Try adjusting your pickup height and amp settings.

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Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

What value pots and caps are in it now?

_________________
Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

Maybe it is far fetched but what strings and gauge are you using?

From my experience, one of my strats was very dark sounding, not muddy, very bottom heavy even unplugged. That puzzled me for years. I have to adjust an treble on the EQ for it to compensate. Changed the pickup height zillion times with various gain-lose tone results.

But then I really tried to remember that when I bought it 4 years ago, I liked it for the sound. What I found out is the from factory my guitar was equipped with the 9 gauge strings, however due to personal preference, I changed them to 11 gauge and setup the guitar. So last weekend I bought 10 gauge set and reset the guitar and the sound is back to what I can vaguely remember. Bottom response was a lot better and intonation on my low E is spot on now.

I was quite surprised with the results to say the least.

Personally I would go with CTS 250k Audio Taper pots. But I would also get a set of CTS 500k Audio Taper pots just in case and want to experiment.

_________________
Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
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http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

you could try changing out the pups. do you have muddiness with all three positions or just some? also what kind of music do you play?

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I like my tone like my women. Full round bottom, sweet and clean but can get as dirty as I desire.

What do you expect from a $99.99 guitar? http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=515338

No offense intended but any mods you'll do will be like 'polishing a turd', as the saying goes. New pickups will cost more than the guitar.

I like danielhelc's suggestion of changing the strings. That guitar probably ships with the cheapest worst sounding strings possible. Start with the simple stuff first. Good luck!

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

i roadied for a counrty group whe i was a mid teen.
the guitar player had several very high end original fenders and a couple gibsons. i packed his gear and set him up on many of stages.
it never failed he carried 1 guitar to and from the shows himself.
the thing never left the stage during guitar switches or string breaks, it stayed in view of him all the time. ituarded this thing with his life.
when i finally got opportunity to see this amazing highly valued guitar up close i about fell over. his trusty guitar that he valued so highly that nobody was even allowed to touch it was a Kay guitar from sears.
i laughed for ever it seemed.
i asked him why in the hell he would play a hunk of junk like that
when he has some of the best guitars made?
his reply took me yrs to figure out and fully understand.
he said "boy, one day you might understand,a price tag isnt everything".
i figured it out finally.
price paid isnt everything. its what you get out of it when you give it everything you got that makes that turd highly polished and gleeming.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

jeff
i feel your pain bro. im in the same boat you are, but i just bought a new paddle last week that makes all the difference in the world.
best money ive spent and answers a ton of questions and some i didnt know i needed to be asking.
its a book by tim swike called
beginner, intermediate, and advanced hotrod techniques for guitar.
(a wiring guide for the fender strat)
man i havent been able to put thisbook down bro. theres so much in there
that you want to know. i paid like $15 off amazon.
this is the how-to wiring guide from heaven. seriously.
order it today bro. a 5th grader could follow this book and its wiring diagrams. i bet you will report back that this book is also the best money youve spent in a long time.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

Jeffo,

Congratulations on your success. I really think it is a fine looking guitar and brings me back to that 88 Series 10 that i wish i never sold but did for the very reason you decided to invest your care into. Had i known then what i know now, I'd have a spare axe that is just fun to have around.

Nicely done!

Enjoy it.

I agree with Way-cool on this one. Price tag isn't everything. After playing for 30 years my go-to guitar is probably one of the most inexpensive I've ever owned. It's a 95 MIM Tele with the TexMex HB on the neck and has a sound to die for. I've not had to do any mods to this one, just set it up for my playing style and secure the input (Tele fall-out jack) jack. I worry that if somthing happened to this one I wouldn't be able to find a replacement as good. The closest I've seen so far is the new Blacktop Tele and I haven't had the opportunity to play one yet but feel that it's gonna be my next purchase.
There are probably some dirt cheap guitars out there that can't be corrected with any amount or work or bucks, but I doubt if there are many.

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OK, I'll hum a little bit, got it now?

until my new to me HW1 my goto guitar was a guitar center exclusive. they sell for $499. i'll put it up aginst anything $1,200 or less.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

I also agree with Mr. Cool Jr.

You'll learn way more with a tweeker guitar that you work on and put time into. I had to learn the hard way by spending a lot of cash on guitars and doing all the setups, building and refretting myself for the past 30+ years. I'm currently working on a project guitar that I payed $200 for and put well over 8 hours into, it is slowly getting to where I want it to be. I've built other guitars even acoustics, and and the best part is having the satisfaction of creating your own sound. It's even more satisfying making a $100 guitar play and sound like a $500. Wouldn't you say.

Value comes in many forms. Money is just one.