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Post subject: Beyond Repair?
Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 3:49 pm
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My parents are cleaning out their house and have returned the first guitar I owned to me.

Its a Korean Squier II with an M serial number. My problem is the tremelo block (I think) is broken.

Is this repairable?

Is it worth repairing?

Only really thinking of the sentimental value of this guitar.

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Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 7:55 am
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Sure, you can buy a new block online or locally.


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Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 4:49 pm
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GO_ME!!! wrote:
atolleter wrote:
Sure, you can buy a new block online or locally.

+1


Easily fixable. If you liked the guitar, then its worth the money to repair.

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Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:37 pm
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You can get a steel block from GFS for around 20 bucks.


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Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:47 pm
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Guitar Fetish has lots of supplies for upgrading Squiers, including trem blocks. You might contact them to see which one would fit your guitar, but you should be able to make this repair without breaking the bank. Good luck! 8)

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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 3:39 pm
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Thanks for your help guys. A guitar tech a few years back told me it would be cheaper to buy a new guitar. In other words he thought my guitar was a POS and not worth the time to repair.

I looked at guitar fetish, and should be able to get out of it for less tha $100, the postage is more than the part which is a pain in the arse. I can't seem to find them locally any cheaper, so I guess I'll do my bit to support the US economy. :wink:


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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 3:43 pm
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Bigboy_78 wrote:
Thanks for your help guys. A guitar tech a few years back told me it would be cheaper to buy a new guitar. In other words he thought my guitar was a POS and not worth the time to repair.

I looked at guitar fetish, and should be able to get out of it for less tha $100, the postage is more than the part which is a pain in the arse. I can't seem to find them locally any cheaper, so I guess I'll do my bit to support the US economy. :wink:


Wait it shouldn't be that much. Are you in the UK? If so you should visit strat-talk.com and PM Celtrocka. He is in the UK and can you make you a replacement steel block for much cheaper.


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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 4:36 pm
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Looks like he's in Australia so its not too surprising shipping out sucks. Try local sources, Squier tremolos are usually dirt cheap. I found these on Ebay Australia for starters:

Still shouldn't be this expensive:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Fender-Squier-Strat-Stratocaster-Tremolo-Bridge-Used-/120559831252?cmd=ViewItem&pt=AU_Instrument_Accessories&hash=item1c11ed08d4#ht_1153wt_1165

Getting better:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Fender-Strat-Stratocaster-Tremolo-Bridge-Block-/120562421499?cmd=ViewItem&pt=AU_Instrument_Accessories&hash=item1c12148efb#ht_1301wt_1165

Sure its in Hong Kong, but at least it has everything you need:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/STRAT-TREMOLO-BRIDGE-CHROME-TREM-FENDER-GUITAR-NEW-/130385990696?cmd=ViewItem&pt=AU_Instrument_Accessories&hash=item1e5b9c5428#ht_2406wt_1165


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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 4:59 pm
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JLafc3s wrote:


If he's gonna be upgrading he should look for a 2006 and up MIM strat block. They have the same spacing as his Squier, but will have a fatter zinc block. Should screw right in with no mods.


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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 9:04 pm
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Yogi wrote:
JLafc3s wrote:


If he's gonna be upgrading he should look for a 2006 and up MIM strat block. They have the same spacing as his Squier, but will have a fatter zinc block. Should screw right in with no mods.


Well its good to know that I can get out of it for closer to $20.

I was looking as this one http://store.guitarfetish.com/10spiminmebr.html which is brass, hence the greater expense.

I thought if I am going to make the effort to replace it, I may as well upgrade in the process. Seeing that the $35 postage is per delivery, not item, I might look at getting some new pickups and go the whole hog. :lol:


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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 12:25 pm
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Hey...just tossing a few $.02 comments in here...

Ok...first on the GF brass block...personally I'd suggest going steel...their brass block wasn't that impressive (at least not compared with the steel Callaham block I have in my '96 MIM). The brass isn't "bad" by any means and it would still sound MUCH better than your original did even before it was broken, but I really wouldn't pay extra or go out of my way for brass again...just not that big of a deal. Stick with the steel for this guitar.

As Yogi said, your trem should use the same block as an MIM but as you said your Strat was an MIK, I would measure everything first and ask the dealer (be it GFS or someone else) just to make sure. Measure twice, order once :-).

That said however, here's a couple of things to consider. Alrighty...these are just my opinions and they're certainly a tad subjective however there are a couple of other things I would consider here. Obviously if this instrument has some sentimental value, I would certainly go ahead and fix it. I still have my first "real" electric (a Memphis LP copy) and she still plays really well for what she is. That said, there are two ways you could "fix this". I would take a close look at the body of the guitar...is it a solid wood or is it a laminate/plywood? The quality of some Korean Squiers can be really hit or miss...I've heard of a few that were really exceptional but then I have one that's really a piece of crap...cheap firewood really. -If- the body is indeed a cheap ply/lam, then by all means go ahead and fix the trem...but do it as inexpensively as you can. In fact what I might even do there is put an ad up on Craigslist (or your local classified) and just say "Wanted: inexpensive Strat trem block". I can't speak for everyone but I know that there's a lot of folks like myself who upgrade our own instruments and we end up with boxes and boxes of left over parts! LOL!!! It's quite possible that someone (another guitar player) in your area may have one that they can let you have for real cheap.

If however the body is a real wood (even if it is a few pieces glued up) and if the finish is in reasonable shape, etc., then it may well be worth upgrading that trem to something a little more conventional. It's a little hard to be objective in regards to the repair tech who said it wasn't worth fixing...maybe the guy was hoping he could just sell you a new guitar...ya never know. There are also some narrow minded individuals out there who just have it in for Squier as well...gear snobs...gotta love 'em. I know that there are some folks out there who just don't think a Squier (or a solid state amp) is worth playing, let alone fixing just based on the name. That said, just because it's an "inexpensive" guitar doesn't mean it's "bad". There have been some VERY good instruments over the years with the Squier name to say the least (I know...I have a couple!). Again however my experience with the MIK's is really hit or miss...they either seemed to be really good or really bad so you'll have to look at yours to decide.

If it really is a decent body and all, I might go so far as to suggest getting the whole Callaham bridge assembly for it instead of the GFS (again I would think that an MIM should fit but I'd measure just to make sure). I'm not knocking GFS here at all...I'm actually quite impressed with them so far but those Callahams are just top shelf stuff. Yea, they're a bit more expensive, but they're worth it. If it's got a decent body and if the neck feels good to you, no reason at all that you can't upgrade the crap out of it and turn it in to a serious player...one of the big reasons I love Strats :-).

Anyways, again just my own opinions as always.
Jim


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Post subject: trem block
Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 12:36 pm
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I have one that did the same thing. the old zinc magnesium block chemically decays and breaks. If you have $20.00 go to guitarfetish and you can get a nice new steel block, or brass and it will be the best thing you can do for the instrument and improving the sound. Better than that buy a new all steel bridge and steel block for about $36.00. Save the 6 screws that hold you current bridge in. Remove the strings, and springs. Unscrew the six screws. Drop the new bridge and block in. Screw down the 6 scres until they are about 2/16 of and inch from contacting the bridge.

Now replace your springs. Personally I would just screw down the claw and put 5 springs across the back. Eliminate the tremelo. the trem system is hard on the tuners and strings. Unless you just have to have the trem system just eliminate it. It will make you tuning more stable.

guitar fetish is a great source.


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