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Post subject: Cheap Upgrade That'll Improve Your Tone !
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 4:27 am
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Hey guys , for those of you with Squier Strats that have a 2 1/16 string spacing , here is a upgrade which only costs a few bucks that will improve the sound and tone of your guitar. It is the Fender MIM Strat bridge block and you can get them on E-Bay for around 17 - 21 dollars depending on the seller. I bought one last week for my 2002 Squier Affinity Strat and needless to say , it fit like a glove and improved both, the tone and sound of my Strat and also helped to improve the tuning stability as well. Check them out , you won't regret it, trust me on this.


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Post subject: Re: Cheap Upgrade That'll Improve Your Tone !
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 7:02 am
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jeffo46 wrote:
Hey guys , for those of you with Squier Strats that have a 2 1/16 string spacing , here is a upgrade which only costs a few bucks that will improve the sound and tone of your guitar. It is the Fender MIM Strat bridge block and you can get them on E-Bay for around 17 - 21 dollars depending on the seller. I bought one last week for my 2002 Squier Affinity Strat and needless to say , it fit like a glove and improved both, the tone and sound of my Strat and also helped to improve the tuning stability as well. Check them out , you won't regret it, trust me on this.



I do agree that upgrading the trem block (if not the entire bridge) on a Squier Strat is one of the best upgrades you can do to your guitar...in my book it's second only to replacing the pickups. That said, got a couple of quick things to add here...

First and foremost, for those looking to upgrade the trem block on a Squier, do make sure to CHECK THAT SPACING. Not all of the Squiers are compatible with the Mexican blocks! Many may have the same plate to body screw spacing, but the block to plate spacing can often be different. In fact I have a Japanese Fender bridge...still metric...that just won't fit ANYTHING. While it's tempting to lump all "vintage style trems" into the categories of metric or standard, ALWAYS double check that spacing...they're NOT all the same.

Also, for the money and the effort, I'd actually recommend the steel replacement blocks from Guitar Fetish. Most of, if not all of the Mexican blocks are still a zinc alloy. The newer MIM blocks are larger, however that zinc just isn't the best block material. The mass alone WILL improve the tone of a guitar previously equipped with one of the smaller blocks, but a proper steel block will do sooooo much more...and for around $22, again it's the next best mod to upgrading your pickups.

Finally, for those considering such an upgrade I would also mention/suggest a new bridge plate as well. If you compare the plate thickness of most Squier bridge plates (most newer plates at least), you'll find they are a fair degree thinner than Mexican or standard vintage plates. This isn't AS significant as the block itself, however for a few dollars more, it's also a worthwhile upgrade (again check/double check the spacing!).


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Post subject: Re: Cheap Upgrade That'll Improve Your Tone !
Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 2:42 am
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lomitus wrote:
jeffo46 wrote:
Hey guys , for those of you with Squier Strats that have a 2 1/16 string spacing , here is a upgrade which only costs a few bucks that will improve the sound and tone of your guitar. It is the Fender MIM Strat bridge block and you can get them on E-Bay for around 17 - 21 dollars depending on the seller. I bought one last week for my 2002 Squier Affinity Strat and needless to say , it fit like a glove and improved both, the tone and sound of my Strat and also helped to improve the tuning stability as well. Check them out , you won't regret it, trust me on this.



I do agree that upgrading the trem block (if not the entire bridge) on a Squier Strat is one of the best upgrades you can do to your guitar...in my book it's second only to replacing the pickups. That said, got a couple of quick things to add here...

First and foremost, for those looking to upgrade the trem block on a Squier, do make sure to CHECK THAT SPACING. Not all of the Squiers are compatible with the Mexican blocks! Many may have the same plate to body screw spacing, but the block to plate spacing can often be different. In fact I have a Japanese Fender bridge...still metric...that just won't fit ANYTHING. While it's tempting to lump all "vintage style trems" into the categories of metric or standard, ALWAYS double check that spacing...they're NOT all the same.

Also, for the money and the effort, I'd actually recommend the steel replacement blocks from Guitar Fetish. Most of, if not all of the Mexican blocks are still a zinc alloy. The newer MIM blocks are larger, however that zinc just isn't the best block material. The mass alone WILL improve the tone of a guitar previously equipped with one of the smaller blocks, but a proper steel block will do sooooo much more...and for around $22, again it's the next best mod to upgrading your pickups.

Finally, for those considering such an upgrade I would also mention/suggest a new bridge plate as well. If you compare the plate thickness of most Squier bridge plates (most newer plates at least), you'll find they are a fair degree thinner than Mexican or standard vintage plates. This isn't AS significant as the block itself, however for a few dollars more, it's also a worthwhile upgrade (again check/double check the spacing!).

I'd like to upgrade the block in my Mexican and use the old Mexican block to upgrade a Squier project. If the spacing is wrong for it on the Squier would I be able to just replace it's bridge plate to one that matches up? Was thinking of replacing the Squier plate and saddles when replacing the block anyway.


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Post subject: Re: Cheap Upgrade That'll Improve Your Tone !
Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 7:46 am
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fenderfan wrote:
lomitus wrote:
I'd like to upgrade the block in my Mexican and use the old Mexican block to upgrade a Squier project. If the spacing is wrong for it on the Squier would I be able to just replace it's bridge plate to one that matches up? Was thinking of replacing the Squier plate and saddles when replacing the block anyway.


As I said in my original reply up there, it's always best to check the spacing...as any good carpenter will tell you, measure twice, cut once. Unlike Mexican Fenders that all tend to use the same spacing (give or take certain models, FSRs, etc), there isn't really one standard that can be universally considered as "Squier". For example, I have an older Japanese made Squier that does in fact use vintage American spacing. As I said in my replay, I also have an MIJ bridge down in my parts bin that just won't fit anything (got it at a guitar show, so no idea what it came off of). I certainly have a few misc bridge plates down in the parts bin where the mounting screw spacing is interchangeable, but the trem blocks are NOT (one or two have the hole for the bar off-set a bit from others). While many of the newer Squiers tend to be a lot more consistent these days within a given model (such as the Standards for example), depending on the age of the specific guitar, the model and it's origin, you may or may NOT be able to drop that Mexican bridge/block into it...the only real way you'll know for sure is to try it.

Another thing I would add here is that you didn't mention what year the Mexican is. The reason I mention this is that if the Mexican is from the early to mid 90's, there's a very good chance that it's got one of the half sized zinc blocks and to be completely honest, this wouldn't be an "upgrade" for the Squier...if it's a 90's Mexican (or even an early 00's), more than likely it's got the same block as the Squier. -If- it's the full size block, then yes, it's worth trying, but if the blocks look to be the same size (half size pot metal), then I'd just order a new bridge for the Squier as well.

Now that all said, swapping bridges and blocks on a Strat (Fender, Squier or otherwise) isn't really THAT big a deal for most folks...if you know which end of the screwdriver to hold, then changing a Strat bridge is pretty straight forward. My advice would be to upgrade the Mexican first, then assuming the "old" Mexican block is in fact a full size block, try it on the Squier. If it doesn't line up, then double check those measurements again and order the correct size block/bridge for the Squier...if you look around on the internet a bit, companies like Guitar Fetish and such do sell an assortment of Strat bridges and you should be able to find something that fits without breaking the bank.


Hope this helps!


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