@@GeorgeTwine I have a 5000 dollar PRS and while I really like it, what I don't like is that I basically treat it like a bomb whenever I pick it up. Always put it in the case, always clean it with a microfiber cloth, always carry it in two hands, and always make sure not to get a scratch on it anywhere. That means I don't play it nearly as much as I do the cheaper ones I have because it's such a big hassle.
I used to have an old Squier that I did some work on. I smoothed the fret ends just like here plus I also did a pickup change with some good Dimarzio’s. Can’t remember which ones right now because it was so long ago. This guy I knew, not well, but I knew him through other friends that had this REALLY sweet American Strat. I gave his guitar praise to him and asked him to try mine out through his rig. He saw the Squier badge and looked at me like “okay kid” and smirked. He plugged it into his rig and he started playing it. You could see his preconceptions about that Squier slowly deflate in his face. Then he smiled and nod his head like “hell yeah!” He handed it back to me and only said one word. “Damn!”
@@smitsonavane6278 Has life ever been unkind to you? Have you ever fell on hard times through no fault of your own? My guitars an amps weren’t the only thing I had to part with to get me and my family through a very scary struggle. But that’s okay. It was a long time ago and I was able to feed my family and I have even better equipment now. Take care.
I've seen several videos in which this technique is demonstrated but this is the first I've seen during which a macro lens is used. It clearly shows the night & day difference the mod makes. Well done, Darrell.
Comment Freely companies don't want to do that. The average customer shall have to feel the immediate difference between the squier and the american made fender, so the higher price is "reasonable". Plus he has the will to "upgrade" a.s.a.p.
@@commentfreely5443 Frankly, it's part of the artificial ways Fender separates its higher end guitars from the cheaper ones. Mexican Strats have pretty angular edges, American Strats have smoother ones. But the price of doing this is most probably minimal. Buying a Mexican Strat and taking 10 minutes to smooth the edges is a pretty great deal.
I followed your instructions on my Squire Affinity tele frets and neck and it worked like a charm. The frets on this guitar were really rough on the ends, just what you can usually expect from a $200 guitar. It was like running my hand up and down barbed wire and it tore the crap out of my hand. I went up to the hardware store, bought the foam sanders (even found one with a 45 degree slant, fine grit) and went to work on the frets. It only took about 10 minutes of light pressure sanding and the frets are now as smooth as silk and my hands are thanking me. I also have an LTD guitar that I had endured rough frets for 4 years and I fixed them too. Just a word of caution to anyone planning to do this, be sure to tape up any area next to the the neck (as well as the pickups) because I accidentally put a few sanding marks on my pick guard and it's easy to do (my fault). A little bit of blue tape would have completely prevented this. But thank you for this video. I need never put up with poorly finished frets ever again.
MewGamingYT Easy. Bang it into the wall a few times and you're done. If you're feeling extra adventurous, lower the pickups and raise the bridge an inch or so 👍
Also: fix your fret ends in the middle of heating season, when your home is as dry as it gets. Then the wood has shrunk, and the fret ends stick out as much as they ever will.
just skipped 3 times in this video after reading your comment... "what toy are we goint to use? this 5$ foam from homedepo" "it already feels so good, but let's just do it a bit more" "what do these comperisons show us? a good amp is a good equalizer"
I just tried this on my 2017 Squier Afinity Lefty Strat. I had previously begun filing a few of the fret ends using a "famous maker" fret end dressing file - tedious to say the least, and a task I wasn't looking forward to. After watching your video I tried using a 3M 220 grit Pro Grade Precision Ultra Flexible Block Sanding Sponge (3M p/n 2504PGP-220-UF) which I purchased at a home improvement store. Before beginning I applied "painter's tape" to mask the pick ups and the switch slot and all but about 1/16" of the fingerboard edge. The results are nothing short of amazing! I will still need to use the file on a few particularly nasty frets and I'm saving the steel wool treatment for last. Thanks for another great video (as usual!), Darrell !
I just purchased a lefty squier affinity strat. The fretwork is absolutely terrible! Frets are literally protruding out. The edges are rough as well. Thanks for giving the details of the exact sandblock that you used, and your experience with it! Going to try this now.
@@akshayjoshi3620 Mine were pretty bad but this method quickly made a HUGE improvement. As I said previously, there were still a few frets which needed individual attention. Good Luck!
Best true comments I’ve heard ever, I play in a rock n roll band with another guitarist a bass and drums , I bet you anything 99% of the listeners cannot tell which guitar I’m playing, my top end strat or my squire
Informative as always. You said "a good amp is the great equalizer" maybe you could give us your thoughts on what a good amp is in various price points. Say like 0 -$500, $500 - $1000, $1000 - $1500, etc..
Amazing, I did this on my Classic Vibe, which already wasnt bad, but it really did go up a notch and feels like a more expensive guitar. Its a huge improvement for such small investment Now several months later, and I have done this with several basses. Having gained confidence in how well it works, Ive given it more "treatment," and SO happy with the results. Thank you !!!
I just did this to my 10 yr old $100 Spectrum telecaster, the frets I swear it felt like they were gouging my fingers. It's so smooth now, it's insane I can't stop touching it. I honestly didn't know you could do this.
This is the GREATEST advice I have seen on YT! My MIM Mustang PJ was OK, but now feels SO MUCH better! I could not believe it. I used a 220 grit foam pad. I found that the grinding and polishing took a bit longer than I expected. The advice I'll give is to keep working it (not too hard) until the pad goes smooth and then polishes the fret ends after rounding them. Thanks so much!!
I recently cleaned up the switches & pots on a '95 Squier Strat that has huge sentimental value....did this & love it! New Fender Tex-Mex pickups arrive today, locking Fender tuners will arrive probably over the weekend...
This is why I always say go with CLASSIC VIBE! Every one I've ever bought has PERFECT fret work! I actually had worse frets on my 900 dollar fender than my 400 dollar squire classic vibe telecaster.
@@rknisple Yeah, absolutely. I used to judge Squier's before I had mine. Then I tested one side by side with a Mexican standard through a valve amp, and got the Classic Vibe. The best strat I've ever had. Thinking in buying a CV Tele next year. Cheers!
Today I'm covering one of the easiest and most important mods that will make any inexpensive guitar play like a high-end instrument - all without any expensive tools! Enjoy :)
I used to sell a few guitars and do basic setups for pocket money in college. I used the same basic setup for dressing fret ends and some polish for the frets. Customers would be amazed how much better they felt and played after some really simple work. MIM Fenders were my go to favorites to sell. With a basic setup and polish those guitars were monsters.
This looks like such a simple finishing touch, can't believe the Squier factory doesn't have a machine which could do this with negligible impact on production costs. Looks almost like a deliberate "omission" on their part to help justify and maintain the price/quality differential. Good job!
That's really kinda strange - in a positive sense: I have exactly this task on my schedule since several months. I bought one of these fret guards (these metal stripes with the slot you're showing in the vid) and thought to do the job with a fine file. I didn't start the work yet because I was a little bit afraid of damaging the edges of the fretboard. I've got quiet good experiences as a handyman and tinkerer with good fine motor skills but in this matter I had some jitters. And now I stumbled over your video accidently and learned how easy this is done! That really helps me a lot. The before and after comparison "under the microskope" says it all. So I will dispose of that immediately. Thank you very much for your video! Great job! Cheers from Berlin Btw: I much more like the light blue Squier with that maple neck than the other guitar. It's exactly my taste.
You are correct sir. I found a great guitar with awesome playability a good enough sound and a terrible top, but I concluded it was the best thing I could buy that fit in my budget. And just when I was about to buy it...discontinued. Lucky me.
Can't stress this enough. I have a guitar which is a stunner, but I never play it, so I have it up for sale. On the other hand, my average looking Tele and Jaguar are a joy to play and use them constantly. Still would love to own a guitar that sounds AND looks great, but playability is the priority!
That "fret feel", tuning issues, and weak pickups are probably the top three things that turn people off of lower priced guitars..... That and wanting to impress others with the name on the headstock, which is ridiculous, since only other guitar greeks will care about that.
Steven Irons - The issues (tuning issues and weak pickups) can be fixed relatively cheaply. Working on your own guitars is fun and it personalizes them.
Steel wool is way to messy, especially near magnetic pickups, tape or no tape!! Give the 3m polishing cloth/paper a try! I use the 1 micron/8000 grit and the results are amazing!! Super clean and easy! The best part is you can actually see what's coming off of your frets onto the cloth/paper! I've used it on older necks from the 80s that were completely nasty and the frets came back to a mirror shine in just a few seconds!!!
Those green Scotch-Brite pads work great for light buffing or scuffing your shiny neck into a smoother satin finish so that you don't get any metal filings like you would with #0000 steel wool.
@@icenic_wolf i do this in every gloss neck except my Gibson LP since i bought that to hand down to my son if he wants to do it when hes older ill let him decide
Great video. I saw a guy at Guitar Center two weeks ago using a large flat file to file down edges and it look like he was going to town on the guitar- major grinding. Nice to see how it should be done. Great video!
I changed out the tuners on my new Squire Contemporary Strat HSS with some locking D'Addarios (not mods required), popped in some GraphTec string guides, and performed the fret/fretboard fix-up. They are all polished up and fretboard is now rounded and not squared off. Everything is looking and working great! I will have this guitar for a long time.
I do my own fret work , and like you I have all the tools ... My problem area was fret ends and the FOAM SANDING BLOCK worked PERFECTLY !! I now can do all my fret work with confidence !! Thanks for the video Darrell !!
Thanks to your recommendation, I put hipshot locking tuners and and a graph tech nut on my squier bullet strat, and now I can do crazy Jimo Hendrix Whammy Bar tricks without going out of tune, thanks for the vids keep it up
I did this on 3 guitars today - the first one was the sacrificial guitar in case it didn't work out. Wow - what a difference! Thanks Darrell for the great tip. Made a couple of my lesser axes a LOT more playable! Cheers!
Just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU for this video. I have the same squire in the off-white and the fret edges were really rough, to the point it hurt to move up and down the neck. Did this, followed your instruction, and 30 mins later it feels like a nice guitar should. Great video, thanks again!
I took my new squier guitar to get intonated and set up, the guy recommended some fret work done and at the time I didnt know how much it would help. Now, after getting the guitar back i thought i was going insane how much it helped. After watching this video i fully understand what he did and am glad I found someone so knowledgeable.
I recently got a Squier Affinity tele in Race Green and was super impressed by the guitar. Frets feel smooth, fit and finish is fantastic. Then I got an Ibanez 7 string for the same price ($200 USD) and the fret ends were way too sharp and long, almost could cut your hand on them. My guess is it had something to do with the humidity change, because I can't imagine it left the factory like that. So ironically I did this to make my ibanez play like a squier lol
We need more guys like you man. I think the biggest difference people don’t understand is more work is done with high end guitar which is why they charge more. It doesn’t make them better necessarily. But if you know how to fix and repair guitars then you can easily take a pos and turn it into gold imo
Use the smooth side end of the sanding block as indicated in the video. And although he didn't specify on the Steel wool it looks like 000, and that makes sense as it will polish rather than destroy any fret or wood on the fret board.
I love that your one of the few that doesnt believe in the whole tonewood crap,at the end of the day, its electrical components that make the most difference....everything from pickups to amp
" Tonewood " ... ha ha , ya really ! Lots are dumb , believe anything , and are easily fooled and mis-led . Its all about the neck and fret finishing . Been saying this for years . The body just holds everything together . Pickups cant hear the wood . Go see Justin Johnson with that amazing sounding " tonewood " or "tonesteel " shovel and then go re-think about what you " think " you " know ". lol Common sense is not too common it seems .
Check out Jack Pearson. His playing and history are dynamic. Over the last few years he has been buying Squier Strats. In one of his videos he states that the only thing he changes when he buys one is one little jumper wire on the 5 way switch to give the rear pup an individual tone control. He keeps the small pots and ceramic pups. It's always the player first then follows the chain of guitar, amp, effects, etc. A mediocre player can have top of the line equipment and it doesn't make him better player. A great player can have mediocre equipment and sound fantastic.
People go nerdy about tone because they don't understand music. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote some of his greatest works for unspecified instruments. That's how much he cared about "tone".
Its about time someone showed the masses what and how a rolled fingerboard looks and feels. I won't touch a guitar without rolled edges. That was a GREAT video of ths best way to correctly roll your edges without destroying your neck! I commend you sir, well done!
Thank you for this video. I originally scoffed at the idea and purchased an expensive fret end dressing file. I know that I don’t have the talent to really effectively use it so I studied this video and purchased a sanding sponge and I was able to dress the fret ends and round off the fretboard edge on a Classic Vibe 70s Strat as you demonstrated in this video, thanks again
Darrell - instead of steel wool try the equivalent nylon scotchbrite type pads. Does exactly the same job without the magnetic shards. I’ve ditched steel wool altogether around pickups
That explains alot about my first electric guitar which happens to be a squire . I used to play acoustic but I never limited myself to the front end of the fret board so when I got squire it felt absolutely terrible to play anything beyond the 15th fret. This has been so helpful ...I won't hesitate to get it polished
It's not that it'd make the guitars cost too much. It's just they don't want deliver a high quality product for a low value product. Which is hurting the guitar brands. Outside of vintage guitars there shouldn't be a guitar over $2500 that's not a single craftsman custom and base model guitars shouldn't cost more than $1000.
@@loganphelps4916 A high end guitar can be built for 600 dollars . The rest is all in the name and kudos . I have modded a modified vintage Squire and would put it up against any Fender or Hamer I have owned over the years .
Depends on what you want. Relicing for example does take a lot of time and craftmansship. But for a simple Guitar it also depends if its a bolt on, how much lining and stuff. But for playability you are right.
I use those rubber nail polishing files (5 pcs 3 €) for the last polishing, instead of steelwool. Works great and I don´t have to worry about steelwool messing around my pickups. You even don´t need to tape your fretboard, when giving an extra fine polish to the frets.
wow..... you did a nice job knocking off the sharpness of the neck and frets. Those fret wires are now so shiny and smooth. I have couple guitars that have a hard edge neck and sharp frets and often wondered how to soften those sharp spots... I presume this trick will work on most any guitar... Thanks Darrell.
From Leo: Good tip. It is amazing how seemingly minor adjustments make a huge difference. I use plumbers mesh strip with my fingers behind it so I can modulate the pressure at each fret by feel. With the magnification, it looks like your sanding pads do a nicer job. Thanks for the tip. PS: is that the 220 grit block?
This is the best advice, obvious but so worth the effort. I bought a Squier 150 dollar mustang on a whim. Sounded ok but the fretboard and frets were 150 guitar. Sanded, polished and knocked off a couple bad burrs. Polished the neck also. I then did the same to my Squier Jazzmaster. They both feel superior to my Fender Mex Strat. Goes to show you what a little careful work will do. Took me more than a few minutes though. Probably over cautious, if there is such a thing.
Fantastic! I know I'm late but I can't believe I just stumbled on this video. I just bought 3 "lower end" "intermediate" guitars (Affinity Tele, Epiphone SG and a Rg6000fm) earlier tonight just to spare me the constant tuning changes. Invaluable tip! Thanks Darrell!
A local Gibson dealer tech, taught me this trick. Anyway, Fenders I have bought lately have been damn good. Actually good all the way down to right at the $400 Squier price point. No complaints I haven't noticed any glaring fret sprout or sharp edges. A bullet Mustang HH, yeah I needed to use this trick, but afterwards was super smooth.... I have a lot of unbound Rosewood fretboards that I have used this on. It works well, and thanks for making the video to get the word out!
Grest vid. I've been doing this to squires since I was a teenager in the 90's. Another great tip is to file a ml off the bottom of the saddle bolts as they're razor sharp and stick out above the bridge on squires ( they'll literally cut you as your strumming) DON'T fill from the top as the Allen sits in there and you could fill away the wrench hole by mistake but do sand the top of them lightly with the same sanding pad used in this vid. The top of those bolts need to be very smooth. I think the main point is- on squires, this kind of finishing, filling, sanding and polishing isn't done and that's what you pay for when you pay €1200 for a U.S made strat. My favourite guitar I ever had was an eighties squire. I've yet to pick up an American strat that plays better. Anyway, be patient, put in the time, use loads of masking tape and try not to use cheap tools and always polish with a rag after sanding with the finest grit sand paper! If you want to go an extra step. Take off the scratch plate and seal the inside the aluminium foil using double sided salotape. This will greatly redude noise and stop your amp from picking up all sorts of radio waves. I'm sure there are plenty do vids to show how it's done,. Remember, time patience is the key. You could put your squire in he hands of Clapton and he would think it's a €2000 strat if done with patience and time.
That's my question too. I rewatched and rewatched, thinking i missed (what i thought was) that crucial point... but I don't think it is mentioned. I think this is still a really amazing video though and i will buy some cheap necks now and turn them into 'warmoths' for my "how cheaply can i build a blinding partscaster!' project .
I have some sanding foam blocks and they are the same grit all around. ... I think they're either 60 or 80 grit. I know these are extremely coarse. So, to do this mod, I'd have to get much finer, probly either 180 or 220. If anyone has done this, what grit did you use? Thanks in advance.
Great video DBG but I was always told to NEVER use steel wool on an electric guitar. The alternative is 3M scotchbright pads, the white pads are the one I use and it is the equivelant to 0000 steel wool.
Great video. I have Fender Strats made in USA, Japan and Mexico but one of my favorites is a Squier Bullet Strat that I bought for $99. I put about $150 worth of upgrades into it and touched up the neck and now it plays and sounds as good as any other guitar I own.
@@sumanthparakala2005 tuners, bridge saddles, probably, those are the weakest part of the squier strats. the pickups are 'good' on their own but I'd replace the potentiometers as well
"$5 sanding block from Home Depot, what grit#"? This may be a basic , butas a beginner I hear so many contradictions in regards to cleaning a fingerboard. As in what should be used, based on whether or not you have a Maple or Dark, or Rosewood fingerboard. What do you recommend? Do you have videos pertaining to this? Thank you.
i use automotive wet/dry paper and then a leather strop soaked in polishing compound. i'm a knifemaker and guitar maker so i use the same stuff for polishing blades as i do polishing frets. seems to work well. i recommend about 400 grit, then maybe 800 but i hate steel wool. shavings get in everything. leather and compound does good too but it may take a slight feel for it, maybe not beginner friendly, like who has a can of blue magic and some deer skin chamois handy unless you do leatherwork. also fun fact...if you do want it to sound just like a 2000 dollar guitar, just buy a pre-wired pickguard with nicer aftermarket pickups. my old bands lead guitarist took a 110 dollar squire and dropped in a 100 dollar active pickguard set and it sounds better than my american strat. and yes...AMP is by far the most important element in the chain. Amp, pickups, then strings, and then a tie between 50 nitpicky things that dont amount to 5 percent of your sound. tonewood is one of the 50 little things, right beside where you strum, how you set your volume dial and shielding. good strings playing over good pickups into a good amp equals perfect tone. everything else is maybes and adjustment.
Pick material and weight actually makes a very big difference in tone color. Bought a box full of picks from a UK small shop producer called Winspear who uses a range of different plastics, compared that to some other picks such as the GraphTech Tusq, the Dragon's Heart picks and Dunlop Ultex Flow picks, and while it's not like switching from neck to bridge pup, the difference is very far from fantasy-land cork sniffing and has more of an impact than some pickup comparisons I've seen on TH-cam.
I'm building a "last set" 6.5 lb bass for my bad back. I bought a used Squier Bronco neck, and just did exactly as you showed, figuring I could fix it later, if needed. (I have a bunch of Stew-Mac tools too!) Miraculous! Wow, what a difference! Thanks!
I almost never had a fret issue with the Squiers. (I did play a $14,000 Warwick recently that needed fret work) For a hundred bucks more than the crap low end Squiers , the CV or the Vintage Modified are really a step up and worth it. They're comparable to Mexican Fenders.
Perhaps people like me are damn fools for buying a expensive guitar for sounds of tone quality, when you can use cheap modifying upgrades method instead to achieve the same results
Squiers are made in Indonesia which is far more humid than New Hampshire. The Bronco basses and Bullet Strats have noticeable fret sprout from the neck shrinking in transit. I have used the sanding block trick, and it works great.
The result is better than what I can do with the “proper” tools! I think the steel wool is key to get the subtle rounding after the sanding established the geometry. I am certainly going to try this!
You're so right about the amp. I've had a Crate 212 for literally decades and always thought my bad tone was because I had cheap guitars. After years of blowing huge amounts of cash on high end premium guitars and seeing no change in my trash tone I decided to try a different amp. I got a JC-120. I wasn't messing around anymore. Suddenly, I'm one of the best guitar player's of anyone that I know. I've got some money to make back on trade-in guitars. Beginner tip: Spend your money on the amp before buying up the cool guitars of the moment.
My suggestion is just get the Fender. If you got a Squire for $200 or $250 (I really don't know what they cost) and put $400 into it, what you ultimately have is a $650 Squire which means you could have had Mexican strat. This is not to bag on Squires per se: Years ago I had a Squire strat, white body, pick guard, etc. and a maple fingerboard. The neck plate said "10th Anniversary" which I thought was cool. It was a gorgeous guitar, and my strat now is the white/maple combination. The Squire (giving credit where credit is due) did have a great "sweet spot" on the neck at roughly frets 10 through 15. So get the Squire and look at it as a learning curve to customize as you may choose or get the Mexican strat. Seems to me you win either way.
This is Brian. I had a squire like that and I set it up as best one could. I noticed that the intonation always came out a little off and I guess that was the charm of a squire. It screamed with the original pickups. But it was the early generation of Squire. I wish you would have played the comparison with the original pickups first. But thanks Darrell, that was a great comparison.
"It's a Squier, no one's going to be playing past the 15th fret!" hahahaha Even my Squier vintage modifies had really poor fret work up high. Thanks for your video which really helped.
Hey Darrell, I looked up "foam block" on Amazon and I didn't get the right results, but when I put in "sanding block" I wasn't sure what grit to go with. What would you recommend? Also, is there a difference between a foam block and a sanding sponge?
Funny, I was just cleaning the workshop and found a foam sanding block in the mess! Now I'm gonna give this mod a shot on my Squire! Great videos, nice work!
jokes on you, i can make a fender sound like a squier
Man that's real depressing
HAHAHAHA
meeee
lol
LOL!!
How to make a Squier play like a Fender
Step 1: remove Squier emblem
Step 2: play
Exactly... Non-guitarheads aren't going to notice a tiny bit different out of it, especially when our targetted audience are them.
I've removed squier emblem and It feels like I'm playing an american strat
@@r3t1a47 if you further remove the headstock, it will feel like gibson
Nash gUiTaRhEaDs
@@jimboblio2351 triggered because you know nothing about guitar?
Or just switch the Squier decal for a Fender one and Fender fanboys will be like, ahhh this is the best guitar I've ever played.
And then the other morons will be like Ahhhh you could totally have a way better guitar for half the price if you just buy a kit or mod a Squier
you guys just described how the world works
@@launder0 hahahaha...can't agree more !
@@GeorgeTwine I have a 5000 dollar PRS and while I really like it, what I don't like is that I basically treat it like a bomb whenever I pick it up. Always put it in the case, always clean it with a microfiber cloth, always carry it in two hands, and always make sure not to get a scratch on it anywhere. That means I don't play it nearly as much as I do the cheaper ones I have because it's such a big hassle.
@@RP-dy5mu Couldn't think of a better example of first world problems...I feel awful for you.
"A good amp is the great equalizer."
So is a great equalizer.
Yet a great equalizer is not a good amp.
TubeDupe yet a good equalizer isn’t a great amp
Lol
I used to have an old Squier that I did some work on. I smoothed the fret ends just like here plus I also did a pickup change with some good Dimarzio’s. Can’t remember which ones right now because it was so long ago. This guy I knew, not well, but I knew him through other friends that had this REALLY sweet American Strat. I gave his guitar praise to him and asked him to try mine out through his rig. He saw the Squier badge and looked at me like “okay kid” and smirked. He plugged it into his rig and he started playing it. You could see his preconceptions about that Squier slowly deflate in his face. Then he smiled and nod his head like “hell yeah!” He handed it back to me and only said one word. “Damn!”
Do you know what is the foam block used to smooth both ends of the frets made of, and where can it be found?
PATRICIAYDIEGO ORMAZA-MARTINEZ its a foam sanding block, you can order it online or go to home depot, maybe ace
@@frogssong Thanks a lot!!!
USED to have!!
Bro why did you sell it if it gave you such a good memory
@@smitsonavane6278 Has life ever been unkind to you? Have you ever fell on hard times through no fault of your own? My guitars an amps weren’t the only thing I had to part with to get me and my family through a very scary struggle. But that’s okay. It was a long time ago and I was able to feed my family and I have even better equipment now. Take care.
I've seen several videos in which this technique is demonstrated but this is the first I've seen during which a macro lens is used. It clearly shows the night & day difference the mod makes. Well done, Darrell.
can't you pay some guy in china who makes $2 a day, $0.20 to do all that work?
Comment Freely companies don't want to do that. The average customer shall have to feel the immediate difference between the squier and the american made fender, so the higher price is "reasonable". Plus he has the will to "upgrade" a.s.a.p.
Fender Deluxe Nashville tele costs around $900 and still has sharp neck edges.
@@commentfreely5443 Frankly, it's part of the artificial ways Fender separates its higher end guitars from the cheaper ones. Mexican Strats have pretty angular edges, American Strats have smoother ones. But the price of doing this is most probably minimal. Buying a Mexican Strat and taking 10 minutes to smooth the edges is a pretty great deal.
@@commentfreely5443 why do that when you can pay the same worker to make guitars as quickly and unsafe as possible
I followed your instructions on my Squire Affinity tele frets and neck and it worked like a charm. The frets on this guitar were really rough on the ends, just what you can usually expect from a $200 guitar. It was like running my hand up and down barbed wire and it tore the crap out of my hand. I went up to the hardware store, bought the foam sanders (even found one with a 45 degree slant, fine grit) and went to work on the frets. It only took about 10 minutes of light pressure sanding and the frets are now as smooth as silk and my hands are thanking me. I also have an LTD guitar that I had endured rough frets for 4 years and I fixed them too. Just a word of caution to anyone planning to do this, be sure to tape up any area next to the the neck (as well as the pickups) because I accidentally put a few sanding marks on my pick guard and it's easy to do (my fault). A little bit of blue tape would have completely prevented this. But thank you for this video. I need never put up with poorly finished frets ever again.
What kind of foam block that waa used in the video? Did he use sanding foam block to soften up those edges?
what about how to make your fender play like a squier???
MewGamingYT Easy. Bang it into the wall a few times and you're done. If you're feeling extra adventurous, lower the pickups and raise the bridge an inch or so 👍
Hand it to me. My fingers can make anything sound like Walmart trash.
@@zadtheinhaler I didn't say anything
Step 1: prtend to be Jimi Hendrix
Step 2: burn your fender
The Squire Classic Vibe 50's Telecaster is a great guitar, as good as any in quality build and sound.
How to make a Squier play like a Fender: Practice
Or buy a better amp
@Orpheas Malliamanis Ok
First swap the neck to a real fender. Then swap everything else,
Also: fix your fret ends in the middle of heating season, when your home is as dry as it gets. Then the wood has shrunk, and the fret ends stick out as much as they ever will.
What's heating season? When you heat up your home in Winter? Or the heat of the Summer (the most humid where I live)?
@@miguelescutia5556 Also, "when your home is as dry as it gets" will vary greatly depending on where you live.
Summer?
Miguel Escutia heating season means the time of year you heat your home. Heating the air makes it arid inside, wood heat in particular
I just stick the neck in a freezer.
This dude's content is consistently top-notch.
just skipped 3 times in this video after reading your comment... "what toy are we goint to use? this 5$ foam from homedepo" "it already feels so good, but let's just do it a bit more" "what do these comperisons show us? a good amp is a good equalizer"
That before and after shot really showed the difference. good stuff!
Hey landon
I just tried this on my 2017 Squier Afinity Lefty Strat. I had previously begun filing a few of the fret ends using a "famous maker" fret end dressing file - tedious to say the least, and a task I wasn't looking forward to. After watching your video I tried using a 3M 220 grit Pro Grade Precision Ultra Flexible Block Sanding Sponge (3M p/n 2504PGP-220-UF) which I purchased at a home improvement store. Before beginning I applied "painter's tape" to mask the pick ups and the switch slot and all but about 1/16" of the fingerboard edge. The results are nothing short of amazing! I will still need to use the file on a few particularly nasty frets and I'm saving the steel wool treatment for last. Thanks for another great video (as usual!), Darrell !
very useful mentions! thanks a lot!
I just purchased a lefty squier affinity strat. The fretwork is absolutely terrible! Frets are literally protruding out. The edges are rough as well. Thanks for giving the details of the exact sandblock that you used, and your experience with it! Going to try this now.
@@akshayjoshi3620 Mine were pretty bad but this method quickly made a HUGE improvement. As I said previously, there were still a few frets which needed individual attention. Good Luck!
Best true comments I’ve heard ever, I play in a rock n roll band with another guitarist a bass and drums , I bet you anything 99% of the listeners cannot tell which guitar I’m playing, my top end strat or my squire
I did this to my Squier Contemporary Tele tonight and the result was very nice. Much more comfortable to play now. Thanks for this tip.
Informative as always. You said "a good amp is the great equalizer" maybe you could give us your thoughts on what a good amp is in various price points. Say like 0 -$500, $500 - $1000, $1000 - $1500, etc..
150 quid fender champion 40 is great for me
@@ollyholmes1835 an orange micro dark and a decent sized cab. Absolutely perfect for a bedroom concert
I have a BOSS Katana 50. $300 canadian and it sounds amazing.
Marshall DSL40C
Yamaha thr10, others are still trying to catch up to it for a practice amp. Vox adio air close.
Amazing, I did this on my Classic Vibe, which already wasnt bad, but it really did go up a notch and feels like a more expensive guitar. Its a huge improvement for such small investment
Now several months later, and I have done this with several basses. Having gained confidence in how well it works, Ive given it more "treatment," and SO happy with the results. Thank you !!!
I just did this to my 10 yr old $100 Spectrum telecaster, the frets I swear it felt like they were gouging my fingers. It's so smooth now, it's insane I can't stop touching it. I honestly didn't know you could do this.
This is the GREATEST advice I have seen on YT! My MIM Mustang PJ was OK, but now feels SO MUCH better! I could not believe it. I used a 220 grit foam pad. I found that the grinding and polishing took a bit longer than I expected. The advice I'll give is to keep working it (not too hard) until the pad goes smooth and then polishes the fret ends after rounding them. Thanks so much!!
I recently cleaned up the switches & pots on a '95 Squier Strat that has huge sentimental value....did this & love it! New Fender Tex-Mex pickups arrive today, locking Fender tuners will arrive probably over the weekend...
This is why I always say go with CLASSIC VIBE! Every one I've ever bought has PERFECT fret work! I actually had worse frets on my 900 dollar fender than my 400 dollar squire classic vibe telecaster.
I have a squire 60's CV strat and i can agree it's a very sweet guitar.
@@FernandoGomez-zx7gq thats the next one on my list 😃
I have a 60's CV strat and can confirm that.
@@paulozagui9360 they're practically flawless in my opinion
@@rknisple Yeah, absolutely. I used to judge Squier's before I had mine. Then I tested one side by side with a Mexican standard through a valve amp, and got the Classic Vibe. The best strat I've ever had. Thinking in buying a CV Tele next year. Cheers!
Absolutely agree with this mod for any lower end guitar. Makes it feel miles better. So cheap and quick and you’ll be enjoying it for years!
Today I'm covering one of the easiest and most important mods that will make any inexpensive guitar play like a high-end instrument - all without any expensive tools!
Enjoy :)
haven't even watched the video yet, but that thumbnail is kick ass! 🎸👍
Yo can you link to the exact foam thing that you're using? I'm not very familiar with these kinds of things, I don't wanna get the wrong one. Thanks!
Thanks Landon!
So how does this differ for necks with binding. I am considering doing this on an acoustic guitar.
What grit is the sanding block?
Thanks for the tip Darrell!
Glad to help :)
Love your channel 👍
I used to sell a few guitars and do basic setups for pocket money in college. I used the same basic setup for dressing fret ends and some polish for the frets. Customers would be amazed how much better they felt and played after some really simple work. MIM Fenders were my go to favorites to sell. With a basic setup and polish those guitars were monsters.
This looks like such a simple finishing touch, can't believe the Squier factory doesn't have a machine which could do this with negligible impact on production costs. Looks almost like a deliberate "omission" on their part to help justify and maintain the price/quality differential. Good job!
Many of those precision adjustments need to be hand made.
its probably not possible by machine, and stuff that needs to be done by hand just costs too much
That's really kinda strange - in a positive sense: I have exactly this task on my schedule since several months. I bought one of these fret guards (these metal stripes with the slot you're showing in the vid) and thought to do the job with a fine file. I didn't start the work yet because I was a little bit afraid of damaging the edges of the fretboard. I've got quiet good experiences as a handyman and tinkerer with good fine motor skills but in this matter I had some jitters. And now I stumbled over your video accidently and learned how easy this is done! That really helps me a lot. The before and after comparison "under the microskope" says it all. So I will dispose of that immediately. Thank you very much for your video! Great job! Cheers from Berlin
Btw: I much more like the light blue Squier with that maple neck than the other guitar. It's exactly my taste.
You nailed it Darrell. Playability! It's a foundational expectation. Everything else is the gravy on top.
You are correct sir. I found a great guitar with awesome playability a good enough sound and a terrible top, but I concluded it was the best thing I could buy that fit in my budget.
And just when I was about to buy it...discontinued.
Lucky me.
Can't stress this enough. I have a guitar which is a stunner, but I never play it, so I have it up for sale. On the other hand, my average looking Tele and Jaguar are a joy to play and use them constantly. Still would love to own a guitar that sounds AND looks great, but playability is the priority!
That "fret feel", tuning issues, and weak pickups are probably the top three things that turn people off of lower priced guitars.....
That and wanting to impress others with the name on the headstock, which is ridiculous, since only other guitar greeks will care about that.
Steven Irons - The issues (tuning issues and weak pickups) can be fixed relatively cheaply. Working on your own guitars is fun and it personalizes them.
Well presented Darrell. Your friendly delivery and simplified, yet cautious instruction, removes a lot of the fear of tackling such jobs.
Just did this to my Squier Bullet Mustang and, I got brilliant results. Smooth as a baby,s bottom as we say over here. Thanks a lot my friend.
Steel wool is way to messy, especially near magnetic pickups, tape or no tape!! Give the 3m polishing cloth/paper a try! I use the 1 micron/8000 grit and the results are amazing!! Super clean and easy! The best part is you can actually see what's coming off of your frets onto the cloth/paper! I've used it on older necks from the 80s that were completely nasty and the frets came back to a mirror shine in just a few seconds!!!
Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely check it out
Hi David, I try to avoid the steel wool for the same reasons. Can you please send a link to the cloth/ paper you are taking about please. Thank you
I use micro-mesh pads. They go down to 12000 grit. Saw them recommended in one of Phil McKnight's videos. They work wonders on frets.
Those green Scotch-Brite pads work great for light buffing or scuffing your shiny neck into a smoother satin finish so that you don't get any metal filings like you would with #0000 steel wool.
@@icenic_wolf i do this in every gloss neck except my Gibson LP since i bought that to hand down to my son if he wants to do it when hes older ill let him decide
Tried this and was delighted with the feel of the neck afterwards. Well worth the time and the effort .
Great video. I saw a guy at Guitar Center two weeks ago using a large flat file to file down edges and it look like he was going to town on the guitar- major grinding. Nice to see how it should be done. Great video!
I changed out the tuners on my new Squire Contemporary Strat HSS with some locking D'Addarios (not mods required), popped in some GraphTec string guides, and performed the fret/fretboard fix-up. They are all polished up and fretboard is now rounded and not squared off. Everything is looking and working great! I will have this guitar for a long time.
This was a great tip. I used it on my Squire telecasters and my Squier Deluxe Strat. Worked awesome.
What grit did you use on your sanding block? 220?
I do my own fret work , and like you I have all the tools ... My problem area was fret ends and the FOAM SANDING BLOCK worked PERFECTLY !! I now can do all my fret work with confidence !! Thanks for the video Darrell !!
What grit sanding block? Home Depot has tons
@@NorthwestGuitarworks Did you ever find an answer to this? I was wondering the same thing?
@@nazmoking3171someone said they did it with 220 fine grit. It sounds like that should be the lowest number of grit.
Thanks to your recommendation, I put hipshot locking tuners and and a graph tech nut on my squier bullet strat, and now I can do crazy Jimo Hendrix Whammy Bar tricks without going out of tune, thanks for the vids keep it up
I did this on 3 guitars today - the first one was the sacrificial guitar in case it didn't work out. Wow - what a difference! Thanks Darrell for the great tip. Made a couple of my lesser axes a LOT more playable! Cheers!
Just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU for this video. I have the same squire in the off-white and the fret edges were really rough, to the point it hurt to move up and down the neck. Did this, followed your instruction, and 30 mins later it feels like a nice guitar should. Great video, thanks again!
You did it 6 times slower.
what is the name of the guitar?
I took my new squier guitar to get intonated and set up, the guy recommended some fret work done and at the time I didnt know how much it would help. Now, after getting the guitar back i thought i was going insane how much it helped. After watching this video i fully understand what he did and am glad I found someone so knowledgeable.
Did it on my Squier California series Telecaster. I'm loving it more day by day. Thank you!
Sweet, thanks! from the comments below darrell said it's a 180 to 220 grit sanding block fyi
I recently got a Squier Affinity tele in Race Green and was super impressed by the guitar. Frets feel smooth, fit and finish is fantastic. Then I got an Ibanez 7 string for the same price ($200 USD) and the fret ends were way too sharp and long, almost could cut your hand on them. My guess is it had something to do with the humidity change, because I can't imagine it left the factory like that.
So ironically I did this to make my ibanez play like a squier lol
We need more guys like you man. I think the biggest difference people don’t understand is more work is done with high end guitar which is why they charge more. It doesn’t make them better necessarily. But if you know how to fix and repair guitars then you can easily take a pos and turn it into gold imo
It would help a lot to know the grits used for the sanding block and steel wool.
Use the smooth side end of the sanding block as indicated in the video. And although he didn't specify on the Steel wool it looks like 000, and that makes sense as it will polish rather than destroy any fret or wood on the fret board.
@@annubis1238 The home depot website has a few different sanding blocks. Do you happen to know the grit? Thanks
I'd go with the 220 as that's consider "fine" but course enough for this job
0000 very fine!
I love that your one of the few that doesnt believe in the whole tonewood crap,at the end of the day, its electrical components that make the most difference....everything from pickups to amp
Mmmhh… strings too ;-)
" Tonewood " ... ha ha , ya really ! Lots are dumb , believe anything , and are easily fooled and mis-led . Its all about the neck and fret finishing . Been saying this for years . The body just holds everything together . Pickups cant hear the wood . Go see Justin Johnson with that amazing sounding " tonewood " or "tonesteel " shovel and then go re-think about what you " think " you " know ". lol Common sense is not too common it seems .
Check out Jack Pearson. His playing and history are dynamic. Over the last few years he has been buying Squier Strats. In one of his videos he states that
the only thing he changes when he buys one is one little jumper wire on the 5 way switch to give the rear pup an individual tone control. He keeps the small
pots and ceramic pups. It's always the player first then follows the chain of guitar, amp, effects, etc. A mediocre player can have top of the line equipment
and it doesn't make him better player. A great player can have mediocre equipment and sound fantastic.
People go nerdy about tone because they don't understand music. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote some of his greatest works for unspecified instruments. That's how much he cared about "tone".
he literally made a vid on tonewoods.
I've done his with my own guitars using 400 grit and 1500 grit sandpaper. It truly makes an amazing difference.
Playability! 100% spot on! A decent amp is an equaliser! 100% spot on!
Its about time someone showed the masses what and how a rolled fingerboard looks and feels. I won't touch a guitar without rolled edges. That was a GREAT video of ths best way to correctly roll your edges without destroying your neck! I commend you sir, well done!
Thank you for this video. I originally scoffed at the idea and purchased an expensive fret end dressing file. I know that I don’t have the talent to really effectively use it so I studied this video and purchased a sanding sponge and I was able to dress the fret ends and round off the fretboard edge on a Classic Vibe 70s Strat as you demonstrated in this video, thanks again
That squier is the perfect guitar to mod as a Billie Joe Armstrong blue replica 😍
Shhhh. Don't tell StewMac about this technique. They're in the business of selling those high end fretting tools ;-)
It's ok they can sell specialised high end foam fret sanding blocks 🙂
Darrell - instead of steel wool try the equivalent nylon scotchbrite type pads. Does exactly the same job without the magnetic shards. I’ve ditched steel wool altogether around pickups
"We're not sanding to the moon here" has played in my mind for months. This mod worked for me on several instruments. Thank you so much!!!
That explains alot about my first electric guitar which happens to be a squire . I used to play acoustic but I never limited myself to the front end of the fret board so when I got squire it felt absolutely terrible to play anything beyond the 15th fret. This has been so helpful ...I won't hesitate to get it polished
It's not that it'd make the guitars cost too much. It's just they don't want deliver a high quality product for a low value product. Which is hurting the guitar brands. Outside of vintage guitars there shouldn't be a guitar over $2500 that's not a single craftsman custom and base model guitars shouldn't cost more than $1000.
$1000 is not unusual for a high end base model. i'd say any higher than $1,500 is where it's dicey.
@Satanic Speed Metalhead it's all in the neck, and the pickups.
@@loganphelps4916 A high end guitar can be built for 600 dollars . The rest is all in the name and kudos . I have modded a modified vintage Squire and would put it up against any Fender or Hamer I have owned over the years .
Depends on what you want. Relicing for example does take a lot of time and craftmansship. But for a simple Guitar it also depends if its a bolt on, how much lining and stuff. But for playability you are right.
I was too scared to mess up with my guitars. But seeing this, I know that I'll be delicate enough to do that job! Thank you, Darrell!
I use those rubber nail polishing files (5 pcs 3 €) for the last polishing, instead of steelwool. Works great and I don´t have to worry about steelwool messing around my pickups. You even don´t need to tape your fretboard, when giving an extra fine polish to the frets.
I bought a squier 60’s strat and put a fender vmod loaded pickguard and fender vintage tuners, best thing I ever did. Plays and sounds amazing!
wow..... you did a nice job knocking off the sharpness of the neck and frets. Those fret wires are now so shiny and smooth. I have couple guitars that have a hard edge neck and sharp frets and often wondered how to soften those sharp spots... I presume this trick will work on most any guitar... Thanks Darrell.
Finally some one who knows what the hell they are talking about thanks a million bro!!
From Leo: Good tip. It is amazing how seemingly minor adjustments make a huge difference. I use plumbers mesh strip with my fingers behind it so I can modulate the pressure at each fret by feel. With the magnification, it looks like your sanding pads do a nicer job. Thanks for the tip. PS: is that the 220 grit block?
Thanks!
Looks to be around 180 to 220 👍
Great video. These are also known as sanding sponges. In Australia, Bunnings sell a three-pack of them (coarse, medium & fine) for about $4.
This is the best advice, obvious but so worth the effort. I bought a Squier 150 dollar mustang on a whim. Sounded ok but the fretboard and frets were 150 guitar. Sanded, polished and knocked off a couple bad burrs. Polished the neck also. I then did the same to my Squier Jazzmaster. They both feel superior to my Fender Mex Strat.
Goes to show you what a little careful work will do. Took me more than a few minutes though. Probably over cautious, if there is such a thing.
Fantastic! I know I'm late but I can't believe I just stumbled on this video. I just bought 3 "lower end" "intermediate" guitars (Affinity Tele, Epiphone SG and a Rg6000fm) earlier tonight just to spare me the constant tuning changes. Invaluable tip! Thanks Darrell!
You can also find this foam sanding block for $1 at Dollar Tree. Fantastic video btw.
I just got one from there! Says its fine/medium grit is that the same one you got?
@@emmanuelmorgan6137 yep, same one.
@@scottperrin9655 thanks so much!
What grit are you using? The fine end or medium?
Would love to see some other modifications for a Squire like upgrading tuners, trem block, etc.
I think it's often autocorrect that changes it to Squire.
I have a 1991/ 2 Squire Telecaster made in Japan( with some sharp edges), and I love it more than my 2007 Standard USA Telecaster.
A local Gibson dealer tech, taught me this trick. Anyway, Fenders I have bought lately have been damn good. Actually good all the way down to right at the $400 Squier price point. No complaints I haven't noticed any glaring fret sprout or sharp edges. A bullet Mustang HH, yeah I needed to use this trick, but afterwards was super smooth.... I have a lot of unbound Rosewood fretboards that I have used this on. It works well, and thanks for making the video to get the word out!
Grest vid. I've been doing this to squires since I was a teenager in the 90's. Another great tip is to file a ml off the bottom of the saddle bolts as they're razor sharp and stick out above the bridge on squires ( they'll literally cut you as your strumming) DON'T fill from the top as the Allen sits in there and you could fill away the wrench hole by mistake but do sand the top of them lightly with the same sanding pad used in this vid. The top of those bolts need to be very smooth. I think the main point is- on squires, this kind of finishing, filling, sanding and polishing isn't done and that's what you pay for when you pay €1200 for a U.S made strat. My favourite guitar I ever had was an eighties squire. I've yet to pick up an American strat that plays better. Anyway, be patient, put in the time, use loads of masking tape and try not to use cheap tools and always polish with a rag after sanding with the finest grit sand paper!
If you want to go an extra step. Take off the scratch plate and seal the inside the aluminium foil using double sided salotape. This will greatly redude noise and stop your amp from picking up all sorts of radio waves. I'm sure there are plenty do vids to show how it's done,. Remember, time patience is the key.
You could put your squire in he hands of Clapton and he would think it's a €2000 strat if done with patience and time.
Interesting tip on the foil, I'll have to check that out
Hey Darrell, what grit should the foam block be?
That's my question too. I rewatched and rewatched, thinking i missed (what i thought was) that crucial point... but I don't think it is mentioned.
I think this is still a really amazing video though and i will buy some cheap necks now and turn them into 'warmoths' for my "how cheaply can i build a blinding partscaster!' project .
@@MrStevo1804 yes exactly
Just get the finest they have
I have some sanding foam blocks and they are the same grit all around. ... I think they're either 60 or 80 grit. I know these are extremely coarse.
So, to do this mod, I'd have to get much finer, probly either 180 or 220.
If anyone has done this, what grit did you use?
Thanks in advance.
NIce, can see a big difference between before and after! Will definitely be doing this on my guitars!
Great video DBG but I was always told to NEVER use steel wool on an electric guitar. The alternative is 3M scotchbright pads, the white pads are the one I use and it is the equivelant to 0000 steel wool.
Remove your neck or put tape on your pickup to prevent damage.
@@WW-1995 yeah I mean that's no big deal at all, I use 0000 wool since 25 years and zero problems.
Great video. I have Fender Strats made in USA, Japan and Mexico but one of my favorites is a Squier Bullet Strat that I bought for $99. I put about $150 worth of upgrades into it and touched up the neck and now it plays and sounds as good as any other guitar I own.
What were the mods
@@sumanthparakala2005 tuners, bridge saddles, probably, those are the weakest part of the squier strats. the pickups are 'good' on their own but I'd replace the potentiometers as well
Brilliant I have done 4 of my squires already, and the difference was awesome.
"$5 sanding block from Home Depot, what grit#"?
This may be a basic , butas a beginner I hear so many contradictions in regards to cleaning a fingerboard.
As in what should be used, based on whether or not you have a Maple or Dark, or Rosewood fingerboard.
What do you recommend?
Do you have videos pertaining to this?
Thank you.
I've never seen a 1000 grit sponge, ever?
Alex G I’m searching the comments for that answer, no lock so far.
Foam block
Great video. But what grit on the block and steel wool?
I wonder how many people went out and got 80 grit and hit their fretboard with that...
That's the worst thing about guitar repair info and tutorials they don't inform you enough
lol, They should have mentioned Grid 40 is the best Grid to sand away your neck :'-)
@@LeviSiccard I applied that technique to my input jack. It's never been so shiny!
Miguel Escutia what a great idea to shine up my metal resonator guitar 😂
Pretty sure the edges of any sanding block are no lower than 100 grit. I imagine a 240 to 400 grit is all you'd need for this.
i use automotive wet/dry paper and then a leather strop soaked in polishing compound. i'm a knifemaker and guitar maker so i use the same stuff for polishing blades as i do polishing frets. seems to work well. i recommend about 400 grit, then maybe 800 but i hate steel wool. shavings get in everything. leather and compound does good too but it may take a slight feel for it, maybe not beginner friendly, like who has a can of blue magic and some deer skin chamois handy unless you do leatherwork. also fun fact...if you do want it to sound just like a 2000 dollar guitar, just buy a pre-wired pickguard with nicer aftermarket pickups. my old bands lead guitarist took a 110 dollar squire and dropped in a 100 dollar active pickguard set and it sounds better than my american strat. and yes...AMP is by far the most important element in the chain. Amp, pickups, then strings, and then a tie between 50 nitpicky things that dont amount to 5 percent of your sound. tonewood is one of the 50 little things, right beside where you strum, how you set your volume dial and shielding. good strings playing over good pickups into a good amp equals perfect tone. everything else is maybes and adjustment.
Pick material and weight actually makes a very big difference in tone color. Bought a box full of picks from a UK small shop producer called Winspear who uses a range of different plastics, compared that to some other picks such as the GraphTech Tusq, the Dragon's Heart picks and Dunlop Ultex Flow picks, and while it's not like switching from neck to bridge pup, the difference is very far from fantasy-land cork sniffing and has more of an impact than some pickup comparisons I've seen on TH-cam.
I'm building a "last set" 6.5 lb bass for my bad back. I bought a used Squier Bronco neck, and just did exactly as you showed, figuring I could fix it later, if needed. (I have a bunch of Stew-Mac tools too!) Miraculous! Wow, what a difference! Thanks!
Your channel is one of the most informative ive ever seen, great job
I almost never had a fret issue with the Squiers. (I did play a $14,000 Warwick recently that needed fret work) For a hundred bucks more than the crap low end Squiers , the CV or the Vintage Modified are really a step up and worth it. They're comparable to Mexican Fenders.
Perhaps people like me are damn fools for buying a expensive guitar for sounds of tone quality, when you can use cheap modifying upgrades method instead to achieve the same results
@@fargeeks Upgrades fail as often as they work. There's more to a good guitar than pickups and pots.
wow! what a great video ty darrell
Say Darrell Braun could you ad a link to one of those sanding blocks or maybe be more specific about the coarseness of it and the steel wool? Thanks
Squiers are made in Indonesia which is far more humid than New Hampshire. The Bronco basses and Bullet Strats have noticeable fret sprout from the neck shrinking in transit. I have used the sanding block trick, and it works great.
Close up is so awesome. Very clear as to how much sanding helped!
forget squire, i might do this to my fender. my telecaster makes me bleed.
how is it turn out?
My fender player strat has sharp fret ends too.
Had to do this on a MIM Fender Jazzmaster. Now it plays smooth as butter...
Can't move my eye away from that guitar in your last vid lol
"you can't hear the wood...." Thank you!
The result is better than what I can do with the “proper” tools!
I think the steel wool is key to get the subtle rounding after the sanding established the geometry. I am certainly going to try this!
You're so right about the amp. I've had a Crate 212 for literally decades and always thought my bad tone was because I had cheap guitars. After years of blowing huge amounts of cash on high end premium guitars and seeing no change in my trash tone I decided to try a different amp. I got a JC-120. I wasn't messing around anymore. Suddenly, I'm one of the best guitar player's of anyone that I know. I've got some money to make back on trade-in guitars. Beginner tip: Spend your money on the amp before buying up the cool guitars of the moment.
Just got a Squier Standard. Might have to do this eventually, once I have enough experience to notice the diff.
And 11:09 - love it.
My suggestion is just get the Fender. If you got a Squire for $200 or $250 (I really don't know what they cost) and put $400 into it, what you ultimately have is a $650 Squire which means you could have had Mexican strat.
This is not to bag on Squires per se: Years ago I had a Squire strat, white body, pick guard, etc. and a maple fingerboard. The neck plate said "10th Anniversary" which I thought was cool. It was a gorgeous guitar, and my strat now is the white/maple combination. The Squire (giving credit where credit is due) did have a great "sweet spot" on the neck at roughly frets 10 through 15.
So get the Squire and look at it as a learning curve to customize as you may choose or get the Mexican strat. Seems to me you win either way.
This is such a useful video and I will definitely try this. Question: What grit is the fine side of the sanding block and the steel wool? Thanks!!!
Wow, what a difference! Thanks Darrell!
This is Brian. I had a squire like that and I set it up as best one could. I noticed that the intonation always came out a little off and I guess that was the charm of a squire. It screamed with the original pickups. But it was the early generation of Squire. I wish you would have played the comparison with the original pickups first. But thanks Darrell, that was a great comparison.
😮 Mind Blown
I'm trying this ASAP
"It's a Squier, no one's going to be playing past the 15th fret!" hahahaha Even my Squier vintage modifies had really poor fret work up high. Thanks for your video which really helped.
Hey Darrell,
I looked up "foam block" on Amazon and I didn't get the right results, but when I put in "sanding block" I wasn't sure what grit to go with. What would you recommend?
Also, is there a difference between a foam block and a sanding sponge?
Hi! Foam sanding block (or some call them sponges) at 180 or 220 will be perfect
Unbelievable difference, I've always been hesitant to try fret dressing. That's as easy as it gets.
Funny, I was just cleaning the workshop and found a foam sanding block in the mess! Now I'm gonna give this mod a shot on my Squire! Great videos, nice work!