Nearly new Squier Strat recently added to the household

Started by rockstar_not, May 26, 2017, 11:22:09 PM

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Needs a serious fret end 'de-sharpening'.  But it was $25, with the case, and a pearloid pickguard that still has the protective plastic on it.  I figured it was a cheap way to teach myself how to do a fret job.  I don't know if you can even get a cheap pre-fretted neck for $25, can you?

I don't have the tools.  They will likely cost more than the guitar!

2000 L-03-E
2012 Epiphone Nighthawk Custom Reissue
1985 Peavey Milestone
2004 SX SPJ-62 Bass
2008 Valencia Solid Cedar Top Classical
2015 Taylor 414ce - won in drawing
2016 Ibanez SR655BBF
???? Mitchell MDJ-10 3/4 scale dread
???? Squier Danocaster

My Sound Cloud

If you go to Srtew-Mac and look at there tools you can then go to the hardware store and buy most of them for a whole lot less.Call me and I tell you how to alter some of the stuff.
A REPAIRPERSON,Barefoot Rob gone to a better place
OM03PA.98 L10 Koa
Favorite saying
 OB LA DE OB LA DA,LIFE GOES ON---BRA,It is what it is,You just gotta deal it,
One By One The Penguins Steal My Sanity, Keith and Barefoot Rob on youtube
Still unclrob
#19
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rpjguitarworks
Call PM me I may be able to help

I have a small triangular file but the corners are sharp. Not sure how I would get them smooth.
2000 L-03-E
2012 Epiphone Nighthawk Custom Reissue
1985 Peavey Milestone
2004 SX SPJ-62 Bass
2008 Valencia Solid Cedar Top Classical
2015 Taylor 414ce - won in drawing
2016 Ibanez SR655BBF
???? Mitchell MDJ-10 3/4 scale dread
???? Squier Danocaster

My Sound Cloud

Use a grinding stone then buff it up.
A REPAIRPERSON,Barefoot Rob gone to a better place
OM03PA.98 L10 Koa
Favorite saying
 OB LA DE OB LA DA,LIFE GOES ON---BRA,It is what it is,You just gotta deal it,
One By One The Penguins Steal My Sanity, Keith and Barefoot Rob on youtube
Still unclrob
#19
12 people ignoring me,so cool
rpjguitarworks
Call PM me I may be able to help

Quote from: rockstar_not on May 26, 2017, 11:22:09 PM
Needs a serious fret end 'de-sharpening'.  But it was $25, with the case, and a pearloid pickguard that still has the protective plastic on it.  I figured it was a cheap way to teach myself how to do a fret job.  I don't know if you can even get a cheap pre-fretted neck for $25, can you?
http://www.larriveeforum.com/smf/index.php?topic=51353.0;topicseen


a fretted bolt on neck will cost more like $100, always an option if your fret job does not pan out...
George

Quote from: rockstar_not on May 27, 2017, 07:06:39 PM
I have a small triangular file but the corners are sharp. Not sure how I would get them smooth.

I've done this on a few Strat necks and being cheap I improvise a lot on tools. You don't say if it's rosewood or maple neck, but either way no matter how careful, you are going to scuff the side of the fretboard so know that up front and tape off as much as you can. Some triangular files have their corners polished smooth which would be ideal, dunno if I'd use one if it didn't.

I basically made my own fret end files from the manicure sticks I got from Dollar General glued to thin wooden strips I got from an arts supply. Tongue depressors or even coffee stirrers about a 3/8" width would work by using Elmers to glue the sandpaper. The manicure sticks use micromesh and are padded perfectly for the fret ends. The coarse side is sufficient to take down the fret sharpness and the finer grits will buff the scratches out of the fret and the fretboard sides to a nice shine.

Ya know, it could be simply that the neck is dried out, maybe an hour in a closed off steamy shower/bathroom might make a difference? In any event, be careful, the Squire Strats are a gateway drug. That's how I started and 3 years later ended up with 2 wonderful partscasters having pared down from 5  :winkin:
Larrivee OO-05 • Larrivee OOV-03 SS • Larrivee OO-44  • Taylor 322ce • Strat • Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/jpmist

My less than $5 fret files. They work well for crowning also.

Exhibit A

Larrivee OO-05 • Larrivee OOV-03 SS • Larrivee OO-44  • Taylor 322ce • Strat • Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/jpmist

Quote from: jpmist on May 28, 2017, 12:16:04 PM

Ya know, it could be simply that the neck is dried out, maybe an hour in a closed off steamy shower/bathroom might make a difference?


This is possibly true.  The guy that sold it to me was from the Southeast and said he moved here 2 years ago.  He never played this thing if he did.

Squier fret ends by Lakes_of_Colorado, on Flickr
2000 L-03-E
2012 Epiphone Nighthawk Custom Reissue
1985 Peavey Milestone
2004 SX SPJ-62 Bass
2008 Valencia Solid Cedar Top Classical
2015 Taylor 414ce - won in drawing
2016 Ibanez SR655BBF
???? Mitchell MDJ-10 3/4 scale dread
???? Squier Danocaster

My Sound Cloud


This is possibly true.  The guy that sold it to me was from the Southeast and said he moved here 2 years ago.  He never played this thing if he did.

Honestly that doesn't look bad at all. I've had MIM necks that looked worse. The tangs look pretty flush with the fretboard sides, I'm guessing what snags you feel are the fret crown edges. Perhaps you can just press the fret down some as maybe they've floated up some. I suppose the treble side lower fret ends might be worth polishing down if they snag your hand when playing.
Larrivee OO-05 • Larrivee OOV-03 SS • Larrivee OO-44  • Taylor 322ce • Strat • Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/jpmist

Well, I dove in and did it this weekend.

First, I bought a set of really cheap needle files from Harbor Freight, as in $3.99 on sale.  In the bunch were a couple of triangular files and a couple of traditional looking flat files, some rat-tails, and a couple of triangular files with only 2 sides with teeth.

Strangely enough, and likely because they are so poorly made, the flat files both had one edge without teeth.  I polished those up with some sandpaper on a little hand-held orbital sander, and it seemed like I had a set of 'safe' files.

I did the whole guitar, and screwed up two frets on the fretboard, when I mistakenly ran the un-safed side.

No more snags!

Also, I did a tone-blender mod and now have a decent Tele sound out of it.  Those of you that aren't familiar with the tone blender mod, it makes the neck tone control a master tone control, and the middle tone control blends both Neck and Bridge in positions 1 and 5, when the pot is at 1, and at 10, it pretty much functions like a standard strat setup except for their still being a master tone control.

All told I have still less than 30$ invested in this guitar and now it plays pretty decently.

I'll try to post some sound samples of what the tone blender does sooner or later.
2000 L-03-E
2012 Epiphone Nighthawk Custom Reissue
1985 Peavey Milestone
2004 SX SPJ-62 Bass
2008 Valencia Solid Cedar Top Classical
2015 Taylor 414ce - won in drawing
2016 Ibanez SR655BBF
???? Mitchell MDJ-10 3/4 scale dread
???? Squier Danocaster

My Sound Cloud

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