Anybody know what kind of wood a Squire Strat body is made of? I'm thinking of "frankstrating" a Squire body with good electronics, hardware, and Warmoth neck, but if the wood is crap I don't want to waste my time/money. It's routed for a 6-screw trem and I'd like to update it to a blocked original Floyd. Is that possible?
Squire Strat Body Wood?
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Cagey
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It's not what they're made of so much as how they're made. It's probably still Alder or Ash, but it'll be a glue-up of some number of pieces or pieces that have knots or "unattractive" features that wouldn't look good under a clear or transparent/translucent finish. In the strictest sense, that can have an effect on the tonal character of the instrument, but that effect would quite likely be so small you'd need instrumentation from NASA to detect it.
I would be more concerned about the neck pocket dimensions. For reasons that have never been revealed, many low-end guitars take a lotta license with those numbers, so trying to fit a "standard" neck might present some challenges. Oddly enough, Fender set those standards and they're the worst violators of it. Warmoth follows Fender specs better than Fender does. Go figure.
If you're gonna replace everything but the body, you might consider just going ahead with the project. Buy all the parts, and before ripping the existing Squier to pieces just pull the neck and see if the new one will fit. If it turns out it won't seat right, used bodies are about a dime a dozen on Ebay. Put the existing neck back on the Squier and flip it to help pay for the "new" partscaster.
I would be more concerned about the neck pocket dimensions. For reasons that have never been revealed, many low-end guitars take a lotta license with those numbers, so trying to fit a "standard" neck might present some challenges. Oddly enough, Fender set those standards and they're the worst violators of it. Warmoth follows Fender specs better than Fender does. Go figure.
If you're gonna replace everything but the body, you might consider just going ahead with the project. Buy all the parts, and before ripping the existing Squier to pieces just pull the neck and see if the new one will fit. If it turns out it won't seat right, used bodies are about a dime a dozen on Ebay. Put the existing neck back on the Squier and flip it to help pay for the "new" partscaster.
I recently did some work on a Squire Bullet Strat for a friend. I had to take the neck off for a shim, the neck pocket looked like it was carved by a beaver. the pickguard covered all the uglyness but a tight fit it was not. Before you go through all that trouble, pick up a cheap body from the showcase and just do a nice oil finish on it.
stratamania
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Also, Squier bodies are usually not as thick so fitting a Floyd to it may present some challenges.
I have a Squier body lying around somewhere and a Fender neck does not fit properly in it. Hardware on Squiers will also at times have dimensions varying from actual Fenders. Even the Mexican ones vary from the US ones.
Is it possible? I would say one option is to go ahead and experiment if it doesn't work it will be a learning exercise and you can get another body.
I have a Squier body lying around somewhere and a Fender neck does not fit properly in it. Hardware on Squiers will also at times have dimensions varying from actual Fenders. Even the Mexican ones vary from the US ones.
Is it possible? I would say one option is to go ahead and experiment if it doesn't work it will be a learning exercise and you can get another body.
amigarobbo
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musicispeace
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Gotta agree with the ad making the point with a Yamaha Pacifica. I have a Pacifica I bought for $79 second hand that sounds great and I will, at some point, mod it a bit but won't bother with a replacement neck. With some new tuners and some upgrade under the pickguard it will be a solid player. If I were you I would research forums dedicated to modding Squires (Strat Talk could be a good place to start) and making a decision after more encompassing research. There are some options to choose from for what you are trying to accomplish as an end result.
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Cederick
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Dont worry about this stuff.
Ibanez has 5-piece laminated (sometimes even 7-piece!!) necks on their top-of-the-line guitars.
Why would this be an issue for bodies?
Think about the amount of glue you need for a maple top Les Paul.
Solid body, 3-piece body or plywood: I've played them all and there's absolutely no rule to what works and what does not. Same with bolton/setneck/neckthru construction... There's no rule to what has "more sustain" or "more attack"...
People talk about these things as absolutes, and it's unfortunately very misleading for people looking for knowledge about their gear or future purchases.
Simply put: dont worry about it.
Ibanez has 5-piece laminated (sometimes even 7-piece!!) necks on their top-of-the-line guitars.
Why would this be an issue for bodies?
Think about the amount of glue you need for a maple top Les Paul.
Solid body, 3-piece body or plywood: I've played them all and there's absolutely no rule to what works and what does not. Same with bolton/setneck/neckthru construction... There's no rule to what has "more sustain" or "more attack"...
People talk about these things as absolutes, and it's unfortunately very misleading for people looking for knowledge about their gear or future purchases.
Simply put: dont worry about it.
