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Post subject: Bringing a 96 Squier Strat Deluxe back to life
Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2018 7:32 am
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After almost 20 years apart I finally got my first guitar back. A 96 Korean Squier Strat in Midnight Blue. I didnt know much about guitar when I got this and I took the neck off and it is indeed a solid body. The guitar is pretty heavy and solidly built. The neck is also in great shape. I already have some replacement parts and upgrades in the mail for her. Im really excited about the tremolo kit. An authentic Fender MIM bridge witht the full block. Went for the full size block since the body thickness is the standard 1 3/4. Im still debating whether to take all the stickers off or not. It holds a sentimental value the way it sits right now but I would also like to see a much cleaner look without anything on. Looking for pickup suggestions. I like that fat SRV sound. I also plan to keep the screaming demon for now thats on the bridge. I will definitely get a set of three pups just in case I want to change to the bridge pup in the future. I dont mind spending a few bucks on her since I will never get rid of her.

Updates to follow as I get the parts on.
Any inputs/ideas welcome.

Thanks for looking.


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Post subject: Re: Bringing a 96 Squier Strat Deluxe back to life
Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2018 6:34 pm
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Very cool.
That one has some mojo!

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Post subject: Re: Bringing a 96 Squier Strat Deluxe back to life
Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 7:42 am
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I'm generally not a sticker fan, but that's a cool time piece.

You can always take off the stickers and polish her up. But you'll destroy them during removal and never be able to exactly recreate the history they tell. So I'd leave them, at least until/unless they start to bother you so much you can't stand it anymore.

Literally hundreds of great vintage-style pickups available. Stevie Ray had 8 or 9 Strats. Most had early/mid '60s Fender pickups. His beat-up "Number 1" had slightly (very slightly) underwound pickups. Never hot, mid-heavy pickups like Texas Specials.

Duncan's SSL-1's have been big sellers for over 40 years. They're somewhat overlooked now because there are so many exotic boutique choices. Even Duncan offers more "specialized" Strat pickups.

But the SSL-1 is a good 'typical" '50/'60s Strat pickup.

When Fender introduced the Reissue Strats, their answer to Duncan's SSL-1 was the AV'57/'62. And they built that for 25 years, then slightly tweaked the design and still make them.

Again not the "lastest and greatest" and the hype has moved on to newer offerings. But both are good safe bets for classic Strat tones.

OTOH, with a bridge humbucker you might want some sort of noiseless neck&middle, maybe higher output too. Lots of great possibilities there, too.


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Post subject: Re: Bringing a 96 Squier Strat Deluxe back to life
Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 6:14 pm
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strayedstrater wrote:
I'm generally not a sticker fan, but that's a cool time piece.

You can always take off the stickers and polish her up. But you'll destroy them during removal and never be able to exactly recreate the history they tell. So I'd leave them, at least until/unless they start to bother you so much you can't stand it anymore.
Absolutely with you 100%.
Quote:
OTOH, with a bridge humbucker you might want some sort of noiseless neck&middle, maybe higher output too. Lots of great possibilities there, too.

That's what I was thinking... maybe Vintage Noiseless, might also be a better match for the 'bucker WRT the pot values... if it ends up too dark with the 250k pots, a set of 500's should brighten it nicely.
I read on one of the threads that Fender uses 1m on Noiseless, but the Jeff Beck and other Noiseless models that I'm seeing on the support site are all 250k except for the Clapton or models that have a TBX.

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Post subject: Re: Bringing a 96 Squier Strat Deluxe back to life
Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 11:42 pm
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The 1Meg pots were (at least) in the AmDlx 010-1000/1002 model around the millennium: https://p4.zdassets.com/hc/theme_assets ... B_SISD.pdf
And still around in the 2016 pickup wiring instructions, slightly different from the previous (500K volume): https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Orig ... -SMALL.pdf

To the OP, on the 'suggestions' side - if I'm not too late for the party. Do as little changes as possible, that guitar is a concentration of condensed mojo.


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Post subject: Re: Bringing a 96 Squier Strat Deluxe back to life
Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2018 12:10 am
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jmattis wrote:
that guitar is a concentration of condensed mojo.

+1,000
Doesn't matter that it's a 20 year old Squier... the fact that it's a solid and not laminated body is just the cherry on top.
The stickers, the wear, the dried sweat and rust on the Duncan...
That guitar looks like it smells like smoke and bourbon!

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Post subject: Re: Bringing a 96 Squier Strat Deluxe back to life
Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2018 6:23 am
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Thanks guys. I appreciate the replies and suggestions.

I ordered new pots (250K with .022 cap). Still debating on what pickups I want so I can install everything together at once. I will look into all of your suggestions.
The guitar plays amazingly well after replacing the bridge. The action is still high (for my taste anyway) and the saddles are all the way down so I was looking into shimming the neck. The action is at 1.75mm at the 12th fret.

I will post some photos of her soon.
Thanks again


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Post subject: Re: Bringing a 96 Squier Strat Deluxe back to life
Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2018 7:06 pm
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1.75mm is in the ballpark. If the neck has a flat radius (12"?) you can get away with going lower than if it is a 9.5 or 7.25... I don't remember what the Squiers had in the 90s.
But 4/64" is generally a good starting point, and it is right in between 1.55 and 1.60mm... 5/64" is a hair over 1.95mm, so you're really only a little high maybe on the treble strings.
But if the saddles are bottomed out, shimming the neck is a good idea.
Also make sure your neck relief is correct (flat with the strings off, maybe a small amount of bow with the strings at pitch)

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