engineer and can tackle relatively easy tasks like, flatten and dress frets, intonation action, truss rod adjustment and some electronics etc. I have found that having gone over a Squier Strat just doing the basics they are amazing guitars. I have 5 of them now (hoarder), one of them I have had for 38 years and it still plays beautifully. With everything being CNC machined these days every guitar will have the same body shape, the same neck shape, the dimensions will be spot on, and repeatable from guitar to guitar, whether its a Squier or Fender, the pickup wire gauge and number of windings will be totally repeatable. Apart from set up and finish, I cannot see how the Fenders can be that much better guitars. The Squiers have proved the test of time, the woods used resonate well, and are stable for decades, none of my Squier necks have ever warped. BTW my dog is nearly 17 years old is his spunk too old for guitar necks? 😂😂
I have just recently discovered your channel. Your custom builds are amazing, but I think this series will inspirational for many out there!
If someone wants to spend thousands on a guitar, they will do so. However, being able to spend a couple hundred, do some work, and end up with a great playing instrument could be invaluable for beginners and even gigging musicians who want to leave the expensive stuff at home. Your "no bullshit, just the facts" is awesome.
In addition, your humor is terrific! Thanks for doing what you're doing!
That's really appreciated mate thank you
Healing crystals and dog spunk, the essentials for all beginners 😂😂😂
I think so..
@@Milehousestudios Music Nomad dog spunk? Dunlop healing crystals? 🤔
@@Milehousestudios True pros always use cat spunk according to my mate who guitar techs for some really big metal band. Apparently the cat spunk is thinner and gets absorbed quicker into the wood, although he did recommend squirrel spunk for ebony fretboards. Learn something new every day innit 😎😎😎😎
A horse pubes nut would be an upgrade on my Hobo Deluxe.
@martin-1965 doesn't it just run off though and make a mess on the carpet if you used it on a Maple fretboard ?
Nice video, man! When I think of the guitars we could afford when I was a teenager in the early seventies, which were cheap copies of well known brands, this is so unbelieveably much better, even off the bat.
A year and a half ago I bought a squire affinity tele. I've changed the pickups, neck, nut, and tuners. It has been fun to learn on, both playing and working on wise.
Trigger's brush.
Look after your broom!
Love this I always buy second hand, just picked up a PRS SE Santanda for £180 - New set of string a quick setup, absolute banger
Thats a steel. Sweet
You speak my language, enjoy the channel.
Pure filth?
My first guitar was a Jackson Dinky with a reverse head, and a speed neck. It was $200 at the time. It was so easy to learn guitar on it. The thinness of the neck made it so easy to glide across the fret board.
I’ve never been so entertained by a guitar set up video. And you make a good point.
Glad to hear it!
Hi Paul, I bought a Gear4Music Knoxville Deluxe 12 string on Saturday. £120. Niche I know but I've wanted an electric 12 for ages. I wasn't expecting too much but I lighlly sanded the neck with 800 grit as it was a bit rough, lemon oiled it and it's bloody brilliant. No new strings fitted, it stayed in tune etc. Likely needs fret polishing and the merest touch of intonation adjustment but yeah, very impressed for a cheap guitar.
Bloody enjoyed that. Refreshing honesty. Subscribed.
A few years ago I bought a Korean made Squier Strat for about £100 and got it set up by a luthier for a few quid more. It's been brilliant, and I love it. Super action, and although I expect I could upgrade the p/u's, when I send them through a decent fx box they sound world class. I have previously owned a Gibson, and I honestly think this out performed it. The tremelo arm is a weak spot (it tends to spoil the tuning when you use it) but I don't use it enough to want to spend money on an upgrade.
I think I was lucky with my purchase, but I would always recommend that you take a new buy to a luthier to get it set up properly.
I have a Squier P bass and a Fender P bass. They both have the same bridge, pickups, and strings. The Fender has nicer paint. And I love the Fender, but I don't really think it's a much better instrument than the Squier.
If the child is too young, then a parent could help them with the truss rod. Basic guitar maintenance is just as important as learning basic chords. Please continue being you, half the fun of this channel!!
No chance of me changing at 43 🤣
Found an early 2000s white squire bullet in a pawn shop for $100. It's been tinkered with, tweeked, and eventually completely rebuilt with spare parts. I've put many hours into it and each time, I'm amazed at the gains that can be had. Currently has HSH configuration, with coil splits. Perfect couch guitar with the small body and tuns of tones to mess with. Get a cheap squire and mess with it - not much you can't figure with a little effort. Rewards are priceless
Bought an Epiphone 56 Goldtop for 150$ used, it is amazing! I also bought a used Squier Affinity P-Bass back in the 90s, it has been a great workhorse for over 30 years. Also a note, the truss rod are usually shipped completely loosened for these overseas guitars, and back in the day guitar shops would give them a quick setup after unpacking them, but that is a rarity these days, so that is a big tip for newbies, check your truss rod. I bought my kid a new Jackson Concert bass for christmas this year, it was completely loose, two and quarter turns, and a quick adjustment of the saddles and it played beautifully!
Back in the day, people at most shops were trained because they cared about quality and took pride in their work. These days, most people don't care, buyer beware style.
Not just the truss rod though… check everything is tight. I’ve had loose tuners, pot caps, strap nuts and output jacks on branded new guitars. But yes, these do loosen everything for travel and set the strings high so poor frets don’t buzz. And the wood can move with temperature so another tip, do a basic tighten down, rod and checks, then let the guitar settle for 24 hours in its new environment -odds on it will shift and need adjusting again. And stretch the wound new strings or they will go out of tune first time it’s played.
Your welcome 😊😅
That was a great piece of playing. Fantastic stuff!
I treated myself to a Harley Benton ct40 deluxe in November. £250 new, £120 from cash converters.
Fantastic build quality, I've not had to change a thing on it. Even comes with Stainless Steel frets (only on the deluxe model though).
Harley Benton are producing fantastic guitars at prices that make you feel as though you nicked it. I am extremely impressed!
Bonus video!! The week has started very well indeed!
Nice video! I used a Squier Bullet Telecaster to learn setup skills on, and after I was done I couldn't bear to part with it. The neck is fabulous, I put it Fender pickups and new pots, new tuners and it's great. $130 Canadian for the guitar, $100 in parts and maybe 3 hrs time. Sounds fantastic, plays beautifully, and yes, these are very pretty instruments!
Enjoyed the video. I bought an (admittedly more costly) £350 Squier Paranormal Cabronita Tele 3 years ago and it's so good it displaced my much more expensive guitars as my no 1 gigging guitar. They can be very very good indeed.
Nice one! They are cool guitars
It was a good time to buy guitars as the crud had a lot of people outta work and companies needed to move their goods. Opportunity knocks, I guess.
Well I dropped a whole £99 inc free delivery on a PMT TL1 in Butterscotch Blonde last year. I bought it as a guitar to learn set-ups etc and on that perspective it has served me well.
I can strip a guitar completely, undertake a full set-up including fret levelling, crowning, relief, etc etc.
I was so impressed with how well it plays I decided to mod the fk out of it. Locking tuners, Fender Ultra Noiseless pup’s, even put some new knobs on it 😵💫
I’ve got quite a few guitars, some reaching into 4 digits, but my Tele plays sooooo damned good it really does question spending high end £’s tbh 🤷🏼♂️
However, my best playing guitar is my partscaster Strat, it’s absolutely incredible to play, all thanks to the skills I learnt on my £99 Tele 🙌🏼
Another fantastic edition to your video portfolio Paul, top drawer 👍🏼
These are my new favourite videos! I could watch this for days.
I don't recommend it 🤣
@@Milehousestudios 😂
Haha, loving the content mate. A bit of humour goes a long way, you've earned a new subscriber 👌😎🎵🎸
Welcome aboard Terry
There is so much valuable info on youtube now. When I started playing in 1993 no one had a clue about neck relief or intonation. I envy the newbies now for the quality budget guitars and abundant great channels like you!
I had a strat back in the mid-eighties when I was learning. probably a great japanese made instrument - I hated it, and in hindsight it just needed a set up, but lacked the knowledge and resources to fix it.
No one ...? Everyone I knew did, .. in them olden days 70-80s. Don't lump us all together please!
@bengordon2330 we would pull the guitars out of the strat packs, and set them up. We had a good store.
I started around the same time, 1994 was my first guitar. I grew up in a family of musicians, mostly guitarists and the shared wealth of knowledge amongst us still pales in comparison to what you could learning in 10 minutes of youtube video.
@@morbidmanmusic Exactly. Leo designed these things to be setup and maintained by the guitarist. People knew in the 50s how to do this.
I Love your attitude. Kicking goals, mate.
I love your “piss off” attitude keep it coming
Enjoyed the video very much. That Squier tele sounds great too! Squiers can be really nice, many people do actually gig with them. I love the classic vibe series although they're usually almost twice the price of your standard Squier. I just got a Squier classic vibe 70s Jaguar and it's really nice...actually has a bone nut. Had to shim the neck, raise the bridge, adjust the truss rod and set the intonation. It was absolutely playable as it was new out of the box...but much better now. You Tube makes it easy (for a novice like me) to do basic setups on my own guitars. If someone isn't comfortable doing it themselves I definitely suggest taking it to a luthier and having it set up. It might make learning to play the guitar easier and more enjoyable. Almost forgot to mention that I re filed the nut and put thicker guage strings on as it's a short scale guitar and Squier seems to send everything out with 9s
I'm a tech in SoCal, and I would charge $90 for a Floyd Set up (and other floating trem systems) and $70 for most other bridge setups. It's about $50-60 for a fret level
Cheers for that boss
@@Milehousestudios I try to keep it cheap for my neighbors. My shop has 3 studios in the same block, and more than one pub that has live music. These guys know they can hop in here most days and get something tweaked on the cheap without being treated like a regular punter and getting swindled.
I was listening to this on ear buds while doing the dishes, and when I watched briefly at the end, I have to confess you looked nothing like I expected.😅
Great video!
Hopefully it wasn't too much of a shock 🤣
A tele with individual saddles! makes me happy
I'm on a similar trip, but for basses. Started off with "how bad can this £150 G4M P bass be?" - answer was, not as awful as you might think. Tuners were borderline defective, pickup was comical but the bones were pretty sound apart from a few ratty fret ends which I ground back. I had a set of Grover mini bass tuners in the spares box so I swapped them out and as for the pickup, I went a bit mad and fitted a Lace Aluma-P which cost almost as much as the bass did, because I'll never learn. But it ended up being a nice, if slightly heavy bass which I've gigged a few times.
But it gave me the taste for more, so I've set myself a new challenge - "giggable" bass, new stuff only, total budget is £150. I've ordered the bass for the project (an £82.66 Fazley bass from Bax - expecting Glarry-like performance...) and am waiting for it to arrive (it's on back order), so obviously have £67.34 left over for any parts that might need replacing. Keen to get going and see how this latest nonsense turns out!
Enjoying your vids, and keep on doing you and not giving a monkeys, love it :D
I thought this one just cant be that interesting until I watched it! Healing crystal got me!!
🤣 Bullseye....Pulled you in
Just on criteria for comparison. Compared to a budget Epi/Yamaha base Pacifica, that Tele looked like a multi ply pickguard, had Individual string saddle adjustment (I have a tele with the 3 and intonation is always an adventure) and a fairly high grade finish . Nut height from the factory (something a beginner wont have the tools to remedy). I think pickup adjustment from the factory on a low cost instrument is important as a newbie doesnt know that adjusting can make a large difference in sound, especially on mutliple pckup instruments. I would also look at the wiring and quality of the basic electronics. If the solder looks poorly done, and if switches / pots looks sketchy (many Imaknockov Strats look so Mickey Mouse under the cover). Also the jack quality and finally grounding / noise level - Any shielding ? Thanks for a good video. Hope your finger doesn't turn brown lol. I have a couple of brown marks from Soldering ...
If you're new to the channel " STRAP IN BALLBAGS " we definitely need that on a t-shirt 👍
Fortunately the snobs and cork sniffers will never believe, but there are many cheap guitars that are great, as in, I could and would use it for gigs and recording. It started with a Squire I found in the trash, that someone was throwing away. I cleaned it up, did a setup, replaced the nut, did a fret level, replaced the electronics, including the pickups and the trem/sustain block. Much to my surprise, it is an *AMAZING* instrument. I bought a Tribute G&L, did the same thing; great guitar! I've bought several Jet brand guitars, great necks, bodies and tuners. Replaced the electronics, nut and did a setup, and have several pro quality guitars. Now I *LOVE* cheap guitars.
Slow pink floydy on the pink finger, fantastic, great bonus start to the week, cheers 👋
Thank you kindly
Definitely worth looking at Jet Guitars for a good-quality cheapo axe. I got a second hand Jet JS-400 and it doesn't feel a million miles off my Fender Player Strat, and the fretboard edges are more rolled than the Strat.
Trying to find one in the super low price point currently
Love this! Teaching us how we can fix our own stuff. And always love a bit of british swearing. Its like a bit of seasoning init.
Huge thumbs up for what you are doing! I think it's great that you are selling them afterward too. Hope the new owner enjoys it.
Rock on!
Thanks so much!
Great video! Thanks and subscribed!
Thanks for the sub!
Orangewood has a 199 $ guitar. I was a Taylor man for along time but I put it down and now play a orangewood(echo). I love these orangewoods !! Great inexpensive guitar
They have a great reputation. Shame you can't get them in the UK. At least you couldn't when I first looked
I love how unpolitically correct you are 😂
It's like a breath of fresh air the masses needs 👍🏼
Definitely a plus in my book.
Great video. I bought a friend one of these tele’s recently, and was also pleasantly surprised how well it stood up to my actual fender tele. I was also £100 on facefuck marketplace, though mine was in mint condition, and was string through.
For other cheapo’s, Yamaha pacifica’s are pretty decent. You might also find some lower end Ibanez? ibanezez?
I got a wonderful Ibanez SA260 for £90. Flamed maple top, coil split on the humbucker. It’s a peach of a guitar for sod all money. I have it set up for slide.
7:24 Love the healing crystal’s reference. ✅👍😝
And the the quick Parks and Recs clips 😂
Earned my subscription click 😂
Love it. I had PU's made for my tele squire. Huge difference. I had lots of fret sprout - and it still needs some fret love. Great playin', mate! Killer tone. Loved it.
Like all Teles (I love 'em, by the way), it's basically a chopping board on a stick.
Handy when you're camping though
Turn it over for chopping veggies.
Great tip
Well If you'd like to have a suggestion on which unexpensive guitar to check out for beginners - take a look at west creek guitars. A bought a new t-like for 139€ at Temu. Roasted, well crafted, nice feel neck, no dead spots, rounded fretends, decent tuners, and pickups. Light weight overall, nice paisley Look and I really like the design of te headstock. Dirty fretboard and yes the frets could take a smooth polish...
Would like to know a) Your opinion. b) what You would do to the guitar to make IT better.
Thanks for this great vid. And keep on rockin' 🎸
I am 60 and after 40 years of playing I will say that the current crop of kids have it so good. 100 bucks got you a POS when I was a young man. That thing sounded fantastic!
Thinking of my first axe still makes me shudder... I didn't even bother keeping it (I used it as a target for my BB gun for awhile)😂
My second axe was a Yamaha RGZ-112p, which I modified quite a bit. Still got it, and it's my most played guitar by far 😂
Kay solid bodies from the late 1970s. Awful things but £50 back then.
My first guitar… an “arbiter”… white sg body and a strat type neck. One cheap strat type p’up. It was awful. Like an egg slicer. It cost me £25 in 1976. (A weeks wages for a factory labourer). Nowadays new budget guitars are in pretty good shape.
Even 20 years ago lol. I’m 34, if you saw someone with a squire in HS, you knew they were a beginner. I just bought one and some tools. Crazy good
New favourite youtube channel! THIS IS MORE LIKE IT
Lengend! Brother, your videos are great - I’m still here after you chibson episodes that were absolutely brilliant . Keep up with your reactions and sharing your thoughts on this interesting projects! Have a good week ahead
Much appreciated!
Home based tech from Colorado here. I just picked up a 2019 lefty Squier Affinity tele today for $150 (123 quid), and it needs alot of work. Mine has the string through body and ceramic pickups. The nut was shifted and the strings were bridge cable sized 11's. Like yours, I don't think anyone has ever touched the trussrod, the neck has a decent amount of back bow so I gotta straighten that out quick. No wonder it played like rubbish.
I really love your videos and your delivery is hilarious! Keep it up!
Cheers mate. All the best.
Good work! I'm subbing up and gunna head backwards in time and see what else I find here. Been building my own guitars and luthier odd jobs for around 20 years, glad to see I'm not the only one who gets a bit tired of listening to confidently wrong instant experts. Thanks for what your doing here. FWIW Id guess I'd charge in the area of $150 Canadian, but generally for new players I cut them a bit of a break and probably get that down around $100.
Thanks for the sub! And the info boss
Yeah, nice one. I'm just a living room player but my first guitar was a Squier (strat) and wasn't disappointed with that. Nice to see though how good cheap guitars can be though. Subscribed...
Cool, thanks!
Subscribed, liked the analyses, the work, the Gilmour playing and the appropriate language.
My first guitar was a Squire Strat. Came with a 10w amp and gig bag. Cost about £140 (back in the early 2000s). Served me until my first pay packet from full time work, where I went out and blew £600 on a Mexi Fender Strat. My dad, who played in an RnB band back in the 80s on a Les Paul custom, still uses the Squire to twiddle about on. Great budget guitar.
I've made 15 guitars from scratch at this point and a few more parts casters with more work than just bolting the thing together.
In the US, I'd say it's possible to get a guitar like this for $100 if you get lucky, but $150 is more like it. (Not lookin good for the dollar in recent years!)
How much work I'd put into that guitar would depend on the customer and want they want or need.
I could throw a few quick adjustments, clean and oil the board, new strings, maybe cut a nut slot or 2 if they were really bad... like a half hour at the most setup, get it close and call it a day... work around a fret issue like that unless it was really bad, maybe like $40 plus strings. Same pack is $7 in the US in my local music store btw.. Maybe an extra $20 for like a spot level for a really bad fret or something. And honestly these days I avoid busy work like this because I'd rather be making guitars really.
But if some one said I don't care what it's worth. I want you to make this thing the best it can be, charge what you need to. Id probably... make sure the frets are seated and add a little thin viscocity super glue. full level and crown and a super detailed setup, roll the edge of the fretboard, polish the frets up really nice, adjust pickup heights, full intonation at the bridge, set the action, truss rod etc.. double check electronics.... I dunno $150 labor I guess, might burn a set of strings during setup.. so I might would have to charge for 2 sets. But I would really discourage this path, although I'm curious just how good you could make something like this.
It'd play like a million bucks after, this one looks like it would play awesome also.
Best option and the one I'd recommend is the "economy" set up and upgrade later
Side note I found interesting.... someone mentioned a +13% tax in Canada. Nope. Not in the US. Goods are taxed.... a sales tax to the state. But you can not tax labor in the states, well at least not in my home state. So any services or labor are not taxed.
First video of yours I've ssen. Intersting, I'll be watching more
That guitar sounds great! And your Floydish playing is superb. (Admittedly, seeing your thumb at the top of the neck as it is sends me into convulsions, but regardless....
Ironically, just made a similar purchase myself, for very similar reasons. I've been playing and tarting up guitars for decades, I have about thirty-odd, including some posh expensive ones, so I don't actually need another guitar, but I did notice that there was a slightly irritating omission in my collection, and that was that even though I already have three decent Strats, I didn't have one with a maple fretboard. As a result, I bought a second hand Affinity Strat with a maple fretboard off ebay for 80 quid yesterday, and I'll be tarting that one up. The bare bones are already there so I know it'll be a decent starting point to end up with another nice Strat, and of course it is enjoyable and fun to make a really decent guitar yourself by modding something without breaking the bank.
I'd encourage everyone to have a crack at that sort of thing, because even if you've never done anything like that before, there is a ton of info out there to teach you how to do things right, and you should remember that everyone who mods guitars used to not know how to do it at one point (we all had to start somewhere), so go ahead and learn how to do it. You cerainly don't have to be afraid of having at a guitar which cost you less than a ton; even if you arse it up (which you won't if you take the time to learn how to do it properly) you'll learn new things, enjoy the journey and end up with something you can really call your own. Not only that, it means you will be able to take care of your other guitars and set them up well to get the best out of them. Be warned though, this kind of thing really opens an addiction can of worms and you'll probably end up with a house full of guitars!
I never expected the phrase 'finger cheese' to enter my vocab while working on a Tues! I actually have a Squirer Afinity Tele - black not pink - which someone gave me. I would agree with you, its a very nice guitar for a beginner. You can tell where some of the money is saved (e.g. pick guard and switch cap are a bit plasticy) but so what. I thought the neck pickup was a little bit weedy but if you're learning to play, makes no odds does it. Nice vid Paul.
Cheers Pete. ❤️
Looks like a great choice. I had heard affinity Squiers were super for the money so bought a second hand Strat for my little girl a few years ago. It’s got a very comfortable narrow neck and is 10x the guitar I first got 30 years ago. Amazing. This is a great series for parents looking to buy a starter guitar. Also ace to see there’s a quality luthier working in my old neck of the woods!
Cheers mate. The series popularity has been a bit of a surprise but it's quite good fun to try all these different guitars.
I had a Squier affinity that I made into a custom guitar. I had an extra canary wood warmoth neck and a set of Seymour Duncan pickups sitting around and decided to see if the affinity body guitar was worth it. I used cts pots and switches and a set of fender locking timers as well. This guitar was off the charts. It played phenomenal. Someone liked it so much they gave me far more than I had into it.
A friend gave me that same Tele in Competition Orange. Frets were in about the same condition as yours. Touched up just a couple of slightly high frets and polished the rest. Adjusted the relief, string height and intonation. I love the way it plays and the neck is perfect for my hands. My only complaint was the plugged in sound. Wasn’t terrible but bad enough for me not to want to play it for very long. I was going to find someone to give to. But before doing that I wanted to try a different set of pickups that I had laying around. A Seymour Duncan Broadcaster bridge and a Squire Classic Vibe neck. Both are alnico. Really woke it up. Decided to keep it so I rewired it with new pots and a quality switch and jack. It has become one of my favorites. It gets a lot of play time. I wouldn’t recommend someone purchasing new pickups that cost more than the guitar itself but if you already have a set why not? It might end up working out like it did for me.
Sounds cool. People often overlook the fact that any upgrade pickups can come back out if you sell the beast on.... Win win
Yes. And don’t toss out the originals.
Paul. As I’ve probably mentioned before, I took up guitar 2 years ago aged 64. Had never heard of a truss rod until I started watching your channel. Had to go upstairs just now to check that my guitars had one, lol!! Well stap me vitals!!!! They have. My first guitar was a Tanglewood at £126 and I think it’s great.
Brilliant brand
just stumbled across this channel. bravo. as an intermediate gigging guitarist I would always suggest a basic guitar with a good professional setup is a winner. I always recommend to newbies to have a setup. (same as I recommend a bike fit to cyclists. its transformative to your experience if you are prepared to spend a little £)
I have a squire strat affinity. I have other guitars gibson les paul, fender tele and other less well known makes.
I don't know if my squire was well set up from the shop or what but it has always played beautifully. I wore out the frets on it twice and recently had it refretted with stainless steel frets. I had to. I was so worried about wearing out the frets again. It sounds awesome through my HH IC100 combo and Boss GT6. An amazing guitar that i just can't leave alone.
The stainless frets stand up a touch higher as my older frets would wear down quickly. So i'm probably losing a little speed as there is a little less glide. But having played relentlessly since having the ss frets fitted there is absolutely no wear at all. I love it.
Nice playing, and great tone too. Thanks man.
Cheers mate
Fantastic series! I'd love to see what you think of the Jackson JS series, like a JS11 Dinky. I was quite surprised by them, they are such fun and well playing instruments for the money.
I'm sure it'll come up
Just an idea. But one could mention that if one were so inclined. You could also order offline an already loaded pick guard for a Stratocaster with upgraded pots and pickups and wiring and with minimal soldering. You can also order the same upgrades for that tele. Ya know, if that beginner guitarist has fallen in love with the neck on their beginner cheapo guitar. A little TLC and a few upgrades and someday that shell pink tele will look like something out of the Murphy lab. Something that cost ridiculous money to have someone else beat the bag out of your guitar 😂
Nice work, Luthier! I paid AUD$200 for a new nut and a setup for my Casino in Western Australia, and lovely it is.
Sounds great! 👍🏼
Great Video! My guess for Top Beginner Guitar would be HSS Yamaha Pacifica - insane Price/value factor!
Good call!
Brilliant ! ... I've played a few Squire's lately, and they've all been pretty solid value for the money. With a good setup i think they're perfect for a beginner, or someone who plays out and doesn't care about what's on the headstock.... I think adding "ease of repair/correction/set-up" might be something to add to the judging criteria....just a thought ... Cheers Mate ! See you soon !
If Docs wants it, he gets it. x It's on the list
I looked at your ebay listing & it says 'crafted in Indonesia' in the pics, not China... People say the Indonesia ones are slightly better, but IDK... I think you're right about guitars at this price point; some are just better than others & it can be a gamble.
My Squier Tele is from China & it's fine. Mine was also bought used for under £100 (call it £100 with the petrol money). It was wearing a non-factory pick-guard & new Ernie Ball 10s, looking & playing like the guy had already given it whatever TLC it might have needed.
A tip I saw elsewhere was that if you're buying new cheapies from Amazon; buy 2, keep the better one & return the other.
That's a nice tip and it is from Indonesia 🤣My bad. What a sausage
I don't know if it was the guitar or player but that sounded damn good
All the guitar I'm afraid!
@Milehousestudios 🤣
I bought a new Squier Tele for myself last year for 175 quid. One high fret, cheap tuners and a bit cheap looking faceplate. I stuck some lockers on it and a 3-ply faceplate, filed the fret and it's a fab little plank. Love it.
Fab little plank 😂
Entry level and cheap second hand guitars are a pretty good market these days. As someone experienced in fret leveling and setups they are a no brainer but, it’s harder to pinpoint a correct answer for a brand new player.
For me I know what to look for when inspecting a used instrument, so I know when to avoid a purchase but, I can understand why people would avoid that and just buy something brand new assuming it’s a better choice. Yes it can be but, you can also buy a bad guitar at a large retailer, so if you do go that route, pay for a professional setup (usually ~$50). If there is anything wrong with the instrument they can and should catch it which would give you the opportunity to return or exchange it for a good guitar instead, and aside from lessons a good setup is one of the best things you can get when first starting since it takes time to understand what makes a good setup and what to feel for personally. Easy of playing and comfort goes up and then you develop a feel for what you like over time.
Honestly I’ve not run into a completely unplayable Squier, just rusty old ones and stuff that needed a lot of leveling and setup. The only brand that I’ve unfortunately had hits and misses is really Epiphone, so take that for what it’s worth.
I am sold on Squires, my Affinity was amazing straight from the store, jusrt some mods to make a player of 55 years like me happy. I'm playing it more than my Ibanez RG570 that I bought back in '91 so that kind of tells you what these are.
Left a comment about that on the Glarry vid, then I saw this one and had to watch.
Great series, newb's need to know they can kick out the jams on what dad spends on a Friday night at the pub and sound good doing it.
I'l bought a 1990s Squier got it professionally set up.
Fab rhythm guitar.
I remember a guy from It Bites had one!
I'm a tech down in Australia and prices differ wildly even within my own city. I'd charge around $180aud for the work you put into it at the most. Great video!
Thanks for sharing. Cheers mate
I recently bought a Jackson JS11. It was on sale for $143 but it's usually $159 anyway. Out of the box it made one of the best first impressions of any guitar I've bought online. I have a Sterling Axis that was much more expensive that was much worse. The frets were perfect - the ends weren't sharp, they were all even, and they weren't scratchy. The setup was perfect. I still haven't had to touch the intonation. It even has a push-in trem bar. I'm completely astonished by this guitar. The only thing I've done to it since I got it was to give it a little more neck relief to my liking, but it was perfectly fine out of the box. I play it all the time now. I can't see how anything else can be better for the price. Sure, the pots are small and the trem doesn't stay in tune, but the electronics work fine and since the bridge is set up flat, you can just pretend it's a hardtail (like I do). I can't see why this wouldn't be the best beginner guitar you could buy, unless the person prefers country music or something. It's also a great mod platform for someone who wants to tinker.
If I can grab a bargain I'll snap it up
In my area (Texas, USA) a highly respected local music store (a very well established place with lots of history) near me charges about $100 (about 82 pound sterling) for a setup and $30 (about 25 pounds) for a restring. As for beginner guitars to look at I would recommend looking at an Ibanez Gio. They usually go for 200-400 bucks new, but they often resale for $100 bucks because people buy them and they sit in a corner gathering dust.
Also, excellent videos, really enjoying them.
Thanks for sharing!
Having just got myself a bargain basement ‘marketplace’ guitar, I’m stoked to see this pop up as a ‘first’ (introduction) for setting up 👍
Finally someone who calls a spade a spade. Great content. Been fixing up guitars minus the luthier degree for years myself. Agreed with your approach 100% nothing better than a pawn shop score too albeit a rarity these days. Find a deal on marketplace and find a guy like this to get it up to snuff - you'll be a happy player.
Thanks mate
When I first started learning how to fettle guitars I bought a few £40 guitars from FB marketplace and made my mistakes on those. Refretted some for practice, and now I’m confident doing pretty much anything on an electric guitar
Great videos, after watching this I am tempted to buy a super cheap guitar to learn how to do a fret job as I would hate to mess up one of my nice guitars but would also like to learn how to do it.
Awesome vlogs! Cheers , very helpful and informative! 🙂
Glad you like them!
My first guitar, as a newb, was a sterling axis and because I didn't know better, years later I learned the pickups were not weird correctly from the factory. I'm not even sure what to do about it, lol. Still learning how to play..
Yourself and a couple other luthiers on the TH-cams have inspired me to start tinkering with guitars. I've played more than half my life (turning 40 this year! 🤮) but never connected with them from this perspective, always paid to have it done. I plan on visiting some yard sales and marketplaces this year to find some cheapies and try to work out the kinks. Thank you for contributions, Paul! Carry on....
It's an amazing time to be a guitar player. I have a BEAUTIFUL archtop double cut jazz guitar coming from Amazon for $170. Sure it will need strings, setup, maybe some fret work but it's got great reviews and it looks killer. I build and repair guitars but I LOVE modding cheap guitars. I sell a few, give a few away and keep my favorites😅
Great video! Another in the 100 dollar/quid range that is common is the Epiphone Les Paul Special II. Also Yamaha makes nice cheap Pacifica Strats-I helped a friend find one used for $50, set it up in my very limited amateur way and it was totally fine. Moving up the ladder I’d like to see the cheapest used Yamaha Revstar and maybe the cheapest used PRS SE model. Big jump up when you get to $300.
I just bought a Squier Sonic for my niece and out of the box I was very surprised. Nice and low action, sounds great. Budget guitars have come such a long way in recent years.
Love the video! Hello from the other side of the Tamar Bridge :D
How did you get through the filters 😂
@Milehousestudios haha I have no idea! Awesome to know there's a good Luthier not far from me :D I have subscribed, your videos are educational and hilarious 😆
I picked up a Squier Tele about a year ago, also on fb marketplace. Sunburst. I replaced the god awful white pick guard with a used torti that I found for $10 and that’s it for now. It sits in my living room for casual strumming.
One day I’ll do the pickups, pots and maybe go and find some used fender standard tuners or something. But for now it’s fine.
Really enjoyed this video. I’m
Not a guitarist but I play bass. I was searching your videos to see if you have done anything similar to this video but for bass. Is this something you might consider?
Great video as usual! You should review and set up a Kramer focus. I bought one used for $100 last week. I put a set of Fender staggered tuners on it, swapped out the nut with a Tusq nut and strung it up with a fresh set of nines. I also tweaked the neck a bit. It is definitely better and plays and sounds amazing! I might swap out the pickups but for now they're decent.
I'll check it out!
Somone is going to get a banging first guitar for £100 plus delivery or even a great back up . looking forward to seeing more .
I know they're more expensive but I'd like to hear your opinions on a Classic Vibe Squier guitar. In my experience, they're pretty bloody good for the money, VERY dry fingerboard and VERY scratchy frets though, but you can sort that out in 10 minutes so it's no biggie. I did have a wiring harness upgrade on one though, big upgrade.
I'll get around to the nicer stuff eventually I reckon.
@ awesome.
I have a 2021 60's CV Squire Stratocaster and I love it! You're right on the dry board and corroded frets. Mine came like that. With some cleaning and tuning it's turned out to be the best strat I've ever held! Plus it taught me how to work on it...
Much prefer it over my friend's MIM strat, my cousin's 70's strat, and every other one I've picked up and tried in a shop.
It does need new pots though, brand new out of the box they were scratchy and cut out when changing volume or tone. I'm not sure which ones to get to replace them if you guys have recommendations....
(edit)
I got it back in 2022 new for $250, almost half off, for a pin prick blemish inside the higher neck contour.
@@skyricq I think CTS pots are pretty much the industry standard.
@@madgeniusmusicThanks. As I was typing that my blues jr 'blue up'. One of the tubes is spitting purple plasma everywhere inside :(
I got a Black Friday deal on a Squier Affinity for €168.00
It’s great straight out the box.